Statement of Faith

Doctrinal Statement

We Affirm the Apostle’s Creed

*That is, the true Christian church of all times and all places

Statement of Faith

God

We believe there is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. To Him, we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

God the Father

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purpose of His grace. He is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude towards all people.

Scripture References: Genesis 1:1; Genesis 2:7; Exodus 3:14; Exodus 6:2-3; Exodus 15:11; Exodus 20:1; Lev 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; Deuteronomy 32:6; I Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3; Isaiah 15; Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; Jeremiah 17:13; Matthew 6:9; Matthew 7:11; Matthew 23:9; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; John 5:26; John 14:6-13; John 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; I Cor. 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; I Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; Hebrews 12:9; I Peter 1:17; I John 5:7

God the Son

We believe Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying Himself completely with people yet without sin. He honored the divine law by his personal obedience, and in His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of people from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator; partaker of the nature of God and of man, and in whose person has effected the reconciliation between God and people. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever-present Lord.

Scripture References: Psalm 119:105; Matthew 24:35; John 5:39; John 8:31-32; Genesis 18:1; Psalm 2:7; Psalm 110:1; Isaiah 7:14;53; Matthew 1:18-23; Matthew 3:17; Matthew 8:29; Matthew 11:27; Matthew 14:33; Matt 16:16;27; Matthew 17:5; Matthew 27; Matthew 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; Mark 3:11; Luke 1:35; Luke 4:41; Luke 22:70; Luke 24:46; John 1:1-18, 29; John 10:30, 38; John 11:25-27; John 12:44-50; John 14:7-11; John 16:15-16, 28; John 17:1-5,21-22; John 20:1-20; John 28; Acts 1:9; Acts 2:22-24; Acts 7:55-56; Acts 9:4-5, 20; Romans 1:3-4; Romans 3:23-26; Romans 5:6-21; Romans 8:1-3, 34; Romans 10:4; I Cor. 1:30; I Corinthians 2:2; I Corinthians 8:6; I Cor. 15:1-8; I Cor 15:24-28; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; Ephesians 3:11; Ephesians 4:7-10; Philippians 5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; Colossians 2:9; I Thes.4:14-18; I Tim. 2:5-6; I Timothy 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; Hebrews 4:14-15; Hebrews 7:14-28; Hebrews 9:12-15; Heb. 9:24-28; Hebrews 12:2; Hebrews 13:8; I Peter 2:21-25; I Peter 3:22; I John 1:7-9; I John 3:2; I Jn 4:14-15; I John 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Rev. 1:13-16; Rev. 5:9-14; Rev. 12:10-11; Revelation 13:8 ; Rev. 19:16

God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired people of old to write the scriptures. Through illumination, He enables people to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls people to the Savior and effects regeneration. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is assurance of God to bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

Scripture References: Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalm 51-11; Psalm 139:7; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; Matthew 3:16; Matthew 4:1; Matthew 12:28-32; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; Luke 4:1, 18-19; Luke 11:13; Luke 12:12; Luke 24:49; John 4:24; John 14:16-17,26; John 15:26; John 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4,38; Acts 4:31; Acts 5:3; Acts 6:3; Acts 7:55; Acts 8:17,39; Acts 10:44; Acts 13:2; Acts 15:28; Acts 16:6; Acts 19:1-6; Rom. 8:9-11; Romans 8:14-16; Romans 8:26-27; I Cor. 2:10-14; I Corinthians 3:16; I Cor. 12:3-11; Galatians 4:6; Eph. 1:13-14; Ephesians 4:30; Ephesians 5:18; I Thessalonians. 5:19; I Timothy 3:16; I Timothy 4:12; II Timothy 1:14; II Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 9:8; Hebrews 14:2; 2 Peter 1-21; I John 4:13; I John 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; Rev 22:17

The Bible

We believe that God has revealed Himself to us through the Bible and that he has spoken to us in the Bible. We believe that the Bible contains the very words of God. We believe that the Bible, the 66 books of the Old and New Testament are inerrant and infallible in their original manuscripts through the inspiration of God. (As defined by the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy).

(Ps. 19; 2 Tim. 3:17-17; 2 Pet 1:20-21; 2 Pet. 3:16)

We believe the Bible has the supreme authority over the lives of churches and Christians. All human conduct, speech, beliefs, and matters of life are to submit themselves to the Bible and its standard.

(Genesis 1; Jer. 5:14; Heb. 7:13; Jn. 10:35; Heb. 4:12; Acts 17:11)

We believe that the Bible is the source of the norm for instruction in Christian Life that helps us live a life pleasing to God and for a non-Christian to come to salvation. The Bible is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

(Ps 19:7-11; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)

Humanity – Image of God

We believe that all humans are made in the image of God. People are created by the special act of God, in His own image, and are the crowning work of His creation. Human life begins at the moment of conception. Humanity rebelled against God and fell from its original innocence; whereby all humanity inherits a nature and an environment inclined towards sin, Only the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, can bring people into His holy fellowship and enable people to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human persons is evident in that Christ died for people. Because each person is created in the image of God, every person possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. Christ. We therefore reject any abuse of people including racism, sexism, classism, and religious persecution. Christians should stand against such abuses. We also believe that Christ’s followers should work to end the suffering of people from poverty, tyranny, and injustice. Christians should seek to bring the Gospel message to all people throughout the world so they can become followers of Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Each man and woman is purposefully designed by God to be a particular biological sex, female or male. A person is identified biologically as a man or woman. at birth (or at the chromosomal level when necessary).

