Beliefs

Statement of Faith

God: We believe in one eternal God, manifest in three distinct Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (John 1:1-3, 18; 15:26; 17:11, 21)

Creation: We believe all things were created and continue to be sustained by God. (Genesis 1; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3)

The Bible: We believe the Bible, in its entirety, to be the inspired Word of God and the only infallible rule of faith and conduct. (2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

Jesus Christ: We believe the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, was crucified, dead, buried, resurrected; that He ascended into Heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God, the Father, and is true God and true man. He is the only mediator between God and man, and He accomplished man’s redemption through His sacrificial death on the cross (Luke 1:30-35; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; Acts 1:9-11; John 3:16; 1 Peter 1:3-5, 8, 9; Romans 2:8-10)

The Holy Spirit: We believe the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, possesses all the divine attributes of the Father and Son. He baptizes all believers into Christ’s body, the church, at the moment of conversion. The Holy Spirit indwells, instructs, and empowers all believers, giving various gifts for the purpose of equipping the saints and building up the body of Christ. (Luke 12:12; Acts 2:33, 38-39; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 2:19-22; 4:11-12; Galatians 5:18-25)

Eternal Life: We believe in the resurrection of the dead, the eternal joy of the saved and the eternal punishment of the lost. We believe that the free gift of eternal life is bestowed on every repentant sinner who trusts in the finished work of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. (John 3:14-18; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10, 14, 15; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15)

The Mission of All Believers: We believe that the discipling of the nations, the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20, involves both personal evangelism and the addressing of whole cultures and nations as represented clearly in the word of God, both Old and New Testaments. We believe the redemptive work of Christ can change men’s God-ordained institutions of government and culture even as it changes the hearts of men and women. (Genesis 1:26-28; Numbers 14:21; Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 28:18-20)

The Coming Age: We do not believe Jesus Christ is coming back to a perfect world, but rather He is coming back to join His bride (the church) who has prepared herself to rule with Him. (Revelation 19:7) We believe that Christ’s finished work on the cross over sin, and His bodily resurrection by the power of God, is a complete victory. We believe in a literal heaven and a literal catching away of the saints at Christ’s second coming. (1 Corinthians 15:51-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:17) We believe God’s sovereign rule and Kingdom ever was, now is, and is yet to come fully. (Daniel 2:44; Matthew 6:10; 1 Corinthians 15:24)

Statement of the Kingdom

Issues of Human Freedom:

1) The Separation of Church and State: We believe in the explicit separation of church government and civil government, but that it is impossible to actually separate spiritual and moral-ethical precepts from public law, since all law is “religious” in that it seeks to reward “good” behavior and punish “wrong” behavior.

2) Personal Freedom: We believe that the conscience of an individual should be shaped by God’s Word under the ministry of the Holy Spirit but that in matters of faith no person can be “converted” by human force or social coercion.

3) The Separation of Powers: We believe in the biblical origin of separated spheres of government for mankind and that self government; family government; ecclesiastical government; commercial government; and civil government all carry specific responsibilities and limitations designed to prevent the tyranny of one sphere of government usurping authority over the other.

4) The Place of God’s Law in Society: We believe God’s Old Testament laws are fulfilled in Christ, yet we also recognize that within those laws as they apply to social life and culture, are principles and values which carry God’s heart for justice and mercy in a fallen world.

5) Generational Transfer: We believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of parents to shape the values and education of their children, with the voluntary aide of tutors of the parents choice, and that each generation should learn from the wisdom and vision of the past generation as it creatively builds upon their foundations.

Issues of the Church’s Social Responsibility:

6) The Centrality of God’s Kingdom Reign: We believe that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is the centering point of Christ’s message to the world and that all doctrine relates back into this central message of reconciling all of creation to God’s original intent.

7) Christ’s Return to Fulfill God’s Kingdom Reign: We believe God’s Kingdom has always been, now is, and is yet to be fulfilled in its entirety by Christ when He returns.

8) Man’s Partnership with God: We believe Christ’s Holy Spirit works through man to achieve God’s plans for His creation, and that man apart from God, can do nothing of eternal significance.

9) The Church and Culture: We believe that Christ came to both determine the future of mankind in eternity and to boldly influence all dimensions of human culture in every generation prior to eternity. We also believe that the quest for social justice and creativity is inseparable from “faith demonstrated with works” in our quest for spiritual obedience and growth personally.

10) “Dominion” and Voluntary Submission: We believe that in the New Testament age in which we now live, God’s “cultural mandate” of Genesis 1:26-28 requires a voluntary submission of mankind to Christ’s Lordship, which the church is called to both model and preach in the “discipling the nations.”