The Holy Scriptures

Inspiration and Authority

We affirm that the Bible is God’s divinely inspired written revelation to humanity, comprising the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. Through the plenary verbal inspiration of the Holy Spirit, every word is equally breathed out by God in all its parts (1 Cor. 2:7–14; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20–21). We uphold that the Word of God is an objective, propositional revelation (1 Thess. 2:13; 1 Cor. 2:13), infallible (John 10:35), and absolutely inerrant in the original manuscripts, free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit (Ps. 12:6; 119:160; Prov. 30:5). The Bible stands as the sole infallible rule of faith and practice, trustworthy and true in all matters it addresses (2 Tim. 3:15–17; Heb. 4:12).

Dual Authorship and Interpretation

We believe God spoke through His written Word by a process of dual authorship. The Holy Spirit superintended the human authors so that, through their unique personalities and writing styles, they composed and recorded God’s Word without error in whole or in part (2 Pet. 1:20–21; Matt. 5:18).

We advocate a literal, grammatical, and historical interpretation of Scripture, affirming that while a passage may have multiple applications, there is but one true interpretation. The meaning of Scripture is discovered through diligent and consistent application of this method, aided by the illumination of the Holy Spirit (John 7:17; 16:12–15; 1 Cor. 2:7–15). Believers bear the responsibility to carefully discern the true intent and meaning of Scripture, recognizing that proper application is binding on all generations. Scripture itself stands as the ultimate judge of men; men never stand in judgment of it.

The Doctrine of Preservation

We affirm the doctrine of the preservation of Scripture, which teaches that God, by His providential care, has preserved His inspired Word throughout all generations. This divine preservation ensures that the Scriptures remain pure, trustworthy, and uncorrupted in their entirety, safeguarding the truth for the Church and all believers (Ps. 12:6–7; Matt. 5:18; 1 Pet. 1:25). God’s promise to preserve His Word guarantees that the Bible we have today faithfully represents the original manuscripts, enabling believers to rely confidently on its teachings for faith and practice.

1. The Triune God

We teach that there is only one living and true God (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 45:5–7; 1 Cor. 8:4). He is eternal (Rev. 1:8), infinite (Job 11:7–10), and a pure Spirit (John 4:24). God has no parts or divisions (Ex. 3:14; 1 John 1:5; 4:8) and is perfect in every way. His attributes include being beyond full human understanding (Rom. 11:33), all-knowing (1 John 3:20), all-powerful (Gen. 18:14), present everywhere (Ps. 139:7–10), unchanging (Mal. 3:6), and self-existent (Ex. 3:14; John 5:26).

We teach that this one God exists as three equal and united Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). Each Person is uncreated, distinct, and fully deserving of worship and obedience. The Father is not created, nor begotten, nor proceeds from anyone (John 5:26). The Son is eternally begotten of the Father (John 1:14; 5:26). The Holy Spirit comes from both the Father and the Son (John 15:26).

III. The Persons of the Trinity

1. God the Father

We teach that God the Father, the first Person of the Trinity, orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace (Ps. 145:8–9; 1 Cor. 8:6). He is the Creator of all things (Gen. 1:1–31; Eph. 3:9) and is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption (Ps. 103:19; Rom. 11:36). As Creator, He is Father to all men (Eph. 4:6), but He is spiritual Father only to believers (Rom. 8:14; 2 Cor. 6:18).

He has decreed for His own glory all things that come to pass (Eph. 1:11) and continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events (1 Chron. 29:11). In His sovereignty, He is neither author nor approver of sin (Hab. 1:13), nor does He abridge the accountability of moral, intelligent creatures (1 Pet. 1:17). He has graciously chosen from eternity past those whom He would save to be His own people (Eph. 1:4–6); He saves from sin all who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, adopting them as His own children (John 1:12; Rom. 8:15).

1. God the Son

His Nature and Incarnation: We teach that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, is eternal God, coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father, possessing all the divine perfections (John 1:1; 10:30). All creation came into being through Him and is presently sustained by Him (Col. 1:16–17; Heb. 1:3). In the incarnation, the eternal Son, without altering His divine nature or surrendering any divine attributes, made Himself of no reputation by taking on a full human nature consubstantial with our own, yet without sin (Phil. 2:5–8; Heb. 4:15). He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary (Luke 1:35) so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures—the divine and the human—were joined together in one person.

His Humiliation and Redemption: In the state of His humiliation, Christ did not always fully express the glories of His majesty, concealing them behind the veil of His genuine humanity (Matt. 17:2). Our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished the redemption of His people through the shedding of His blood and sacrificial death on the cross. This death was voluntary, vicarious, substitutionary, propitiatory, and redemptive (Isa. 53:3–6; Rom. 3:24–25; 1 Pet. 2:24).