The Christian Covenant of Marriage

We believe the Christian Covenant of Marriage, by which one man and one woman establish a lifelong union for the protection and wellbeing of the spouses, and the procreation and bringing up of offspring in a godly manner is to be honored as holy. This covenant should only be entered into by two professing followers of Jesus Christ. This is a binding covenant between the man, the woman, and God. The Bible clearly instructs that sexual activity is to be enjoyed exclusively between a man and a woman who have been joined together in holy matrimony. All other sexual activity violates the biblical standard for Christians. This covenant may only be broken in extreme cases of marital infidelity, abuse, or abandonment. The spouse who was abused, abandoned, or treated with infidelity is free from the obligation of the covenant. However, on occasion, reconciliation may be possible even after times of deep hurt and betrayal. Divorce is a painful experience, and those who go through a divorce should be loved and supported as they seek the Lord for healing and forgiveness to live a whole and healthy life.

We acknowledge and celebrate that some are called to singleness for a season or for their entire life. The calling to singleness is a call to celibacy and is considered a gift from God.

Sin

We believe that all humans have sinned, rebelled, and fallen short of God’s righteous standard. We all have participated in the guilt of Adam and Eve and now, by our nature, are considered sinful. We also prove our sinful nature by our sinful choices and desires. The result and consequence of sin is that we are separated from God and now deserving of both the judgment and wrath of God.

(Gen. 3: Rom. 1:18-23; Rom. 3:12; Rom. 3:23; Rom. 5:14 Rom. 6:23; 1 Jn. 3:4)

The Gospel

We believe that the Gospel is the good news that sinners can be saved through Jesus Christ. The Gospel is this: God, in his perfect will and out of his eternal love, has sent his Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life and to die as a substitute for sinners on the cross. On that cross, Jesus bore our sins, and in His death. On the third day, Jesus resurrected conquering sin and death. And through His death and His resurrection, sinners can be reconciled to God. Through the finished work of Jesus, sinners can be justified, adopted, and one day glorified.

Also, through the work of Jesus, cosmic triumph over all evil is guaranteed and will be accomplished. Evil powers like sin, death, Satan, and demons are triumphed over by the cross of Jesus. At the return of Jesus, the fruit of the Gospel will be seen in the full purging of evil and in the renewal of all things.

The culmination of the gospel is that all things are being made new. All of creation, culture, and society will be made new when Christ returns in God’s own time and His own way. He will bring this current age to its appropriate end and establish His kingdom where He will rule and that will have no end.

Faith in this Gospel leads a person to confess his/her sins and repent, or turn away and turn to, God in faith. We are not saved by our works or by our own resources but strictly by Christ and Christ alone. The Holy Spirit applies the work of Jesus to us and we become new creations in Christ.

(Gen. 3:15; Rom. 5:6-11; Gal. 1:4; Col. 1:13-14; Col. 1:18-20; 1 Cor. 15:3-5; Rom. 8:29-30; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Jn. 3:8)

The Church

We believe the church consists of all genuine believers worldwide of men and women who have been reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and the believers are united by the Spirit to be the body of the church. The worldwide church is manifested in local churches where believers gather together to worship God and build one another up in the faith. In these local churches, a congregation gathers, the Bible is preached, and baptism and the Lord’s Supper are administered. We believe that through these local churches, God accomplishes his goal of making disciples of all nations.

(1 Cor. 12:12-3; Eph. 5:23-27; Mt. 16:18; Mt. 28:18-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; Col. 3:16)

The Christian Life

The Christian life is grounded in a loving relationship with God as Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. This relationship is a journey of following and seeking to become like Jesus Christ by living in a relationship with Jesus and relying on the Holy Spirit’s power. While a Christian is alive, he/she is to grow to love and look more and more like Christ. Through the Holy Spirit’s power, the submission to God’s word, and the priority of prayer, believers can love God and love people. By living in a relationship to the Holy Spirit we become equipped with the fruit of the Spirit. The ultimate evidence of Christian maturity is love for and obedience to God, and a servant, sacrificial love for people. God defines our life calling or vocations. In our many unique vocations, we find purpose and meaning by using our gifts and our talent to glorify God and work for human flourishing.

(1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:1-17; Rom. 12:1-2; Gal. 5:25)

The Return of Christ

We believe that Jesus will personally and bodily return to Earth, at a time only known to the Father. At this return, the last things will commence: The dead will be raised, the wicked will be judged, the Christian’s body will be glorified, and Jesus will establish the New Heavens and the New Earth.

(Mt. 24:30-31, Mt. 24:36; 1 Cor. 15:20-26; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev.20-21)