The Inspiration of Scripture

We believe the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, authoritative Word of God in its original autographs, which includes the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe in the organic, plenary, verbal inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for the teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. It is our only rule for faith and life and is the only ordinary means for revealing God’s will for our salvation.  We believe that the canon of Scripture is closed. (2 Tim 3:16, Deut. 18:18, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Ps 12:6)

The Trinity

We believe in One true and living God. God has revealed Himself to us in Scriptures as a Triune God. There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and these three are One God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. Each person of the Godhead has distinguishable personal qualities and executes specific roles in our salvation. (Matt. 3:17ff, Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14, 1 Peter 1:1-2)

The Person & Work of Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, the Second person of the Trinity, as the only begotten, eternal Son of God and the only Savior of sinners. Christ, the Son of God, became man by taking to Himself a true body and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born of her, yet without sin. Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Redeemer of God’s elect, who being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was and continues to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person forever. These two natures co-exist within the God-man without division, mixture, separation, change, confusion or conversion.

Christ, as our Redeemer, executes the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation. Christ’s active and passive obedience secured for the elect their justification, adoption, sanctification and glorification. Christ’s perfect obedience fulfilled God’s demand for holiness; Christ’s death on the Cross satisfied His Father’s divine justice for our sins; Christ’s resurrection demonstrated His Father’s acceptance of Christ’s work and guarantees our acceptance in God’s sight through the work of Christ and received by faith alone.  He now is at the right hand of God the Father and continually intercedes for the elect and will come again to judge the world on the Last Day. (John 1:1-18, Col. 2:9, Is. 9:6, Heb. 1:1-3)

His Death & Resurrection

We believe that Jesus died a cursed death on the cross and experienced God’s full wrath for the elect’s sins. Moreover, He was buried and continued under the power of death for a time. However, Christ overcame the power of death and was resurrected on the third day, thus becoming the “first-fruits” of our resurrection in Him. The resurrected Christ was seen on earth for forty days by hundreds of people. After Christ’s death and resurrection, He ascended into Heaven and sits at God the Father’s right hand, judging the quick and the dead.  (1 Cor. 15: 20, Rom. 4:25, Acts 1:11, Luke 24:51)

The Doctrine of Man

We believe that man was created by God, male and female, in the image of God Himself, on the sixth day of creation. Adam, the first man, was formed from the dust of the ground, and Eve, the woman, from the rib of Adam. God endowed His “image-bearers” with knowledge, righteousness, and holiness and God’s law was written on their hearts. Originally, man had the freedom and ability to do as he pleased, though his heart was inclined toward good because he was created in God’ image, this included the ability to obey and disobey his Creator God.

The first couple, because of their own doing and temptation of Satan, chose to rebel against their Creator God. As a result of Adam’s sin, being mankind’s federal head by God’s decree in the “Covenant of Works,” all mankind sinned in Adam and fell in Adam. Therefore, all mankind, through Adam, has become liable unto death for their sins. Moreover, as a consequence of the Fall, man lost the ability to please God and do good in His sight. Man’s will, however, was unaltered.  Man always has free will to do what he desires; yet he has lost the desire and ability to please God. 

In God’s grace and mercy, God has provided a way for man to be redeemed and reconciled with God through faith in Christ’s work on behalf of God’s elect. Redeemed man, though he is enabled more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness, remains sinful until he dies and is reunited with Christ in Heaven, at which point he is glorified and made incapable of sinning. (Gen. 1:27, Gen. 9:6, James 3:9, Rom. 5:12-21)

The Final State of Man

Due to the effects of sin, every man’s physical body suffers decay and eventually dies. At death the body returns to the dust. We believe that the souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection. The final estate of the elect is glorification. Those in Christ will be perfected in holiness (Heb. 10:14). Sin will be completely conquered and the elect will enjoy eternity with Christ without the presence of sin. Augustine rightly states that the elect will no longer be able to sin! O that glorious day! The final state of the reprobate is eternal damnation. They will be cast into hell for all eternity.

The Second Coming of Christ

Prior to His ascension, Christ stated that He would return at some time in the future, a time known only by God the Father. Currently, Christ sits in the heavenlies at the right hand of God the Father interceding for the elect and preparing a place for the children of God for all eternity. At His second coming, Christ will return in bodily form, as He left; thus ushering in the Kingdom of God in its fullness. With His return will come the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment of man and angels – including Satan and the renewing and perfection of all creation. Death will be no more. God’s children will be accepted and received, made perfect in glory, and will glorify and enjoy God to the fullest for all eternity.  The reprobate will be separated from the righteous and cast into hell for eternity. (Matt. 24:44, Phil. 3:20, Tit. 2:13)

The Doctrine of the Church

We believe that the Church is the glorious Body of Christ and that Jesus is the Head of the Church. An important distinction needs to be made between the invisible and visible Church. The invisible Church consists of the entire number of God’s elect throughout all of history. Thus, it includes those who have died, those who are alive, and those yet to be born. The visible Church consists of all who are alive and profess faith in, and obedience to, Christ Jesus, as well as their children. The visible Church is not pure (unlike the invisible Church), in that it is comprised of both the elect and non-elect. The Church is the Bride of Christ.

