What We Believe
God
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being. He is the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful, all present and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being—each equally deserving worship and obedience. (Deu 6:4; Isa 45:5-7; John 4:24; 1 Cor 8:4; Mat 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14)
Father
We teach that God the Father, the first Person of the Trinity, orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace. He is the Creator of all things. As the only absolute and omnipotent Ruler in the universe, He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption. His fatherhood involves both His designation within the Trinity and His relationship with mankind. As Creator, He is Father to all men, but He is spiritual Father only to believers. He has decreed for His own glory all things that come to pass. He continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events. In His sovereignty, He is neither the author nor approver of sin, nor does He abridge the accountability of moral, intelligent creatures. He has graciously chosen from eternity past, according to His plan, pleasure and will, those whom He would have as His own; He saves from sin all who come to Him through Jesus Christ; He adopts as His own all those who come to Him; and He becomes, upon adoption, Father to His own. (Ps 145:8-9; 1 Cor 8:6; Gen 1:1-31; Eph 3:9; Ps 103:19; Rom 11:36; Eph 4:6; Rom 8:14; 2 Cor 6:18; Eph 1:11; 1 Chr 29:11; Hab 1:13; John 8:38-47; 1 Pet 1:17; Eph 1:4-6; John 1:12; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:5; Heb 12:5-9)
Son
We teach that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, possesses all the divine excellencies, and in these He is coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father. We teach that in the incarnation the eternal Son, without altering His divine nature or surrendering any of the divine attributes, made Himself of no reputation by taking on a full human nature consubstantial with our own, yet without sin. We teach that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary and thus born of a woman, so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the divine and the human, were joined together in one person, without confusion, change, division, or separation. He is therefore very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man. We teach that our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through the shedding of His blood and sacrificial death on the cross and that His death was voluntary, vicarious, substitutionary, propitiatory, and redemptive. We teach that on the basis of the efficacy of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the believing sinner is freed from the punishment, the penalty, the power, and one day the very presence of sin; and that he is declared righteous, given eternal life, and adopted into the family of God. We teach that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead and that He is now ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He now mediates as our Advocate and High Priest. We teach that in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, God confirmed the deity of His Son and gave proof that God has accepted the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Jesus’ bodily resurrection is also the guarantee of a future resurrection life for all believers. We teach that Jesus Christ will return to receive the church, which is His Body, unto Himself at the rapture, and returning with His church in glory, will establish His millennial kingdom on earth. (John 1:3; 5:26-29; 10:15; 10:30; 14:9; 14:19; Col 1:15-17; Phi 2:5-8; Heb 1:2; 4:15; 7:25-26; Luke 1:35; Gal 4:4-5; Rom 1:4; 3:24-25; 4:25; 5:8-9; 6:5-10; 8:34; 2 Cor 5:14-15; 1 Pet 2:24; 3:18; Mat 28:6; Luke 24:38-39; Acts 2:30-31; 1 John 2:1; 1 Cor 15:20-23; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thes 4:13-18; Rev 20)
Holy Spirit
We teach that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, is divine, eternal, underived, possessing all the attributes of personality and deity, including intellect, emotions, will, eternality, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, and truthfulness. In all the divine attributes, He is coequal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son. We teach that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to execute the divine will with relation to all mankind. We recognize His sovereign activity in creation, the incarnation, the written revelation, and the work of salvation. We teach that the work of the Holy Spirit in this age began at Pentecost, when He came from the Father as promised by Christ to initiate and complete the building of the Body of Christ, which is His church. The broad scope of His divine activity includes convicting the world of sin, of righteousness, of judgment, glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ and transforming believers into the image of Christ. We teach that the Holy Spirit is the supernatural and sovereign Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit also indwells, sanctifies, instructs, empowers them for service, and seals them unto the day of redemption. We teach that the Holy Spirit is the divine Teacher, who guided the apostles and prophets into all truth as they committed to writing God’s revelation, the Bible. Every believer possesses the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit