[1] Matthew 5:18
[2] 2 Timothy 3:16-17
[3] 2 Peter 1:20-21
[4] John 14:26
[5] John 16:12-13
[6] Hebrews 4:12
[7] Proverbs 30:5-6
[8] John 17:17
[9] 2 Timothy 2:15
[10] Isaiah 45:19
[11] 1 Corinthians 2:10-14
[12] Luke 10:21
[13] Matthew 11:25-26
[14] Matthew 24:35
[15] Mark 13:31
[16] Luke 21:33
[17] Psalm 119:89
[18] Isaiah 40:8

[1] Genesis 1:1-31
[2] Exodus 20:1-3
[3] Psalm 83:18
[4] Isaiah 44:6
[5] John 4:24
[6] Psalm 90:2
[7] Isaiah 43:12-13
[8] Revelation 1:8
[9] Revelation 22:13
[10] Matthew 28:19
[11] John 6:27
[12] Hebrews 1:8
[13] John 10:30
[14] John 15:26
[15] Ephesians 2:18
[16] Colossians 2:9
[17] Ephesians 4:6
[18] Acts 5:3-4
[19] Psalm 103:19

[1] Matthew 28:19
[2] Acts 17:24-29
[3] Exodus 4:22
[4] Galatians 3:26
[5] Psalm 33:10-11
[6] Ephesians 1:3-6
[7] John 5:37
[8] John 3:16-17
[9] Hebrews 12:7-11
[10] 1 Corinthians 6:20
[11] Psalm 86:12
[12] 1 Corinthians 15:24

[1] John 3:16
[2] Matthew 28:19
[3] John 10:30
[4] Philippians 2:5-8
[5] John 1:1-3, 14
[6] Titus 2:13
[7] 2 Peter 1:1
[8] Hebrews 1:3
[9] John 14:9
[10] Isaiah 9:6
[11] Matthew 1:20, 23, 25
[12] Galatians 4:4-5
[13] Luke 19:10
[14] Revelation 20:1-15
[15] Romans 4:25
[16] 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
[17] 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23
[18] 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
[19] Ephesians 1:20
[20] Hebrews 7:25
[21] Hebrews 9:24
[22] Matthew 25:32-46
[23] 2 Corinthians 5:10
[24] 2 Peter 3:10

[1] Genesis 1:2
[2] Acts 5:3-4
[3] Matthew 28:19
[4] Isaiah 6:9-10 with
     Acts 28:25-27
[5] Matthew 1:18
[6] 2 Peter 1:20-21
[7] John 14:16-17, 26
[8] John 3:5-7
[9] Acts 1:8
[10] Acts 2:1-18
[11] John 16:7-11
[12] John 16:14
[13] 1 Corinthians 12:3
[14] Ephesians 5:18
[15] 2 Corinthians 3:18
[16] 2 Corinthians 3:6
[17] 1 Corinthians 12:13
[18] 1 Corinthians 6:19
[19] Romans 8:9
[20] 2 Thessalonians 2:13
[21] Romans 15:15-16
[22] John 16:13
[23] John 14:26
[24] Romans 15:13
[25] 1 Corinthians 2:4
[26] 1 Thessalonians 1:5
[27] Ephesians 1:13
[28] Ephesians 4:30
[29] 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

[1] Genesis 2:7-25
[2] Genesis 1:26
[3] Matthew 5:16
[4] Psalm 86:12
[5] Colossians 1:16
[6] Philippians 2:10-11
[7] Revelation 4:11
[8] 1 John 1:3
[9] Genesis 3:6-24
[10] Romans 3:23
[11] Romans 3:9-18
[12] Romans 5:18
[13] Romans 6:23
[14] Ephesians 2:1-3
[15] Isaiah 64:6
[16] Jeremiah 17:9
[17] Romans 5:10-12
[18] John 12:37-49
[19] Romans 8:6-8
[20] Romans 1:18-20

