We believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). We believe the Bible consists of the sixty-six books that make up the Old and New Testaments. The human writers that penned the original manuscripts were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21) and wrote exactly what the Holy Spirit intended for them to write, using each of their individual personalities and writing styles (1 Corinthians 2:13). Although some of the New Testament writers were aware that they were penning Scripture (2 Peter 1:21, 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:13, 14:37), some writers, particularly the Old Testament prophets, communicated the words of God given to them at the time, yet did not know the fullest extent and divine meaning of how many of their prophecies would also be fulfilled in Christ (John 11:5; Matthew 22:43-44). We believe the biblical canon is closed, and that no person today receives any word from God that is on par with Scripture (Hebrews 1:1-2). The Holy Spirit does speak to believers, but He does not speak by revealing new special revelation from God on the level of Scripture, but rather by reminding believers of what God has already spoken in His Word (John 14:26). We believe the Bible presents one overarching story of the triune God redeeming a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation to Himself (Revelation 7:9-10), and that the story climaxes and culminates in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ (John 5:39; Luke 24:27; 1 Peter 1:10-11) on behalf of sinners. We believe that God’s Word is sufficient: containing everything necessary for salvation (Romans 1:16, 10:17) and sanctification (John 17:17). It provides all that is needed to grow into full maturity and obedience to Christ (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3; Colossians 1:28). Scripture does not need any additions or aids from man to save or to sanctify (Proverbs 30:5-6; Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32; Revelation 22:18-19).

We believe in one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Genesis 1:26; Isaiah 45:5-7) that has eternally existed (Psalm 90:2; Romans 16:26; Revelation 22:13; John 1:1; Genesis 1:1-2) in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Spirit, with each person being fully and completely God (Ephesians 4:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 28:19). The Triune God created all things (Genesis 1:1-2; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Hebrews 2:10; Psalm 121:2), sustains all things (Psalm 104:1-35; Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17), and sovereignly rules over all things (Psalm 115:3, 135:6; Ephesians 1:11; Job 42:2; Isaiah 46:9-10; Romans 8:28) for His glory (Isaiah 43:7, 48:9-11; Romans 11:36; 1 Peter 4:11; John 13:31-32). We believe that each person of the Trinity plays an active role in God’s eternal plan of redemption (1 Peter 1:2).

We believe that God the Father creates (1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 3:9) and rules all things (Ephesians 1:11, 4:6; Psalm 103:19) according to His sovereign plan of redemption (John 10:29; Romans 9:15-18) that He purposed before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-6; Revelation 13:8; 2 Timothy 1:9) to rescue and redeem His children through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7-10, 3:11; Romans 8:29-30). The Father purposes and sends the Son (John 3:16, 5:24; Matthew 10:40), glorifies the Son (John 17:22, 24), and draws every one of His children to the Son (John 6:37, 39, 44, 65, 17:2). All of the blessings that the Father gives and bestows on mankind are according to His great love and mercy (Psalm 145:8-9; 1 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 2:4) and for His own glory (Isaiah 48:9-11; Ezekiel 36:22-23). We believe His fatherhood pertains both to His role within the Trinity (1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 1:3; John 17:5) and His relationship with believers (Matthew 6:9, 23:9; Galatians 1:3, 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; 1 John 3:1).

Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of God (John 1:14, 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9). He is one with the Father (John 10:30, 14:7-11). He is the Word of God made flesh (John 1:14), the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), the radiance of the glory of God (Hebrews 1:3), and the exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus has eternally existed with the Father and the Spirit before the foundation of the world (John 1:1-2, 17:24; 1 Peter 1:20). All things were made by Him and through Him and to Him (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; 1 Corinthians 8:6). Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthews 1:18-25; Luke 1:34-35) and born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:34-35). Jesus is fully man and fully God (John 1:1; Hebrews 1:3, 2:17; Philippians 2:7), and He is the mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 9:15). The eternal Jesus took on human flesh without giving up or altering any of His deity (Philippians 2:7), thereby still having the fullness of the deity dwelling in Him bodily (Colossians 1:19, 2:9). Jesus fulfilled the entire Old Testament law (Galatians 4:4-5) in our place (Matthew 5:17; Luke 4:17-21), while He experienced all of the brokenness of humanity and temptation of sin, yet never sinning (Hebrews 4:15). Although Jesus had the fullness of the deity dwelling in Him bodily, He did not use His deity to His own advantage (Philippians 2:6). Rather He acted in complete submission to the Father (John 8:29, 14:31; Philippians 2:8) by the power of the Spirit of God (Acts 10:37-38; Luke 4:1) and dependence on the Word of God (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). Jesus accomplished our redemption by living a completely sinless life (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5; 1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15) and then willingly choosing to die a sacrificial death on the cross (John 10:18; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:2) to shed His innocent blood as a substitutionary payment (1 Peter 3:18) to atone for sinners (1 John 2:2, 4:10; Hebrews 2:17). Jesus’ literal, physical resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Luke 24:6-7; Acts 4:33) confirmed that the Father accepted the atoning work of Christ on behalf of sinners (1 Peter 1:3, 20-21). Jesus’ literal, physical resurrection also confirms that death has been defeated (Hebrews 2:14; 1 Corinthians 15:54-57), and believers in Jesus will never have to taste death because Jesus tasted it for them (Hebrews 2:9, 14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:22). Because Jesus rose, believers will rise and experience eternal life with Christ (John 6:40, 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 6:14). Upon completing His work (John 19:28-30), Jesus is currently seated at the right hand of the Father interceding on behalf of believers (Romans 8:34; Mark 16:19; 1 Peter 3:22; Hebrews 1:3) until the day that He returns for His bride: the Church (Hebrews 9:28; John 14:1-3). At that point, He will consummate his Kingdom (Matthew 25:31-34) and defeat Satan, sin, and death forever (Revelation 20:14, 21:4; 1 Corinthians 15:26).