from the moment of salvation, and it is the duty of all those born of the Spirit to be filled with (controlled by) the Spirit. We teach that the Holy Spirit administers spiritual gifts to the church. The Holy Spirit glorifies neither Himself nor His gifts by ostentatious displays, but He does glorify Christ by implementing His work of redeeming the lost and building up believers in the most holy faith. We teach, in this respect, that God the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the bestowing of all His gifts for the perfecting of the saints today, and that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles in the beginning days of the church were for the purpose of pointing to and authenticating the Apostles as revealers of divine truth, and were never intended to be characteristic of the lives of believers. (1 Cor 2:10-13; 12:4-13; 13:8-10; Eph 1:13; 2:22; 4:7-12; 4:30; 5:18; Heb 2:1-4; 9:14; 10:15-17; Ps 139:7-10; Isa 40:13-14; 2 Cor 3:6; 3:18; 12:12; 13:14; Rom 8:9; 8:29; 15:13; John 3:5-7; 14:16-17; 15:26; 16:7-9; 16:13-14; Acts 1:5; 1:8; 2:4; 5:3-4; 28:25-26; Jer 31:31-34; Gen 1:2; 2 Pet 1:19-21; 1 John 2:20; 2:27)
The Holy Scriptures
The Holy Bible was written by men under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Scripture is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The Bible is to be read, studied, and meditated upon consistently by all who wish to grow in Christian maturity. It is the basis and guide for all teaching in the church. (1 Cor 2:7-14; 2 Pet 1:20-21; 1 Thes 2:13; Mat 5:18; 24:35; John 10:35; 16:12-13; 17:17; 2 Tim 3:15-17; Heb 4:12)
The Gospel
The Gospel proclaims that all people everywhere and throughout all time have sinned and rebelled against God our Creator and stand justly condemned under His holy judgement; but God graciously saves sinners through His Son Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death on the cross as a substitute for sinners, and was raised from the dead on the third day so that all who repent of their wickedness and trust Him alone receive full forgiveness of sins and eternal life through Him. (Rom 1:16-25; 2:1-16; 3:9-31; 4:22-25; 5:6-10; 5:18; 6:11-14; 6:23; 8:1-4; 8:10-11; 10:9-13; Isa 43:6-7; John 3:14-16; 3:36; 10:27-30; 17:3; Acts 2:23-24, 2:37-38; 1 Tim 1:16-17; Heb 9:12; 1 John 5:11-13)
Salvation
We teach that salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the redemption of Jesus Christ, the merit of His shed blood, and not on the basis of human merit or works (John 1:12; Eph 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Pet 1:18-19).
Eternal Security
We teach that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 5:24; 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 5:9-10; 8:1, 31-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 7:25; 13:5; 1 Peter 1:5; Jude 24)
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The Church
We teach that all who put their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body, the church, the bride of Christ, of which Christ is the Head. The formation of the church, the Body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture. The church is thus a unique spiritual organism designed by Christ, made up of all born-again believers in this present age. The church is distinct from Israel, a mystery not revealed until this age. We teach that the establishment and continuity of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures and that the members of the one spiritual Body are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies. The one supreme authority for the church is Christ and that church leadership, gifts, order, discipline, and worship are all appointed through His sovereignty as found in the Scriptures. The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the assembly are elders (also called bishops, pastors, and pastor-teachers) and deacons, both of whom must meet biblical qualifications. These men are called by God to serve in this roll to shepherd the church and have His authority in directing the church. The congregation is to submit to their leadership. We teach the importance of discipleship, mutual accountability of all believers to each other, as well as the need for discipline of sinning members of the congregation in accord with the standards of Scripture. We teach the autonomy of the local church, free from any external authority or control, with the right of self-government and freedom from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations. We teach that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other for the presentation and propagation of the faith. Each local church, however, through its pastors and their interpretation and application of Scripture, should be the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation. The elders should determine all other matters of membership, policy, discipline, benevolence, and government as well. The purpose of the church is to glorify God by building itself up in the faith by the instruction of the Word, by fellowship, by keeping the ordinances and by advancing and communicating the gospel to the entire world. We teach the calling of all saints to the work of service. The church is to cooperate with God as He accomplishes His purpose in the world. To that end, He gives the church spiritual gifts. He gives men chosen for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, and He also gives unique and special spiritual abilities to each member of the Body of Christ. (1 Cor 5:1-13; 10:32; 11:3; 18-20; 12:4-31; 15:51-52; 58; 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 1:22; 2:11-3:1-6; 21; 4:11-16; 5:23-32; Rev 19:7-8; 22:12; Col 1:18; Acts 1:8; 2:1-21; 38-42; 47; 5:1-11; 14:23; 27; 15:19-31; 20:17; 28; 1 Thes 1:1; 4:13-18; 2 Thes 1:1; 3:6-15; Gal 1:2; Phi 1:1; Heb 10:25; 13:7, 17; 1 Tim 1:19:20; 3:1-13; 5:17-22; 2 Tim 2:2, 15; 3:16-17; Titus 1:5-16; 1 Pet 4:10-11; 5:1-5; Mat 18:5-22; 28:19-20; 1 John 1:3; Luke 22:19; Rom 12:5-8)
