Confession of Faith

The Scriptures

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were written by men divinely inspired, and are the words of God, are inerrant in all they affirm, and are the only rule for faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20,21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31,32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32)

The Trinity

We believe that there is only one true God, who exists in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the creator and ruler of heaven and earth, who knows all things, past, present, and future, and to whom we owe perfect love, trust, and obedience. (Genesis 1:1,26; John 1:1,3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19,20; Ephesians 4:5,6)

The Father

We believe that the Father perpetually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and all events, yet He is not the author or approver of sin, nor does He destroy the willful responsibility of intelligent creatures. God shows great mercy to all but is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. (Luke 10:21,22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:1,2 & 2:5,6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6)

The Son

We believe that Christ, being the eternal Son of God, became incarnate, fully God and fully man, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He was without sin and died as a substitute for sinners, suffering divine wrath for their sakes. He was raised from the dead bodily and appeared to His disciples, ascended into heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, and is the only mediator, reconciling God and man by faith in His name only. (Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–38; John 1:1, 20:28; Romans 9:5, 8:32; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:21–23; John 20:30, 31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6–8 & 6:9,10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; I Timothy 3:16)

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures and enables men to understand divine truth, convicting men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to faith in Christ and effects regeneration. He bestows spiritual gifts by which believers serve God through His church. He empowers Christians for holy living. (John 14:16,17,26 & 15:26,27; John 16:9–14; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; Galatians 5:22–26)

The Fall

We believe that man was created by God in His image; that man sinned and as a result incurred physical and spiritual death as well as eternal separation from God. Consequently, all human beings are sinful by nature and by choice and are therefore under God’s righteous condemnation. (Genesis 1:26, 5:2; Genesis 3; Genesis 2:17, 3:19; Psalm 51:7; Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:14; Romans 3:19, 5:19; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9)

Justification

We believe that sinners are justified in the sight of God through faith in Christ alone, who made full atonement for sin by His death, and whose righteousness is imputed to them by grace, and not by works, which are the fruits of faith that follow after justification. (Romans 1:17, 5:1; Galatians 3:24; Ephesians 2:8, 10; Titus 3:5)

Election (Distinctive)

We believe that all saints are chosen in Christ Jesus to be holy and obedient, according to God’s sovereign purpose and free grace, before the world began, and that they all receive the effectual call of the Holy Spirit, are justified, and kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation and final glory with Christ in heaven. (Romans 8:29-30, 9:15-18, 11:4-6; Ephesians 1:4-6)

The Church of Jesus Christ

We believe that the visible church of Christ is a congregation of professing believers, each of whom having given evidence of regeneration and having given themselves up to the Lord and to one another, have covenanted together to be a church of Jesus Christ, to keep up the preaching of the Scriptures, the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and church discipline, according to the New Testament model. The church is the body of Christ and the pillar and ground of the truth. Its officers are elders and deacons and its government is congregational. (Ephesians 2:19–22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:19–21; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23–25)

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that Christ has commanded His church to observe two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism in the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, is the first command of Christian discipleship to serve as a testimony of faith in Christ and in no sense causes regeneration or remission of sin. The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of Jesus Christ, to be observed by His church until Christ returns, and is in no sense a sacrifice, but is designed to commemorate His death, to confirm faith and the other graces to Christians, and to be a bond, pledge, and renewal of their communion with Him, and of their church fellowship. (Matthew 28:18–20; Romans 6:3–5; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26)

Baptism by Immersion (Distinctive)

We believe that baptism constitutes immersion in water, upon a credible profession of faith, to show forth our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, as exhibited throughout the New Testament. (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Acts 8:39)

Marriage

We believe that the triune God in the days of creation instituted and constituted marriage for the growth, joy, fidelity, comfort, self-giving, and propagation of the creatures made in his image, man and woman. It also was designed to portray the absolute fidelity and love of Christ for His bride, the church, and the certainty of His establishing an unbroken union of happiness and holiness with the church by His giving His life to obtain her for Himself. Thus by example and by command marriage is sanctioned by God as the joining of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other and that Scripture prohibits and threatens with judgment the style of life that embraces any other practice of sexual intimacy. (Genesis 1:27, 2:18-25; Ephesians 5:25; Romans 1:22-32; Hebrews 13:4; Revelation 19:7-9)

Complementarianism (Distinctive)

We believe that God made humans to be His image-bearers and representatives in creation, and distinguished them as male and female, equal in essence, dignity, and value, yet set apart according to His wise purposes to complement each other in mutually enriching ways. As part of God’s good created order, men and women have differing yet complementary roles and responsibilities in the home and church. (Ephesians 5:22-25; Colossians 3:18-19; 1 Timothy 3:12; Titus 2:1-5; 1 Peter 3:1-7)

The Last Day

We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth, the dead will be raised bodily, and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will dwell joyfully forever with the Lord. (Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10; Revelation 20:4–6, 11–15)