The Bible

I believe in the verbal inspiration of the original writings of the Old and New Testaments, and I believe that they are of supreme and final authority for faith and life.

God

I believe in one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ

I believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born of the Virgin Mary, and in Him perfect humanity and undiminished deity are united forever. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was raised from the dead three days later, ascended bodily into the presence of God the Father in Heaven, and lives there now to intercede on my behalf.

The Holy Spirit

I believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, sent to guide, teach, and empower the believer, and to convict people of sin and the need for salvation. It is only by His indwelling that the Christian is enabled to live a Christ-like life.

Man

I believe that man was created by God and in God’s image. I believe that man sinned by disobeying God and thus incurred spiritual death, which is separation from God, and would eventually have a physical death. I believe that man is affected by this sin in such a way that no human being on his own has any merit before God.

Salvation

I believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ took place so that man might be reconciled unto God. I believe that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and calls Him their Lord receives right standing before God and eternal life. I believe that a true believer, once saved, will be kept in his salvation by the power of God forever.

The Church

I believe that the church consists of all true believers with Christ as the head. I believe that the purpose of the Church is to glorify God by drawing together, through the world-wide proclamation of the Word of God, all who will believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and follow Him as Lord of their lives, and by building up each believer so that he/she becomes progressively more like Christ. I believe that each believer has at least one specific capability or gift given by the Holy Spirit and one or more specific positions of service by God. Each capability or gift and position is necessary for fulfilling the purpose of the Church. I believe that groups of local believers should meet together regularly for worship, study, service and fellowship.

The Future

I believe in the imminent and personal return of Jesus Christ. I believe in the bodily resurrection of the believer and the one that does not believe in Jesus. I believe in the eternal blessedness of the believer and the eternal punishment of the one that does not believe in Jesus.

The Unity of the Church

I believe these to be articles of faith generally observed by believers throughout the history of the church. Having unity on these articles is essential, as these are the historic elements of our faith. However, I recognize that outside of these, there are many related areas of doctrine on which believers have historically differed. On these issues, I will follow the attitude of the apostle Paul: in places where I differ, I will exercise love above all else, and not do or say anything that could result in division or conflict. I will always seek to put Christian love and the unity of the body ahead of any desire to advance my individual position on any doctrine.