What We Believe

The Trinity of God

We believe in the one triune God, self-existent and everlasting, both holy and loving in nature, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of all things. God exists in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit —each eternal in being, equal in power and glory, and identical in essence.

God the Father

We believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth—from whom, through whom, and to whom are all things. He intentionally seeks to relate to all people as Father, thereby forever declaring His goodwill toward them. In love, He both seeks and receives sinners, adopting as His children all who repent of their sin and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

Jesus

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal and only begotten Son of God, became man without ever ceasing to be God; He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and lived a sinless life. He died on the cross to be the one sufficient sacrifice for sin and to reconcile all mankind to God. Then He rose bodily the third day from the grave and ascended into Heaven, where He is enthroned at God’s right hand as our intercessor. He will return to judge all humanity at the last day.

Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory with the Father and the Son, truly and eternally God. As the third Person of the Trinity, he continually glorifies Jesus Christ, convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come, regenerates all who repent and trust in Christ for salvation, sanctifies and indwells believers, and guides into all truth. He is ever present, assuring, preserving, guiding, and empowering the believer for godly living and service.

The Bible

We believe that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments constitute the Holy Scriptures and are the written Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore inerrant in the original writings, and have been transmitted to the present without corruption of any essential doctrine. They contain all that is necessary for our salvation and are the supreme authority for faith and practice. The Old Testament is not contrary to the New; for both in the Old and New Testaments everlasting life is offered to mankind by grace through faith in Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and man. The Holy Scriptures have been given for our comfort in order that we may have hope, and for our correction and instruction in order that we may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Sin

We believe that sin and death came into the world through the disobedience of Adam. We believe that sin is of two kinds: original and actual.

 Original Sin
We believe that original sin, or inherited depravity, is the corruption of the nature of all the offspring of Adam; therefore, by nature we are fallen from original righteousness, hostile to God and His Law, and utterly unable to remedy our lost condition apart from grace. We further believe that, though its control over the believer is broken, inherited depravity continues to exist in the nature of the regenerate until the heart is fully cleansed by the filling with the Holy Spirit in entire sanctification.

Acts of Sin
We believe that acts of sin are committed by morally responsible persons choosing to do what they know is wrong or choosing not to do what they know is required. These acts of sin are therefore not to be confused with shortcomings, infirmities, faults, mistakes, failures, or other such deviations from a standard of perfect conduct which are the residual effects of the Fall.

Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and freely received through faith and not by our own works. God graciously justifies, regenerates all who repent of their sins and believe on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and seals them as His own with the Holy Spirit. As the children of God they are restored to fellowship with Him, delivered from the penalty of sin as well as from its willful practice, are initially sanctified, and given assurance of salvation by the Holy Spirit who dwells in them.

Entire Sanctification

We believe that entire sanctification is that work of the Holy Spirit by which the child of God is cleansed from inherited depravity and empowered for more effective service through faith in Jesus Christ. It is subsequent to regeneration and is accomplished in a moment of time when the believer presents himself a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. The Spirit-filled believer is thus enabled to love God with an undivided heart.

We believe entire sanctification is both preceded and followed by growth in grace, expressed in advancing Christlikeness. After entire sanctification, we grow in grace by responding to the Holy Spirit as He guides us to apply the principles of holiness in all areas of life.

Second coming of Christ

We believe that the imminent and bodily return of Jesus Christ is that blessed hope of believers, providing a powerful incentive to holy living and inspiring a zeal for world evangelism. Upon His return, Jesus Christ will fulfill all Scripture concerning the final triumph of good over evil, consummate His kingdom, and judge the world in righteousness.