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1. Scriptures (The Holy Bible)
We believe the Holy Bible is the written Word of God, given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
It is infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts, fully preserved and wholly trustworthy.
Scripture is the sole and final authority for faith, doctrine, and life, and is sufficient for all
things that pertain to life and godliness.
Key Scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21; Psalm 19:7–11.
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2. God
We believe in one living and true God, the LORD (Jehovah), the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God is infinite, eternal, self-existent, omnipotent, omniscient, and present to act anywhere yet
separate from sin. He is holy, just, loving, merciful, gracious, and sovereign. God does not change
in His nature or character, desires all people to come to repentance, and is personally involved
with His creation while remaining independent of it.
Key Scriptures: Exodus 3:14; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 90:2; Malachi 3:6.
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3. The Trinity
We believe that the one true God exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is one in being
and three in personal distinction, without division of essence or confusion of persons. The Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit are co-equal and co-eternal, fully and truly God.
Key Scriptures: Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 14:16–17.
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4. Creation
We believe that God created the heavens and the earth in six literal, twenty-four-hour days, and that
the earth is young, created in recent history. God created Adam and Eve directly, in His image, as the
first human beings, and all humanity descends from them. We reject all forms of macro-evolution and
affirm that while there is variation within created kinds, life does not evolve from lower forms. God
created all things good, for His glory, and made man for relationship with Himself and stewardship
over creation.
Key Scriptures: Genesis 1–2; Exodus 20:11; Colossians 1:16–17.
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5. Man, the Fall, and Sin
We believe that man was created in innocence and in the image of God, but that Adam willfully sinned
against God, bringing sin and death into the world. Through Adam, a sinful nature has been passed to
all mankind, and all are sinners by nature and by choice. Man is spiritually dead and separated from
God, yet still able to respond when God graciously draws him through creation, conscience, and the
conviction of the Holy Spirit. Every person has a missing fellowship that can only be restored by God,
and all are personally accountable for their sin.
Key Scriptures: Genesis 1:26–27; Genesis 3; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12–19.
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6. Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh, the eternal Son of God who took on human likeness
without sin. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and
perfectly obeyed the Father. He willingly died on the cross as the innocent in the place of the guilty,
satisfying God’s justice on behalf of sinners. He rose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and
now serves as our High Priest and only Mediator at the right hand of God.
Key Scriptures: John 1:1–14; Philippians 2:5–11; Hebrews 4:14–16; 1 Timothy 2:5.
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7. Atonement and Salvation
We believe that on the cross Jesus Christ bore the penalty of our sin as our substitute, fully
satisfying the righteous demands of God’s law. His atoning death is sufficient for all people and
provides the payment for sin, but this reconciliation is applied personally only to those who repent
and believe. Christ died for all, and God sincerely offers salvation to everyone. Salvation is by
God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, not by works, rituals, or church membership.
In salvation God justifies, reconciles, and adopts the believer into His family.
Key Scriptures: Isaiah 53:4–6; Romans 3:23–26; Romans 5:6–11; Ephesians 2:8–9.
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8. The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Trinity. He convicts the world of sin,
righteousness, and judgment, draws all people to the truth, and regenerates those who believe. He
indwells every believer at salvation, sealing them until the day of redemption, and works in them to
produce holiness and spiritual fruit. The Spirit gives spiritual gifts to each believer for the good
of the church as God allows, and every gift must operate in full agreement with Scripture and for the
glory of God.
Key Scriptures: John 16:7–11; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 1:13–14; Galatians 5:22–23; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7.
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9. Repentance and Faith
We believe that salvation is received through repentance and faith. Repentance is a genuine turning from
sin to God, a change of mind and heart that results in a change of direction. Faith is trusting God’s
promise of redemption through Christ and relying entirely on His finished work, not on ourselves. Faith
is personal dependence on Christ, not mere agreement with facts, and is the means by which salvation is
applied to the individual. God graciously draws all people, but each person must personally respond; no
one is saved apart from personal faith in Christ.
Key Scriptures: Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21; Romans 10:9–13; John 3:16–18.
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10. God’s Purpose of Grace
We believe that God desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. God in His
grace reveals Himself through creation, conscience, and the Holy Spirit, giving every person the
opportunity to respond before judgment. Grace does not force belief; God draws, convicts, and calls,
yet man must choose. We are predestined in Christ in the sense that God appointed Jesus as the only way
of salvation and determined that all who are in Christ would be conformed to His image. God’s grace is
offered to all and received by faith, and never contradicts the free and sincere offer of the gospel.