Mankind
We teach that man was directly and immediately created by God in His image and likeness. Man was created free of sin with a rational nature, intelligence, volition, self-determination, and moral responsibility to God. We teach that God’s intention in the creation of man was that man should glorify God, enjoy God’s fellowship, live his life in the will of God, and by this accomplish God’s purpose for man in the world. We teach that in Adam’s sin of disobedience to the revealed will and Word of God, man lost his innocence, incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death, became subject to the wrath of God, and became inherently corrupt and utterly incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace. With no recuperative powers to enable him to recover himself, man is hopelessly lost. Man’s salvation is thereby wholly of God’s grace through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. We teach that, because all men were in Adam, a nature corrupted by Adam’s sin has been transmitted to all men of all ages, Jesus Christ being the only exception. All men are thus sinners by nature, by choice, and by divine declaration (Ps 14:1-3; Jer 17:9; Rom 3:9-18, 23; 5:10-12; 6:23; Gen 2:7, 15-25, 3:1-19; Jas 3:9; Isa 43:7; Col 1:16; Rev 4:11; John 3:36; 1 Cor 2:14; Eph 2:1-3; 1 Tim 2:13-14; 1 John 1:8).
Baptism
We teach that two ordinances have been committed to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Christian baptism by immersion is the solemn and beautiful testimony of a believer showing forth his faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and his union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life. It is also a sign of fellowship and identification with the visible Body of Christ. (Acts 2:38-42; 8:36-39; Rom 6:1-11)
The Lord’s Supper
We teach that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration and proclamation of His death until He comes and should be always preceded by solemn self-examination. We also teach that, whereas the elements of Communion are only representative of the flesh and blood of Christ, participation in the Lord’s Supper is nevertheless an actual communion with the risen Christ, who indwells every believer, and so is present, fellowshipping with His people. (1 Cor 10:16; 11:28-32)
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being. He is the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful, all present and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being—each equally deserving worship and obedience. (Deu 6:4; Isa 45:5-7; John 4:24; 1 Cor 8:4; Mat 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14)
Father
We teach that God the Father, the first Person of the Trinity, orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace. He is the Creator of all things. As the only absolute and omnipotent Ruler in the universe, He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption. His fatherhood involves both His designation within the Trinity and His relationship with mankind. As Creator, He is Father to all men, but He is spiritual Father only to believers. He has decreed for His own glory all things that come to pass. He continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events. In His sovereignty, He is neither the author nor approver of sin, nor does He abridge the accountability of moral, intelligent creatures. He has graciously chosen from eternity past, according to His plan, pleasure and will, those whom He would have as His own; He saves from sin all who come to Him through Jesus Christ; He adopts as His own all those who come to Him; and He becomes, upon adoption, Father to His own. (Ps 145:8-9; 1 Cor 8:6; Gen 1:1-31; Eph 3:9; Ps 103:19; Rom 11:36; Eph 4:6; Rom 8:14; 2 Cor 6:18; Eph 1:11; 1 Chr 29:11; Hab 1:13; John 8:38-47; 1 Pet 1:17; Eph 1:4-6; John 1:12; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:5; Heb 12:5-9)
Son
We teach that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, possesses all the divine excellencies, and in these He is coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father. We teach that in the incarnation the eternal Son, without altering His divine nature or surrendering any of the divine attributes, made Himself of no reputation by taking on a full human nature consubstantial with our own, yet without sin. We teach that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary and thus born of a woman, so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the divine and the human, were joined together in one person, without confusion, change, division, or separation. He is therefore very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man. We teach that our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through the shedding of His blood and sacrificial death on the cross and that His death was voluntary, vicarious, substitutionary, propitiatory, and