+ The Gospel
We’ve rebelled against God, the Giver of life; our Creator and King.
We knew this sin would cost us our lives, so death became the debt we owed.
God the Father is just, so He must punish us for our sin, but He is also love, so He sent God the Son, Jesus, to become fully human while divine, live a sinless life in our place, and be punished in our stead.
As Christ died on a cross for our sins, He received our punishment and He freely gave us His own righteousness. He rose from the grave, defeating death. Now everyone who repents and believes in Jesus will not perish, but will have everlasting life, forever changed by God the Holy Spirit, who fills and forms us to become more like Jesus today, and each day after.
After all He had accomplished, Christ ascended to Heaven, leaving His people a mission to make disciples, while we await the day He returns and His Kingdom comes in its fullness.
+ Statement of Faith
The following beliefs represent the core orthodox beliefs from a biblical and historical perspective. While church members are not required to fully understand or articulate all aspects of these beliefs, the explicit rejection of any one of these particular beliefs disqualifies one from membership.
WE BELIEVE…
- GOD //
We believe in one God. God is uncreated, eternal, all-powerful, and perfect in Holiness. The three persons of the Trinity are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is one God in three distinct persons, each person being fully God. [Genesis 1:26-27, Deuteronomy 6:4, John 1:1, Acts 5:4, Matthew 3:16-17] - THE FATHER //
Out of nothing, God the Father created all things for His glory and by His word. By His word He lovingly reigns and rules as Sovereign over all things past, present, future, guiding them to His desired end. His ultimate end is the Glory of His name throughout all the earth by all peoples. [Genesis 1:1 Genesis 1:26-27, Isaiah 43:7, Revelation 5:9-10, Revelation 22:3] - JESUS CHRIST //
Jesus Christ, the only begotten uncreated Son of God, was the eternal Word made flesh, supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. He was perfect in nature, teaching, and obedience. He is wonderfully and mysteriously fully God and fully man. He was always with God and is God. Through Him all things came into being and were created. He was before all things and in Him all things hold together by the word of His power. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation, and in Him dwells the fullness of the godhead bodily. He saves sinners by His substitutionary life, death and resurrection to the glory of God. After His resurrection, He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father where He intercedes for His people and rules as Lord over all things. He is the Head pastor of His body, the church. [Genesis 1:26-27, John 1:1, 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, Colossians 1:16-20] - THE HOLY SPIRIT //
The Holy Spirit is fully God and has been sent by the Father and the Son to Glorify the Son. Through Gospel proclamation the Holy Spirit regenerates, convicts, fills, empowers, and gifts God’s people. The Holy Spirit is active in the life of every believer and continues to fill, empower, send, and gift believers from the moment of regeneration to our coming glorification. The Holy Spirit leads the believer to behold the finished work of Jesus and be transformed into people with lives bearing the fruit of the Spirit. In all things the Holy Spirit will glorify the Son. Where the Son is not glorified the Holy Spirit is not at work. [Genesis 1:26-27, John 3:8, John 16:14, Acts 5:4, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 2 Peter 2:21] - THE SCRIPTURES //
The Bible is God’s Word to us. It is composed of 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament, no more and no less. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. The scriptures were given by God and were inspired fully and verbally by Him. Because it is inspired by God, the Bible is free of error in all that it teaches. The bible is sufficient to reveal all that we need to know about God, and are our guide in all Christian life, practice, and doctrine. [2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 2:21] - HUMANITY //
God made humanity-male and female- in His own image, that humanity might glorify Him through the enjoyment of fellowship with Him. Male and female were created equal but different. Male and female were designed by God to function in complementary roles even before the fall. As the representative of the human race, although created innocent and sin free, Adam and Eve sinned against God. Because of this sin all humanity has been credited with that sin and are by nature and choice sinners and spiritually dead. Unregenerate humanity is under the dominion of Satan, do not want the things of God, and are incapable of coming to God apart from the finished work of Jesus Christ. [Genesis 1:27, Psalm 14, Romans 3:9-20, Ephesians 2:1-4, Titus 3:3] - THE GOSPEL //
The Gospel is of first importance and is the Good news about Jesus life, death, and resurrection in the place of sinners to the Glory of God. The Gospel is news about Jesus. Jesus alone saves sinners. Although the Gospel message requires a response from a sinner, the response is not a part of the Gospel. The salvation that Jesus brings has eternal implication for its recipients. We find that Salvation in Christ includes Election, Regeneration, Conversion, Justification, Adoption, Sanctification, and Glorification. All of these realities flow through and from Jesus Christ. The Gospel message should be preached to all people everywhere as we trust that whoever repents and believes in Jesus will not perish but have everlasting life. Salvation in Jesus was God’s idea and is to the praise of His glorious grace. [John 3:16, Romans 8:28-30, Ephesians 1:1-14 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 1 Peter 1:3-5] - THE CHURCH AND HER MISSION //
