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Doctrinal
Statement:
We believe
these things to be true:
God
We believe in one God, Creator of all
things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally
existing in a loving unity of three equally
divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign
power, God has graciously purposed from eternity
to redeem a people for Himself and to make all
things new for His own glory.
The Bible
We believe that God has spoken in the
Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through
the words of human authors. As the verbally
inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error
in the original writings, the complete
revelation of His will for salvation, and the
ultimate authority by which every realm of human
knowledge and endeavor should be judged.
Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it
teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and
trusted in all that it promises.
The Human Condition
We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His
image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In
union with Adam, human beings are sinners by
nature and by choice, alienated from God, and
under His wrath. Only through God's saving work
in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled
and renewed.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate,
fully God and fully man, one Person in two
natures. Jesus-Israel's promised Messiah-was
conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of
the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was
crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily
from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at
the right hand of God the Father as our High
Priest and Advocate.
The Work of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ, as our
representative and substitute, shed His blood on
the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient
sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and
victorious resurrection constitute the only
ground for salvation.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He
does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He
convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates
sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union
with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family
of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides,
equips and empowers believers for Christ-like
living and service.
The Church
We believe that the true church comprises all
who have been justified by God's grace through
faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by
the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which
He is the Head. The true church is manifest in
local churches, whose membership should be
composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus
mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord's
Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the
gospel. Though they are not the means of
salvation, when celebrated by the church in
genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and
nourish the believer.
Christian Living
We believe that God's justifying grace must not
be separated from His sanctifying power and
purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely
and others sacrificially, and to live out our
faith with care for one another, compassion
toward the poor and justice for the oppressed.
With God's Word, the Spirit's power, and fervent
prayer in Christ's name, we are to combat the
spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to
Christ's commission, we are to make disciples
among all people, always bearing witness to the
gospel in word and deed.
Christ's Return
We believe in the personal, bodily and
premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The coming of Christ, at a time known only to
God, demands constant expectancy and, as our
blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly
living, sacrificial service and energetic
mission.
Response and Eternal Destiny
We believe that God commands everyone everywhere
to believe the gospel by turning to Him in
repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe that God will raise the dead bodily
and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to
condemnation and eternal conscious punishment
and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy
with the Lord in the new heaven and the new
earth, to the praise of His glorious grace.
Amen.
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