Beliefs

 

 

The Scriptures

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The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error. The Bible is to be believed as God’s instruction, in all that it teaches; obeyed as God’s command, in all that it requires and trusted as God’s pledge, in all that it promises.

 

 

God

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We believe in one God, eternally existing in three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who know, love and glorify one another. This one true and living God is infinitely perfect both in his love and in his holiness. He is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, and is therefore worthy to receive all glory and adoration. Immortal and eternal, he perfectly and exhaustively knows the end from the beginning, sustains and sovereignly rules over all things, and providentially brings about his eternal good purposes to redeem a people for himself and restore his fallen creation, to the praise of his glorious grace.

 

 

The Person and Work of Christ

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We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that he might reveal God and redeem sinful man. He accomplished our redemption through his death on the cross, as a substitutionary sacrifice and our justification is made sure by his literal, physical resurrection from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man.

 

 

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

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We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment and that he is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. He is the one who comforts us in our pain, the one who counsels us in our trials, and the one who guides us to live in all truth. He produces fruit in us that does not earn our salvation, but rather that is evidence that our salvation has and is taking place.

 

 

Fallen State of Man

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We believe that humanity was created in the image and likeness of God and that man, by falling into sin through Satan’s temptation has distorted that image and forfeited his original blessedness. As a result, all human beings inherited a sinful nature and are alienated from God. Thus, our supreme need is to be reconciled to the God under whose just and holy wrath we stand. The only hope of all human beings is the undeserved love of this same God, who alone can rescue us and restore us to himself.

 

 

Salvation

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We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on the cross at Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. Assurance of salvation is gained through the process of sanctification.

 

 

Sanctification

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Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Growth in grace should continue throughout the believer’s life.

 

 

The Church

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We believe that the church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is made up of all born-again persons of this present age. The church is not something we go to, nor is it something we do. Instead, the church is something we are. Jesus is the head of the church, and we are members of his body. We believe that the church is meant to bear witness to the good news of the gospel and love of Jesus Christ. The church is distinguished by her gospel message, by her love for God and by her members’ love for one another and for the world.