redemptive. We teach that on the basis of the efficacy of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the believing sinner is freed from the punishment, the penalty, the power, and one day the very presence of sin; and that he is declared righteous, given eternal life, and adopted into the family of God. We teach that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead and that He is now ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He now mediates as our Advocate and High Priest. We teach that in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, God confirmed the deity of His Son and gave proof that God has accepted the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Jesus’ bodily resurrection is also the guarantee of a future resurrection life for all believers. We teach that Jesus Christ will return to receive the church, which is His Body, unto Himself at the rapture, and returning with His church in glory, will establish His millennial kingdom on earth. (John 1:3; 5:26-29; 10:15; 10:30; 14:9; 14:19; Col 1:15-17; Phi 2:5-8; Heb 1:2; 4:15; 7:25-26; Luke 1:35; Gal 4:4-5; Rom 1:4; 3:24-25; 4:25; 5:8-9; 6:5-10; 8:34; 2 Cor 5:14-15; 1 Pet 2:24; 3:18; Mat 28:6; Luke 24:38-39; Acts 2:30-31; 1 John 2:1; 1 Cor 15:20-23; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thes 4:13-18; Rev 20)
Holy Spirit
We teach that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, is divine, eternal, underived, possessing all the attributes of personality and deity, including intellect, emotions, will, eternality, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, and truthfulness. In all the divine attributes, He is coequal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son. We teach that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to execute the divine will with relation to all mankind. We recognize His sovereign activity in creation, the incarnation, the written revelation, and the work of salvation. We teach that the work of the Holy Spirit in this age began at Pentecost, when He came from the Father as promised by Christ to initiate and complete the building of the Body of Christ, which is His church. The broad scope of His divine activity includes convicting the world of sin, of righteousness, of judgment, glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ and transforming believers into the image of Christ. We teach that the Holy Spirit is the supernatural and sovereign Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit also indwells, sanctifies, instructs, empowers them for service, and seals them unto the day of redemption. We teach that the Holy Spirit is the divine Teacher, who guided the apostles and prophets into all truth as they committed to writing God’s revelation, the Bible. Every believer possesses the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit from the moment of salvation, and it is the duty of all those born of the Spirit to be filled with (controlled by) the Spirit. We teach that the Holy Spirit administers spiritual gifts to the church. The Holy Spirit glorifies neither Himself nor His gifts by ostentatious displays, but He does glorify Christ by implementing His work of redeeming the lost and building up believers in the most holy faith. We teach, in this respect, that God the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the bestowing of all His gifts for the perfecting of the saints today, and that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles in the beginning days of the church were for the purpose of pointing to and authenticating the Apostles as revealers of divine truth, and were never intended to be characteristic of the lives of believers. (1 Cor 2:10-13; 12:4-13; 13:8-10; Eph 1:13; 2:22; 4:7-12; 4:30; 5:18; Heb 2:1-4; 9:14; 10:15-17; Ps 139:7-10; Isa 40:13-14; 2 Cor 3:6; 3:18; 12:12; 13:14; Rom 8:9; 8:29; 15:13; John 3:5-7; 14:16-17; 15:26; 16:7-9; 16:13-14; Acts 1:5; 1:8; 2:4; 5:3-4; 28:25-26; Jer 31:31-34; Gen 1:2; 2 Pet 1:19-21; 1 John 2:20; 2:27)
The Holy Scriptures
The Holy Bible was written by men under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Scripture is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The Bible is to be read, studied, and meditated upon consistently by all who wish to grow in Christian maturity. It is the basis and guide for all teaching in the church. (1 Cor 2:7-14; 2 Pet 1:20-21; 1 Thes 2:13; Mat 5:18; 24:35; John 10:35; 16:12-13; 17:17; 2 Tim 3:15-17; Heb 4:12)
The Gospel
The Gospel proclaims that all people everywhere and throughout all time have sinned and rebelled against God our Creator and stand justly condemned under His holy judgement; but God graciously saves sinners through His Son Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death on the cross as a substitute for sinners, and was raised from the dead on the third day so that all who repent of their wickedness and trust Him alone receive full forgiveness of sins and eternal life through Him. (Rom 1:16-25; 2:1-16; 3:9-31; 4:22-25; 5:6-10; 5:18; 6:11-14; 6:23; 8:1-4; 8:10-11; 10:9-13; Isa 43:6-7; John 3:14-16; 3:36; 10:27-30; 17:3; Acts 2:23-24, 2:37-38; 1 Tim 1:16-17; Heb 9:12; 1 John 5:11-13)
Salvation
We teach that salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the redemption of Jesus Christ, the merit of His shed blood, and not on the basis of human merit or works (John 1:12; Eph 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Pet 1:18-19).
