The Bible is the inspired word of God therefore the original autographs are infallible and inherent. 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21
God has supernaturally preserved the Bible through a history of persecution and will continue to preserve it forever. Matthew 5:17–18, Luke 16:17, 1 Peter 1:23-25
It is complete in its current form and is the sum total of God’s special revelation to man. There shall be no addition to or subtraction from its words. Deuteronomy 4:2, Deuteronomy 12:32, Proverbs 30:6, Revelation 22:18
It is the source text of the Christian faith and the only authoritative book for doctrine, correction, and instruction in life. Romans 3:3, 2 Timothy 3:16
It is the only special revelation of God given to mankind and is therefore to be revered as supernatural having no equal or rival. Hebrews 4:12, John 4:22, Matthew 7:24–27, John 6:63
*We affirm the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inherency
God is beyond the scope of human comprehension but has revealed Himself to humanity through the natural revelation of creation and the special revelation of the Bible. Romans 11:33–36, Isaiah 55:8–9, Romans 1:18–20, Psalm 19:1–4
There is only one God who exists in three distinct persons being of the same substance and acting in different means of operation. The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit are all equally God, unique and individual in person, diverse in function, equal in power, eternal in existence, and unified in being. Deuteronomy 4:35,39, Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 43:10–1, John 17:21, Matthew 3:16–17, Matthew 28:19, John 14:26, Acts 1:4–5, Acts 2:32–33, Acts 10:38, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 1:2
God, being self-existent, transcends His creation, having no need. The essence of His divine nature is love. He is just and righteous in all His dealings with His creation. There is no other god but Him. Acts 17:24–25, 1 John 4:7–8, Isaiah 30:18, Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 9:7–8
God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Time, space, and matter were all created by Him. He created all living beings, such as men, angels, and animals. Acts 17:24, Genesis 1:1, Colossians 1:16
God created the Heavens and the Earth in six literal days. He created all things after their particular kind, with functional maturity and the appearance of age. God is the Supreme Intelligence behind all creation. He created by divine “fiat” (His authoritative decree) “ex nihilo” (out of nothing). God owns and upholds all creation by His power. He created all things for His will. Exodus 20:11, Nehemiah 9:6, Isaiah 45:18, Hebrews 11:3, Revelation 4:11
Man (male and female) has been created in the image and likeness of God. God created both males and females to bear His image. Man has been created as a representative of God without divine prerogatives or power. Man never has nor ever will possess the divine qualities of deity. Man is dualistic in the sense that they are both material and non-material. Man is a tripartite being in that they are composed of three distinct parts being; spirit, soul, and body. Man has a spirit, man has a soul, and man has a body. No one of these parts is complete apart from the others, and man’s true self is contained within a symbiotic relationship of all three parts. The life of man begins at conception and has no prior existence back behind this point. The life of man is sacred and belongs to his Creator God.
Marriage is the divinely ordained special union of one man and one woman for one lifetime. It is the first institution created by God for humanity and is the lifelong expression of committed love between a man and woman. Marriage is a partnership wherein both parties agree to walk through life together but with differing roles. The husband is to cherish his wife by lovingly sacrificing his own life for her highest good. The wife is to respect her husband by submitting to his leadership in all things. When upheld as God decreed, marriage provides stability for family and society, emotional and sexual intimacy, testimony to the character and wisdom of the Creator, and a picture of the relationship between Christ and His Church.
Sin is disobedience to God. It originates in the rebellious angel Lucifer, who is the father of it. Humanity became infected with sin by the choice of our father, Adam when he disobeyed God. All people are born with a propensity to sin, also known as a 'sin nature.' All people have sinned and missed the mark of perfect obedience to God. Sin is self-destructive and has separated man from his Creator. Humanity is unable to generate a remedy for sin. God will judge all sin.
God will judge all men for their sins. The penalty for sin is death, which is eternal separation from God in the lake of fire. All judgment by God is final and irreversible. When Christ returns as King over all the Earth, He will sit in judgment of the nations. This first judgment is known as the judgment seat of Christ. Those who received Him as Lord and Savior since the completion of His redemptive work and those found living at His coming will stand before Him. He will separate the righteous, who will reign with Him on the Earth, from the unrighteous, who will go to the lake of fire. God has determined a subsequent day of judgment on which He will judge all other people who ever lived on the Earth. This second Day of Judgment is known as the Great White Throne Judgment. God will condemn everyone not written in the Lamb's Book of Life to the lake of fire to be tormented there for all eternity.