The Church began before the foundations of the world when God decreed for Himself a people (the elect). Therefore, The Church, the “called out ones,” has its beginning in the Old Testament and will, in its entirety, be gathered to Christ on the Last Day. The marks of a true Church are the faithful preaching of the Word of God, proper exercise of the Holy sacraments, and the proper exercise of church discipline. (Eph. 1:22-23, Col. 1:18, Matt. 18:18, 1 Peter 2:9, Ps. 2:8, Rev. 9:7, Acts 19:4-5, We Cor. 11:28-30)

The Person & Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, same in substance with the Father and Son and is equal in power and glory. The Holy Spirit is eternal, proceeding from both the Father and the Son. The Spirit’s work has taken on different forms in both the old and new covenants. In the old, the Holy Spirit worked through promises and shadows, while in the new, the Spirit came in greater fullness. The Spirit works in the life of the elect by regenerating the heart and renewing mind, emotions, and will, thus both enabling and persuading the elect to receive and rest upon Christ alone for salvation. The “Paraclete” is the Comforter that Jesus has promised and lives in each of the elect. He is the Surety of the promises of God, guaranteeing our inheritance with Christ. He empowers us to cry to the Father, “Abba Father.” He continually reveals and convicts the believer’s heart of sin, reminds them of their position in Christ, leads them into further understanding of truth, intercedes on their behalf, and enables them more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness, conforming them in the image of Christ. Regarding Scripture, the Holy Spirit’s work is no longer that of revelation, but of illumination; wherein He grants us understanding of God’s Word. 

Regarding the charismatic movement and the charismatic gifts, We do not believe that the Holy Spirit moves in such a way as to add to the revelation of truth as given in the closed canon of Scripture. The function of the New Testament “sign gifts” was to authenticate the Apostles as revealers of God’s Word. Since the revelation of God’s redemptive history is now complete, and the Scriptures are wholly complete, such authentication is no longer necessary. The apostolic office is closed and the gifts used to authenticate those holding the offices are no longer necessary or given. To presume their necessity would be to presume the insufficiency of the Holy Scriptures. This is not to say that God no longer does the miraculous.  It merely means that such events do not have a revelatory value of revealing new truth. (John 15:26, John 14:16-17, Rom. 8:26, Luke 1:35, Acts 4:14)

the Person & Work of Satan

We believe that Scripture reveals that Satan is a very real created angelic being, who chose to rebel against God. Consequently, he was banished from God’s Heavenly court, along with other angels that rebelled with him, and sentenced to roam the earth until the Day of Judgment. Satan is a created being and his power is limited. Satan’s authority and work is completely under the hand of God, although God is neither the author nor executer of evil. Unable to destroy or dethrone God, since he is merely a creature, Satan’s enmity is focused on God’s Kingdom of earth, namely God’s children. Satan’s wiles of deception have earned him the title, “father of lies.”  He craftily uses deception and accusation to destroy men and blind many from the truth of God’s Word. However, Christ’s finished work on the Cross has bound Satan, limiting his efforts, thus allowing the Gospel to reach the elect. Christ’s redemptive work has sealed these apostate angels’ ultimate defeat and destruction. Satan is a defeated foe! And on the Last Day, Satan and his demonic angels will be thrown into a lake of fire for eternal punishment. (Gen. 3:1,4; John 8:44, John 12:31, John 14:3, Cor. 11:3, 1 John 3:8, Rev. 12:9, Rev. 20:2, 12)

The Five Points of Calvinism

The Five Points of Calvinism are commonly called the “Doctrines of Grace,” or “TULIP” (Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints). These terms are often misunderstood, and these doctrines are frequently wrongly handled. However, by God’s grace, rightly handled and understood, they reveal God’s grace in the most powerful way.

Total Depravity:  As a result of Adam’s first sin, all of mankind descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him and fell with him, thus are all born into a state of sinfulness. Fallen man is corrupt in his whole nature (heart, soul, and will). Man has completely lost the ability to do good in the sight of God and cannot participate in the slightest way in his salvation. For this reason, though man is free to do as he pleases, he has no desire, or ability, to seek after God and is wholly unable to do that which pleases God. This does not mean that man is utterly depraved (as sinful as he can be), for even Hitler loved his mother! But man has completely lost his ability to do good in the eyes of God. (Eph. 2:1, Jer. 17:9,  1 Cor. 2:14, Col. 2:13)

Unconditional Election:  Before the foundation of the world, God elected to redeem for Himself a particular people. This election was based solely upon His eternal purposes according to the counsel of His will, not because of any good in the elect (total depravity), or upon the foreknowledge of God. Simply put, God’s election of a particular people was completely unconditional and those who understand this truth have a much greater appreciation for God’s grace. (Eph. 1:4, Matt. 11:27, Matt. 22:14, 24:22, Rom 9:11-13, Col. 3:12)

 Limited Atonement:  Although Christ’s death was sufficient to save all of mankind; it was only efficacious for the elect. Christ came to seek and to save specifically His own. Christ died only for the elect and the elect only. His death paid the full price for the elect’s sins and accomplished their salvation; it did not merely provide the possibility that one’s sins would be forgiven. (Matt. 1:21, Luke 19:10, 2 Cor. 5:21, John 1:11, 14-18; John 6:35-40)

 Irresistible Grace:  God’s elect, those to whom God sent His Son to redeem, will, in God’s perfect time, embrace Christ Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior through the enabling of the Holy Spirit. (Ezek. 36:26-27, Deut. 30:6, 2 Cor. 5:17-18, Eph. 2:1,5; John 6:37ff)

 Perseverance of the Saints:  The elect of God will be kept and secured by God unto everlasting life. This is not due to anything inherent in the elect, but is solely upon God’s grace and promises. All of those whom the Father has elected, those for whom Christ has died, those whom the Spirit has quickened, will, by God’s grace, be preserved until the end. Not one of God’s elect will be lost! Not one will slip from His hand!  (Phil. 1:6, Rom 8: 29-3, John 10:27-30, Heb. 10:14)

Praise God for revealing the above stated truths to us.  We only know what We know by the grace of God and the working gracious working of the Spirit in my heart, mind and soul.  To God be the Glory!  May We know nothing, but Christ and Christ crucified!