Beliefs & Statement of Faith

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and it is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction. Its divine author is the Triune God, and its human authors were God's prophets and apostles, under the inspiration of His Spirit. Its purpose is to communicate the message of salvation in Jesus Christ, and its content is truth without any mixture of error. It reveals the principles by which God will judge us and the entire world. Until that day, the Scriptures will remain the true source of Christian unity, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, worldviews and opinions should be tried.

We believe that there is One, and only One, true God. He is an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is Yahweh, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, trust, and love. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; equally divine and perfect in every way, and carrying out distinct but harmonious aspects of the great work of redemption.

We believe that humanity was created to be holy, without sin and set apart under the law of his Creator. By voluntary transgression, he fell from his state of blessing and holiness. Consequently, all mankind are now sinners, not by force, but by choice. By nature, all people are totally void of the holiness required by God's law, and are positively inclined toward evil. Therefore, all people are justly subject to God's wrath and under threat of eternal condemnation, without excuse.

We believe that the salvation of sinners is entirely by grace, through the mediating work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. At the command of the Father, He freely took upon our human nature, yet he was without sin. He honored the divine law by his perfect, personal obedience, and by his death made a full atonement for our sins. Having risen from the dead and ascended to the Father, he is now enthroned in heaven. As God, he is fully divine and exalted above all. As man, he is gentle and lowly in heart, and able to sympathize with our weakness. Therefore, he is qualified in every way to be a perfect, compassionate, and all-sufficient Savior.

We believe that the great blessing of the Gospel is justification, secured by Christ for all who believe in Him. Justification includes the pardon of sin and the promise of eternal life, on the basis of righteousness. It is given to us solely by faith in the Redeemer's blood - not by any works of righteousness that we have done. By virtue of this faith, Christ's own righteousness is freely credited to us, and brings us into a state of perfect peace and favor with God, securing with it every other blessing both now and forever.

We believe that the blessings of salvation are freely offered to all people through the gospel. It is the immediate duty of all people to accept this free gift by a sincere, repentant, and obedient faith. Nothing can prevent the salvation of even the greatest sinner on earth, except his or her own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the gospel - a rejection which results in his or her condemnation.

We believe that, in order to be saved, sinners must be regenerated, or born again. Regeneration transforms the sinful human mind and will to understand and accept the things of God. It comes about by the power of the Holy Spirit in a manner that we cannot fully comprehend, in connection with the divine truth of God’s Word. Regeneration secures our voluntary obedience to the gospel, and it is evidenced by the spiritual fruit of repentance, faith, and a transformed life.

We believe that repentance and faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces of God, formed in our souls by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Being deeply convinced of our guilt and helplessness, the danger of God's righteous wrath, and of the way of salvation found only in Christ, we turn to God with genuine remorse, confession, and a plea for mercy. At the same time, we wholeheartedly receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and rely on Him alone as the only and all-sufficient Savior.

We believe that, before the foundation of the world, God elected a great multitude of men and women from every tribe, tongue and nation, appointing them to eternal life. Election is the eternal purpose of God, in which He graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners. This is perfectly consistent with the free agency and moral responsibility of man, and connects the ends that God ordains with the means He uses to accomplish them. This does not nullify the need for evangelism, but encourages and empowers it to the highest degree. Election is a glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, as He alone is infinitely free, wise, holy and unchangeable. It totally excludes prideful boasting, but promotes humility, love, prayer, praise, trust, and active imitation of God’s free and undeserved mercy. It is the source of the Christian's assurance of salvation, and it may be observed by its effect on all who truly believe the Gospel. To understand it in relation to our own salvation deserves and demands diligence and self-reflection.

We believe that sanctification is the process by which God causes us to partake in His holiness, according to his will. It is a progressive work that begins with regeneration, and is brought to fruition in the lives of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit - our Helper, Comforter, and the Seal of our Salvation. Sanctification is primarily carried out through the continual use of God's appointed means of grace - especially the Word of God, prayer, and fellowship with the church.

We believe that the only true believers are those who endure to the end. A persevering attachment to Christ is the defining mark that distinguishes true faith from superficial profession. God, in his Providence, watches over the welfare of all true believers, and they are kept by His power through faith unto salvation.

We believe that God's Law is the eternal and unchangeable rule of His moral government. According to Scripture, the Law is holy, just, and good, and fallen humanity's inability to fulfill its just requirements arises entirely from their own love of sin. Through Christ's mediating work, men and women are delivered from their love of sin and restored to genuine obedience to God's Law. This obedience is one important purpose of the gospel, and of the ordinary means of grace given by Christ to His visible church.

We believe that a visible church of Christ is a local congregation of baptized believers, committed to one another by covenant, in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel. A true church assembles regularly for worship, is governed by his Word, observes the ordinances of Christ in baptism and the Lord's Supper, and exercises the gifts invested in each believer by the Holy Spirit. The only scriptural officers of the Church are elders (pastors) and deacons, whose qualifications, authority, and duties are defined in the epistles to Timothy and Titus.

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It serves as a beautiful symbol to proclaim our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior, as well as the effect of that faith: our death to sin and resurrection to new life. Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership.

The Lord's Supper is the ordinance by which believers in Christ, through sacred use of bread and wine, commemorate together the love of Christ demonstrated in his death. It is a bond and pledge of communion with Christ and each other. The body and blood of Christ are not present bodily or physically in the ordinance, but are present truly and spiritually to the faith of believers.

