Our Statement of Faith

We Believe

  1. That the holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are divinely inspired and without error in the original autographs. The Bible is the supreme standard and final authority in all matters of faith and life.
  2. That the one, living, eternal, sovereign and true God, is infinite in being, glory, and perfection; all sufficient, unchangeable, incomprehensible, every where present, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful, and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. God eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  3. That human beings are made in the image of God to reflect back to Him glory and praise. However, because of the fall, that glorious image has been defaced. All people are conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity. Therefore, humanity is justly deserving of the wrath of God and ultimate condemnation. Excluding divine intervention, man neither desires nor seeks to be rescued.
  4. That salvation was accomplished for the elect only through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and bodily resurrection. It is impossible for human beings to atone for their own sins; either through self-improvement or good works. Salvation is bestowed by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Consequently, the elect are preserved and cannot be lost.
  5. That the appropriate response to the proclamation of this salvation in the Gospel is for human beings to repent of their sins, renounce self-sufficiency, and rely solely upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
  6. That the recipients of this salvation are called to a life of grateful obedience in which they should always seek to glorify God and enjoy Him forever through the power of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
  7. That our Lord Jesus Christ will return to establish the new heaven and new earth, execute the final judgment of the wicked, and accomplish the final glorification of His saints.

We Are Reformed

In the sixteenth century, God raised up men such as Martin Luther and John Calvin to bring about a reformation within the church. Those who were involved in this reformation were eventually labeled "Protestants" because of their protests against certain beliefs and practices of the church. This reformation was a call for fidelity to biblical Christianity.

Five specific distinctives characterized the Protestant Reformation (The 5 Solas)
  • Sola Scriptura (The Scripture Alone) - Church tradition and ecclesiastical authority had come to be held as equally binding with the Scripture. The reformation reaffirmed the Bible as the supreme authority and sole source of written divine revelation.
  • Sola Christus (Christ Alone) - While salvation had come to be seen as a complicated, cooperative effort between God and man, the reformation reaffirmed the biblical stance that salvation is accomplished by the atoning work of Christ alone.
  • Sola Gratia (Grace Alone) - The reformation reaffirmed the biblical position that sinful man is delivered from God's wrath solely by His grace. Salvation is God's gracious gift apart from any trace of human merit on the part of the recipient.
  • Sola Fide (Faith Alone) - The reformation reaffirmed that God's gift of salvation is not in any sense a work of man. It is received by faith alone, "not of works lest any man should boast." This faith, like the salvation it receives, is the gift of God.
  • Sola Gloria Dei (To God Alone be the Glory) - Since salvation is of God and accomplished by Him alone, all glory belongs to Him alone. Therefore, the Christian is called to live before God, under His authority, and for His glory alone.

We Are Confessional

It has become increasingly popular in this day and age for Christians to distance themselves from the traditions of the faith and behave as if the Holy Spirit has begun a new work with the present generation. However, we believe that Christ has been faithful to His promise to build His church, and we recognize the Holy Spirit’s work among God’s people throughout history. One way of identifying and connecting with Christ’s church throughout the ages is through the historic creeds and confessions. While creeds and confessions are not inerrant (thus subject to verification by Scripture), we believe that many of these documents reflect an accurate understanding of the Christian faith and provide helpful summaries of biblical doctrine. We affirm the first four ecumenical creeds and the historic confessions of the Reformation such as the Westminster Confession, the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort. Generally speaking, such documents provide a more complete declaration of our faith.

We Are Covenantal

We believe that covenant is the unifying principle of Scripture, describing how God relates to His creation. There are two basic covenants, most often referred to as the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace. In the Covenant of Works, peace with God is conditioned upon obedience. Adam failed to keep the covenant and plunged the human race into ruin. Our merciful God immediately implemented the Covenant of Grace whereby sinful human beings could be restored. This Covenant of Grace was successively revealed in various administrations throughout the Old Testament, finding fulfillment in the redeeming work of Christ. In His sinless humanity, Jesus fulfilled the demands of the Covenant of Works and, as the God Man, the benefits of that saving work are provided to His people by grace through faith in Christ alone (the Covenant of Grace).

We Are Evangelical

While the term is losing its distinctiveness in this day and age, “evangelical” is derived from the Greek word for “Gospel.” By evangelical, we mean that we are committed to preaching the Good News that God was, in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself (2 Cor 5:19). This Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16). Salvation is found in Christ alone (Acts 4:21). We also hold to basic beliefs that have historically been associated with the term evangelical: the inerrancy of Scripture, the Trinity, the deity of Christ, His virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, resurrection, ascension and future return.