What We Believe

The Gospel

We believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Unlike the holy and righteous God, we are sinful and depraved. Thus, we need a Lord and savior to rescue us by becoming a perfect sacrifice that satisfies the wrath and justice of God. Jesus did that by becoming man for us, making it possible for him to suffer and die on the cross. Then, by dying at the hands of humankind, he became our propitiation* and savior. But death did not ultimately conquer him. God also raised him from the dead, eternally sealing a victory over Satan, sin and death. Consequently, Jesus was exalted over everything to become Lord of all. Thus, he is most worthy to be enjoyed and worshipped. *The term “propitiation” (hilasmos) means “satisfaction,” “appeasement.” Theologically, propitiation means that God’s wrath against sin, demanded by His justice, is appeased on account of the death of Christ for sinners.

The Bible

The Bible is God's words¹ revealed in the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments². These texts were written by men who were directed by the Holy Spirit³. Therefore, the Bible is infallible⁴ in all of its teachings about faith and practice⁵. As such, it is authoritative over all humans. The Bible is centrally about God⁶. By the Spirit of God, what it testifies about Jesus⁷ leads men and women to salvation⁸. ¹ 2 Peter 1:21. ² 1 Corinthians 2:6-7. ³ 1 Corinthians 2:13-16. ⁴ By implication, the Bible is also inerrant; Psalm 19:7-9. ⁵ 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. ⁶ Genesis 1:1; Revelation 22:13. ⁷ John 5:39; Acts 18:28. ⁸ John 20:31; Acts 10:43.

God

God is holy¹, righteous², just³, merciful⁴, long-suffering⁵, wise⁶, loving⁷, good⁸, wrathful⁹, truthful¹⁰, faithful¹¹, and jealous¹². He alone¹³ is omniscient¹⁴, omnipotent¹⁵, omnipresent¹⁶, eternal¹⁷, everlasting¹⁸, immutable¹⁹, incomprehensible²⁰, self-existent²¹, self-sufficient²², infinite²³, transcendent²⁴, and sovereign²⁵. He is the creator and ruler of all things. ¹ Exodus 15:11; Leviticus 19:2; Isaiah 6:3; Job 34:10; Luke 1:49 ² Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 119:142 ³ Numbers 14:18; Psalm 89:14 ⁴ Psalm 116:5; Romans 9:14-16 ⁵ Numbers 14:18; 2 Peter 3:9 ⁶ Isaiah 40:28; Daniel 2:20 ⁷ Jeremiah 31:3; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:8 ⁸ 2 Chronicles 5:13; Psalm 25:8; Psalm 106:1; Psalm 145:9; Nahum 1:7 ⁹ Exodus 34:6-7; Romans 1:18 ¹⁰ Titus 1:2 ¹¹ Deuteronomy 7:9; Lamentations 3:22-23; 2 Timothy 2:13; Hebrews 10:23 ¹² Exodus 20:5; Nahum 1:2 ¹³ These are God's incommunicable attributes ¹⁴ Psalm 139:1-6; Psalm 147:5 ¹⁵ Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17; Job 42:2 ¹⁶ Proverbs 15:3; Jeremiah 23:23-24; Psalm 139:8 ¹⁷ Deuteronomy 32:40; Isaiah 57:15; Daniel 4:34; Deuteronomy 33:27 ¹⁸ Genesis 21:33; Isaiah 40:28; Psalm 90:1-2; Jude 1:25 ¹⁹ Psalm 102:25-27; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; Romans 11:29 ²⁰ Job 11:7; Job 26:14; Romans 11:33 ²¹ Exodus 3:14; John 5:26 ²² Psalm 50:12; Acts 17:24-25 ²³ 1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 145:3; Job 5:9; Job 9:10 ²⁴ Isaiah 55:8-9; Isaiah 40:22; Psalm 40:5 ²⁵ Psalm 135:6; Ephesians 1:11; Isaiah 46:9-11; Daniel 4:32; Daniel 4:34-35

The Trinity

There is only one living and true God who exists as three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each person is coequal and co-eternal in the Godhead. That being said, the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit and the Spirit is not the Father.

Sin

Sin is the transgression of God's moral law¹. This law is God's revealed will² for us to be perfectly³ holy⁴ in act, attitude, and nature⁵ to the glory of God⁶. ¹ 1 John 3:4 ² Romans 5:13 ³ Matthew 5:48 ⁴ 1 Peter 1:16 ⁵ Ephesians 2:1-3 ⁶ 1 Corinthians 10:31

Salvation

Only God's free grace¹ can save sinners from the consequences of sin, namely God's wrath and eternal punishment. He does this by sending his only Son to die a penal substitutionary death on the cross². In other words, Jesus takes the penalty for our sin by becoming sin for us; in exchange, he imputes his righteousness to us³. This sacrifice is vicarious for those that have faith⁴. It is our only justification before God⁵. ¹ Romans 5:15-17 ² Galatians 3:10-14 ³ 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24 ⁴ Romans 3:25-26 ⁵ Romans 5:1; Romans 5:9