Salvation from sin and its resulting judgment in the lake of fire cannot be obtained at all by human efforts. Man is a sinner and unable to save himself. God has made provision for man's salvation through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Salvation is an unearned gift of God received through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Jesus Christ is both God and man. He is God, the eternal Son that has come into this world to seek and save lost humanity. He is also a man Who has experienced all humanity's hardships and temptations without yielding to sin. He incarnated Himself through the miracle of the virgin birth. He lived the life of a man without sin. He demonstrated His power over sin, sickness, death, and the material world, proving Himself to be God. The ruling authorities of His day unjustly condemned Him to die by crucifixion, as the scriptures foretold. He underwent burial in a tomb sealed with a Roman seal and guarded to prevent the possibility of the theft of His body. On the third day after His death, He rose from the dead by His power, defeating death and granting eternal life to all who trust Him. He ascended again to Heaven, where He will remain until the fulfillment of all things. He will return to rule the nations as the King of Kings and Lord of all.
The Church of Jesus Christ consists of everyone who has accepted Christ's call to believe the Gospel and follow Him. The universal church consists of those who have heard the good news of Christ and have put their faith in Christ alone to give them eternal life being born again. The local church consists of a group of those believers who have also followed Christ in believer's baptism and have made an individual commitment to one another as a community of saints working to fulfill the mission of Christ both locally and globally.
Christ will return in bodily form to the Earth. Man will not predict the time of His coming. He will come suddenly and visibly in flaming fire, like lightning flashing from East to West, executing judgment on those rejecting His gospel and persecuting His people. He will simultaneously give His people rest from their enemies. He will return to the Mount of Olives, where He ascended, and establish His Kingdom. The Christian dead will be resurrected in bodily form at His coming, as was Christ the third day after His death. The mortal bodies of Christians alive then shall also change into immortal, imperishable bodies. All resurrected and changed believers will be gathered together from their respective places throughout Heaven and Earth to meet the Lord in the air. We will triumphantly descend from the sky with Jesus as His New Jerusalem, His holy habitation, His bride, and be with Him forever.
Christ will rule and reign over the kingdoms of this world for one thousand years. During His Earthly reign, there shall be peace throughout the world. Satan is bound in chains for the millennial period and loosed at the end of it to deceive the nations again. At this time, God will cast him into the Lake of Fire to be tormented for all eternity, thus permanently abolishing all influence of sin and death. Christ will reign forever.
Heaven is the eternal abode of God where those persons who die, having their complete trust in Christ alone for their salvation, go to await the resurrection of their bodies as they return to Earth with Christ.
Hell is a place of provisional judgment and torment for all those who do not receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and savior, taking advantage of the gift of eternal life He offers to all people. All who go there will one day be resurrected from the dead and stand before the Great White Throne judgment, at which time they shall all be officially and irrevocably sentenced, spirit, soul, and body, to the Lake of Fire for all eternity.
Every Christian is a priest to God, having access to His Throne of Grace in prayer. A Christian doesn't need to approach God through other people than Jesus Christ, but all Christians have been given equal access to God in His name. God has invited all His people to approach Him in prayer and ask Him whatsoever they desire, promising that if it is according to His will, He will grant their request in His own time and at His divine discretion.
Angels are living beings created by God for His service. Two classes of angels exist today, the first being loyal and obedient to God, also known as His holy angels. The second is those who have left their positions of service to God by obeying a rebellious angel called the devil, satan, or Lucifer; these are called evil spirits or demons. The latter are evil spirits who seek to draw men and women away from God through various means of influence and control and are awaiting eternal judgment for their actions. The former continue to attend to God and carry out His commands, which include ministry to His children in this world.
Local church members support its operations by giving tithes and offerings. The tithe is 10% of the gross income of each Christian and is holy to the Lord, being His by right. The tithe is not a gift but an obligation of Christian stewardship given to recognize the Lordship of Christ over one’s life production. It is to be the first payment released from all personal increases to honor the Lord. Offerings are not compulsory but should be given with joy and enthusiasm at the impression of the Lord upon the individual’s heart. God promises to bless a Christian’s obedience in giving tithes and offerings.
The Holy Spirit of God dwells in the hearts of those who put their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He is released into the lives of believers, flowing forth like a mighty river from their innermost being or spirit to fill or baptize them in His presence and power. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is for the empowerment of the believer to represent the Lord Jesus Christ in power and continue His ministry on Earth.
