Statement of faith

evangelical - biblical - protestant

THE BIBLE.
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

* The Bible has 66 books


THE TRINITY.
We believe there are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one true, eternal God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory, although distinguished by their personal properties. 

* This is NOT modalism, but trinitarianism. 


GOD THE FATHER.
We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe He is a member of the trinitarian understanding of God. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.


GOD THE SON.
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit and member of the trinitarian understanding of God. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings.  We believe He is equal to God and is in fact God in person. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.


GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT.
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ.  We believe He is a member of the trinitarian understanding of God. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.  

REGENERATION THROUGH CHRIST ALONE.
We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation.  We believe in salvation alone through Christ alone. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and will be forgiven rather than judged. The forgiven will enter into the presence of God to spend eternity with Him. The judged will be excluded from Him to spend eternity apart from Him.

BAPTISM.

Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ. Baptism is not a requirement for salvation. To those who obey with the instruction to believe and be baptized, it becomes a sign of their belief in Christ and their fellowship with Him in His death and resurrection. Baptism is a sign of their being grafted into Christ, for remission of sins, and their obedient submission to God through Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of life. We believe baptism represents the image of our death, burial, and resurrection into that new life. However, we allow our members to hold to either pedobaptism (infant) or full emersion believers’ baptism (adult).


CHURCH.
We believe in the universal church that is made up of all those who believe in Christ alone for salvation and redemption and are therefore “Born again.” We believe in the fellowship of the redeemed and the cooperation of local churches and fellow believers to further the Gospel.

* The Church is both evangelical and universal. We are the church.


CHRISTIAN CONDUCT. 
We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.

* Christian life is lived in community, like family. for the purpose of discipleship. They will know Christ by your love. 


MARRIAGE.
We believe that Christian marriage is a sacred institution ordained by God for the well being of mankind and the propagation of the human race.  It is the life long spiritual and physical union of one man and one woman according to Scripture, and this is the only valid understanding of marriage. We believe that the terms “male” and “female” are described in scripture by the historical traditional created and biological definition.

* Gender is determined by biological sex. There are two genders, male and female. 


RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that every church and every Christian ministry is independent and must be free from interference by any political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.

* We have the right to serve as an ecclesiastical ministry set apart for the church as described above. Not ecumenical, but rather interdenominational within Evangelical Protestant Christianity.