CONFESSION OF FAITH

THE WORD OF GOD

We believe that the Holy Bible, consisting of 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of

the New Testament, is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original

manuscripts, written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and is the perfect

revelation of heavenly instruction and witness; that the Triune God is its author, the glory of

God is its goal, salvation is its message, and it contains truth without error for its matter; that it

reveals the principles by which God will judge us, and therefore is, and shall remain to the end

of the world, the true center for Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human

conduct, doctrines, and opinions should be measured. (Isaiah 8:20; Mark 13:31; John 8:31, 32;

John 20:31; Acts 20:32; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20, 21)

THE TRINITY

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons – Father,

Son and Holy Spirit; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute

distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption; that God

is the Maker and Supreme Ruler of all of heaven and creation; that God is inexpressibly

glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, trust, love, and worship. (Genesis 1:1, 26;

Exodus 15:11; Psalm 83:18; Matthew 28:19; Mark 12:30; John 1:1-3; 4:24; Romans 1:19, 20;

Ephesians 2:18; 4:5, 6)

GOD THE FATHER

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in all His attributes

including holiness, wisdom, power, and love; that all things are out of the Father; that He

infallibly foreordained all that comes to pass; that He concerns Himself mercifully and justly

in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death

all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Matthew 23:9; Luke 10:21,22; John 3:16; 6:27;

Romans 1:7; I Timothy 1:1, 2; 2:5, 6; I Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6)

GOD THE SON

We believe in God the Son, same in essence and all divine perfections from eternity with the

Father, through whom all things exist; that God the Son added to His divinity humanity in

Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles,

and teachings; in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven,

perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth; that His titles, Lord,

Jesus, and Christ, refer to His deity, humanity, and His continuing existence as Eternal God

and perfect man, two natures in one person; that He is eternally enthroned in heaven; and that

uniting His human sympathies and divine perfections is the only and eminently suited One to

be a compassionate and all-sufficient Savior. (Matthew 1:18-25; 20:28; Luke 1:26-38; John

1:1; 20:28; 20:30, 31; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9, 10; 8:46; 9:5; II Corinthians 5:21;

Ephesians 1:4; 2:8; Colossians 2:9; I Tim. 3:16; Hebrews 2:10-18; 7:25; 9:28; I Peter 2:21-23)

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the Holy Spirit, eternally existent as the third person of the One God, eternally

proceeding from the Father and Son, and all things are by Him; that upon the ascension of

Jesus Christ to the heavenly realm, the Father and Son sent the Spirit to convict the world of

sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate the elect, sanctifying, and empowering all

who believe in Jesus Christ; that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer upon faith in Christ;

and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide. (John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26, 27; John 16:9-

14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26)

GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE

We believe that election is the eternal purpose of God, according to which He graciously

regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies those He has chosen before time began; that He

does not ordain unto damnation, but must ordain unto salvation because of the intractable

nature of the sinful heart by which all people willingly and happily reject God’s governance

and salvation; that God’s purpose comprehends all the means in connection with the end

through predestination; that grace is a most glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness,

being infinitely free, wise, holy, and unchangeable; that grace excludes all boasting and

promotes humility, love, prayer, praise, trust in God, and active imitation of His mercy; that it

encourages the necessary use of means; and that it results in the perseverance of the saints in

righteousness and holiness. (Exodus 33:18-19; Romans 3:29; 8:29-30; 9:6ff; Philippians 1:6; II

Thessalonians 2:13-14; II Timothy 1:8-9; 2:10-13; II Peter 1:10-11; Jude 1:24-25)

THE FALL

We believe that mankind (male and female) was created by God in His own image in

righteousness and true holiness; that mankind willfully sinned and thereby incurred physical,

spiritual, and eternal death in complete separation from God; that, as a consequence, all human

beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners, not by constraint but by choice being by

nature utterly devoid of that holiness required by God, in hateful rebellion against God, and

positively inclined to evil, and are therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin without

defense or excuse. (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 3; Romans 1:18-20; 3:23; 6:23; 8:29;

Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:24; Colossians 1:21)