His Resurrection and Reign: Our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. He is now ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He intercedes as our Advocate and High Priest (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). His resurrection is the proof that God has accepted His atonement work and serves as the guarantee of a future resurrection life for all believers (John 5:26–29; 1 Cor. 15:20). He will return to receive the church at His coming and will ultimately judge all mankind (John 5:22; 2 Cor. 5:10).

1. God the Holy Spirit

His Nature and Ministry: We teach that the Holy Spirit is eternal God, coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father and the Son (Acts 5:3–4). He is a distinct divine Person who thinks, wills, speaks, and can be grieved (1 Cor. 12:11; Eph. 4:30). His work is to execute the divine will in relation to all mankind, including His sovereign activity in creation, the incarnation, and written revelation (John 3:5–7; 2 Pet. 1:20–21).

His Work in the Believer: The Holy Spirit’s work in this age began at Pentecost, when He was sent to initiate and complete the building of the Body of Christ, which is the church (Eph. 2:22). He convicts the world of sin, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ, and transforms believers into His image (John 16:8–14; 2 Cor. 3:18). He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling, sanctifying, instructing, and sealing them unto the day of redemption (1 Cor. 12:13; Titus 3:5; Eph. 1:13).

Spiritual Gifts: The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to the church for its edification (1 Cor. 12:4–11). These gifts are sovereignly bestowed by Him for the perfecting of the saints and the work of the ministry. The Holy Spirit glorifies neither Himself nor His gifts, but He does glorify Christ by applying His work of redemption to His people in regeneration and sanctification (John 16:13–14; Titus 3:5). Believers are called to use these gifts in love and order for the building up of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 4:7–12).

1. Humanity, Adam’s Headship, and His Fall

We teach that man was directly and immediately created by God in His image and likeness, free of sin and endowed with moral responsibility (Gen. 1:26–28). Mankind was created by God as either male or female, distinct sexes that are biologically defined and divinely imparted to each individual at conception (Gen. 1:27; Ps. 139:13–14).

Federal Headship: We teach that Adam was appointed by God as the federal head and legal representative of the entire human race. Through Adam’s one act of disobedience, he not only lost his personal innocence and incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death, but he acted on behalf of all his posterity. Because all men were united in Adam as their representative, his sin was legally imputed to all mankind, and a corrupt nature was transmitted to all people of all ages—Jesus Christ being the only exception (Rom. 5:12–19; 1 Cor. 15:22). Consequently, man is now inherently corrupt, subject to the wrath of God, and utterly incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace. All men are thus sinners by nature, by choice, and by divine declaration (Ps. 14:1–3; Rom. 3:23).

1. Salvation

Election

We teach that salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the redemption of Jesus Christ and not on the basis of human merits or works (Eph. 2:8–10). Election is the sovereign act of God by which, before the foundation of the world, He unconditionally chose in Christ all those whom He would save (Eph. 1:4–11). This election does not negate human responsibility; rather, it enables its positive response (Rom. 9:19–23).

Atonement

We teach the doctrine of Penal Substitutionary Atonement as the means of our reconciliation with God. In this work, Jesus Christ, as our Substitute, bore the full legal penalty for our sins on the cross, satisfying the demands of divine justice (Rom. 3:25–26; 2 Cor. 5:21). By His death, He turned away God’s holy wrath (propitiation) and paid the ransom price to release us from the bondage of sin (redemption). This voluntary sacrifice was the act of a sinless Savior taking the place of guilty sinners, so that His perfect obedience might be credited to us and our condemnation might be borne by Him (Isa. 53:4–6; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18).

Regeneration

We teach that regeneration is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, a sovereign and instantaneous act by which the divine nature and spiritual life are imparted to those who are dead in trespasses and sins (John 3:3–7; Titus 3:5). This “new birth” is accomplished solely by the power of the Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of the Word of God (1 Pet. 1:23) when the believing sinner, enabled by the Spirit, responds in faith to the divine provision of salvation.

Regeneration is the beginning of a transformation in the believer’s heart, mind, and will, creating a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). While the act of regeneration is instantaneous, its evidence is manifested in the believer’s subsequent fruits of repentance, faith, and a lifestyle of progressive holiness and obedience to the commands of God (Eph. 2:10; 1 John 3:9). This work of the Spirit is not a result of human effort, baptism, or any religious ceremony, but is a gift of God’s sovereign grace alone.

Justification

We teach that justification before God is an act of God (Rom. 8:33) by which He declares righteous those who, through faith in Christ, repent of their sins (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; Rom. 2:4; 2 Cor. 7:10; Isa. 55:6–7) and confess Him as sovereign Lord (Rom. 10:9–10; 1 Cor. 12:3; 2 Cor. 4:5; Phil. 2:11). This righteousness is apart from any virtue or work of man (Rom. 3:20; 4:6).

Justification involves the legal (forensic) imputation of our sins to Christ (Col. 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:24) and the imputation of Christ’s perfect righteousness to us (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21). By this “great exchange,” God is able to “be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). We teach that faith is the sole instrument of justification—not its cause—and that this faith itself is a gift of God’s grace. In justification, the believer is fully acquitted of all guilt, receives the pardon of all sins, and is granted a permanent standing of favor with God as a joint-heir with Christ (Rom. 5:1; 8:17).