[1] Ephesians 2:8-9
[2] 2 Timothy 1:9
[3] Ephesians 1:7
[4] Romans 5:9-10
[5] Titus 3:5-7
[6] Romans 6:23
[7] 2 Peter 1:4
[8] Acts 2:38
[9] Mark 1:15
[10] John 3:3-18
[11] Romans 10:11-17,21
[12] Matthew 22:14
[13] Romans 1:18-32
[14] Ephesians 1:3-6
[15] 1 Peter 1:1-2
[16] Matthew 22:14
[17] Matthew 24:22, 24, 31
[18] 2 Thessalonians 2:13
[19] Romans 9:11-24
[20] Romans 11:5-6
[21] 1 Corinthians 1:27-29
[22] Romans 8:28-30
[23] Romans 11:29
[24] 1 John 2:2
[25] 2 Corinthians 5:21
[26] Romans 3:21-22
[27] 2 Corinthians 5:19
[28] John 6:39
[29] John 10:27-30
[30] Romans 8:31-39
[31] Ephesians 4:30
[32] 1 Peter 1:3-5
[33] 1 John 5:18
[34] Jude 1,24
[35] 2 Peter 1:3-10
[36] 1 Corinthians 15:1-2
[37] Hebrews 3:6,14
[38] Colossians 1:21-23
[39] 1 John 5:13; cf. 2:22-23;
       4:2-3,15; 5:1,5
[40] Romans 8:13
[41] 2 Corinthians 13:5
[42] 1 John 5:13; cf. 1:6-7;
       2:3-6,9-11,15-17,29;
       3:6-10,14-15,24;
       4:7-8,13,20; 5:18
[43] Hebrews 3:12-14
[44] Galatians 5:1-7
[45] 1 Corinthians 10:6-12
[46] Hebrews 10:36-39
[47] Galatians 5:19-21
[48] 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
[49] Ephesians 5:3-7
[50] 2 John 7-9
[51] 1 John 2:23
[52] Hebrews 3:12 - 4:1
[53] 2 Peter 3:17
[54] Hebrews 10:26-39
[55] 1 John 2:18-19
[56] 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
[57] 1 Corinthians 1:7-9
[58] 2 Timothy 2:16-19

[1] 2 Corinthians 5:17
[2] Romans 4:25
[3] Romans 5:18
[4] 1 Corinthians 1:2, 30
[5] Galatians 5:16-18
[6] Ezekiel 36:26-27
[7] 2 Corinthians 9:8
[8] Ephesians 2:8-10
[9] Romans 8:2,13
[10] 2 Thessalonians 2:13
[11] 1 Thessalonians 5:23
[12] 2 Corinthians 7:1
[13] 1 Peter 1:14-19
[14] Philippians 2:12-13
[15] Philippians 3:12-21
[16] James 2:14-26
[17] 1 Corinthians 10:31
[18] Matthew 3:8
[19] Matthew 7:16-20
[20] John 8:31
[21] Hebrews 6:9-12
[22] 1 Thessalonians 4:17
[23] 1 Corinthians 13:10-12
[24] 1 John 3:2

[1] Acts 2:38
[2] 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
[3] Ephesians 1:11-14
[4] Ephesians 1:22
[5] Ephesians 4:15
[6] Ephesians 5:23-32
[7] Revelation 3:12
[8] Revelation 21:2, 9, 10
[9] Acts 2:38-47
[10] Hebrews 10:24-25
[11] 1 Timothy 3:1-7
[12] Titus 1:5-9
[13] Acts 20:38
[14] 1 Peter 5:1-5
[15] Hebrews 13:7, 17
[16] 1 Timothy 3:8-13
[17] Philippians 1:1
[18] Acts 6:1-7
[19] Ephesians 3:10, 21
[20] Jude 20-21
[21] 1 Timothy 4:13
[22] 1 Timothy 5:17
[23] Ephesians 4:11-13
[24] Matthew 21:13
[25] Romans 12:4-8
[26] Matthew 28:19
[27] Luke 22:19
[28] Acts 1:8
[29] 1 Peter 4:10-11
[30] 1 Corinthians 12:4-12

[1] Acts 2:38-42
[2] Acts 8:30-39
[3] Acts 16:29-33
[4] Acts 10:44-48
[5] Romans 6:1-11
[6] Colossians 2:8-15
[7] 1 Peter 3:20-21
[8] Acts 22:16
[9] Acts 19:1-7
[10] Luke 23:39-43
[11] Romans 3:23-26
[12] 1 Corinthians 1:17
[13] Acts 8:12
[14] Matthew 28:18-20