SALVATION

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the redemptive and

mediatorial work of the Son of God, who, by the appointment of His heavenly Father, freely

took on Himself human nature, yet without sin; that having fully honored the divine law by

perfect obedience, suffered and died as a sacrifice for sinners, taking God’s wrath upon

Himself that those regenerated by the Holy Spirit, having repented, forsaken sin, and trusted

Jesus Christ as Savior, become new creatures, delivered from condemnation, and receive

abundant and eternal life. (Psalm 51:1-7; Proverbs 28:13; Ecclesiastes 2:11; Isaiah 53:6;

Ezekiel 18:19-20; John 1:13; 3:16; Romans 1:18-20; 3:11-19; 5:19, 24, 30; 7:13; 8: 1, 12;

9:22;10:26; II Thessalonians 1:9; James 1:14; 5:19; I John 1:9; II Corinthians 5:17; Revelation

19:3, 20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:18)

FREENESS OF SALVATION

We believe that the blessings of salvation are offered freely to all through the Gospel, creation,

and the conscience; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept this salvation through faith

and repentance, and that nothing prevents the salvation of sinners except their own inherent

depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel, which rejection results in condemnation.

(Genesis 2:16; Isaiah 55:1; John 3:19-20; 5:40; Romans 1:18-20; 16:25-27; Ephesians 2:8-9;

Revelation 22:17)

REGENERATIVE GRACE

We believe that God, eternally knowing the inherent inability of mankind to live righteously

and to trust in Christ, solely based on His grace and no merit inherent in any individual, chose

to set His eternal love on some before the foundation of the earth and to bring them to

salvation through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit; this regeneration unto new birth is

affected by the divine will of the Father through the Holy Spirit in connection with the

proclamation of the Gospel resulting in the awakening of faith and subsequent trust in Jesus

Christ for eternal life and obedience to the Gospel. (John 3:3, 8, 16; Romans 8:29; Galatians

5:16ff; Ephesians 2:8-9; 5:9; 1 Peter 1:22-25)

REPENTANCE AND FAITH

We believe that repentance and faith are necessary results of regeneration and are inseparable

graces wrought in the heart by the empowering of the Holy Spirit whereby sinners become

convicted of the utter sinfulness of their hearts, of their danger, guilt and helplessness, and of

Christ Jesus as the only possible means of escape; that the Spirit, through the gift of faith,

reveals the way of salvation by which they turn to God in contrition, confession, and

supplications for mercy, and receive Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King, who is the only

and all-sufficient sacrifice for sin and the Savior from the wrath of God. (Mark 1:15; Acts

2:38; 17:30; Romans 1:16-17; 3:28; Galatians 1:20-21; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Timothy 1:15;

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:17; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 5:5; 22:16)

JUSTIFICATION

We believe the right standing of any human being before the holy and righteous God comes

solely through justification, which includes the pardon of sin and the promise of eternal life

solely by faith in the sacrificial death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that

justification brings peace and favor with God, securing all spiritual blessings for time and

eternity. (John 1:16; Acts 13:39; Romans 3:20-24; 4:4-5, 25; 5:1-2, 8-9; 8:30; Galatians 2:16)

SANCTIFICATION

We believe that sanctification is the gracious work of God by which believers become

partakers of His holiness as the work of regeneration leads to a transformed heart and mind;

that it is a progressive work carried on by the presence and power of the indwelling Holy

Spirit; that it is not completed until the ultimate glorification at Christ’s return; that believers

cooperate through the continual use of the means of the Word of God, fellowship with the

saints, self-examination, prayer and repentance, watchfulness against temptation, participation

in the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and the renewal of the mind. (Romans

8:5; 12:1-2; Philippians 2:1-5, 12-13; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6; Hebrews 10:25; 1 John 2:29;

3:2-3)

PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS

We believe that the divine purpose of God in election results in the justification,

sanctification, and ultimate glorification of the elect so that those who have truly received

salvation will endure until the end and that their perseverance in Christ Jesus is the mark

which distinguishes them from false professors, for the Holy Spirit who indwells them will

bring about the ultimate and final completion of their faith unto salvation. (John 3:31;

Romans 8:29; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:3-9; 1 John 2:19; Jude 1:24-25)

