Our Beliefs
The Bible
Scripture is inspired and inerrant. The Bible is the written Word of God, without error and infallible, the ultimate authority in faith and life (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).
The Trinity
One God exists eternally in three persons. God is one substance in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as expounded in the Nicene Creed. All are equal in power and glory (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
The Sovereignty of God
God is absolutely sovereign. The God of the Bible owns and governs all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11; 3:11).
The Creation
God created the universe out of nothing. God alone has existed from all eternity and has created all things using nothing pre-existent (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 11:3; Isaiah 44:24).
The Origin of Man
God created man from the dust of the earth, breathing into him the breath of life. Man did not evolve from another species but was created immediately by God. Created in God's image, man’s purpose was and still is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever (Genesis 1:26; Colossians 3:17).
The Fall
The voluntary sin of Adam resulted in man's fall from a state of grace into a state of corruption and misery. All people are born corrupt and unable to save themselves (Romans 3:23; 3:9-19; 8:7-8).
The Gospel
In God's gracious plan of salvation. God, in His mercy, chose to provide salvation for mankind through the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death to redeem a people for Himself. He is the only Savior and mediator between God and men (Romans 4:25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Timothy 2:5).
The Final Judgment
In a final judgment, at the return of Jesus Christ, God will renew the Creation, purging all sin from it, will divide the nations as Sheep and Goats, and will judge each person who has ever lived. God will take the Sheep to be with Him forever, while the Goats He will cast into outer darkness (Matthew 25:31-46; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Revelation 20:11-15).
The Church
Jesus Christ has established a visible church on earth, comprised of all those who profess faith and their children, to whom He has given the keys of the kingdom to bind and to loose (Matthew 18:15-20).
The Sacraments
Jesus Christ has instituted two sacraments for the Church: Baptism and the Lord's Supper (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-24). Baptism is the sacrament that marks one's entry into the covenant people of God. The Lord's Supper is the sacrament whereby God's children are spiritually nourished with the body and blood of Jesus Christ as they sojourn toward their true home.
The Way of Salvation
God applies the salvation earned by Jesus Christ in time to the elect through the Holy Spirit. This takes place in a logical sequence, which is commonly called the ordo salutis, or, order of salvation:
Effectual Calling/ Regeneration: The Holy Spirit regenerates human hearts and effectually calls people to Christ, giving ears to hear and eyes to see, convincing of sin, and persuading and enabling human beings to embrace Jesus Christ by faith (Ezekiel 36:25-27; John 3:1-8).
Conversion: Conversion is a person’s conscious response to God's effectual calling and regeneration. Conversion may be a precise moment in time or a longer process. In either case, conversion will result in the same two manifestations of being “born again.” A converted person will trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, and a converted person will repent, that is, turn away from sin in remorse, resolving to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in holiness (Romans 4:2; 2 Corinthians 7:10).
Justification: God’s legal declaration of a sinner’s innocence and righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ is called justification. The active and passive righteousness of Jesus Christ are imputed to the sinner, through faith, by God’s grace (Romans 3:24; 4:25-5:1). The natural result of this justification is adoption, which is the ingrafting of a redeemed sinner into the family of God as a beloved son or daughter (Galatians 4:4-5).
Sanctification: God’s gracious act of renewing a human heart from within by the power of the Holy Spirit is called sanctification. Throughout a believer’s life, the Holy Spirit progressively transforms him or her more and more into the likeness of Jesus Christ, working repentance and renewal from within (Romans 12:2). Believers are thus being saved from the power of sin, becoming like Jesus Christ, and are progressing in holiness (Ephesians 4:13-14).
Glorification: God’s work of completing the sanctification of His people by finally and forever ridding them of the last remnants of sin and corruption is called glorification. At death, each believer’s soul is finally perfected, and passes immediately into the presence and rest of God. To live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). Each soul will be reunited to its perfected and imperishable body at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15).
Effectual Calling/ Regeneration: The Holy Spirit regenerates human hearts and effectually calls people to Christ, giving ears to hear and eyes to see, convincing of sin, and persuading and enabling human beings to embrace Jesus Christ by faith (Ezekiel 36:25-27; John 3:1-8).
Conversion: Conversion is a person’s conscious response to God's effectual calling and regeneration. Conversion may be a precise moment in time or a longer process. In either case, conversion will result in the same two manifestations of being “born again.” A converted person will trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, and a converted person will repent, that is, turn away from sin in remorse, resolving to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in holiness (Romans 4:2; 2 Corinthians 7:10).
Justification: God’s legal declaration of a sinner’s innocence and righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ is called justification. The active and passive righteousness of Jesus Christ are imputed to the sinner, through faith, by God’s grace (Romans 3:24; 4:25-5:1). The natural result of this justification is adoption, which is the ingrafting of a redeemed sinner into the family of God as a beloved son or daughter (Galatians 4:4-5).
Sanctification: God’s gracious act of renewing a human heart from within by the power of the Holy Spirit is called sanctification. Throughout a believer’s life, the Holy Spirit progressively transforms him or her more and more into the likeness of Jesus Christ, working repentance and renewal from within (Romans 12:2). Believers are thus being saved from the power of sin, becoming like Jesus Christ, and are progressing in holiness (Ephesians 4:13-14).
Glorification: God’s work of completing the sanctification of His people by finally and forever ridding them of the last remnants of sin and corruption is called glorification. At death, each believer’s soul is finally perfected, and passes immediately into the presence and rest of God. To live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). Each soul will be reunited to its perfected and imperishable body at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15).