Statement of Faith

Holy Scripture

We believe that the Bible, consisting of 66 canonical books, is inspired by God, infallible, and is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and life (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Isaiah 8:20).

 

God

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; John 14:16-17).

 

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1-4, 14, 18; 20:28; 1 John 5:20), supernaturally incarnated by the Holy Spirit through the Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18, 20; Luke 1:30-35); being sinless, He died for the sins of all people on the cross (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 3:18); He was buried and rose bodily on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Luke 24:3-43), ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us as our High Priest (Mark 16:19; Hebrews 1:1-3); He is the only Mediator between God and people (John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5), and He will return to earth in a visible, physical way as King and Judge (Matthew 24:29-30; 25:31-46; Acts 1:1-11).

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The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is God and a person who leads individuals to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, regenerates and dwells within the believer at the moment of faith, baptizes them into the body of Christ, seals them, grants spiritual gifts, and empowers them to live a holy life (Acts 5:3-4; John 16:8-11; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Corinthians 12:7, 11-13; Romans 8:9).

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The Fall of Man

We believe that man (Adam) was created by the direct action of God, had free will, and was without sin (Genesis 1:27; 2:7; Matthew 19:4); that he sinned deliberately, and as a result, people are born mortal, with a tendency to sin (i.e., a sinful nature), commit sins (Genesis 5:1-3; 8:21; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10-12, 23; 5:12, 14; 7:14-25), and cannot save themselves (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Ephesians 2:1-3).

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Salvation

We believe that the salvation of the sinful man is the gift of God's grace, not dependent on human merit or works (Ephesians 2:8-9), which is received through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31; 17:30; 20:21; Romans 10:9); that all believers, born again by the Holy Spirit, have the gift of eternal life (John 5:24; 1 John 5:11-13), justification before God (Galatians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21), adoption into God's family (John 1:12-13; Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 4:4-5), and God's assurance that they will never perish if they remain in faith (Romans 8:31-39; John 10:27-29; Acts 14:22; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Colossians 1:21-23; Hebrews 3:6, 14).

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The Church

We believe that the universal Church is the body of Christ, composed of all believers in Jesus Christ, born again by the Spirit, from the Day of Pentecost until the Church's ascension into heaven (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Born-again believers should voluntarily join local communities for the common worship of God, teaching, fellowship, and the fulfillment of Christ’s commandments (Acts 2:41-42; Matthew 28:18-20). We believe that the head (leader) of every local community is Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18); that each local community should govern itself (Acts 15; Matthew 18:15-18), select its leaders and servants (Acts 6:1-6; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9).

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Baptism

We believe that every born-again believer, in obedience to God, should be baptized by immersion in water (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:41; 8:12, 35-38). In baptism, a person demonstrates their faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and their decision to live a new life that is pleasing to God (Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:12). We believe that baptism should be performed by authorized persons within the local community (Acts 6:5-6; 8:38).

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The Lord’s Supper

We believe that the Lord’s Supper should be celebrated by the local community of believers until the second coming of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:23-29). The elements of the supper—unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine—remind us of the broken body of Jesus Christ on the cross at Golgotha and His blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins (Matthew 26:26-28). Only those who are born again by the Holy Spirit and baptized by immersion may participate in the Supper (Acts 2:41-42).

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The Priesthood of Believers

We believe that every born-again believer can personally commune with God, understand the Bible, serve God with the gifts of the Holy Spirit He has given, and testify of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:25; 1 Peter 2:5, 9; 4:10-11; 1 John 2:27; Acts 1:8).

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Holiness

We believe that believers should strive for holiness by renouncing sinful lifestyles (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; James 4:4; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 John 2:15-17) and not cooperate with individuals or communities that reject essential Christian doctrines (Romans 16:17; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 1:6-9; Ephesians 5:11; 2 Timothy 2:15-21; 3:5; 2 John 9-11).

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Relationships with the Government

We believe that every governing authority is instituted by God to maintain order in the nation and to protect the interests of its citizens; that believers should pray for the leaders of these authorities, respect them, and obey them in all matters that do not contradict the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, as revealed to us through the Bible (Romans 13:1-7; Acts 5:28-29; 23:5; Matthew 22:21; 2 Samuel 23:3).

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Family and Marriage

We believe that God intentionally created two [biological] sexes: male and female; that marriage is a union established by God between a man and a woman to reflect God’s relationship with Christ and His Church and to provide for the multiplication of humanity (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18, 24; Ephesians 5:22-32); that God condemns any sexual relationships outside of marriage and homosexual relationships (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26-28, 32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10); that according to God’s plan, marriage is intended to last until the death of one of the spouses, but that God allows divorce and remarriage in certain cases (Matthew 5:32; 19:9; 1 Corinthians 7:15, 39).

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Life After Death

We believe in life after death, the resurrection of the body, and God’s judgment for both the saved and the lost; we believe that the souls of the saved immediately after death go to heaven to be with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21-23); that the bodies of the saved will be resurrected or transformed when Christ comes again; that they will be judged according to their deeds before the judgment seat of Christ, and afterward, they will live forever with Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10, 12); that the souls of the lost immediately after death go to hell (Sheol, Hades), where they will remain until the Day of the Great White Throne Judgment, at which time their bodies will be resurrected. The lost will be judged according to their deeds and cast alive into the lake of fire – the place of eternal punishment (Luke 16:19-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Jude 13; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8).