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WE
BELIEVE
THAT
there is one God, self-existent and eternal, the creator, sustainer, and
ruler of all things, infinitely perfect and existing eternally in three
persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Their glory is equal and their
sovereign power is co-eternal.
THAT the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament
and New Testament are the Word of God in writing, inspired by the Holy
Spirit and infallible, and inerrant in the original writings. They contain
all that is necessary to our salvation and are of supreme authority for
faith and practice.
THAT our Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Person
of the Godhead, is the eternal and only-begotten Son of God. He took
man’s nature in the womb of the Virgin Mary by miraculous conception of
the Holy Spirit, so that the two whole and perfect natures, the Godhead
and manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided. He
lived a sinless life, obedient to the will of the Father. He died on the
cross making a perfect and sufficient atonement for the sins of the whole
human race so that He might reconcile us to the Father. On the third day
He rose bodily from the grave. He ascended into Heaven where He is
enthroned at God's right hand as our intercessor.
THAT the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the
Godhead, continually glorifies our Lord Jesus Christ, convicts men and
women of sin, and regenerates all who repent and trust in Christ for
salvation. It is by the Holy Spirit that believers are sanctified,
indwelt, and guided into all truth. It is also by the Holy Spirit that
Christ lives in the church, the gospel is proclaimed, and the
Kingdom
of
God
is advanced in the world.
THAT man was created in the image of God; but
as the result of Adam’s sin, the entire human race was alienated from
God and plunged into sin. For this reason we are born into a state of
native depravity, hostile to God and His Law, and utterly unable of
ourselves to remedy our lost condition. By His prevenient grace, God
restores moral sensibility to all mankind and enables each of us to
respond to His offer of salvation.
THAT salvation is the provision of God's
grace alone, but it is a gift that we must freely accept. Thus God
graciously justifies and regenerates all who repent of their sins and
believe on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As the children of God, they
are restored to fellowship with Him, delivered from the penalty of sin, as
well as from its willful practice, and are initially sanctified by the
Holy Spirit who dwells in them.
THAT God calls all believers to entire
sanctification, which is realized in a moment of full consecration and
faith subsequent to their new birth in Jesus Christ. By the Holy Spirit
they are thus cleansed from all sin and empowered for victorious living
and fruitful service. Entire sanctification is dynamically maintained by
obedient faith in moment-by-moment relationship; and it is both preceded
and followed by growth in grace, expressed in progressing holiness and
increasing spiritual maturity.
THAT believers are assured of personal
salvation by the infallible promises of God's Word, confirmed by the
inward testimony of the Holy Spirit, and attested by a good conscience and
the presence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.
THAT
all believers are fully secure in Christ, conditioned only by their
continuing obedient faith. Those who backslide may be immediately restored
to God's favor by returning to Him in repentance and faith in Christ.
THAT it is the joy and duty of all Christians
through the power of the Holy Spirit to live righteously, victoriously,
and sacrificially, obedient to God's Law, faithful in the use of the
means of grace, continually sharing the hope that is in them, and
ministering compassionately to human need.
THE central purpose of the church is to
glorify God. It is composed of all who are united to Him in saving faith
and who are thus members of the body of which Christ is the head. All
Christians should live in fellowship with the church, uniting in its
worship of the Triune God, participating in its great task of world
evangelism, and loving one another with pure and fervent hearts.
THAT our Lord Jesus Christ will personally
return in glory at the end of the age, as He has promised, and that He
will consummate His kingdom and judge the world in righteousness. His
coming is the "blessed hope" which is set before us and for which we
must live in constant and joyful readiness.
THAT all the dead shall be raised, those who
have died in Christ to eternal life and blessedness, and those who have
rejected Him to conscious and everlasting shame and punishment.
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