Scriptures
The Scriptures are the inspired Word of God. They were written and recorded by men as inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Bible is the complete revelation of God to man for salvation, instruction, inspiration, and guidance. The Bible is reliable for all areas of life. It is the true and complete Word of God and as such is without error.
God
God is the creator and sustainer of all things. The Godhead consists of three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. While distinct in personality and purpose, the three are in complete unity.
God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind, yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration, He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Man
Man was created in the image of God and as such is the highest of all creation. Man is distinct from the remainder of creation in that God created in him a soul. God also gave man the ability to choose whether to do what is right or wrong. Through Adam, man sinned and was therefore separated from God. We all have inherited the sinful nature. Man on his own does not have the ability to live a sinless life and is thereby separated from God. It is only through the grace of God, by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, that man can be reconciled to God. It is only through faith that man can please God.
Salvation
Salvation is available to all men by grace alone, by faith alone, and in Christ alone. Apart from Christ, there is no other name under heaven whereby men must be saved.
The Christian’s Purpose
God has a unique purpose for each person who accepts Christ as Savior. At the time of salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in the life of the Christian. As a part of that indwelling, He gives spiritual gifts to each believer as He wills. The purpose of each Christian is to discover and use the gift or gifts bestowed upon them to build up the Kingdom of God. Christ has empowered and commissioned each Christian to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
The Church
God established the church to do His work on the earth until Jesus returns and takes it to be with Him for eternity in heaven. The church accomplishes the purposes of God on the earth in five different areas; Worship, Ministry, Fellowship, Evangelism, and Discipleship. The primary purpose of the church is to make Christ known to those who do not know Him. The secondary purpose is to provide opportunities for growth and maturity in the faith in Christ for those who are being saved and equipping them for the works of service in the Kingdom of God.
Ordinances
The local church is to observe two ordinances as commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ. They are:
- Baptism, by total immersion in water, after the profession of faith in Christ. Baptism by immersion is a requirement for membership in the church.
- The Lord’s Supper, a symbolic remembrance of the suffering and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, who provides remission for the sin of man. Only those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior may participate in the Lord’s Supper.