[1] Matthew 26:26-29
[2] 1 Corinthians 11:24-25
[3] 1 Corinthians 11:26
[4] 1 Corinthians 11:27-32
[5] Mark 14:22-24
[6] Luke 22:19-20
[7] 1 Corinthians 10:17
[8] 1 Peter 2:24
[9] Matthew 26:28
[10] 1 Corinthians 10:16-21





[1] Nehemiah 9:6
[2] Colossians 1:16
[3] Revelation 19:10
[4] Revelation 22:8-9
[5] Hebrews 2:6-7
[6] 2 Peter 2:11
[7] Luke 2:9-14
[8] Hebrews 1:6-7
[9] Revelation 5:11-14
[10] Daniel 6:22
[11] Luke 16:22
[12] Hebrews 1:14
[13] Isaiah 14:12-17
[14] Ezekiel 28:12-19
[15] 1 John 3:8
[16] 2 Peter 2:4
[17] Genesis 3:1-15;
       cf. Revelation 20:2
[18] John 8:44
[19] Matthew 4:1-11
[20] Ephesians 6:11-17
[21] 1 Peter 5:8
[22] Ephesians 2:2
[23] Romans 8:34-39
[24] Hebrews 2:14
[25] Revelation 12:1-11
[26] Matthew 25:41
[27] Revelation 20:10

[1] Revelation 6:9-11
[2] Philippians 1:21-24
[3] 2 Corinthians 5:8
[4] Luke 23:43
[5] Matthew 10:28
[6] 1 Corinthians 15:5-54
[7] 1 Thessalonians 4:1-17
[8] Luke 16:22, 25
[9] Luke 16:19-26
[10] Revelation 20:10-15
[11] John 5:28-29
[12] Daniel 12:2
[13] 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9


[1] Acts 1:9-11
[2] 2 Thessalonians 1:10
[3] 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
[4] Revelation 19:11-21
[5] Revelation 21:1-7
[6] 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
[7] 1 Corinthians 15:50-54
[8] Romans 14:10
[9] 2 Corinthians 5:10
[10] Daniel 7:18, 27
[11] Revelation 22:1-5
[12] John 5:28-29
[13] Revelation 20:12-13
[14] 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
[15] Revelation 20:10-15
[16] Revelation 21:8

Articles of Faith

Holy Scriptures

We believe the Bible is the inerrant, authoritative, verbal, plenary, inspired, living word of God as represented in the original manuscripts. [1-7] The Bible consists of 66 books written by men through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. [2-5] God's word is truth [8-10] and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. [2] The truth in God's word is revealed by the Holy Spirit, [11] not man's intellect, [12,13] and yet every believer must be diligent to present himself as a workman who handles the word of truth accurately. [9] Finally, God's word is eternal. [14-18]

God

We believe that there is one living and true God, [1-4] who is spirit in nature [5] existing eternally [6-9] in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit [10-18]; Creator of the universe and everything in it, [1] and Supreme Ruler thereof. [19]

God the Father

We believe that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity [1] and is the Father of all men by virtue of being their Creator. [2] He is Father of the nation of Israel, [3] and the spiritual Father of all who believe in Christ. [4] His prerogatives among the Godhead include authoring the plan of God, [5] authoring the act of election, [6] sending His Son to this world, [7,8] and disciplining His children. [9] We as believers are to glorify Him both now and in eternity. [10,11] God the Father will ultimately rule over all things after the Lord Jesus has abolished all rule, authority, and power and delivered the Kingdom to the Father. [12]

God the Son

We believe that Jesus Christ, who is God's only begotten Son, [1] is the second Person of the Trinity. [2] He is God [3-8] and is coequal, [3] cosubstantial, [8,9] and coeternal [10] with the Father. He was virgin born, [11] God incarnate who came to reveal God, [4,5] redeem men, [12,13] and rule over God's kingdom. [10,14] He was crucified and died for our sins [15,16] and arose from the dead bodily on the third day. [15-18] Our salvation is made sure by His resurrection [15,17] and He is now ascended to the right hand of the Father [19] where He is ministering as our Advocate [20] and High Priest. [21] He will return to this earth to receive His church, [18] which is His body, and will establish His kingdom as its King. [14] He is the final Judge of all creation. [14,22-24]

