We accept the Bible, including the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, as the written Word of God. The Bible is the essential and infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. Being given by God, the Scriptures are both fully and verbally inspired by God. Therefore, as originally given, the Bible is free of error. All believers are exhorted to study the Scriptures and diligently apply them to their lives. The Scriptures are the authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice, and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom. Every doctrinal formulation, whether of creed, confession, or theology, must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in Holy Scripture.

(2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Romans 15:4; Psalm 19:7-11; Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18-19)

There is one God: infinite, eternal, unchangeable, almighty, and perfect in holiness, truth, and love. In the unity of the godhead, there are three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are co-existent, co-equal, and co-eternal. By His word and for His glory, God freely and supernaturally created the world out of nothing. God rules over all and is the only Sovereign. In His grace, God the Father sent His Son Jesus Christ to save sinners. The Son, in obedience to the Father, became a man and accomplished our redemption through the shedding of His blood and His death on the cross. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit is the Person that regenerates, indwells, and seals the believer.

(Deuteronomy 6:4; Jeremiah 10:10; Genesis 17:1; 1 John 5:7; Matthew 2:18-20; John 1:1,2,14,18; John 15:26; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 1:3-14)

God made mankind — male and female — in His own image, as the crown of creation, that man might glorify Him through enjoying fellowship with Him. Tempted by Satan, man rebelled against God. Being estranged from his Maker, yet responsible to Him, he became subject to divine wrath, inwardly depraved, and apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to his mind, will, and affections. Unregenerate man lives under the dominion of sin and Satan. He is at enmity with God and thus hostile toward God. Fallen, sinful people, whatever their character or attainments, are lost and without hope apart from salvation in Christ alone.

(Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 3; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 3:9-23; Romans 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-3)

Salvation, the free gift of God, is provided by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. Anyone turning from sin in repentance and looking to Christ and His substitutionary death receives the gift of eternal life and is declared righteous by God as a free gift. The Holy Spirit is the active agent in our sanctification and seeks to produce His fruit in us as our minds are renewed and we are conformed to the image of Christ. Though indwelling sin remains a reality, as we are led by the Spirit we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, freely keeping His commandments and endeavoring to so live in the world that all people may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. All believers are exhorted to persevere in the faith. The spiritual disciplines, especially Bible study, prayer, worship, and confession, are vital to Christian life and growth. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever.

(John 1:12-13; John 3:1-21, 36; Ephesians 2:4-10; Romans 5:18-21; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 6:10-18; Romans 8:38-39)

God by His Word and Spirit creates the Church, calling sinful men out of the whole human race into the fellowship of Christ’s Body. The Church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and to serve Him by faithfully doing His will in the earth. Upon conversion, newly redeemed men and women should join a local church in which they devote themselves to teaching, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. All members of the Church universal are to be a vital and committed part of a local church. In this context, they are called to walk out the New Covenant as the people of God and demonstrate the reality of the kingdom of God. In the context of the local church, God’s people receive pastoral care and leadership and the opportunity to employ their God-given gifts in His service in relation to one another and to the world. We recognize believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as scriptural means of testimony and communion for the church. We believe in the autonomy of the local church.

(Ephesians 1:10,22-23; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 2:11-22; Acts 2:42-47; Matthew 28:18-20; Colossians 3:12-17; Ephesians 4:1-16; Romans 12:1-13; Acts 20:17,28; Acts 5:11-14; Acts 13:1-3; Acts 14:23,27)

God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ. Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth, according to God’s promise. All people, believers and unbelievers, will be judged in righteousness. The righteous will be raised to glory and the unrighteous committed to eternal punishment.