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MAN:
We
believe that man was originally created in the image of God but fell through
sin and, as a consequence, became dead in sin and totally depraved. This
depraved nature has been transmitted to all men in all ages, the only
exception being Jesus Christ. Thus, all men have a nature that is opposed to
God and cannot be renewed or regenerated apart from divine grace (Genesis
1:16, 2:17; Romans 3:10-19, 5:12; Psalm 51:5; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians
2:1-5).
THE SCRIPTURES:
We
believe that the Bible, consisting of the 39 books of the Old Testament and
the 27 books of the New Testament, is inspired by God (God breathed) and
that the words were written by holy men of God who were guided by the Holy
Spirit. This inspiration extends to all parts of the Bible equally and
fully, and in its original manuscripts was absolutely without error. The
central message of the Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible is the
complete and final authority for saving faith and practical instruction
(Luke 24:27,44; John 5:39, 14:26, 16:13-15; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Timothy
3:15-16; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
THE GODHEAD:
We
believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit and these three persons are one God, each being fully God and
having the same nature and attributes (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:18-19; Mark
12:29; John 6:27; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:8; Acts 5:3-4).
SALVATION:
We
believe that because every man is spiritually dead, it is impossible to
receive life apart from God’s intervention. Life comes by means of the
regenerating work of the Holy Spirit and through the finished work of Jesus
Christ on the cross. There are no human works of any kind that can provide
this life. Salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and
that faith is the gift from God. Personal faith in Christ is the sole
condition for life. Those who put their trust in Christ are the children of
God and are complete in Him (John 1:12-13; 3:16-18, 36, 5:11-12, 24;
6:37-39, 44, 10:24-30; Ephesians 1:3, 7; 2:8-9; Romans 1:16-17; 4:5; 5:6-9;
2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:22; Philippians 3:4-9; Colossians 2:10;
Titus 3:5; Acts 13:38-39).
THE DEVIL:
We
believe that Satan is the highest in rank of all angelic creatures and that
he sinned through pride, thereby becoming the author of sin and the cause of
the fall of Adam and Eve. He is the open and declared enemy of God and man,
implementing his plan through the use of demons or fallen angels. Satan was
defeated at the cross and will be eternally punished in the lake of fire
(Isaiah 14:12-17; Genesis 3:1-19; Colossians 2:14-15; Revelation 20:1-3,10).
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST:
We
believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who became man without
ceasing to be God. He took upon flesh in order to die for sin. He was
miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, taking on a
fully human body with a sinless nature, becoming completely human while at
the same time remaining completely divine. (John 1:1-3, 14, 18; Luke
1:30-35; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 1:1-2).
We
believe that Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was sufficient to pay man’s
sin debt. He arose in a physically resurrected body to confirm His deity, to
ensure that His death was acceptable to His Father and to serve as the first
fruits of our resurrection to come. He will one day rule over an eternal
kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 1:4, 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; 1
Timothy 2:5-6; 1 John 2:2; Hebrews 10:5-14; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Philippians
2:10).
We
believe that Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, was exalted at the right hand
of the Father where He now serves as our High Priest and Head of His body,
the church, with the Father (Acts 1:9; Ephesians 1:20-23, 4:15-16;
Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 1:3, 7:25; 1 John 2:1). |