Sanctification

We teach that every believer is set apart unto God by justification and is therefore declared to be holy (positional sanctification). We also teach the necessity of progressive sanctification, the work of the Holy Spirit whereby the believer is brought into greater conformity with the image of Christ (John 17:17; 2 Cor. 3:18). Through obedience to the Word of God and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, the believer is able to live a life of increasing holiness, in conformity to the will of God. While a daily conflict with the flesh continues throughout this life, the Holy Spirit provides for victory over sin (Gal. 5:16–25).

Security and Perseverance

We teach that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 5:24; 6:37–40; 10:27–30; Rom. 5:9–10; 8:1, 31–39; 1 Cor. 1:4–8; Eph. 4:30; Heb. 7:25; 13:5; 1 Pet. 1:5; Jude 24). This security is based on the unchangeable love of God, the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, and the abiding of the Spirit of God within the believer.

We also teach the necessity of the believer’s perseverance in faith and holiness. Those whom God has effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace but shall certainly persevere to the end. While they may fall into grievous sin through the temptations of Satan and the world—bringing God’s displeasure, grieving His Holy Spirit, and wounding their own consciences—they will be renewed again unto repentance and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation (Matt. 7:21; Rom. 8:28–39; Phil. 1:6; 2 Tim. 2:19; 1 John 2:19). Genuine salvation is manifested in a life of righteous attitudes, godly conduct, and good works (Eph. 2:10), which serve as the evidence of a true and living faith.

1. Separation

Personal Consecration

We teach that separation from all religious apostasy and worldly, sinful practices is commanded by God (Rom. 12:1–2; 2 Cor. 6:14–7:1). Out of deep gratitude for the undeserved grace of God and because our glorious God is so worthy of total consecration, all the saved should live in such a manner as to demonstrate our adoring love to God and so as not to bring reproach upon our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 3:1–5; 1 John 2:15–17; 2 John 9–11). We teach that a life of obedient righteousness and separation from the world is the natural result of the Holy Spirit’s work in the believer, reflecting the holiness of the One who called us (1 Pet. 1:14–16).

Ecclesiastical Separation

We teach that the local church must remain separate from any person, movement, or organization that denies the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith or persists in unrepentant sin (Matt. 18:15–17; 1 Cor. 5:1–13). This includes the necessity of remaining separate from ecumenical movements that seek to unite diverse religious groups by compromising scriptural truth. We are called to be in the world but not of the world, maintaining a distinct witness for Christ while engaging in our mission to reach the lost with the gospel (John 17:15–18; 2 Cor. 6:17–18; Eph. 5:11).

VII. The Universal Church

We teach that all who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body, the Church (1 Cor. 12:12–13), of which Christ is the Head (Eph. 1:22; 4:15; Col. 1:18). This Universal Church, also known as the Body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–21, 38–47) and consists of all believers from that time until Christ’s return.

We teach that the Church is the new covenant people of God, the eschatological assembly that represents the fulfillment of God’s redemptive purposes through the ages. We believe that Jesus Christ is the true Israel and the singular seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:16) in whom all the promises of God are “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20). Consequently, the Church is the organic continuation and fulfillment of the people of God, comprised of a remnant of believing Jews and a multitude of believing Gentiles, joined together in one new man (Eph. 2:11–22). The Church does not replace Israel but rather fulfills the destiny of Israel through union with her Messiah, as the spiritual seed of Abraham and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:29). The Church is the bride of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23–32; Rev. 19:7–8), and its primary purpose is to glorify God through worship, the edification of the saints, and the proclamation of the gospel to all nations (Eph. 3:21; 4:13–16; Matt. 28:19–20).

VIII. Last Things

Death and the Intermediate State

At physical death, the soul of the redeemed passes immediately into the presence of Christ, remaining in joyful fellowship until the bodily resurrection (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23). Conversely, the souls of the unsaved are kept under punishment until the resurrection of the unjust (Luke 16:19–26; Rev. 20:13–15).

The Second Coming and Final Judgment

We teach the personal, visible, and bodily Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 1:11; Titus 2:13). He will translate His people to be with Him, judge the world in righteousness, and fully manifest His kingdom. We teach the bodily resurrection of all people: the just to eternal life and the unjust to judgment and everlasting, conscious punishment in the lake of fire, cut off from the life of God forever (John 5:28–29; Matt. 25:41–46; Rev. 20:11–15).

The Eternal State

After the final defeat of Satan and the judgment of all nations, the saved will enter into the eternal state of glory. The current heavens and earth will be replaced with a new heaven and a new earth where only righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1). In the New Jerusalem, the saints will enjoy forever fellowship with the Triune God, and Christ will deliver the kingdom to God the Father that the Triune God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15:24–28; Rev. 21–22