1. God

We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God. He is eternal, infinite, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, and almighty. He is a simple, spiritual being, without body, parts, or passions. He is the overflowing source of all good, the standard of good, and our greatest good. He is the creator, sustainer, and ruler of everything, and he alone deserves worship. He is perfectly wise, just, merciful, and loving, and he governs all things according to his sovereign will. He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness and is worthy of all adoration, trust, obedience, and love. In the unity of the Godhead are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are eternally one in essence, power, and honor.

Exodus 3:14-15; 20:3–6; Deuteronomy 4:35; 4:39; 6:4–5; 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Kings 8:23; Psalm 86:8–10; Isaiah 6:3; 44:6–8; 45:5–25; 46:9; Jeremiah 10:6–10; Micah 7:18; Malachi 3:6; Matthew 3:13–17; 28:18–20; John 4:24; 10:30; 14:6; 17:3; 17:11; 17:20–21; Acts 5:3–4; 17:24-25; 1 Corinthians 8:4–6; 2 Corinthians 3:17; 13:14; Galatians 3:20; Ephesians 1:3–14; 4:5–6; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 Timothy 1:17; 2:5; James 2:19; 1 John 5:20; Jude 25; Revelation 4:11 

2. The Scriptures

We believe that the Holy Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is God’s Word. Written by men who were divinely inspired, it is a perfect treasury of heavenly instruction. God is its author, salvation is its purpose, and truth, without any mixture of error, is its content. The Bible is the only certain and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. Scripture’s teaching is clear and sufficient, declaring all that we need for salvation and godliness, and the principles by which God will judge us. New life comes not by the wisdom of man but only by the Word and Spirit of God; therefore, churches gather to read, preach, sing, and pray God’s Word. Scripture is the true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard for evaluating all human conduct, creeds, and opinions.

Psalm 119; Proverbs 30:5–6; Isaiah 40:8; Luke 24:25–47; John 5:39; Romans 2:12; Philippians 2:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; Hebrews 1:1–2; 4:12–13; 2 Peter 1:19–21; 3:15–16; 1 John 4:1; Revelation 22:18-19

3. Humanity

We believe that God created humanity in his own image, as the pinnacle of his creation, to display his goodness and glory as we worship him and love our neighbor. Being made in God’s image, every person—regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, ability, or any other factor, from the moment of conception—has inviolable dignity and worth. God created humanity male and female, and he ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Children are a blessing and inheritance from the Lord. Differences between men and women reflect God’s design and foster human flourishing. God’s design for creation includes marriage, which is the lifelong, exclusive, covenantal union of one man and one woman. The different and complementary roles given to husbands and wives in marriage picture the union between Christ and his bride, the church. Marriage is the only legitimate, God-ordained context for sexual union and procreation, and is a temporary gift that points to the fuller joy of our eternal union with Christ.

Genesis 1:26–30; 2:5, 7, 18–22, 24; 9:6; Exodus 21:16; Psalms 1; 8:3–6; 139:14; Matthew 19:4–6; 19:10–12; Mark 2:19–20; Mark 10:6–9; 12:25; 1 Corinthians 7:1–9, 25–35, 38–40; Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 5:25–32; 1 Timothy 1:10; Revelation 7:17; 19:7–9; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Isaiah 54:5; Revelation 21:9–10

4. The Fall

We believe that, though originally righteous, humanity voluntarily rebelled against God and fell from their holy and happy state. Sin is the rejection of God, the transgression of his law, and the repudiation of his glory. To sin is to worship the creature rather than the Creator. Since the sin of our first parents, every person has been born into a state of guilt and corruption. As a result, we sin by nature and by choice, are incapable apart from divine grace to do otherwise, and lack the righteousness required by God’s law, which is the eternal and unchanging rule of his moral government. Every person is therefore under a just sentence of condemnation to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse.