Both ordinances (or Sacraments) are means of grace, reserved for believers, and are intended to stir continual, joyful commitment to Christ.

We believe that Civil Government is appointed by God for the interest and proper order of human societies. Government leaders, however imperfect, are to be prayed for, honored, and obeyed, except when they would cause or coerce us to oppose the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the King over all earthly kings, and the only Lord of our conscience.

We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked. The only people who are truly righteous in God's sight are those who are justified through faith in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God. All who reject this faith, continuing in unrepentant sin and unbelief, are wicked in His sight and under His wrath. This distinction holds true both in and after death.

We believe that the end of the world is approaching. On the Last Day, Jesus Christ will descend from heaven and raise the dead from the grave for final judgment. A solemn separation will then take place, in which the wicked will be consigned to eternal punishment, while the righteous will be joyfully welcomed into eternal life. This irreversible judgment will fix forever the final state of men, in heaven or hell, on the basis of righteousness.

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.

Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

We believe the gift of gender, as male and female, is part of the goodness of God's created order. It is the fundamental and universal biological distinction of the human race, and is not determined by one's self-perception. As embodied beings, gender is part of the very essence of human nature. It is therefore not possible to sever the connection between one's gender and one's biological sex.

Sexual intimacy is a good gift from God to be enjoyed only within the confines of marriage. Any form of sexual intimacy outside the marriage covenant constitutes immorailty. Sexual immorality includes lust, pornography, adultery, polygamy, fornication, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, bestiality, incest, and attempts to deny or change one's biological gender.

We believe that Christ died to save a diverse people of men and women from every tribe, tongue and nation. All people have equal dignity as God's image bearers, regardless of ethnicity, biological sex, age, physical or mental ability, economic or social status. The body of Christ on earth should therefore reflect the diversity of Christ's kingdom, and local congregations should seek to realistically reflect the diversity of their geographical community, showing no partiality or preference on the basis of any of the above factors.

We believe that just as Christ commanded his apostles to "Go and make disciples", so he has commanded all Christians to carry forth the gospel to all nations. It is both the duty and privilege of all believers to share the message of Christ with the lost, in their families, neighborhoods, workplaces, and social circles; and likewise to take part in the ongoing discipleship of fellow believers, in their local church and beyond. No believer is exempt from Christ's command, nor is anyone indwelt by the Holy Spirit ill-equipped for the task.

We believe in the dignity of human work as part of God's creation mandate. We therefore believe in the goodness and usefulness of all secular vocations which do not by nature violate God's ethical commands as found in Scripture. Work is a gift from God to provide for daily necessities and to promote the flourishing of human society. The believer's vocation is also an opportunity to glorify God by their good service, working as unto the Lord and not men, and is one of the primary vehicles for engaging lost people with the message of Christ.

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary;
suffered under Pontius Pilate;
was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell;
the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit;
the holy catholic* church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting. Amen.

I believe in One God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God;
begotten of the Father before all ages;
God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God;
begotten, not made, being of one substance withe the Father;
by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men and for our salvation,
came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit, of the Virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered and was buried;
and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;
and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father;
and he shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead;
whose Kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit;
the Lord and Giver of life;
who proceeds from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Song together is worshiped and glorified;
who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead;
and the life of the world to come. Amen

Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic* faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith:

That we worship one God in Trinity and the Trinity in unity,
neither confounding their persons nor dividing the essence.

For the person of the Father is a distinct person,
the person of the Son is another,
and that of the Holy Spirit is still another.
But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one,
the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son and such is the Holy Spirit.
The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated.
The Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable, the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.
The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal.
And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but One eternal Being.
So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings;
there is but One uncreated and immeasurable Being.
Similarly, the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty.
Yet there are not three almighty beings; there is but One almighty Being.
Thus, the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God.
Yet, there are not three gods; there is but One God.
Thus, the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord.
Yet there are not three lords; there is but One Lord.
Just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually as both God and Lord,
so catholic* religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords.

The Father was neigher made nor created nor begotten from anyone.
The Son was neither made nor created; He was begotten from the Father alone.
The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten;
He proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Accordingly, there is one Father, not three fathers;
there is one Son, not three sons;
there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.
None in this Trinity is before or after, none is greater or smaller;
in their entirety the three persons are coeternal and coequal with each other.

So in everything, as was said earlier, the unity in Trinity,
and the Trinity in unity, is to be worshiped.
Anyone then who desires to be saved should think thus about the Trinity.

But it is necessary for eternal salvation that one also believe
in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully.

Now this is the true faith:

That we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ,
God's Son, is both God and man, equally.
He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time;
and he is man from the essence of his mother, born in time;
completely God, completely man, with a rational soul and human flesh;
equal to the Father as regards divinity,
less than the Father as regards humanity.
Although he is both God and man, yet Christ is not two, but one.
He is one, however, not by His divinity being turned into flesh,
but by God's taking humanity to Himself.
He is one, certainly not by the blending of His essence,
but by the unity of His person.
For just as one man is both rational soul and flesh,
so too the one Chris is both God and man.

He suffered for our salvation;
He descended to hell,
He arose from the dead on the third day;
He ascended to heaven;
He is seated at the Father's right hand;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
At His coming all people will arise bodily and give an accounting of their own deeds.
Those who have done good will enter eternal life,
and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.

This is the catholic faith: that one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully.