Inspiration of Scripture
The Godhead
• In three distinct (Mt. 27:46; Jn. 14:26)
• Coequal (Mt. 3:16-117; 2 Cor. 13:14)
• Eternal Persons (Jn. 1:18; 17:5)
• God the Father is a Spirit, characterized by absolute holiness (i.e., separateness) (Ex. 15:11; Is 6:3; 57:15)
• Also a personal God (Gen 1:26-28; Acts 15:8)
• With great love (John 3:16; 1 Jn. 4:8-10, 16).
• God is eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, sovereign, and immutable
(Dt. 33:27; Ps. 139:1-4, 7-10; Dan. 4:35; Mal. 3:6; Mt. 19:26).
• He is good, wise, pure, righteous, just, truthful, faithful, loving, merciful, gracious, and patient
(Gen. 18:25; Lev. 11:44-45; Num. 23:19; Dt. 32:4; Rom. 2:4; 11:6; 2 Cor. 1:3; Tit. 1:2; 1 John 4:8-10)
• God the Son. We believe that Jesus, God’s Son, is fully God (Is. 9:6; John 12:41; Col. 1:16; Mt. 28:17)
• Yet fully man (Acts 17:31; Lk. 2:7; 1 Tim 2:5)
• He has existed eternally (Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16)
• The fulfillment of prophecy and the eternal plan of God, He became flesh (incarnation) through the miraculous virgin birth
(Is. 7:14; Lk. 1:35)
• For the purpose of substitutionary atonement (Mark 10:45)
• Willingly giving Himself as a perfect and sinless sacrifice to obtain propitiation (Rom. 3:25) and expiation (Heb. 10:18-22) of man’s sin.
• Though he physically died upon the cross, He rose physically from the dead three days later (1 Cor. 15:3-5)
• After 40 days ascended from earth to heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God (Mk. 16:19; 1 Tim. 2:5)
• He now serves as prophet (Jn. 1:18)
• Priest (Heb. 2:17; 1 Tim. 2:5)
Salvation
means of salvation, which is for His own glory (Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1:6)
the cross for sin. Atonement involves the satisfaction of God’s wrath (propitiation), the driving away of sins (expiation), the substitution
of Jesus in our place, the imputation of His righteousness to us, the justification of our sins, and the reconciliation of mankind to God
(Rom. 5:11; 2 Pet. 2:1; Acts 16:31; 4:12; Eph. 2:8-9).
• Faith is also a part of effective prayer (Mt. 21:21; Mk. 5:34; Lk. 17:6)
• True saving faith involves the mental apprehension of the facts of the gospel (Rom. 10:14)
• The affections of the heart toward the truth of the gospel (John 20:30-31; Heb. 11:1)
• The adherence of the will to the reality of the gospel (Jn. 1:12; Acts 16:31), involving the totality of one’s person and individuality of the
faith
• Faith eventuates in good words (James 2:14:-26)
• We believe that adoption refers to the believer’s position as being a Son of God (Gal. 4:5, Eph. 1:5)
• Enjoying the rights and privileges attending thereto. The ultimate consummation of this sonship, occurs when Christ returns and
believers are glorified (Rom. 8:23, Rom. 8:15). Thus, adoption is accomplished at glorification.
comprised of positional sanctification, which occurs at the moment of conversion (1 Cor. 1:2, Tit. 2:14)
• We believe that salvation is a certainty assured in the Scriptures, (Jn. 10:29; 2 Tim. 1:12)
• Affirmed by the Spirit (Eph. 1:3, 13-14)
• A true believer cannot lose his or her salvation. The Scripture’s assurance of salvation extends only to those who manifest the marks
of a changed life (Mt. 7:16; Rom. 8:5; 1 Jn. 1:6; Jas. 2:14-26; Heb. 4:11)
• Perseverance in the faith and assurance of salvation are works of grace, and are therefore from God—not a feeling, memory or action
of the believer (Jn. 5:24; Rom. 8:14-16; 2 Pet. 1:5-11)
(Mt. 16:18; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 1:22-23, 2:25).
• The Church was founded at Pentecost (Acts 2:33).
• The nature of the Church is described in the Bible as a body (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 2:19), a bride (Eph. 5:22-33);
• A temple (1 Cor. 3:11)
• A priesthood (1 Pet. 2:4-10)
• A pillar (1 Tim. 3:15).
• Church also defines local gatherings of believers for the purpose of worship, preaching, prayer, fellowship, and the practice of baptism
and the Lord’s supper (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 1:2; 15:9).
• Ordinances of the church. We believe that the Church today must practice the two ordinances of believer’s baptism and the Lord’s
Supper. Baptism is a symbol of the believer’s union with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-5)
• Public testimony of his or her faith in Christ (1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 6:3-5, Col. 2:12; Acts 2:41, 8:12)
• Both the meaning of the Greek word, the symbolism of the ordinance, and the situational descriptions in the Bible lead us to practice
the mode of baptism as immersion (Mk. 1:5; Rom. 6:3-5)
• Christ also instituted the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper (Mt. 26:26-28; Mk. 14:22-24; Lk. 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-25), which is regularly
celebrated by the Church in order to remember Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf and soon return to earth. The elements of the Lord’s
Supper are symbolic of Christ’s body and blood.
• Of individually formed beings (Heb. 1:14)
• They are different from man, created before man (Job 38:4-7)
• Are varied in form and function (Is. 6:2, Ezek. 1:5-14)
• Angels are more powerful than man (Dan. 10:13; 1 Pet. 1:12)
• Some day the redeemed will rule over angels (1 Cor. 6:3)
• Angels were created to serve and worship God (Acts 10:22)
• At least one-third of the angels are presently in service to Satan (Rev. 12:3-4)
(Eph. 2:2; Mt.13:19; 2 Cor. 4:4; 11:13-15; 1 Pet. 5:8; 1 Thess. 3:5).
• Nonetheless, God is ultimately in control, and will one day judge Satan for eternity (Mt. 25:41; Jn. 5:4; 1 Cor. 15:24; Rev. 20:10).
• Heaven will be the eternal home for believers, a place of unmatched blessing, where they will serve and worship God
(Rev. 19:1-4; Lk. 19:11-27; Mt. 22:30; Jn. 14:3).
(Mt. 23:33; 25:41; Rev. 14:10-11; Rom. 2:5-9; Rev. 21:8).