Convictions

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; and that these are the same divine essence, are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.

Genesis 1:1, 26; Deuteronomy 6:4; John 1:1, 3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19, 20; Ephesians 4:5, 6; 1 Peter 1:2

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. He concerns himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that he hears and answers prayer, and that he saves from sin and death all who come to him through Jesus Christ.

Luke 10:21, 22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:1, 2; 2:5, 6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6

We believe Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission.

Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–38; 4:1–21; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 3:21–26; 9:5; 8:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:1–2; 1 Peter 2:21–23; John 20:30, 31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6–8; 6:9, 10; 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Timothy 3:16

We believe the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the people of God. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26, 27; John 16:9–14; Titus 3:5–7; Romans 8:9; 12:6–8; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 12; Galatians 5:22–26

We believe that the Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the authoritative and powerful Word of God, verbally inspired by God, and without error in the original manuscripts. God's intentions, revealed in the Bible, are the supreme and final authority in testing all claims about what is true and what is right. In matters not addressed by the Bible, what is true and right is assessed by criteria consistent with the teachings of Scripture.

2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 14:37; Mark 13:31; John 8:31, 32; 14:26; 16:13–14; 17:17; 20:31; Acts 20:32; Matthew 22:29, 43–44; 24:35; Numbers 23:19; Proverbs 30:5; Psalm 12:6; 19:7–10; 119:9–16; Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2; 1 Timothy 4:13

We believe mankind is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God's creation.

In the beginning, man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God and fell from his original innocence. As a result, his descendants inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God.

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 person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32;3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11.

We believe salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

We reject justification based on any human effort, and we believe that only those who have been born again, and thus trust Jesus Christ as their Savior, by virtue of his atoning death on the cross, submitting to him as Lord, and embracing him as supreme Treasure of their lives, are adopted, delivered from condemnation, and receive eternal life. We believe that this faith leads to a heartfelt turning from sin. The Christian life involves growth in grace through persevering, Spirit-empowered resolve to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ.

Genesis. 1:26–27; Genesis 3; Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Ecclesiastes 2:11; Matthew 13:44; John 1:13; John 3:14; 3:16; 5:24; John 5:30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; 17:3; Psalm 51:7; Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:14; Romans 3:19; 5:19; Philippians 3:7–8; 1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:11; 8:1; 1 Corinthians 15:1–2; Hebrews 3:12–14; Hebrews 6:11–12; Hebrews 10:39; Romans 3:28; 10:13

We believe that marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of joyful sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

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. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. Furthermore, we denounce domineering leadership and any form of abuse of roles within marriage.

The Bible speaks about singleness as a gift from God and that it is good for those who can receive it. Singles are not second-rate members of the church. If wielded well, singlehood can be a powerful blessing for the church and the world.

The Fall has corrupted God's original intent for human sexuality in all persons; therefore, all people—straight or non-straight—experience corruption in their sexuality. Nevertheless, God desires all males and females to express their gender in accordance with their biological sex. Furthermore, all forms of abuse, slander, dehumanization, or oppression toward fellow humans is an affront against God's sacred image, which has been stamped upon all people.

Genesis 1:27–28; 2:23–24; Matthew 19:4–6; Ephesians 5:24–32; Exodus 20:14,17; Leviticus 18:6–7, 23; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, 18–20; 7:2; Matthew 5:27–30; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Luke 10:27; 1 John 4:8–9; Romans 1:18–32; 5:8.

We believe in one holy, universal Church made up of all who trust Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord, and supreme Treasure of their lives. We believe that God calls us to unite with other believers in local churches to help each other to value Jesus above all else, to praise him together, to make disciples, to grow in our love and knowledge of him, and to stir each other up to good works. We believe that Christians should be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and regularly share in the Lord's Supper to remember Jesus until his return.

Ephesians 1:22–23; Acts 15:36, 41; 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:1; Galatians 1:1–3; Matthew 28:18–20; Revelations 1:4, 10, 11; Hebrews 10:24– 25; Romans 6:3–4; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26

We believe that all Christians are under an obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.

Exodus 20:3-17; Leviticus 6:2-5; Deuteronomy 10:12; 27:17; Psalm 101:5; Micah 6:8; Zechariah 8:16; Matthew 5:13-16,43-48; 22:36-40; 25:35; Mark 1:29-34; 2:3ff.; 10:21; Luke 4:18-21; 10:27-37; 20:25; John 15:12; 17:15; Romans 12–14; 1 Corinthians 5:9-10; 6:1-7; 7:20-24; 10:23-11:1; Galatians 3:26-28; Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; Philemon; James 1:27; 2:8.

We believe in the personal, visible, and bodily return of Jesus to earth and the establishment of his kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment of all people, the eternal happiness of the righteous in God's presence, and the eternal punishment of the wicked.

Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13.