Article 1. The Bible
We believe that the Bible — consisting of all the sixty-six books that collectively comprise the Old and New Testaments — is the inspired revelation of God. All the Scriptures found within the original manuscripts of the Bible were supernaturally given by God Himself in that “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” Therefore, we believe that the whole Bible as given in the originals is free from error or defect of any kind. We hold that divine inspiration extends fully to the whole Bible and that it is accurate in its practical, moral, spiritual, doctrinal, prophetic and historical teaching. It can be demonstrated that God has attended to and protected the transmission of the Bible through the centuries, therefore it can be confirmed that the manuscripts we have available today are faithful representations of the originals. At the center of the Scriptures is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His work; no Scripture in either the Old or the New Testaments is properly read until it leads to Him. (Mark 12:26, 36; 13:11; Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Acts 1:16; 17:2-3; 18:28; 26:22-23; 28:23; Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 2:13; 10:11; 2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet. 1:21).
Article 2. God
We believe that there is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal, co-substantial, and have precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections. (Gen. 1:1; Deut. 6:4; Psalm 2; Matt. 3:16-17; 28:18-19; Mark 12:29; John 1:1-18; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 13:14; Col. 1:15-20; 2:9-10; Heb. 1:1-4; Rev. 1:4-6)
Article 3. Jesus Christ
We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ who in His incarnation left his exalted position, took on the form of a servant, and received a human body. In the person of Jesus Christ dwells both God and man — He is both fully God and fully man — “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” (Col. 2:9)
We believe that Jesus Christ was supernaturally conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We believe that Jesus Christ lived a perfect and sinless life and wrought many miracles, mighty works, and signs — exactly as the four Gospels record. Through His death on the cross, Jesus Christ made a perfect, substitutionary atonement for the sins of all those who exercise a saving faith in Him. We believe that three days after His death on the cross Jesus Christ was resurrected by the power of God from the dead in the same physical body, though glorified, that was nailed to the cross. After authenticating the fact of His resurrection by many infallible proofs to His disciples, Jesus ascended into heaven to sit at the right-hand of His Father. The Father has appointed Him head over all things and His intercessory ministry never ceases. We believe that Jesus Christ will return to the earth with power and great glory at the end of the great tribulation period that is predicted in the Scriptures. He will at that time set up His millennial reign over the earth which will, in turn, be replaced by the eternal state in which all believers will live forever with the Godhead — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:30-35, 2:40; John 1:1-1:18, 3:16, 3:36, 19:30, 20:11-21:25; Rom. 5:6-8, 5:9-11; I Cor. 15:3-8; 2 Cor. 5:18-19, 5:21; Phil 3:20-21; Col. 2:9; Titus 2:11-14; Heb. 1:1-4, Rev. 19:11-21, 20:4-6, 21:1-8, 22:14-15)
Article 4. The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity, is God. The Scriptures teach that the Holy Spirit has all the attributes and characteristics of personality and is indeed a person within the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is in the world convicting men of sin, righteousness, judgment, and the truth that is found in Jesus Christ. Since the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit dwells in each believer from the moment of salvation and through the baptism of the Holy Spirit all believers are united into one Body, the Church. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the sovereign giver of all spiritual gifts and that the presence or absence of any spiritual gift in a believer cannot be used as a test for the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures teach that the Holy Spirit indwells all true believers and seals them unto the day of redemption. Believers are to live their lives under the guidance, instruction, and control of the Holy Spirit. (John 14:16-17, 16:7-15; Acts 2:1-4, 5:3-4; 1 Cor. 6:19, 12:1-11; Eph. 4:4-6, 4:30; 1 John 2:20-27)
Article 5. Men and Women
