Doctrine
The Bible
The only basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that all of Scripture originated with God, and that it was given through inspired, chosen men. Scripture therefore at one and the same time speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, styles and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold that the Scriptures are free from error. They are the unique, full and final authority on all matters of faith and practice and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.
The Trinity
There is one true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – each of Whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality. In the beginning God created everything out of nothing, manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom and goodness. By His sovereign power He continues to sustain His creation. By His providence he is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes.
The Need For Salvation
The central purpose of God’s revelation in Scripture is to call all people into fellowship with Himself. Originally created for that purpose, humanity defied God, choosing to go his or her own way, and became alienated from God. This rebellion against God’s rule, not only disrupted their relationship, but permanently altered man’s nature into that of being a rebel, rendering him unable to please God. The fall took place at the beginning of human history and all individuals since have suffered these consequences and are in need of the saving grace of God. The salvation of mankind is, then, wholly a work of God’s free grace, not the result, in whole or in part of human works or goodness, and must be personally received by repentance and faith. When God has begun a saving work in the heart of any person, He gives assurance in His Word that He will continue performing it until the day of its completion.
God The Father
God the Father is an infinite personal Spirit, perfect and unchanging in holiness, righteousness, wisdom, knowledge, power and love. He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men. God the Father loved the world so much that He planned, directed, sent and sacrificed His One and Only Son to die on the cross for the sin of mankind. He hears and answers prayer and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. The Father loves and comforts, disciplines and looks after the daily needs of those He has adopted into His family through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the eternal second Person of the Trinity who was united forever with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily paid for the sins of all by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died. He ascended into heaven, where with all power and full authority from the Father, He is the only Mediator between God and man, continually praying for His own. He will come again to earth, personally and visibly, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the eternal third Person of the Trinity sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to mankind the saving work of Christ. He enlightens the minds of sinners, awakens in them a recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them. At the point of salvation He permanently indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength and wisdom, and uniquely endows each believer with gifts for the building up of the body, the church. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Scripture. The Spirit reproduces qualities reflective of Christ-like character in the lives of believers yielded to Him.
The Christian Life
Christian believers should live for the glory of God and for the wellbeing of their fellow men. Their conduct should be blameless before the world. They should be faithful stewards of their time, talents, gifts, and treasures, and should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. The essential accompaniment of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit. His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ-like character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father.
The Church
The believer’s relationship with Jesus Christ establishes a relationship with all others who also trust Christ. Through spiritual rebirth we are united with Christ and this unites us to other Christians in His body, the church. He is the source, the Head, and we are members of His body. Through spiritual adoption we become God’s children and this means we gain as brothers and sisters everyone else who is spiritually adopted into God’s family. There is one true universal church, comprised of all those who acknowledge and receive by faith Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Scripture commands believers to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Bible, fellowship, service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world. Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the church. Under the watch care of elders, its members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.
The Ordinances
The Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church; Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Christian Baptism is the once-for-all initiation rite of immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Baptism symbolizes both salvation of the individual and his or her identification with the community of believers. The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ with his disciples to be a continual rite of commemoration of His death. These two ordinances, though not a means of salvation, should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Human Destiny
The church expectantly awaits the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory when He will consummate history and the eternal plan of God. Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. For all mankind, there will be a resurrection of the body into the spiritual world, and a judgment that will determine the fate of each individual. Unbelievers will be separated from God into condemnation. God’s judgment will reveal His justice by consigning them to dwell forever in hell under his wrath and displeasure in a state of total distress and misery. Believers will be received into eternal communion with God and will be rewarded for works done in this life.