Water baptism, as a sign of the inward death to self and resurrection of new life to God, is performed after conversion to publicly demonstrate what Christ has done in a believer’s life. It is an act of identification with and submission to Christ, Who modeled Himself and commanded it for all disciples.
Miracles, signs, and supernatural wonders, as well as spiritual, emotional, and physical healing, are accomplished by God according to His own will and, most often, in response to the prayers of His people. Christians should seek God concerning all excellent and proper solutions to the impossible difficulties and dilemmas of life with an attitude of confidence and submission. Nothing is too small, big, improbable, or impossible for God to intervene should requests be made in sincere faith and according to His will.
*God created all people in His image, gives them life, and forbids their murder. Genesis 1:27, Genesis 9:16, Acts 17:25, Exodus 20:13, Exodus 23:7, Deuteronomy 5:17
*Children are a blessing from God that He forms in the womb. Psalm 139:13-16, Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 127:3-4
*Children are particularly special to God. Matthew 18:10, Matthew 19:13–14
*Harming children is an abominable offense to God. Deuteronomy 12:31, Jeremiah 7:30-31, Ezekiel 16:20-21, Matthew 18:6
*God-fearing people protect children from death. Exodus 1:16-17, Proverbs 24:11, 12, Proverbs 31:8
*We believe that men and women have uniquely designed and divergent roles in marriage and sexuality. Genesis 5:1–2, Matthew 19:4–5, Ephesians 5:22–33
*We believe that men and women are of equal value and spiritual standing in Christ and His church. Galatians 3:26-29
*We believe that women can preach, teach, lead, and serve God in every capacity that men can in the church. Acts 2:17–18, Acts 21:8–9, 1 Corinthians 11:5, Romans 16:1-4
*We believe that the prejudice against women in ministry is based almost entirely on the misinterpretations of the 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 instructions silencing church disruptions and the 1 Timothy 2:11-12 instructions related specifically to husbands and wives.
*All three persons of the Trinity have been revealed as being masculine. John 1:26–34
*Jesus is identified as the Son of God and the Son of Man. Luke 1:35, Mark 1:1, Mark 9:7, Matthew 26:24
*Jesus identified God as the Father. Matthew 6:9, Mark 8:38, Luke 10:21–22
*Jesus only used masculine pronouns when refering to the Holy Spirit. John 14:16–17
*God never refers to Himself using feminine pronouns or feminine titles such as mother, daughter, sister, bride or queen.
*We believe that those with homosexual tendencies and those who are practicing homosexuals should be treated with the same love and respect as any other human being created in the image of God. Galatians 5:14, James 3:8–10
*We believe that the act of homosexual sex is a perversion of God's created design and as such has been clealy designated by Him as sin. Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Timothy 1:8–11
*We believe homosexuality is an immoral practice that should be lovingly warned against because it leads to eternal destruction. 1 Corinthians 6:9–10
*We believe that it is impossible to live as a practicing homosexual and simultaneously walk in a right relationship with God. 1 John 3:4–10
*We believe that God loves all sinners, including those practicing homosexuality, and wants them to repent of their sins and live by the biblical standards He has given us. 2 Peter 3:9, Luke 15:10
*We believe that people who struggle with homosexual attractions can live in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ if they repent and refrain from indulging their same-sex desires. Ezekiel 18:20–32
*We believe that God wants Christians to strive to live holy lives that please the Lord, and encourage others to do the same. 1 Peter 1:14–19, 2 Corinthians 5:20, Galatians 6:1
*We believe that speaking in tongues is one of the nine spiritual graces given by God to the church for its edification. 1 Corinthians 12:1–11
*We believe that speaking in tongues often accompanies being filled with the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:4, Acts 10:44–47, Acts 19:6, and Christians are commanded to continually seek His filling. Ephesians 5:18–20
*We believe that speaking in tongues is accomplished by supernatural unction, not the intellectual acquisition of learned languages. 1 Corinthians 14:2,1 Corinthians 14:14
*We believe that speaking in tongues is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit for both personal (1 Corinthians 14:4, 1 Corinthians 14:15–19, ) and public (1 Corinthians 14:26–28, 1 Corinthians 14:40) prayer and worship.
*We believe that speaking in tongues is a spiritual gift that should be sought (1 Corinthians 14:1), encouraged (1 Corinthians 14:5), exercised in an orderly manner (1 Corinthians 14:27–33), and must not be forbidden. 1 Corinthians 14:39