The Scriptures
We believe the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the written Word of God,
and the supreme and sole authority of Christian faith and practice. The Scriptures were originally given through the
Holy Spirit by plenary verbal inspiration, infallibly true and free of errors.
The Nature of God
We believe
the only true and living God is a triune God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The
Father is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, the Creator and Ruler of all things. The Lord Jesus-Christ is the
Son of God, equally divine and eternal with the Father, and is also the Son of Man, truly human but without sin. The
Holy Spirit is a person, one with Father and Son in the Godhead, whose work is to glorify God in Christ, convicting men of
sin and regenerating those who believe in Him.
The Nature of Man
We believe all things were
created and are sustained by God; man in particular was created for the purpose of mutual love and fellowship between him
and his Creator. The account of creation in Genesis is a true and historical record which reveals that man came from
direct creation of God and not by any process of evolution. Though created in the image of God, man willfully sinned
against God, bringing sin and death into the world.
The Work of Christ
We believe
the Eternal Son became flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who was born of the Virgin Mary by miraculous conception.
He lived a sinless human life, perfectly fulfilling the divine law, and then offered himself as a sacrifice for the sin of
every man. He died on the Cross, shedding his precious blood, in full substitution and atonement for the sin of all
men everywhere. He was buried, and on the third day He arose bodily from the dead, alive forevermore. He later
ascended bodily into heaven where, at the right hand of the Father, He now continually intercedes on behalf of those who put
their trust in Him.
Salvation
We believe man is utterly unable to save
himself from the power or penalty of sin. Each man must be saved wholly on the basis of the work Christ has done in
dying for our sins and rising for our justification. This salvation is attained by simple faith in Jesus-Christ as Son
of God and personal Savior and is received instantly. Salvation thus includes deliverance from the penalty of sin, from
the power of sin in one’s life and ultimately from the presence of sin in heaven with God.
The
Church
We believe in ultimate sense that the Church of Christ is composed of all who have
been saved and will be with Him in heaven. Each local church should be organized for the purpose of effective witness
to the unsaved; for baptizing, teaching, exhorting, and edifying those who are saved; for Christian fellowship among the brethren;
and for united praise and worship of God through song, testimony, prayer, and frequent observance of the Lord’s Supper
as ordained by Christ.
The Promised Return of Christ
We believe in the imminent
return of the Lord Jesus-Christ. We cannot know the date of His coming; but every Christian should live in earnest expectation
of His coming at any time. When He comes in the air, all believers both living and dead will be caught up to meet Him,
receiving their resurrection bodies, and will appear before the judgment seat of Christ, not for salvation but for rewards.
The coming of Christ will also be associated with a period of judgment and great tribulation on the earth, in which the wrath
of God will be poured out on unsaved men because of their rejection of God and His Christ.
The Last Things
We believe,
following the millennium, the unsaved dead will be raised, judged according to their works, and separated forever from God
in the lake of fire. Satan will also be consigned forever to the lake of fire.