We believe that all men and women have been created in the image of God and that because of this image they carry tremendous intrinsic value. Although all people are the image bearers of God, we believe that all people (with the exception of Jesus Christ) are tainted with the stain of sin. Sin entered into the entire human race when the original man and woman fell through transgression in the Garden of Eden. We believe that because of the exceeding depravity of human nature that all human beings are dead in trespasses and sins and are in need of salvation and regeneration. (Gen. 1:26-27, 3:1-21, 6:5, 9:6; Isa. 59:1-2; John 3:3; Rom. 3:9-19, 3:23, 8:6-8; 1 Cor. 11:7; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:19, 3:18)
Article 6. Salvation
We believe that all unregenerate men and women live under the penalty for sin which is death and ultimately eternal separation from God in a place called Hell. Through the atoning sacrifice that was made by His Son Jesus Christ, God has offered salvation to all people. We believe that men and women are justified before God on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Salvation is entirely a work of God and was finished on the Cross by Jesus Christ. No amount of good works on man’s part can adequately merit salvation or atone for sin. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9) All those who truly receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and confess Him before men are reborn, receive eternal life, and become the true children of God. God knows those who have been saved and the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. (Lev. 17:11; Isa. 64:6; Matt. 26:28; John 3:7-18, 3:36, 10:27-29, 14:6, 20:30-31; Rom. 3:21-26, 3:28, 5:1-2, 5:6-8, 6:23, 10:9-13; Gal. 2:16, 3:11; 1 John 4:9-10, 5:11-12, 5:13)
Article 7. Resurrection
We believe in a bodily resurrection of both the saved and the unsaved. At death the souls of those who believe in Christ depart their bodies to be with Him. At death the souls of unbelievers are translated to a place called Hades and are there held unto the Day of Judgment. At the resurrection of the just the bodies of believers will be resurrected and transformed into the likeness of Christ’s glory and the soul will be reunited with the resurrected body. Believers will live forever in the presence of God. The bodies of unbelievers will be resurrected and reunited with their souls at the Day of Judgment and will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity. We believe that all human beings, saved or unsaved, were created to exist for eternity. (Dan. 12:1-3; Isa. 66:24; Matt. 25:46; Luke 16:19-31; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15; 1 Cor. 15:12-58; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; 1 John 3:2; Rev. 20:4-6, 20:11-15)
Article 8. Israel, The Last Days, and The Eternal State
As the nation chosen by God to bring the Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ into the world, Israel and, by extension, the Jewish people, have always had a key role to play in God’s prophetic plan and will continue to do so in the age to come. (cf. Gen. 12:1-3, 49:10; 1 Chron. 5:2; Isa. 9:6; Ezek. 37:22-25; Mic. 5:2; Zech. 12:1-14:21; Matt. 2:1-2; Luke 23:38; Acts 1:6-7; Rev. 7:1-8; 12:1-17, 21:12-13, 21:21) Because of this fact we make a clear distinction between prophesies that are intended to find their fulfillment in the the nation of Israel and prophesies that are intended to find their fulfillment in the church. We believe that replacement theology or supersessionism—the idea that the church has taken over Israel’s place and prophetic promises—is a serious error that leads to the distortion or denial of many passages of Scripture. (cf. Jer. 31:1-40; Isa. 24:1-27:13; Romans 9:1-11:36) Related to this we believe that “fulfillment theology”—in which it is claimed that of the promises made to Israel have now been fulfilled in Jesus Christ—also is a is a serious error that leads to the distortion or denial of many passages of Scripture.
We believe in the personal, premillennial and imminent coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that just before the return of Jesus Christ that there will be a seven-year period of Great Tribulation on the earth unlike anything that our world has ever seen. This period will be characterized by three and one-half years of false peace followed by three and one-half years of unrelenting catastrophe. At the end of this Great Tribulation period, and during the Battle of Armageddon, our Lord and Savior shall return. At His second coming our Lord will set up His millennial kingdom on this earth which will last 1000 years. At the end of this 1000 year period will come the final judgment before the Great White Throne. After the final judgment will come the eternal state in which believers will live forever with God on the new earth in the New Jerusalem. We believe that our Lord desired us to live in the expectation of His soon return and that this belief should positively impact how we live our lives. (Isa. 13:6-13; Mic. 4:1-5; Matt. 24:3-25:46; Luke 21:7-36; 1 Thes. 5:1-11; Rev. 5:1-22:21, 20:1-6, 20:11-15; 21:1-8, 21:9-27, 22:1-5, 22:7, 22:12, 22:21)