Genesis 1:27; 31; 2:16–17; 3:1–24; 6:5, 12; 8:21; Psalm 51:5; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Isaiah 53:6; Ezekiel 18:19–20; Matthew 20:15; Acts 17:26–29; Romans 1:18–32; 2:1–16; 3:9–18; 5:12-19; Galatians 3:10, 22; Ephesians 2:1–3; Colossians 1:21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

5. God’s Purpose of Grace

We believe that God eternally chose some persons unto everlasting life, not because he foresaw any merit in them, but solely because of his mercy in Christ, through which he regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, preserves, and glorifies them. This election displays God’s sovereign goodness and his infinite freedom, wisdom, compassion, and unchangeable character. It is perfectly consistent with human freedom and includes all the means necessary to achieve God’s purpose. Indeed, it encourages the greatest possible exercise of human responsibility. Electing grace excludes boasting, cultivates humility, promotes love, fosters prayer, encourages evangelism, grounds assurance, and strengthens trust in God to keep those who are his.

Exodus 33:18–19; Deuteronomy 7:7–8; Jeremiah 31:3; Luke 10:22; John 1:12–13; 6:37–44; 10:16; 15:16; Acts 2:22–23; 4:27–28; 13:48; 15:14; 16:14; 18:12; Romans 3:27; 4:16; 8:28–9:24; 11:5–6; 11:28–36; 1 Corinthians 1:26–31; 3:5–7; 9:22; 15:10; Galatians 1:15–16; Ephesians 1:1–2:10; Philippians 1:6; 3:12; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4–10; 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:13– 14; 2 Timothy 1:8–9; 2:10; Titus 3:4-7; Hebrews 6:11; 1 Peter 1:1–2; 2 Peter 1:10–11; 1 John 4:19; Revelation 13:8 

6. The Person of Christ

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. He is the true God, eternally begotten by the Father, of the same essence as the Father, one with him and equal to him in power and glory. For us and for our salvation, when the fullness of time came, he became incarnate, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He thereby united to himself a complete human nature, so that he is like us in every way except sin. In him, divine and human natures are united in one person, without confusion or change, without division or separation. Truly God and truly man, he is the second Adam, the head of a new creation, the only, perfect, and all-sufficient mediator between God and humanity.

Luke 2:52; John 1:1–14; 5:1-29; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Galatians 4:4-7; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:1-20; 1 Timothy 2:5; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 1:1-14; 2:14-18; 4:15; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:20; Revelation 1:4-20

7. The Work of Christ

We believe that sinners are saved only by the grace of God through the work of Jesus Christ, apart from any human work. Jesus is the promised Messiah and savior of the world, our prophet, priest, and king, and the mediator of a new covenant between God and humanity. After living the perfect, obedient life that we all owe to God, he died on the cross as a substitute for his people, satisfying God’s justice and making a full atonement for our sins. He rose bodily from the dead on the third day, triumphing over death and the devil, and ascended into heaven, where he sits at the right hand of the Father. Being both God and man, Jesus Christ unites in his person tenderest sympathy and divine holiness and is qualified in every way to be a suitable, compassionate, and all-sufficient savior. There is no one in heaven or on earth who loves us more than Jesus Christ does.

Isaiah 53:4-5; 55:1; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 4:17; 11:20–24, 28–30; Mark 1:15; Luke 19:10; John 1:1–14; 3:16–21; 5:40; 6:29; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:15; 9:11-21

8. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is the Lord and giver of life. He eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son, he is worshiped and glorified together with the Father and the Son, and he spoke through the prophets. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, grants new birth, unites us to Christ, indwells the church as God’s temple, gives gifts for building up the church, and empowers us to bear witness to Christ.   

