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. Therefore, all Scripture is
totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us,
and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world the true center of
Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds,
and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ,
who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.
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.
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.
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. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His
substitutionary death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of men
from sin.
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He
exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He
enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and
service.
Man
Man is the special creation of God, in His own image. He
created them male and female as 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 person of every race
possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
Salvation
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is
offered freely to all who accept Jesus
Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained
eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes
regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.
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 endure to the end. 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.
The Church
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an
autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in
the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ,
governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in
them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of
the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through
democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable
to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both
men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is
limited to men as qualified by Scripture.
Baptism & 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 old
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.
Evangelism & 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 verbal witness
undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the
gospel of Christ.
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.
Last Things
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the
world to its appropriate end. Jesus Christ will return personally and
visibly. 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.