We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person (John 15:26), eternally existing in relationship with the Father and the Son (Hebrews 9:14; Genesis 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14). In His personhood, the Holy Spirit displays intellect (1 Corinthians 2:10-13), emotions (Ephesians 4:30), will (1 Corinthians 12:11), omnipresence (Psalm 139:7-10), omniscience (Isaiah 40:13-14), omnipotence (Romans 15:13), and truthfulness (John 16:13). We believe, though He is equal with the Father and the Son, in all things the Holy Spirit submits to the Father (John 14:15-17, 26, 15:26) and glorifies the Son (John 16:13-15). The Holy Spirit is God’s powerful, divine agent accomplishing the purposes of God towards mankind. The Holy Spirit is supernaturally and sovereignly active in creation (Genesis 1:2), the incarnation (Matthew 1:18), God’s written revelation (2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Peter 1:10-12), the resurrection (Romans 8:11), regeneration (John 3:5-8), salvation (2 Corinthians 3:6), and the sanctification (2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Romans 15:16) of believers. The Holy Spirit wrote the Holy Scriptures, as He carried along each of the human authors and inspired them to write exactly what He intended, using each of their own individual personalities and writing styles (2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13). The Holy Spirit produces new birth (regeneration) in the heart of a believer (John 3:5-8), as He indwells them (Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; Ezekiel 36:27; 2 Timothy 1:4), sanctifies them (2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Romans 15:16), empowers them (Acts 1:8; Romans 15:18-19) and seals them until the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5). The Holy Spirit sovereignly distributes gifts to believers in the body of Christ as He wills, and the purpose of these gifts is for the common good of the body of Christ and to glorify the Son (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 1 Peter 4:10-11). In the daily life of a believer, the Holy Spirit convicts believers of sin (John 16:8), illumines the truth of God’s Word to them (John 16:13-16; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16), guides believers into all truth (John 16:13), empowers them for service to Christ (Romans 15:18-19), intercedes for them in prayer (Romans 8:26-27), comforts (Acts 9:31) and secures them in Christ’s finished work (Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:14-17), emboldens them to witness for Christ (Acts 1:8), conforms them to the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:17-18), strengthens them to overcome sin (Galatians 5:16-17), endure suffering (Acts 7:54-60), and produces fruit in their daily lives to the glory of God (Galatians 5:22-23).

The gospel is the good news concerning the finished work of the Trinity: The Father sends, the Son saves, and the Spirit sanctifies (1 Peter 1:2). Humanity is in sin (Romans 3:10-11, 23, 5:12), and thus justly deserving the wrath of God (Romans 1:18; John 3:36; Matthew 10:28). Sinful man is spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1-3), morally corrupt (Romans 1:21-32), and enslaved to sin (John 8:34; Romans 6:6). Sinful humanity cannot obey God’s law (Hebrews 11:6), indeed they are hostile towards it (Romans 8:7). When the fullness of time had come (Galatians 4:4-7), according to His sovereign plan and because of his great mercy and love (Ephesians 1:3-14), the Father sent his only son to earth (Galatians 4:4-7; John 3:16). He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:35), born in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:6-7) by the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:25), and his name is Jesus. He is fully man and fully God, thereby being the mediator between God and man. Jesus was tempted in every way, yet without sin. He obeyed the law of God perfectly, and fulfilled all of the types, shadows, and prophecies in the law concerning the Messiah to come. He was the seed of the woman who came to crush the serpent (Genesis 3:15). He was the lamb of God who had come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Jesus lived the perfect life that humanity should have lived, and then willingly went to the cross and died the death that humanity deserved to die. Jesus was crucified, buried, and three days later God raised him from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). This showed that, for anyone who trusted God before the cross, and anyone who trusted in Christ after the cross (Romans 3:23-26), Jesus Christ had: absorbed their punishment, satisfied God’s just wrath towards them, purchased their forgiveness, attained their righteousness and holiness, and removed the condemnation of the law against them. The Holy Spirit, according to the Sovereign love, mercy, and will of the Father (Ephesians 2:4-7; 1 Peter 1:3), causes individuals to be born again (John 3:5-8) to respond to this great gospel in repentance and faith (Mark 1:15). This faith produces works of gratitude towards God for this great salvation. We are not saved by works, but we are saved for good works (Ephesians 2:10). And the works of a believer are fruit that displays they have truly been called out of darkness and brought into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). Salvation is by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 2:11), and not merit (2 Timothy 1:9), through faith alone (Galatians 2:16; Romans 3:28, 4:3, 5, 5:1), and not works (Ephesians 2:9; Romans 11:6; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9), in Christ alone (Acts 4:12; John 14:6), according to Scripture alone (Romans 1:16, 10:17; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Timothy 3:15), for the glory of God alone (Ephesians 1:4-6, 12, 14).