John 15:26; 16:8-11; Acts 1:8; 5:3-4; Romans 8:26; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:11; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 1:13-14; Galatians 4:6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:19-21

9. Regeneration

We believe that, in order to be saved, sinners must be regenerated, or born again. Regeneration is a change of the inner person accomplished by the Holy Spirit, who resurrects those dead in trespasses and sins. God’s Spirit enlightens sinners’ minds to understand and embrace God’s Word, gives them a new heart, and renews their wills, so that they freely trust in Christ for salvation. The evidence of regeneration is the holy fruits of repentance, faith, and newness of life.   

Jeremiah 31:31–34; Ezekiel 36:25–27; John 1:12–13; 3:3–7; Acts 10:44; 2 Corinthians 5:17–21; Galatians 5:22–23; Ephesians 2:1–5; Colossians 2:13; Titus 3:5; James 1:17–18; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9–10; 4:7; 5:1–4, 18

10. Repentance and Faith

We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the gospel, and that God commands all persons everywhere to repent and believe in Jesus. Repentance and faith are sacred duties and inseparable graces. They are created in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God, who convinces us of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation in Christ. To repent is to turn away from sin and self-rule with godly sorrow and a plea for mercy. To have faith is to trust in and receive Christ as the only and all-sufficient Savior. The whole of the Christian life is to be marked by faith and repentance as is fitting under the Lordship of Christ.

Isaiah 55:1–7; Matthew 11:28–30; Mark 1:15; Luke 15:18–21; 24:46–47; John 1:12; 3:16; 6:37; 7:37; 16:8; Acts 2:37–38; 3:19–23; 11:18; 16:30–31; 17:30; 20:21; Romans 2:4; 10:9–11, 17; 2 Corinthians 7:9–10; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:8–10; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11; Hebrews 4:14; 6:1; 7:25

11. Justification

We believe that justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal of sinners wherein he removes our guilt, reconciles us to himself, and declares us righteous. God justifies the ungodly through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, not through anything done in us or by us. We are justified solely on account of Christ’s substitutionary death and victorious resurrection, because of his perfect righteousness, which God freely counts to us. Justification brings peace with God and deliverance from final judgment, and it removes every ground of boasting except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 53:11–12; Matthew 9:6; John 1:16; Acts 10:43; Romans 3:20–28; 4:1–5:21; 6:23; 8:30–34; 2 Corinthians 5:17–21; Galatians 2:15–17; 3:24; Philippians 3:7–9; Titus 3:5–7; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:12, 25

12. Sanctification

We believe that sanctification is God’s work of consecrating a believer unto holiness for his purposes; it is also his progressive work of conforming believers to the likeness of Jesus Christ. Sanctification begins at regeneration and continues, throughout believers’ lives, by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. While sanctification is a gift of grace, it requires believers to pursue holiness and fight sin through means such as corporate worship, meditation on God’s word, prayer, self-examination, and the mutual edification of Christian fellowship.

Psalm 1; 119; John 17:17; Romans 6:5–6, 11–19; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 6:11; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 7:1; Galatians 2:20; 5:16–24; Ephesians 4:20–24; 6:10-20; Philippians 3:13–14; Colossians 3:5–10; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Titus 2:11-14; 3:5; Hebrews 3:12-13; 10:24–25; 12:1, 14; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 John 3:9; Jude 20-21; Revelation 3:19

13. The Perseverance of the Saints

We believe that all genuine believers endure to the end. Their persevering trust in and obedience to Christ, and their love for his people, are the primary marks that distinguish them from false believers. True believers may fall, through neglect and temptation, into sin, and thereby grieve the Spirit, impair their fellowship with Christ, bring reproach on his name, and incur his loving discipline. Yet a special providence watches over them, and they will be renewed again to repentance and kept by the power of God, through faith, to final salvation.