God the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and is God. [1-3] He is coequal and cosubstantial with the Father and with His Son. [1,3,4] We recognize His sovereign activity in creation, [1] the incarnation, [5] the written revelation, [6,7] and the work of salvation. [8] He was sent at Pentecost to initiate the building of the body of Christ. [9,10] His divine activity includes convicting the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; [11] glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ, [12,13] and by His filling, [14] transforming believers into Christ-likeness. [15,16] He baptizes all believers into the body of Christ at the moment of salvation; [17] indwelling, [7,18,19] sanctifying, [20,21] instructing, [22,23] and empowering them for service [9,24-26]; and sealing them unto the day of redemption. [27,28] He administers spiritual gifts to the church, [29] not to glorify the gifts or those who are gifted, but to glorify Christ [12,13] and implement His work of redeeming the lost and building up believers in the faith.

Man

We believe that man was directly and immediately created by God [1] in His image and likeness, [2] with the intent that he should glorify God, [3-7] enjoy God's fellowship, [8] and have dominion over the earth and all its creatures. [1,2] Originally without sin, man did not have the knowledge of good and evil. [1,9] However, through Adam's sin of disobedience, [9] man lost his innocence, [10-12] incurred the penalty of physical and spiritual death, [12-14] became children of wrath by nature,[14] and became corrupt. [10,11,15,16] Man is thus hopelessly lost apart from salvation, [14] which is the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ. [17] We believe that apart from God's sovereign act of election, man will always choose to reject God. [11,18,19] However, God's sovereign act of election does not contradict nor negate the responsibility of man. [20]

Salvation, Election, and Assurance

We believe that salvation is wholly of God by grace, [1,2] through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, by the merit of His shed blood, [3,4] not on the basis of human merit, nor by works. [1,2,5] Salvation is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit [5] by which we receive eternal life [6] and share in the divine nature. [7] Repentance and faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are essential in it, [8-10] and all are invited, warned, and exhorted to such repentance and faith. [11-13]

We believe that through God's sovereign act of election, every believer has been chosen before the foundation of the world to receive salvation. [14-18] God'schoice is based entirely on the good pleasure of His will and His mercy, not on any foreseen faith by us nor in any human quality we may possess. [1,19-21] All whom the Father has chosen will come in faith, receive eternal life, and be justified and glorified. [14,22,23]

On the basis of Christ's substitutionary death, which provided propitiation for our sins, [24] God declares us righteous (justified) in Christ, [5,25,26] having been reconciled to God. [4,27] All the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are secure in Christ forever. [28-34]

Considering this precious and magnificent promise, all professing believers must be diligent to add to their faith such qualities as moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love in order that they might make certain that God has called and chosen them. [35] Assurance that a person is one of the elect and has eternal life comes from a life that is committed to the objective truths of the Gospel [36-39] and that is directed and empowered by the Spirit. [40-42] In light of these truths, the New Testament warns against falling away from the objective content of the Gospel [43,44] and it warns against falling into a lifestyle of sin [45,46] - either of which places a person in danger of eternal destruction. [47-51] So then, from the human perspective every professing believer should beware, lest in his proud complacency he fall away from the faith through sin and unbelief. [45,52-54] However, from God's sovereign perspective, a person who falls away from the objective content of the Gospel was never really a believer in the first place. [55] In the same way, God promises to keep the true believer from falling into a lifestyle of sin. [32-34,56,57] From the divine perspective: "the Lord knows those who are His."[58] From the human perspective: "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness."[58]

Sanctification

We believe that upon salvation, every believer is regenerated, declared righteous (justified) and is declared sanctified (set apart for sacred service) by the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. [1-4] However, a conflict exists between the new creation in Christ and the sinful nature that continues throughout this earthly life. [5] Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit works to purify believers [6] by bringing new life that leads to good works [7,8] and by putting to death the lusts of the flesh. [9] While sanctification is wholly a work of God, [10,11] the believer has a responsibility to yield in reverence, obedience, and fear to the Father's commandment to be holy. [12,13] Believers are to put forth effort to work out their salvation [14-16] to the glory of God [17] which is evidence of their salvation. [18-21] The process of sanctification is completed when we are united with Christ at the end of this earthly life. [22-24]

The Church

We believe that all who repent of their sins and place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit into one united body, [1-3] the Church, of which Jesus Christ is the Head, [4,5] and which is His bride. [6-8] We believe that the members of this one spiritual body are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies. [9,10]

