What We Believe

The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of
God. Therefore, all Scripture is authoritative, infallible, and inerrant in its original
autographs. The Scriptures are the only sufficient rule for faith and practice (Ps.
19:7; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; 2 Pet. 1:20–21).

There is but one God, the Maker, Preserver, and Ruler of all things, having in
and of Himself, all perfections, and being infinite in them all; and to Him all
creatures owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience (Deut. 6:4; Ps. 145:3;
John 1:3; 1 Cor 8:4–6; 1 Tim. 1:17).

The Scriptures reveal that the one God eternally exists in three persons: the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person is distinct, but God is without
division of nature, essence, or being (Matt. 3:16–17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)

God from eternity, decrees or permits all things that come to pass, and
perpetually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and all events; yet so as
not in any wise to be the author or approver of sin nor to destroy the free will
and responsibility of intelligent creatures (Isa. 46:9–11; Prov. 16:33; Col. 1:17;
Heb 1:3; Jas. 1:13–15).

Election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life—not
because of foreseen merit in them, but of His mere mercy in Christ—in
consequence of which choice they are called, justified, sanctified, and glorified
through union with Christ (Rom. 8:28–30; 1 Cor. 1:27–31; Eph. 1:4, 11).

God originally created Man in His own image, both male and female, and free
from sin. Prior to the Fall, God gave his good and natural ordering and pattern
for marriage and family relationships when He placed Adam as head over his
wife, Eve. The natural and God-ordained pattern for marriage (heterosexual,
exclusive, and monogamous), family, gender, and sexuality, therefore, are
grounded in the Genesis 1–2 creation account, prior to the Fall, and are still
normative and necessary today. Through the temptation of Satan, however,
Adam transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original holiness and
righteousness; whereby his posterity inherit a distorted nature, corrupt and
wholly opposed to God and His law. As a result, they are under condemnation,
and as soon as they are capable of moral action, become actual transgressors
(Gen. 1:26–27, 2:15–25, 3:1–7, 6:5; Matt. 19:3–9; Rom. 3:9–18; 5:12–19, 8:5–8;
Eph. 2:1–3, 5:22–33).

The only begotten Son of God is the active subject of the Incarnation. Since
Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, He is the divinely appointed mediator
between God and man. Having taken upon Himself human nature, yet without
sin, He perfectly fulfilled the law; suffered and died upon the cross for the
salvation of His sinful people. He was buried, and rose again the third day, and
ascended to His Father, at whose right hand He ever lives to make intercession
for His people. He will return again visibly and bodily. He is the only Mediator,
the Prophet, Priest, and King of the Church, and Sovereign of the universe (Isa.
53:10–12; John 1:1, 14; Acts 1:9–11; Rom. 3:21–26, 8:34; 1 Cor. 15:3–4; Gal.
3:13; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 1:1–3, 4:14–5:10, 7:24–25).

We believe that God the Holy Spirit brings glory to the Father and the Son. He
applies the work of Christ to His new covenant community (Christians) and
distributes spiritual gifts to every believer according to His sovereign good
pleasure for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. He is the Comforter,
the Spirit of Adoption, the Seal of our Salvation, and the Guarantor of our
inheritance in Christ (John 14:16–17, 16:14; Acts 5:3; Rom. 8:14–17; Eph. 1:13–
14).

Jesus Christ, as the guarantor and mediator of a new and better covenant,
provides the better covenant promises to his people through covenant union.
Christians have inherited all of the promises and blessings of the new covenant
through covenant union with Jesus Christ. All of the benefits of salvation,
including but not limited to, regeneration, justification, sanctification, faith,
repentance, perseverance, being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, adoption, etc., all
flow out of new covenant union with Jesus Christ (Isaiah 56:1–8; Jer. 31:27–34;
Ezek. 36:25–28; Matt. 26:26–28; Rom. 5:1–21; Heb. 8:1–13).

Regeneration is a change of heart, wrought by the Holy Spirit, who gives life to
those dead in trespasses and sins, enlightening their minds spiritually and
savingly to understand the Word of God, and renewing their whole nature, so
that they love and practice holiness. It is a work of God’s free and special grace
alone (John 3:3–8; Eph. 2:1–6; Tit. 3:5; 1 John 5:1).