The local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to the bible they organize under qualified Elders and Deacons, gather regularly for preaching and worship, receive the biblical ordinances of baptism and Communion, are unified by the Holy Spirit, are disciplined for holiness for their good and God’s glory, and scatter to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. The church is to be missionaries to the world for God’s glory and their joy. The local church is a part of the the global church that is comprised of all God’s people from all time and all places. [Genesis 12:2, Deuteronomy 7:6-8, Matthew 1:21, Acts 2:42-47, Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 2:9-10] - BAPTISM //
Baptism is an act of obedience involving the immersion of a believer in water. Baptism identifies our union with Jesus, His life, death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus commanded that we do this throughout the whole world and that we as the church have the authority and responsibility to do so. [Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 6:1-4] - COMMUNION //
The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Jesus. We are to receive the bread and the wine as a visible reminder to us of the Gospel of Jesus and our union with His life, death, and resurrection. The bread and wine represent the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[Matthew 26:26-29, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34] - RETURN OF CHRIST & THE CONSUMMATION OF ALL THINGS //
The return of Christ will be future, visible, and glorious. We affirm that He can return at any moment or in a thousand years. We believe in the resurrection of the dead, and a final judgment. The final judgment will send people to heaven and eternal Joy with God, or hell with eternal conscious torment apart for God. Jesus will have victory over Satan and demons and will usher in the news heavens and the new earth. [Matthew 24, Acts 1:11, Revelation 19:11-20, Revelation 20 – 22]
+ The Apostle’s Creed
*The Apostles Creed connects us with the historic Christian Church and to the Global Church. This creed identifies basic Christian Orthodoxy. *
I believe in God the Father almighty;
and in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord,
Who was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
Who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried,
on the third day rose again from the dead,
ascended to heaven,
sits at the right hand of the Father,
whence He will come to judge the living and the dead,
and in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Church,
the remission of sins,
the resurrection of the flesh
(the life everlasting).
+ The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
SOURCE: https://www.ccel.org/creeds/nicene.creed.html
+ The Athanasian Creed
- Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith;
- Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
- And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
- Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
- For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.
- But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
- Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
- The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
- The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
- The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
- And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.
- As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
- So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
- And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
- So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
- And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
- So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
- And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.
- For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;
- So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say; There are three Gods or three Lords.
- The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
- The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
- The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
- So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
- And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another.
- But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal.
- So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
- He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
- Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.
- God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world.
- Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
- Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.
- Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.
- One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood into God.
- One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
- For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;
- Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead;
- He ascended into heaven, He sits on the right hand of the Father, God, Almighty;
- From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
- At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies;
- and shall give account of their own works.
- And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
- This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.
SOURCE: https://www.ccel.org/creeds/athanasian.creed.html
+ The 1689 London Baptist Confession
Browse the Table of Contents and read more HERE.
We regard this confession to be a true and excellent representative of our theology [excepting article 26:4 regarding the identity of the anti-christ].