Eternal Security
We teach that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 5:24; 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 5:9-10; 8:1, 31-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 7:25; 13:5; 1 Peter 1:5; Jude 24)
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The Church
We teach that all who put their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body, the church, the bride of Christ, of which Christ is the Head. The formation of the church, the Body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture. The church is thus a unique spiritual organism designed by Christ, made up of all born-again believers in this present age. The church is distinct from Israel, a mystery not revealed until this age. We teach that the establishment and continuity of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures and that the members of the one spiritual Body are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies. The one supreme authority for the church is Christ and that church leadership, gifts, order, discipline, and worship are all appointed through His sovereignty as found in the Scriptures. The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the assembly are elders (also called bishops, pastors, and pastor-teachers) and deacons, both of whom must meet biblical qualifications. These men are called by God to serve in this roll to shepherd the church and have His authority in directing the church. The congregation is to submit to their leadership. We teach the importance of discipleship, mutual accountability of all believers to each other, as well as the need for discipline of sinning members of the congregation in accord with the standards of Scripture. We teach the autonomy of the local church, free from any external authority or control, with the right of self-government and freedom from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations. We teach that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other for the presentation and propagation of the faith. Each local church, however, through its pastors and their interpretation and application of Scripture, should be the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation. The elders should determine all other matters of membership, policy, discipline, benevolence, and government as well. The purpose of the church is to glorify God by building itself up in the faith by the instruction of the Word, by fellowship, by keeping the ordinances and by advancing and communicating the gospel to the entire world. We teach the calling of all saints to the work of service. The church is to cooperate with God as He accomplishes His purpose in the world. To that end, He gives the church spiritual gifts. He gives men chosen for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, and He also gives unique and special spiritual abilities to each member of the Body of Christ. (1 Cor 5:1-13; 10:32; 11:3; 18-20; 12:4-31; 15:51-52; 58; 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 1:22; 2:11-3:1-6; 21; 4:11-16; 5:23-32; Rev 19:7-8; 22:12; Col 1:18; Acts 1:8; 2:1-21; 38-42; 47; 5:1-11; 14:23; 27; 15:19-31; 20:17; 28; 1 Thes 1:1; 4:13-18; 2 Thes 1:1; 3:6-15; Gal 1:2; Phi 1:1; Heb 10:25; 13:7, 17; 1 Tim 1:19:20; 3:1-13; 5:17-22; 2 Tim 2:2, 15; 3:16-17; Titus 1:5-16; 1 Pet 4:10-11; 5:1-5; Mat 18:5-22; 28:19-20; 1 John 1:3; Luke 22:19; Rom 12:5-8)
Mankind
We teach that man was directly and immediately created by God in His image and likeness. Man was created free of sin with a rational nature, intelligence, volition, self-determination, and moral responsibility to God. We teach that God’s intention in the creation of man was that man should glorify God, enjoy God’s fellowship, live his life in the will of God, and by this accomplish God’s purpose for man in the world. We teach that in Adam’s sin of disobedience to the revealed will and Word of God, man lost his innocence, incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death, became subject to the wrath of God, and became inherently corrupt and utterly incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace. With no recuperative powers to enable him to recover himself, man is hopelessly lost. Man’s salvation is thereby wholly of God’s grace through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. We teach that, because all men were in Adam, a nature corrupted by Adam’s sin has been transmitted to all men of all ages, Jesus Christ being the only exception. All men are thus sinners by nature, by choice, and by divine declaration (Ps 14:1-3; Jer 17:9; Rom 3:9-18, 23; 5:10-12; 6:23; Gen 2:7, 15-25, 3:1-19; Jas 3:9; Isa 43:7; Col 1:16; Rev 4:11; John 3:36; 1 Cor 2:14; Eph 2:1-3; 1 Tim 2:13-14; 1 John 1:8).
Baptism
We teach that two ordinances have been committed to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Christian baptism by immersion is the solemn and beautiful testimony of a believer showing forth his faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and his union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life. It is also a sign of fellowship and identification with the visible Body of Christ. (Acts 2:38-42; 8:36-39; Rom 6:1-11)
The Lord’s Supper
We teach that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration and proclamation of His death until He comes and should be always preceded by solemn self-examination. We also teach that, whereas the elements of Communion are only representative of the flesh and blood of Christ, participation in the Lord’s Supper is nevertheless an actual communion with the risen Christ, who indwells every believer, and so is present, fellowshipping with His people. (1 Cor 10:16; 11:28-32)