Matthew 5:13; 24:13; John 6:38–40; 8:31; 10:27–29; 15:6; Romans 8:30; 11:22; 1 Corinthians 9:27; 10:12; 15:1; Ephesians 1:13– 14; 4:30; Philippians 1:6; Colossians 1:22–23; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 2:12; Hebrews 1:14; 3:12–14; 4:11; 6:12; 9:15; 1 Peter 1:4–5; 2 Peter 1:10; 1 John 2:19; 2 John 1:9; Jude 20; Revelation 2–3; 14:12; 21:7

14. The Church

We believe that Christians, regenerated by the Holy Spirit from every tribe, language, people, and nation, are to associate themselves into local churches. A visible church is a congregation of baptized believers, bound together by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel. It observes the ordinances of Christ, submits to his commands, and exercises the gifts given by the Holy Spirit for mutual edification. Each local church is governed by the Word of God, which teaches that Jesus alone is its king and head; that elders are qualified men given to shepherd the church as pastors; that deacons are to serve the church; and that the congregation has the responsibility to receive members, defend doctrine, hold its leaders accountable, and carry out discipline. Since Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week, churches should assemble each Lord’s Day to worship God and edify one another. Each local church should have fellowship with other churches for the sake of peace, love, partnership, and mutual edification.

Matthew 5:16; 16:13–19; 18:15–20; 28:18–20; John 13:34–35; 17:20–24; Acts 2:41–42, 47; 5:14; 6:1–6; 11:26; 14:23; 20:28; Romans 16:1; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 5:1–13; 11:25–26; 1 Corinthians 14:1–40; 2 Corinthians 2:6–8; Ephesians 3:10; 4:1–2, 4:11–12; 5:22–23; 1 Timothy 2:12; 3:1–13, 3:15; 4:13; 5:17; 5:20; Titus 1:5–9; Hebrews 10:19–25; 13:7, 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1–5; Revelation 5:9

15. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is a joyful duty and beautiful emblem that declares our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior. Through baptism, a church affirms and portrays a believer’s union with Christ in death to sin and resurrection to new life, and a believer publicly commits to Christ and his people. For this reason, baptism is prerequisite to church membership and the Lord’s Supper.

We likewise believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of Christ in which, by the sacred use of bread and wine, following solemn self-examination, the assembled members of a church commemorate together the saving sacrifice of Christ. In the Lord’s Supper, believers proclaim the Lord’s death, confirm our faith, have communion with Christ together, renew our mutual bond, and anticipate the marriage supper of the Lamb. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper mark off believers from unbelievers and make the church visible on earth.

Matthew 3:13–17; 26:26–29; 28:18–20; Acts 2:38–42; 8:36–38; 16:32–33; 20:7; Romans 6:4; 1 Corinthians 11:17–34; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:11–12; 1 Peter 3:20–21

16. Liberty of Conscience and Civil Government

We believe that God alone is Lord of the conscience and has decreed that it be free from the doctrines and commandments of men that are contrary to his Word or not contained in it. We also believe that God appointed civil government for the benefit and good order of human society. Christians should pray for, honor, and obey public officials, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of the kings of the earth.

Genesis 9:5-6; 2 Samuel 23:3–4; Psalm 2:2–6; Mark 12:13–17; Luke 12:13–15; Romans 13:1–7; 1 Timothy 2:1–3; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13–17; Revelation 19:16 

17. The Resurrection and the World to Come

We believe that death is not the end. Though human bodies return to dust after death, their spirits live on, the souls of the righteous with Christ in heaven, and the souls of the unrighteous in hell. We also believe that on the last day, Christ will descend bodily from heaven and raise the dead to final judgment. A solemn separation will then take place that will forever fix the final state of every person in heaven or hell. The unrighteous will be justly assigned to eternal, conscious torment and the righteous to the endless joy of the new creation, to the glory of our holy and merciful God.

Daniel 12:2; Isaiah 65:17–25; Matthew 13:36–50; 24:31–46; 25:31–46; Mark 9:43–48; Luke 14:14; John 3:36; 4:36; 5:28–29; 6:40; 11:23–27; Acts 1:11; 3:21; 10:42; 17:31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:5–12; Revelation 14:9-11; 20:1–22:21