​God

I believe there is one God: Creator of all things from nothing by His Word and for His glory. He is holy, infinite, perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge, God is ruling over all. And having sovereign power, His plans and purposes cannot be thwarted. Being faithful to every promise, God is redeeming a people for Himself and making all things new for His own glory. 

 

​The Bible

I believe the Bible, including the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, is the written Word of God. Fully and verbally inspired by Him and without error. The Bible is the essential and infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind and reveals His will for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Being given by God, the Bible is 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 The Scriptures are sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by worldly wisdom or extra-biblical revelation. Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose, in obedient reverence to the Lord who speaks through the Word by His Spirit.

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​Jesus Christ 

I believe Jesus is the Word made flesh, God incarnate, the only begotten Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Fully God and fully man, Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah, the only Savior for the sins of the world. By having lived a sinless life and shedding His blood on the cross, Jesus is the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. And having risen bodily from the grave, victorious over death, and ascending into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God, Jesus is our High Priest and Advocate, interceding for His people and ruling as Lord over all. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation. Jesus is the Head of His body, the church, and should be loved and served by all.

 

The Holy Spirit 

I believe that the Holy Spirit is Lord and Giver of life, glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ in all He does. He convicts the world of its guilt, proclaims the gospel, and persuades men to repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord. The Holy Spirit regenerates sinners, and in Him are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs into the family of God. The Holy Spirit leads the church into right understanding and application of the truth of God’s Word, indwelling, illuminating, guiding, equipping and empowering the believer for Christ-like living and service.

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​The Human Condition 

I believe that God created man, male and female, in His own image to portray His character and work in the world, having fellowship with Him. Tempted by Satan, man rebelled against God and sin entered the world, marring the divine image and becoming subject to divine wrath. Inwardly depraved, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God and living under the dominion of sin and Satan. Man is at enmity with God and incapable of returning to God apart from a special work of grace. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can a man be rescued, reconciled, and renewed.

 

​Response ​

I believe that the proper response to the gospel is faith in Jesus Christ. A turning to Him in repentance from sin, which is characterized in a changed life. Though repentance and works do no save, unless a person is willing to deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow Christ, he cannot become His disciple. This response to the gospel is rooted and grounded in the unconditional election of God for His own pleasure and glory; a message of grace to be preached to all nations.

 

The Church 

I believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone. It is not a religious institution or denomination but is made up of those who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ. God, by His Word and through His Spirit, creates the church by calling sinful men out of the human race into fellowship of Christ’s body, of which, He is the head. The church exists to worship and glorify God, and serve Him by faithfully doing His will on earth, making disciples through the preaching of the gospel. The true church is manifest in local churches, where redeemed men and women are commanded to 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 the local church, where they are called to walk out the new covenant as the people of God and demonstrate the reality of the kingdom of God. Using the gifts given by the Spirit to nurture and equip one another for the work of the ministry. 

 

​Christian Living ​

I believe that God’s justifying grace is not separate from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely, to love others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another as He provides His Spirit as the active agent for this purpose. Though indwelling sin remains, as we are led by the Spirit He produces His fruit in us and conforms us to the image of Christ. Growing us in the knowledge of the Lord, keeping His commandments, and living in such a way that people see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, all believers are exhorted to persevere in faith and make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

 

​Eternal Destiny 

I believe in the personal and bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment of the just and unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. Satan and his hosts and all of those outside of Christ will be condemned to eternal punishment and separation from God’s presence, but the righteous will live and reign with God for eternity in glorious bodies, serving Him and praising Him forever.

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