The Scriptures

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 19:7–10; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

God

There is one–and only one–living and true God. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30)

God the Father

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. (1 Timothy 1:17; Psalm 19:1–3; Isaiah 64:8; Romans 8:14–15; 1 Corinthians 8:6)

God the Son

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He is the One Who died on the cross for our sins, was buried, rose again from the dead on the third day and ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, where He now intercedes for us who believe in Him. (John 1:36-42; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:34-35; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 7:26; John 1:1 & 14; John 20:28; John 19:40-42; John 2:19)

God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service. (Genesis 1:2; Mark 1:10; John 16:7–14; Acts 1:8)

Man

Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. (Genesis 1:26–30; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1–22; Colossians 3:9–11)

Salvation

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own death and resurrection, obtained eternal redemption for the believer. All humanity is lost and born with a sinful nature, and can only be saved by a personal faith in the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and not by any human merit or performance. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. (John 3:16-19; John 5:24; Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-9; Ephesians 2:8-10; Acts 4:12; Titus 3:5)

God’s Purpose of Grace

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. All true believers, those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. (John 1:12–14; John 3:16; Acts 20:32; Romans 5:9–10; Romans 8:28–39; 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14; 1 Peter 1:2–5)

The Church

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. This church is an autonomous body. The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ, which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages. (Acts 2:41–42; Hebrews 11:39–40; Ephesians 2:19–22; Revelation 21:2–3)

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. (Matthew 3:13–17; Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 2:41–42; Romans 6:3–5; Colossians 2:12; Matthew 26:26–30; 1 Corinthians 11:23–29)

The Lord’s Day

The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion. (Matthew 12:1–12; Mark 16:1–7; John 4:21–24; Romans 14:5–10; 1 Corinthians 16:1–2)

Last Things

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell. The righteous will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord. (Matthew 16:27; Matthew 26:64; John 14:1–3; Romans 14:10; 2 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 20:1–22:13)

Prior to His second coming, Jesus Christ will return in the clouds for His church before the tribulation that is coming upon the whole earth, and He will return with His saints and all His holy angels to the earth at the end of the tribulation to set up His kingdom on earth, ruling and reigning forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 24:30, Revelation 19:11-16)

Evangelism and Missions

It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort. (Matthew 28:18–20; Matthew 9:37–38; Romans 10:13–15)

Education

The cause of education in the Kingdom of Christ is co-ordinate with the causes of missions and general benevolence there should be a proper balance between academic freedom and academic responsibility. The freedom of a teacher in a Christian school, college, or seminary is limited by the preeminence of Jesus Christ, by the authoritative nature of the Scriptures, and by the distinct purpose for which the school exists. (Nehemiah 8:1–8; Psalm 119:11; 1 Timothy 1:3–7; 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:14–17)

Stewardship

God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him faithfully with their time, talents, and material possessions. (Malachi 3:8–12; Matthew 6:1–4; Matthew 25:14–29; 2 Corinthians 8:1–9:15)

Cooperation

Christ’s people should organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations. (Nehemiah 4:1–23; Acts 1:13–14; 1 Corinthians 1:10–17; Philippians 1:15–18)

The Christian and the Social Order

Every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in his own life and in human society. The Christian should oppose in the spirit of Christ every form of greed, selfishness, and vice. (Romans 12:1–14:23; Matthew 5:13–16; Ephesians 6:6–9; James 1:27; Philippians 2:3-4)

Sanctity of human life

We believe in the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. Based upon clear biblical teaching and obedience to the Holy Scriptures, life is to be preserved without exception. (Psalm 82:3-4, Genesis 1:27, Psalm 127, 3, Exodus 20-13, Exodus 20:13, Micah 6:7, John 10:10)

Family and Marriage

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Marriage is the unity of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. (Genesis 1:26–28; Genesis 2:15–25; Joshua 24:15; Malachi 2:14–16; Matthew 5:31–32; Proverbs 18:22; Ephesians 5:21–33; Colossians 3:18–21; Psalm 127)

Religious Liberty

Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal. (1 Peter 2:12–17; Matthew 22:21; John 8:36; Acts 4:19–20)