1HARMONY OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS

We believe that God established but one covenant for fallen humanity revealed in the

progressive work of the Old Covenant until its final fulfillment in the person of the Lord Jesus

Christ; that the Old Covenant pointed forward to the New Covenant through shadows and

types in the physical Jewish nation, the cultic ceremonies of the Temple, and the Laws

governing that nation, but which the prophets indicated would only find reality in the coming

of the Christ; that in Jesus Christ the Law and the Prophets were fully fulfilled resulting in the

Old becoming obsolete as the types and shadows passed, and the reality in Christ and His

Kingdom took form; that the Old Covenant must be read and believed in light of the New

Covenant; and that salvation and truth of the Old Covenant and New Covenant were one and

the same, differing only in perspective as the Old pointed forward to and the New looks back

upon the finished work of Christ. (Matthew 5:17-18; Romans 3:31; Romans 7:4-6; 8:1-4;

Galatians 4:1-7; Hebrews 8:5-7, 13; 12:18-24)

THE CHURCH

We believe in the universal Church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all

regenerated persons are members; in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in

Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, forming the visible representation of

the Family of God, and associated for worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and

witness; that God has laid upon the members of the local Church the primary task of giving

the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world; and that the Officers of the Church must meet the

qualifications and duties defined in the Scriptures. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2:38, 42-47;

20:18-32; Ephesians 1:20-23; 2:19-22; 5:19-21; Colossians 1:18-20; 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1;

Hebrews 10:23-25)

CHRISTIAN CONDUCT

We believe that all Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of all

humans according to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission; that their conduct

should be blameless before the world; that they should be a faithful steward of their

possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of

maturity in Christ. (Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20, John 14:15, 23-24; Romans 12:1-10; I

Corinthians 4:2; 10:31; II Corinthians 9:6-9; Ephesians 4:13-16; Colossians 1:9-10; Hebrews

12:1-2; I John 2:3-6)

THE ORDINANCES

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances (sometimes called

sacraments) to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper; that Christian baptism is the

immersion of the believer in water into the name of the triune God as a confession of true

faith and the recognition of the cleansing from sin and the inclusion in Christ’s Kingdom

Family; that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death

through the use of the fruit of the grape vine representing the removal of the wrath of God and

the partaking of bread in the representation that in Christ we have become one Body through

his sacrifice. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until

the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 3:13ff; 28:18-20; Luke 12:14-20; Acts 2:37-38;

2:46-47; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:14-22; 11:23-26; Ephesians 4:4-6; Colossians 2:11-

12; 1 Peter 3:21)

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

We believe that every human being has direct relations with God and is responsible to God

alone in all matters of faith, while being exhorted to true faith through His Church; that each

local church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical,

organizational, or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as

having different functions, each fulfilling its divinely appointed duties; that the government,

being divinely appointed by God for the good and order of society, ought to be prayed for,

honored, and obeyed except when in opposition to the will of our Lord as prescribed in the

Word of God; and that the Church, as the Pillar and Foundation of Truth, must act as salt and

light in this world for the glory of God. (Matthew 5:13-16; Acts 4:18-20; Romans 13; 14:7-9,

12; I Timothy 2:1-5; 3:15; Revelation 11:15)

CHURCH COOPERATION

We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with

other congregations that uphold the inerrancy of the Bible and hold to the fundamental and

historical teachings of the Church. In many cases, this cooperation is best achieved in a

denominational organization. Such an organization, whether associational, regional, or local

exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in an association is voluntary

and may be terminated at any time. (Psalm 133; John 17:20-21; Acts 15:36, 41; 16:5; Romans

14; Galatians 1:1-3, 10; Revelation 1:4, 10, 11)

THE LAST THINGS

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the establishment of

His eternal kingdom; in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal blessing

of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked; in a radical difference between the

righteous and the wicked and that only those, who through personal faith have received

justification unto righteousness, will receive eternal life, while those who remain impenitent

and unbelieving will certainly be eternally separated from God in Hell and will remain there

through all eternity because they will remain impenitent and unwilling to acknowledge the

rightful Lordship of the Eternal and all-glorious God. (Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John

14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:15; II Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; I

Corinthians 4:5; I Corinthians 15; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15)