We are a church unashamedly committed to the Word of God. We base our beliefs, practices and ministry on the Bible. We are committed to the historic, classic Christian faith. The following ten essentials of what we believe make us distinct:
1) Trinity -- God exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All are fully God and share equally in the attributes of deity, power and glory.
2) Incarnation -- Jesus is God in the flesh. He came in human form to be obedient to the point of death on the cross. He will come again in power and glory to judge the living and the dead and to gather His church to Himself.
3) Salvation -- Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. Man can do nothing to earn it, merit it or deserve it. Even the faith is a gift of God.
4) Scripture -- The Bible is God’s holy, inerrant and infallible Word. It is our only source of authority for life and practice and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness.
5) God’s sovereignty -- God is totally in control of our universe and nothing in all creation happens apart from His will. There is no power equal to Him. He does what He pleases.
6) God’s election -- God has chosen those whom He wills to become His children through salvation in His Son Jesus. It is not dependent upon anything found in us, but totally based on His mercy and grace. His choice of us occurred before the foundation of the world.
7) Covenant -- God keeps His promises. If He has said something will happen, it will. The new covenant, the covenant of grace, was ratified by the shed blood of Christ upon the cross. At the heart of this covenant is God’s promise to be our God and to redeem all who put their trust in Christ. We serve God who has pledged Himself to our full redemption.
8) Stewardship -- All that we have and are comes from God and therefore, we strive to use them in a way that honors Him and builds His kingdom. We are stewards of God’s creation. We are expected to give to God in cheerful, generous obedience.
9) Sin of idolatry -- Man continually attempts to exalt himself above God and find replacements for Him. We strive to continually examine ourselves to see if there are areas where we have taken over God’s rightful place of preeminence. We confess our rebellious spirit and submit to His authority.
10) Obedience to the Word -- We strive to live a life of obedience to God’s Word and commands, not from a sense of obligation, but from a newfound reverence and love for Him. We want to be conformed into the image of His Son.
Sacraments are visible signs of God’s promise of grace to believers. The power comes not from the elements, but from God Himself. The sacraments were never intended to stand alone without reference to the Word of God, so administering the sacraments and the preaching of the Word go together to help us learn and further understand the grace and mercy of God. We believe in only two sacraments: the Lord’s Supper and baptism.
1) Lord’s Supper -- The Lord’s Supper remembers Christ’s offering up of Himself on the cross once for all, and it spiritually offers up to God every possible praise for that sacrifice. It looks back on that historic act of redemption and looks forward to His coming again. It is an opportunity to increase our faith and commitment to live a life that is pleasing to Him. It is always preceded by a time of self examination and confession.
2) Baptism -- Baptism is a confession of faith in Christ
as a person publicly acknowledges Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It
is also an experience of communion with Christ. We are linked by faith
with the Lord in whose name we are baptized, and we identify in some sense
with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Baptism is a commitment to live
for Christ and points us to the glorious coming of our Lord.
God made the covenant promise of salvation not only to us, but also to
our children. We practice infant baptism as a sign of initiation into
the covenant community of the church. Baptism does not save children.
Infant baptism illustrates in a unique manner God’s gracious willingness
to save even before the child, the object of His mercy, has had any opportunity
to exercise faith. Through this sacrament we acknowledge that if our children
are ever to come to faith in Jesus Christ, it is totally dependent upon
God to save them. The church and the parents commit to do everything they
can to provide opportunities to share Christ and help each child to live
in a way that shows they truly are a “child of the covenant.”
The acrostic TULIP is often used to describe the essentials of our faith:
T = Total Depravity
This teaches that every person, without exception, is born in a condition
of sin that has affected their total person. He does not possess free
will because he is bound to Satan and captive to do his will. All men
are born into this world spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins.
Man is depraved in the sense that he is dead, blind, deaf, unteachable
in the things of God and ruled by Satan through his perverse heart and
corrupt soul.
U = Unconditional Election
Because man is in a state of total depravity, it is impossible for him
to do anything to buy, merit or earn his salvation in Jesus Christ. Election
to salvation is grounded entirely in the free will of God and in His purpose
for those whom He has chosen before the foundation of the world. Since
man is incapable of giving himself life, opening his own eyes, or teaching
himself spiritual truth, God chooses to act on man’s behalf. Therefore,
man must be regenerated by God before faith and repentance. God opens
the heart and draws men to Himself giving them life and enabling them
to respond to the gospel of Christ.
L = Limited Atonement
Atonement means to pay for the sins of a person and forgive them of their
sins. It is not just a theory. The blood of Christ is surely sufficient
to save everybody, but it is obviously applied and efficient only for
those who are saved by His unmerited favor.
I = Irresistible Grace
Since it is the will of God that those whom He gave to His Son in eternity
past should be saved, He will surely act in sovereign grace in such a
way that the elect will find Christ irresistible. God does not force the
elect to trust in His Son but rather gives them life and a new spirit.
The dead human spirit finds Satan irresistible, but the new spirit finds
God irresistible.
P = perseverance of the saints
If a person is truly saved, they will act like it. There will be a change
in their life, thoughts, words and actions, that is an indication that
God has truly changed them. Since salvation is of the Lord, and absolutely
no part of it is based on any condition found in us, but is wholly dependent
upon God, then we can never lose our salvation.
