The Triune God
There is one true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality.
(Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22; John 14:26; Romans 1:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:2)
God the Father
The Father is the sovereign creator, the gracious redeemer, and the righteous
judge. Through his beneficent creation that reflects his nature, he has made
himself known to all humanity. His natural and moral perfections as well as his
creative and redemptive works make him alone worthy of our wholehearted
adoration, allegiance, and obedience.
(Genesis 1-2; Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Samuel 22:31; Psalms 7:11; 78:35; Isaiah 40:28; 44:6; Matthew 5:48;
Romans 1:19-20; Hebrews 1:3; 11:3; 2 Timothy 4:8)
God the Son
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the second person
of the Trinity, who is fully human while remaining fully divine through conception
by the Holy Spirit and virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to
the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of mankind by dying on the cross
as their substitute. He was resurrected bodily from the grave and ascended into
heaven, where he reigns as Lord and intercedes as high priest. When Christ
returns, he will defeat God’s enemies, judge the living and the dead, hand over
the kingdom to the Father, and then dwell with the redeemed forever.
(Psalm 2:7; Matthew 8:29; 14:33; Mark 3:11; 5:7; Luke 2:52; John 1:1-2, 34; 8:58; 10:36; Acts 9:20; 13:33; Romans 1:4;
2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:5; 4:15; 5:8-9)
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the
third person of the Trinity who was
sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to mankind the saving
work of Christ. He enlightens sinners, awakens a recognition of their need for
a Savior, and regenerates them. At the point of salvation, he permanently
indwells every individual believer, and he uniquely endows each believer with spiritual
gifts for the building up of the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit guides
believers in understanding and applying the Scripture. His power and control
are applied by faith, making it possible for believers to lead lives of
Christlike character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father.
(Genesis 1:2; 2:7; Psalms 51:11; 104:30; Isaiah 32:15; 48:16: 63:10f; Ezekiel 37:9f; Matthew 12:32; 28:19-20; Mark 3:29;
John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7, 13-15; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
The Bible
The Bible is the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God whose sixty-six
books, that comprise the Old and New Testaments, are the primary source of and
final authority in all matters of Christian faith and practice.
(Exodus 24:7; Deuteronomy 31:24-26; Joshua 1:8; John 14:26; Romans 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 3:14; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Peter 1:21; 3:15-16)
Humanity and Sin
Humans are made in God’s image and therefore possess inherent dignity and worth from conception until death. Humanity’s purpose is to glorify God by loving him wholeheartedly and serving him faithfully. However, Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden resulted in humanity’s condemnation and corruption, so that all people are born spiritually dead, alienated from God, subject to sin, and unable to save themselves.
(Genesis 1:26-27; 2:23-24; 3:1-7; 5:1; 6:5-13; 8:21; 9:6; Job 14:4; 15:14-16; Psalms 14:1-3; 51:5; Ecclesiastes 9:3;
Matthew 12:39; 15:19-20; Luke 6:45; Romans 1:22f; 3:9-12; 5:12-14; 6:16-20; 10:3; 1 Corinthians 11:7; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19; 4:24; James 3:9; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 18:3-5)
Salvation
The central purpose of God’s revelation in Scripture is to call all people back
into fellowship with himself. To that end, in love, God the Father accomplished
salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation
involves union with Christ, justification, forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation
between man and God. It is offered to those who repent of their sins and
embrace Jesus as their Savior and Lord by grace alone through faith alone in
Christ alone. Salvation is confirmed by a true gospel confession, the internal
witness of the Spirit, and the testimony of a transformed life evidenced by
increasing holiness and love.
(Exodus 15:2; Psalm 35:3; Isaiah 12:2; 49:6; 52-53; Matthew 4:23, 28:19-20; Mark 1:1,14-15; 8:31f; 9:31-32; 10:33-34;
Luke 1:69, 71; John 3:3-8, 16; Romans 1:16-17; 5:8-10; 6:4; 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21;
Galatians 1:8-9; Ephesians 1:13; 2:8-9, 16; Colossians 1:20; 1 Timothy 2:5; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 2:10; Titus 3:5;
Hebrews 2:9-14; 5:9; 1 John 3:2)
The Church
The Church is the family
of God, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is comprised of
Christians who receive spiritual gifts to build up the church in unity and
love. Scripture commands believers to gather and devote themselves to joyful worship,
prayer, teaching of the Word, observing the ordinances, fellowship, service,
and outreach. Under the shepherding care of elders and deacons, its members are
to work together for the purpose of enjoying God, exalting Jesus Christ, and
fulfilling his Great Commission.
(Matthew 16:18; John 3:8; Acts 2:1-4; Romans 1:1-3; 6:5; 8:30; 1 Corinthians 15:1-5; Ephesians 2:14-16, 20; 4:11-12; 5:25-27; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 2 Timothy 2:2; Hebrews 10:24-25)
The Lord’s Supper & Baptism
The New Testament establishes two ordinances for the church: the Lord’s Supper and baptism. The Lord’s Supper is to be observed regularly in remembrance of Christ’s death, in celebration of his communion with his Church, and in anticipation of his return. Baptism by water symbolizes a new believer’s repentance, salvation, and cleansing, and it indicates his or her identification with the death and resurrection of Jesus as well as with the body of Christ, the church. While baptism is biblically commanded in every believer’s life, it does not provide salvation.
(Matthew 3:13-16; 28:18-20; 26:26f; Mark 16:16; John 6:53; Acts 1:5; 2:37-41; 8:12-16; 10:44-48; 18:8; 22:16; Romans 6:1-4;
1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:23-26; 12:12-14; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21)
Eternity
Jesus Christ will return to judge the living and the dead, and he will righteously appoint every soul to either eternal bliss or eternal punishment. The blessed hope of those who have trusted in Christ is that they will live forever in the new heaven and new earth in glorious communion with God. On that day, the church will be presented faultless before God in Christ, all sin will be purged, and all creation will be restored and reconciled unto the Father to the praise of his glorious grace.
(Matthew 25:31f; Acts 10:42; Ephesians 5:27; Colossians 1:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:11-15;
1 Peter 4:5; Jude 1:6; Revelation 19:11-20:15; 21-22)