STATEMENT OF FAITH

The Trinity

It is the testimony of both Testaments and of the Christian Church that God is both One and Triune. The Biblical revelation testifies that there is only one God, and that He is eternally existent in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They each possess equal power and authority in Heaven and Earth.

  1. God the Father
    God the Father is the Creator and sustainer of all things, who created the universe in love to respond to Himself. He created man in His own image for fellowship, and calls man back to Himself through Christ after the rebellion and fall of man. He is faithful, worthy of trust, unchanging, ever present, all knowing, and all powerful. He goes beyond comprehension and above all is Holy. He is the very reason we exist. He is loving, merciful, and genuine in His pursuit for Man. He is faithful to His people and His promises, both on the Earth and in Heaven.
  2. The Son
    Jesus Christ is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning, and through him all things were made. For man’s redemption He left heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary. He is the first-born of all Creation, and the only plan to restore Man back to the Father. He lived a perfectly blameless life so that He can substitute Himself in our place for sin on the cross. He conquered death and hell through His resurrection so all may have life through Him.
  3. The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord and giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament, and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost. He empowers the saints for service and witness, cleanses man from old nature, and conforms us to the image of Christ. The baptism in the Holy Spirit, subsequent to conversion, releases the fullness of the Spirit and is evidenced by tongues, joy, praise, and other inward and outward manifestations and gifts. He is the reassurance of all believer’s relationship with Christ. He convicts of sin, Christ’s righteousness, and the coming judgment on the world. He comforts, gives spiritual gifts, and enables all believers to become Christ-like.

The Bible (also known as “Scripture”)

We affirm that the Bible containing the Old and New Testaments is alone the only infallible inspired Word of God, and that its authority is ultimate and final and eternal. It cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. The Bible is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction and reproof. It contains all that is needed for guidance in godliness and practical Christian conduct. It was written by human authors under the power and guidance of The Holy Spirit. It is inspired by God, full truth without error, and relevant to all believers’ daily lives.

The Atonement

Christ’s vicarious death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world, but its benefits are only applicable to those who receive Jesus as their personal Savior. Healing of the body, soul and spirit, is provided for in the atonement, as well as, all of God’s provision for His saints, but these must be appropriated.

Salvation

The Word of God declares clearly that salvation is a free gift of God, based on the merits of the death of His Son, and is appropriated by faith. Salvation is affected by personal repentance, belief on the Lord Jesus (justification), and personal acceptance of Him into one’s life as Lord and Savior (regeneration). The new life in Christ includes the privileges of adoption and inheritance in the Kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Salvation is an act of free will in response to God’s personal love for mankind. It is predestined only in the sense that God, through His omniscience, foreknew those who would choose Him. It is secure in the eternal unchanging commitment of God, who does not lie and is forever the same. Salvation should produce an active lifestyle of loving obedience and service to Jesus Christ our Savior.

The Christian Life

We believe that the Scriptures portray the life of the saint in this world to be one of balance between what is imputed to us as Christians and what is imparted to us according to our faith and maturity. The shortcomings of the individual and of the Church are because of the still progressing sanctification of the saints. The Christian life is filled with trials, tests, and warfare against a spiritual enemy. For those abiding in Christ until their death or His return, the promises of eternal blessing in the presence of God are assured. To remain faithful through all circumstances of life, it requires dependence upon the Holy Spirit and a willingness to die to personal desires and passions.

The Church

The Church consists of a community of baptized believers serving Jesus Christ. The Church works together to obey the teachings of Christ and share the Gospel throughout the world. The intent of The Church is to glorify Jesus Christ and minister to those both in natural and spiritual need.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

The Word of God enjoins on the Church two perpetual ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first, baptism, is the outward sign of what God has already done in the individual’s life and is a testimony to all that the person belongs now to Jesus. Baptism allows believers to identify with Jesus and is performed in the name of the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the death of the Lord is done in remembrance of Him until He comes again and is a sign of our participation in Him. Both institutions are restricted to those who are believers.

Eschatology

We affirm the bodily, personal, second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the Saints, the Millennium, and the final judgment. The final judgment will determine the eternal status of both the saints and the unbelievers, determined by their relationship to Jesus Christ. We affirm with the Bible the final state of the New Heavens and New Earth.