I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic1 church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
1 The term “catholic” means “universal”, throughout all ages and generations.
We believe that the Bible, both Old and New Testament, is the authoritative Word of God. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our everyday lives and the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. It is inspired, infallible and inerrant.
(2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21)
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The Scriptures declare:
(1) His virgin birth (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31, 35).
(2) His sinless life (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22).
(3) His miracles (Acts 2:22; 10:38).
(4) His substitutionary work on the cross (1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
(5) His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:4).
(6) His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9, 11; 2:33; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:3).
Man was created good and upright; for God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” However, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God.
(Genesis 1:26, 27; 2:17; 3:6; Romans 5:12-19)
We believe that sin has separated each of us from God and His purpose for our lives. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ as both God and man is the only One who can reconcile us to God. We believe that in order to receive forgiveness and “new birth” we must repent, by expressing repentance toward God, faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ and submission to His will. We are saved by grace and through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is a gift from God and not a result of our good works or any human effort.
(Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; 3:5-7)
Water Baptism:
The ordinance of baptism by immersion in water is commanded in the Scriptures. All who repent of their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and who give clear evidence of their salvation are to be baptized. Thus they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
(Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47, 48 Romans 6:4)
Communion:
The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements – bread and juice – is the memorial of His suffering and death.
(Luke 22:19, 20 1 Corinthians 11:23)
Marriage:
We believe marriage is defined in the Bible as a covenant, a sacred bond between one man and one woman, instituted by and publicly entered into before God.
(Matthew 19:4-6)
Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside of them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority in their lives over to Him and thus, make Him the Lord of their life as well as Savior. The put their trust in what Jesus accomplished through His death, burial and resurrection.
(John 1:12; John 14:17, 23 John 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelation 3:20)
Given at Pentecost, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension. As a comforter and through a further empowering, Christians should seek to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church.
(Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4, 8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31)
This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of salvation.
(Acts 8:12-17; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 11:14-16; Acts 15:7-9)
The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters.
(Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11; Ephesians 4:16; I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6-7; I Corinthians 12:1-31; 14:1-40; I Peter 4:10)
Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life.
(Romans 6:1-11, 13; 8:1, 2, 13 Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:12, 13 1 Peter 1:5)
The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of the great commission. Since God’s purpose concerning man is to seek and to save that which is lost, to be worshipped by man, and to build a body of believers in the image of His Son, the priority reason-for-being part of the Church is:
(1) To be an agency of God for evangelizing the world (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16).
(2) To be a corporate body in which man may worship God (1 Corinthians 12:13).
(3) To be a channel of God’s purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son. (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 1 Corinthians 14:12)
We believe that God has individually equipped us so that we can successfully achieve His purpose for our lives, which is to live holy, worship God, fulfill our role in the Church and serve the community in which we live. A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the three-fold purpose of leading the Church in:
(1) Evangelization of the world (Mark 16:15-20).
(2) Worship of God (John 4:23-24).
(3) Building a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a sign, which is to follow Jesus. It is also a part of Jesus’ work on the Cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit.
(Psalm 107:20; Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:16-17; James 5:14-16)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back again as He promised physically and visibly for the second time to establish His kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures.
(1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7)
The second coming of Christ includes the “rapture” of the saints, which is our Blessed Hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on the earth for one thousand years.
(Zechariah 14:5; Matthew 24:27, 30; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 19:11-14; Revelation 20:16)
This millennial reign will bring the salvation of the nation of Israel (Ezekiel 37:21-22; Zephaniah 3:19-20; Romans 11:26-27) and the establishment of universal peace (Isaiah 11:69; Psalms 72:38; Micah 4:3-4).
We believe that our eternal destination of either Heaven or Hell is determined by our response to the Lord Jesus Christ. There will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to eternal torment with the devil and his fallen angels.
(Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21:8)
“We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
(2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:22)