We believe that the Head of the Church is Jesus Christ and those serving as leaders in the Church are elders (also called bishops and pastors) who must fit the biblical qualifications of that office. [11-15] Those who serve as deacons (who serve the physical needs of the body) must also fit the qualifications of that office. [16-18] We believe the purpose of the Church is to glorify God, [19] and by the power of the Holy Spirit, build itself up in the faith, [20] by instruction in the Word, [21-23] by prayer, [24] by fellowship, [10,25] by keeping the ordinances of baptism [26] and the Lord's Supper, [27] and by advancing and communicating the Gospel to the entire world. [26,28]

We believe that God has given gifted men to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry. [23] God also has given each member of the body of Christ spiritual gifts that are sovereignly bestowed. [25] It is essential that every believer discover, develop, and employ their gifts for the edification of the body and the accomplishment of the work of Jesus Christ in the world. [29,30]

Baptism

We believe that Christian baptism is an act of obedience following a person's salvation. [1-4] It is the immersion of a believer in water that testifies of one's faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior, and union with Him in death to sin, and resurrection to a new life. [5,6] It symbolizes cleansing from sin [7,8] and it is also a sign of fellowship and identification with the visible body of Christ. [1,9] Baptism is not a saving act of grace nor is it necessary for salvation. [10-12] The New Testament Biblical pattern is salvation, baptism, and association with a local church body. [1,3,13,14]

The Lord's Supper

We believe that all believers are welcome to share in the Lord's Supper. It is a time of remembrance, [1,2] and proclamation of His death until He returns, [3] and should always be preceded by solemn self-examination [4] and accompanied by thanksgiving. [1,2,5,6] In that all believers partake of "one bread," the Lord's Supper is a powerful symbol and statement of the unity of all believers. [7] We also believe that the elements of bread and wine are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ. [5,6] The bread represents His body in which He actually bore our sins on the cross. [8] The wine represents His blood which was shed for the remission of our sins, [9] and is also a sign of the New Covenant of grace. [2] Because the bread and wine are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ, when we partake of these elements in the context of the Lord's Supper we symbolize and affirm our oneness with Christ. [10]

Angels

We believe that angels are created beings, and therefore are not to be worshipped. [1-4] Although they are a higher order of creation than man, [5,6] they are created to worship and serve God [7-9] and to serve God's people. [10-12]

We believe that Satan is a created angel and the author of sin. [13-15] He incurred the judgment of God by rebelling against his Creator, involving numerous angels in his fall, [13,14,16] and introducing sin into the human race by his temptation of Eve. [17,18] We believe that Satan is the open and declared enemy of God [13,14,19] and God's people, [20,21] the prince of this world who was defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, [22-25] and he shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire. [26,27]

Death

We believe that physical death involves no loss of our immaterial consciousness, [1-3] that the soul of the redeemed passes immediately into the presence of Jesus Christ, [2,4] that there is a separation of soul and body, [1,3,5] and that such separation will continue until the first resurrection, when our soul will be united with our resurrection body to be glorified forever with the Lord. [6,7] Until that time, the souls of the redeemed remain in joyful fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. [2,4,8]

We believe that the souls of the unsaved at death descend immediately into Hell, [9] where they are kept under punishment and torment until the second resurrection, [10,11] when the soul and a resurrected body are united. [11,12] They shall appear at the Great White Throne judgment and shall be cast into the lake of fire, cut off from the presence of God forever. [10,13]

The Age to Come

We believe that Jesus Christ will return bodily to this earth [1] to be glorified in His saints, [2] to destroy His enemies [3,4] and to vindicate and reward the redeemed with eternal salvation. [5] At the coming of the Lord, the dead in Christ shall rise first; and then those believers who remain alive until the coming of the Lord will also receive their resurrection bodies and meet the Lord in the air. [6,7] All believers since creation will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to be rewarded according to their deeds while on earth, [8,9] after which they will inherit the kingdom for all eternity. [10,11] The wicked dead will also be resurrected and judged according to their deeds. [12,13] Satan and his angels and all those whose names were not found written in the book of life will be cast forever into the lake of fire to suffer eternal punishment away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, [14] which is the second death. [15,16]