The Scriptures
The Holy Bible is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is the fully inspired, infallible, Word of God without error. God used men with their distinct personalities while guiding them to ensure that the words are completely accurate and true. It is a perfect treasure of Divine instruction. The 66 books which make up the Bible are the church's sole authority in all matters of life and doctrine (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16).
God
There is one and only one living and true God, who is the creator of all things. The eternal God exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being (1 Corinthians 8:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
God the Father
God the Father is the first Person of the Trinity. He reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Psalm 145:8-9; Romans 11:36; Ephesians 4:6; 2 Corinthians 6:18).
God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God and the second Person of the Trinity. He was never created but is eternal. Though eternally existent, He willingly took on flesh and came in the form of man. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He honored the divine law by His perfect obedience. He died on the Cross to bear the wrath of God for His people. He rose from the dead three days later, was seen by over 500 witnesses, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. He is coming again to judge the living and the dead (John 1:1,14; Philippians 2:5-8; Romans 3:24-25; John 14:19; 5:22-23; Acts 1:9-11).
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. He is fully God and eternal. He exalts Christ. He convicts men and women of sin. He opens the hearts of men so that they are able to receive the free gift of salvation accomplished by Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and obedience. He seals believers in Christ unto the day of redemption. He inspired the words of Scripture and worked through the individual writers ensuring that they wrote a perfectly accurate account consistent throughout (2 Peter 1:19-21; Ephesians2:22; Romans 8:9; Acts1:8; John 16:7-9).
Man
Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect. Man is, however, fallen from God and sinful in nature. As such, all men apart from Christ, will face God's righteous judgment (Genesis 2:7, 15-25; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8; Psalm 14:1-3).
Salvation
Salvation is the gracious rescue of men and women who are alienated from God by their sin through Christ. This was accomplished through Christ's substitutionary death whereby He satisfied the wrath of God for all believers, and His resurrection from the dead. Salvation cannot be acheived by human effort. It is instead a free gift by the grace of God alone (Titus 3:5; John 3:3-7) .
Though salvation is a gift, man is still a responsible agent. Though he cannot work for his salvation, God has decreed that repentance and faith alone in Christ alone are the necessary response (Romans 9:22-23; Revelation 22:17). There is no salvation outside of Christ. Though this salvation is not achieved by human effort, it is demonstrated in a transformed life that honors Christ as Lord (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Colossians 3:16).
God's Purpose of Grace
Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners (Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:4-11; 2 Timothy 2:10). Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end (John 5:24; Ephesians 4:30).
The Church
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel and seeking to extend that gospel to the ends of the earth. This church is an autonomous body (Philippians 1:1; Hebrews 10:25; Titus 1:5). The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ, which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). The church is distinct from Israel (1 Corinthians 10:32).
Baptism & the Lord's Supper
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus (Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:1-11).
The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby believers memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. We do not believe that these elements literally become the body and blood of Jesus but that they are taken in remembrance of the sacrifice accomplished by Christ on the Cross once for all who would repent and believe. We believe this should always be taken after self-examination and repentance of any known sin (1 Corinthians 11:28-32; 1 Corinthians 10:16).
Last Things
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell; the righteous will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).
Evangelism & Missions
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations; to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ through the preaching of the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20).
Family
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Marriage is the unity of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.
