Statement of Faith

Statement of Faith

This Church affirms the Holy Bible as the inspired Word of God, and as the only basis for our beliefs.

1) STATEMENT OF FAITH

a) THE HOLY SCRIPTURES:

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 an essential and infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. It leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Being given by God, the Scriptures are both fully and verbally inspired by God. Therefore, as originally given, the Bible is free of error in all it teaches. Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through it in living power. 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 They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom.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. Although the majority of the leadership and church uses the New International Version of the Bible, all legitimate translations of the Scriptures are acceptable and used.

2 Tim. 3:15-16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Ps. 19:7

b) THE ONE TRUE GOD:

The one true God has revealed Himself as the Eternal, Self-sufficient, Incomprehensible, Holy, and Sovereign God, who as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is three distinct persons yet one in substance.

Rev. 1:8; Acts 17:24-25; Isa. 55:8; 2 Chron. 20:6; Matt. 28:19

(1) GOD THE FATHER:

God the Father is the Creator of heaven and earth. By His word and for His glory, He freely and supernaturally created the world from nothing. Through the same Word He daily sustains all His creatures. He rules over all and is the only Sovereign. His plans and purposes cannot be thwarted. He is faithful to every promise, works all things together for good to those who love Him, and in His unfathomable grace gave His Son Jesus Christ for mankind’s redemption. He made man for fellowship with Himself, and intended that all creation should live to the praise of His glory.

Luke 10:21-22; Matt. 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Rom. 1:7; I Tim. 1:1-2; 2:5-6; I Peter 1:3; Rev. 1:6

(2) GOD THE SON:

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was the eternal Word made flesh, supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. He was and is perfect in nature, teaching, and obedience. He is fully God and fully man. He was always with God and is God. Through Him all things came into being and were created. He was before all things and in Him all things hold together by the power of His word. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation, and in Him dwells the fullness of the godhead bodily. He is the only Savior for the sins of the world, having shed His blood and died a vicarious death on Calvary’s cross. By His death in our place, He revealed the divine love and upheld divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God. Having redeemed us from sin, the third day He rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death and the powers of darkness and for a period of forty days appeared to over five hundred witnesses, performing many convincing proofs of His resurrection. He ascended into Heaven where, at God’s right hand, He intercedes for His people and rules as Lord over all. He is the Head of His body, the Church, and should be adored, loved, served, and obeyed by all.

Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; 8:46; 2 Cor. 5:21; I Pet. 2:21-23; John 20:30, 31; Matt. 20:28; Eph. 1:4; Acts 1:11; Rom. 5:6-8; 6:9,10; Heb. 7:25; Heb. 9:28; I Tim. 3:16

(3) GOD THE SPIRIT:

The Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Through the proclamation of the Gospel He persuades men to repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord. By the same Spirit a person is led to trust in divine mercy. The Holy Spirit unites believers to Jesus Christ in faith, brings about the new birth, dwells within the regenerate, and empowers the believer for faithful service. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Son, who in turn came to glorify the Father. He will lead the Church into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word. He is to be respected, honored, and worshipped as God the Third Person of the Trinity.

John 14:16,17,26; John 15:26,27; John 16:9-14; Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Gal. 5:22-26

c) THE FALL OF MAN AND HIS STATE:

Man was created good and in the image of God Almighty. But mankind, through the imputation of sin acquired from the first man Adam, is now self- seeking, wicked, idolatrous, dead in spirit, and a natural enemy of God. There is nothing in man that would desire a relationship or reconciliation with God the Father.

Gen. 1:26-31; Rom. 5:12-21; Rom. 3: 10-18; Eph. 2:1; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 8:7

d) THE WAY OF SALVATION:

(1) THE GOSPEL:

Jesus Christ is the Gospel. The Good News is revealed in His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Christ’s crucifixion is the heart of the Gospel, His resurrection is the power of the Gospel, and His ascension is the glory of the Gospel. Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins. It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases His holy wrath. It also demonstrates His mysterious love and reveals His amazing grace. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name by which men can be saved. At the heart of all sound doctrine is the cross of Jesus Christ and the infinite privilege that redeemed sinners have of glorifying God because of what He has accomplished. Therefore, this Gospel of grace is to be sincerely preached to all men in all nations. And we want all that takes place in our hearts, churches, and ministries to proceed from, and be related to the cross.

Rom. 10:9; 1 Pet. 3:18; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 3:21-26; Rom. 5:9