What we Believe
APOSTLE’S CREED
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only son our Lord who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead; and buried. The third day he arose from the dead’ he ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Church Universal, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is the written Word of God; full and complete in the sixty-six books of the Bible; revealed through the ministry of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:7-14; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). We believe that the Bible is verbally inspired in every word (2 Tim. 3:16), absolutely inerrant in the original documents (Isaiah 30:8), authoritative and God-breathed. We believe that the Bible constitutes the only infallible rule of faith and practice. (Matt. 5:18, 24:35; John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 4:12; 2 Pet. 1:3-4)
God
We believe in a perfectly holy, just, and infinitely loving and merciful God who is the creator and sustainer of all things (Gen. 1:1; Ex. 34:5-9; Job 38:4-30; Isaiah 42:5; Heb. 11:3), worthy of honor, confidence, and obedience. He has always existed, one in essence, and in three Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) having precisely the same nature, attributes, and characteristics.
The Father
God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love, orders and disposes all things according to his own purpose (Ps. 145:8-9; Isaiah 46:8-11; Rom. 11:33; 1 Cor. 8:6). As the absolute and highest ruler of the universe, He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption (Job 1:6-12; Ps. 103:19; Isaiah 45:22).
The Son
Jesus Christ possesses all the divine attributes, and in these He is of the same substance, coequal, and coeternal with the Father (Micah 5:2; John 10:27-30, 8:58, 14:9; Heb.1:3, 8). We believe that in the incarnation He surrendered only the prerogatives of deity without diminishing His divine essence (Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 2:9). We believe that Jesus Christ was virgin born (Isaiah 7:14; Matt. 1:22-25; Luke 1:26-35); that He was God incarnate (John 1:1-3, 14-18); and that the purpose of the incarnation was to reveal God and redeem men (Ps. 2:7-9; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:29, 3:16; Heb. 7:26-27; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a divine Person, eternal, undivided, possessing all the divine attributes, and in these He is coequal with the Father and the Son (Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 3:17-18). We believe that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to execute God’s will in relation to the world of men. We recognize His sovereign activity in creation (Gen. 1:2), the incarnation (Matt. 1:18), the written revelation (2 Pet. 1:20-21), and the work of salvation (John 3:5-7). We believe that the Holy Spirit is the supernatural and sovereign agent in the new birth, baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ at the time of salvation (1 Cor. 12:13); indwelling, sanctifying, instructing, and empowering them for service (John 16:8-15; Rom. 8:9-16); and is the guarantee of their final inheritance (Eph. 1:13-14).
Man
We believe that man was created by God in His own image for the purpose of enjoying fellowship with God (Deut. 6:4-5) and exercising dominion over God’s created order (Gen. 1:26-28). We believe that man was originally in perfect fellowship with God, but fell from this position by disobeying God, resulting in death, which is both spiritual (separation from God) and physical (Gen. 3:1-19; Rom. 6:23). We believe that all mankind is affected by this sin in such a way that no human being by nature or through his own effort can achieve right standing before God (Rom. 3:9-20, 23).
Salvation
We believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was raised from the dead on the third day, ascended bodily into the presence of God the Father, and now lives to intercede on our behalf (Luke 24:36-39; 1 Cor. 15:3-8; Rom. 8:31-34; Eph. 1:20). We believe that this took place so that man can be reconciled to God and can have fellowship with God (2 Cor. 5:14-21). We believe that through repentance and personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, a person graciously receives right standing before God, forgiveness of sin, and eternal life (John 3:16; Acts 17:30; Rom. 3:21-28, 10:9; Eph. 2:8-9). We believe the power of God assures this believer of his secure position in Christ (John 10:27-29; Rom. 8:28-39).