Statement of Faith
We joyfully hold a historic, orthodox, evangelical faith, affirming that we are made right with God, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone as proclaimed in the Scriptures alone. As a church we "contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).
THE SCRIPTURES
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter; therefore, all scripture is totally true and trustworthy.
GOD
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal being; the Creator, Redeemer, preserver, and ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections
GOD THE FATHER
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise.
GOD THE SON
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In his incarnation as Jesus Christ, he was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by his personal obedience, and in his substitutionary death on the cross he made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to his disciples as the person who was with them before his crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where he is the one mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate his redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever-present Lord.
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the scriptures. Through illumination he enables people to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts people of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls people to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration he baptizes every believer into the body of Christ. He cultivates christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through his church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
MAN
Man is the special creation of God, made in his own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of his creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God's creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Only the grace of God can bring man into his holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in his own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and christian love.
SALVATION
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole person, and is offered freely to all who surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by his own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
LAST THINGS
God, in his own time and in his own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to his promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised, and Christ will judge all people in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous (those who have trusted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins) in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in heaven with the Lord.
OUR CORE VALUES
1) THE INERRANCY AND AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE (2 TIM. 3:16-17)
2) SALVATION BY GRACE ALONE THROUGH FAITH ALONE IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE (EPH. 2:8-9)
3) THE PRIORITY OF PRAYER (1 THESS. 5:17)
4) PERSONAL AND CONGREGATIONAL HOLINESS (EPH. 1:4)
5) THE URGENCY OF FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMISSION (ACTS 1:8)