WHAT WE BELIEVE

THE BIBLE

We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Covenant are the only sufficient, certain, and infallible standard for all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. We believe that all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the servant of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. The whole counsel of God concerning everything essential for man’s salvation, faith, and life is either explicitly stated, or by necessary inference, contained in the Holy Scriptures. Nothing is ever to be added to the Scriptures, either by new revelation of the Spirit or by human traditions. In the Bible our faith finds its final word. 

THE TRIUNE GOD

We believe that God has all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness in and of Himself; He alone is all-sufficient in Himself. He alone is the source of all being, and everything is from Him, through Him, and to Him. He alone has absolute sovereign rule over all things in heaven and on earth and in His sight all things are open and visible. Our LORD God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness; His work is perfect, for all His ways are just - a God of faithfulness and without iniquity. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Our God consists of three real Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three have the same substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence without this essence being divided. The Scriptures show that the Son and the Holy Spirit are God, equal with the Father, by ascribing to them names, attributes, works, and worship that are proper to God only. 

HUMANITY

We believe that God created humanity in His image, making them male and female, with equal and inherent dignity and worth. God crowned them with glory and with honor, making them rulers over the works of His hands. Living in peace and fellowship with God, they were to serve Him as royal priests over all the earth in love and faithfulness to His commandments - to the glory of their Creator. However, as a result of the fall of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has since been corrupted by sin to the end that all men and women are without spiritual life, guilty sinners, hostile to God, and thereby fall short of His glory. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God and needs to be born again, forgiven and reconciled to God through Jesus Christ in order to now know Him, please Him, and fulfill the human vocation.   

JESUS CHRIST

We believe that the Son of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, is truly and eternally God. He is the brightness of the Father’s glory, the same in substance and equal with Him. By Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth - all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 

When the fullness of time came, He took upon Himself human nature, with all its essential properties and common weaknesses, excepting sin. This Person is truly God and truly man, yet one Christ. God the Father was pleased, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, to be the one true and eternal mediator between God and humanity. 

Christ who is prophet, priest, and king came to save sinners, destroy the works of the devil, and to make all things new. On the cross He died in the place of sinners, bearing God’s punishment for their sin, thereby redeeming them by His blood. He was resurrected from the dead as the firstfruits of the resurrection and new creation, and ascended into heaven where He is exalted as Lord of all. He is coming again with the clouds, to judge the living and the dead. Every knee will bow before Him and confess Him as Lord.  

SALVATION

We believe that salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved by any person. Salvation is necessary because all people have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, transgressing the law of the Lord in thought, word and deed, and are therefore justly deserving of God’s eternal judgment and condemnation. Apart from God’s grace there is no hope of salvation from sin, death, and judgment, for all sinners are held captive by the power of sin and Satan, blind to the glory of Christ, and dead before God in their trespasses and sins. 

Salvation has come to the world through Jesus Christ alone. All people must repent of their sins and believe in Him to receive the free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. While all people are held responsible for their actions, no person can perceive the glory of Christ, or the kingdom of God, unless they are first born again from above by the power and Spirit of God. It is the Spirit of God who applies the work of Christ to the elect by uniting them to Jesus Christ in whom they are justified, sanctified, and will one day be glorified according to the faithful promise of God.  

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity and is therefore coeternal and coequal in glory and majesty with both the Father and the Son, possessing all of the same attributes of personality and deity. The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven by both the Father and the Son to glorify Jesus Christ and to apply God’s work of salvation to the elect. He brings to the world conviction of sins, righteousness, and judgment, imparts new spiritual life, and gives to God’s people a true understanding of the Scriptures. He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation, and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the Church and empowers its members for worship, service, and mission.

THE CHURCH

We believe that Jesus Christ is the head of the Church and all sovereign authority is given to Him by the Father to call, institute, order, and govern the Church according to His own good and perfect will. The universal Church is the Body and Bride of Christ to which all who are saved belong. Jesus Christ, who is the great Shepherd of the sheep, laid down His life for them, thereby freeing them from sin by His own atoning blood and making them to be a royal priesthood to His God and Father. While the church will be subject to both persecution and sufferings, Christ will build His Church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 

The universal Church is made visible in local churches - congregations of believers - who are committed to visibly displaying and demonstrating, in and by their profession and life, obedience to the call of Jesus Christ. They willingly agree to live together according to Christ’s instructions, giving themselves to the Lord and to one another by the will of God, and observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The church of Jesus Christ is called to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God, to make disciples of all nations, to be a light to the world, and to forever live to the honor, glory, and praise of our Almighty God.

THE FUTURE 

We believe that Jesus Christ will come again in power and glory, for God has appointed a day wherein the dead will be raised, and Christ will judge the world in righteousness. To Him all power and judgment is given by the Father. On that day, the apostate angels will be judged. So also, all people who have ever lived on the earth will appear before the judgment seat of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds and to receive a reckoning according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil. 

Jesus Christ desires that we be firmly convinced that a day of judgment will come, both to deter everyone from sin and to comfort the godly more fully in their sufferings. He has determined to keep the day secret, to encourage us always to be watchful, not knowing the hour when the Lord will come and so that we may always be prepared to say, “Come Lord Jesus; come quickly. Amen.” 

There will be a new heaven and a new earth wherein the righteous will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God, and He Himself will wipe away every tear from their eyes. All things will be made new by the power of Jesus Christ. Death shall be no more, and neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things will have passed away. The dwelling place of God will be with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. But as for the unrighteous, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

For a fuller summation of our doctrinal basis, we encourage you to read through the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, which we beleive contains an excellent expression of the Christian faith as taught in God’s Word.