Key Scriptures: 1 Timothy 2:3–6; Titus 2:11; John 12:32; Romans 8:29.
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11. Sanctification
We believe that sanctification begins at salvation and continues throughout the believer’s life. Through
obedience to God’s Word and the help of the Holy Spirit, believers grow in holiness and maturity.
Sanctification is the cooperative work of God’s Spirit and the believer’s obedience; as believers walk
in obedience, they grow. God disciplines His children when they stray, and calls every believer to live
a life that reflects His character. We reject perfectionism, charismatic “victory” doctrines, legalism,
and any teaching that dismisses the necessity of holy living.
Key Scriptures: John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 12:5–11; 2 Peter 3:18.
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12. Security of the Believer
We believe that those who are truly saved are saved forever. Eternal life begins at the moment of faith
and cannot be lost, surrendered, or taken away. Believers are kept by the power of God and sealed by
the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. Believers should persevere in obedience, though not all do
so consistently. A believer may fall into sin, but remains God’s child and will experience His loving
discipline. Assurance rests on God’s promise, not human performance, and doubt does not mean a loss of
salvation.
Key Scriptures: John 10:27–29; Romans 8:35–39; Ephesians 1:13–14; 1 John 5:11–13.
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13. Law and Gospel
We believe that the Old and New Testaments agree perfectly and reveal one unified plan of God. The Law
and the Gospel work together in God’s purpose: the Law reveals sin and our need of a Savior, while the
Gospel reveals God’s grace and provision in Christ. Salvation has always been by grace through faith,
and there has never been more than one way to be saved. Christ fulfilled the Law, and while Christians
are not under the Law for salvation, the moral principles of the Law still reveal God’s character and
serve as a guide to righteousness.
Key Scriptures: Matthew 5:17; Romans 3:19–22; Galatians 3:24; Hebrews 10:1.
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14. The Church
We believe that the church is a local assembly of baptized believers, redeemed by Christ and called out
for God’s glory. Christ alone is the Head of the church, and Scripture is its sole authority for
doctrine and practice. The church exists to glorify God through obedience and worship, to proclaim the
gospel, to fulfill the Great Commission, and to build up believers in love and truth. The church is
self-governing under Christ and practices baptism and the Lord’s Supper as ordinances commanded by
Christ, and affirms the sacred covenant of marriage between one man and one woman as instituted by God.
Key Scriptures: Matthew 16:18; Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 2:42–47; 1 Timothy 3:15.
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15. Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Marriage
We believe that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances commanded by Christ and given to the
church. Baptism is by immersion and is administered only to those who have believed the gospel. It
symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and identifies the believer with Him and His
church; it does not save, but is an act of obedience. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of the death of
Christ, observed by believers in self-examination, using bread and the cup as symbols of His body and
blood, until He comes. We practice open communion for believers in right fellowship with the Lord. We
also affirm marriage as a sacred covenant created by God between one man and one woman, intended for
believers, reflecting Christ and the church, and lasting until death.
Key Scriptures: Romans 6:3–4; 1 Corinthians 11:23–29; Ephesians 5:22–33; Genesis 2:24.
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16. The Righteous and the Wicked
We believe that God distinguishes sharply between the righteous and the wicked. The righteous are those
who have been saved through faith in Christ, receiving His righteousness by faith and not by works.
They are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and called to live holy and obedient lives, distinct from the
world. The wicked are those who remain in unbelief, living according to the flesh and separated from
God. They remain under God’s wrath until they repent, even if outwardly moral. God’s people are called
to stand with Him when the world calls evil good and good evil, and to shine as lights in the darkness.
Key Scriptures: Psalm 1; John 3:18; Romans 1:18; Ephesians 5:8–11.
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17. The World to Come
We believe that Heaven and Hell are literal, eternal realities. Heaven is a real place prepared by God,
the eternal home of all who are saved, where believers will dwell in God’s presence forever in joy,
worship, and holiness, with no sin, sorrow, or pain. Hell is a real place of eternal punishment,
darkness, torment, and separation from God for all who reject His salvation in Christ. There will be a
bodily resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked, and Jesus Christ will judge all people in
perfect righteousness. The saved will enter eternal life, and the lost eternal punishment. Christ will
return visibly, establish His eternal kingdom, and God will create a new heaven and a new earth where
He will dwell with His people forever.
Key Scriptures: John 14:1–3; Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:31–46; Revelation 20:11–15; Revelation 21:1–4.