Repentance is an evangelical grace, wherein a person being by the Holy Spirit,
made sensible of the manifold evil of his sin, humbles himself for it, with godly
sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrence, and turns from it with a purpose
and endeavor to walk before God so as to please Him in all things (Ps. 32:1–5;
Isa. 6:5, 55:7; Luke 5:8, 18:9–14; Acts 2:37–38, 11:15–18; 2 Cor. 7:10–11; 2 Tim.
2:25).

Saving faith is the belief, on God’s authority, of whatever is revealed in His Word
concerning Christ; accepting and resting upon Him alone for justification and
eternal life. It is wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, and is accompanied by
all other saving graces, and leads to a life of holiness (Rom. 3:27–28, 4:1–5,
4:17–25, 10:14, 17; Phil. 1:29; Eph. 2:8; Jas. 2:14–16).

Justification includes the pardon of sin, and the promise of eternal life on
principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works
of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer
by virtue of which faith in his perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us of
God that it brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor with God
(Rom. 3:21–26, 4:4–9, 23–25, 5:1–2, 9, 17–21, 8:28–34, 10:3–4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil.
3:7–9; Titus 3:5–7).

Those who have been regenerated are also sanctified, by God’s Word and Spirit
dwelling in them. This sanctification is progressive through the supply of divine
strength, which all saints seek to obtain, pressing after a heavenly life in cordial
obedience to all Christ’s commands (Jer. 31:31–34; Ezek. 36:27; Rom 8:1–17;
Gal. 5:13–25; Eph. 3:14–21; Phil. 2:12–13; Col. 3:1–17; 2 Pet. 1:3–11).

All those whom God has regenerated will never totally nor finally fall away from
the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end; and though they may
fall through neglect and temptation into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit,
impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the Church, and temporal
judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance,
and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation (John 6:37–40,
10:28–29; Rom. 8:28–39; 1 Cor 1:8–9; Phil. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:23–24).

The Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church, which is composed of all His true
disciples, and in Him is invested supremely all power for its government.
Christians are to associate themselves into particular societies or churches, and
to each of these churches he has given needful authority for administering that
order, discipline, and worship which He has appointed. The regular officers of a
church are Elders (Pastors/Overseers/Bishops are NT terms used
interchangeably) and Deacons (Matt. 28:18–20; John 10:16; Acts 20:17, 28; Eph.
1:22, 5:23; 1 Tim. 3:1–13, 5:17–18; Titus 1:5–9; Heb. 10:25).

Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon every believer,
wherein he is immersed in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of his union with Jesus Christ (both in the death and
resurrection of Christ), of remission of sins, and of his giving himself up to God,
to live and walk in newness of life. It is prerequisite to church membership (Matt.
28:19; Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3–5; 1 Cor. 12:13).

The Lord’s Supper is a new covenant ordinance of Jesus Christ, to be
administered with the elements of bread and the fruit of the vine, and to be
observed by His churches until the end of the world. It is in no sense a sacrifice,
but rather when the ordinance is partaken by the corporate body, the Son is
spiritually present with His church and they commemorate and proclaim Christ’s
death (Matt. 26:26–29; 1 Cor. 10:16–17; 11:23–34)

God alone is Lord of the conscience; and He has left it free from the doctrines
and commandments of men, which are in anything contrary to His word, or not
contained in it. Although all legitimate human authority is ordained by God’s
decree it is also limited by God’s ultimate authority. For example, civil
magistrates, being ordained of God, subjection in all lawful things commanded
by them ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but also for
the sake of conscience. When they call us to disobey God’s Word, however, we
must obey God rather than men (Matt. 15:9; Rom. 13:1–7, 14:4; Acts 5:29; Col.
2:20–23).

The bodies of men after death return to dust. At death, believers go to be with
the Lord and unbelievers enter torment. The bodies of all the dead, both just
and unjust, will be raised (Gen. 3:19; Luke 16:22–26, 23:43; John 5:28–29; 1 Cor.
15:12–28; 2 Cor. 5:1–10; Phil. 1:23).

God has appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world by Jesus Christ, when
everyone shall receive according to his deeds; the wicked shall go into
everlasting punishment; the righteous, into everlasting life (Matt. 25:46; John
5:22, 27–29; Acts 17:31; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Thess. 1:7–10).