What We Believe |
We are a Reformed Baptist church that affirms the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689. We recommend getting familiar with it for the fullest breakdown of what we believe, but here is a brief summary of our doctrine:
The Bible
The 66 books of the Bible are God’s word and are divinely inspired without error in the original manuscripts. It is our supreme and all-sufficient authority for all matters pertaining to life, faith, and practice. It is correct to say that both God and men were the authors of the books of the Bible. That is, God guided the human authors in communicating His word infallibly without overriding their individual personalities and writing styles.
God
We believe in one God who is Creator of heaven and earth, who is infinite Spirit, light, love, and truth; eternal, almighty, infallible in all things, including His foreknowledge of all future events as well as all free choices; that He is unchangeable, all-wise, just, and holy. Further, we affirm that God is triune: eternally existing in one essence, substance, and nature, and three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Jesus
We believe in Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Eternal Word made incarnate in the fullness of time. We believe that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and that He is true God and true man, having two distinct natures co-joined in one Person. He died as a representative and substitutionary atonement on behalf of all persons throughout history who would repent and place saving faith in Him, and thus offers salvation as a free gift based on grace alone. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead in the same physical body, though glorified, in which He had lived and died, and that He ascended into heaven in the same glorified physical body in which He arose, is now seated at His Father’s right hand, assuring us of the perfection of His work of redemption, and that He now, as Head over all things to the Church, is engaged in intercessory prayer on behalf of the redeemed as their only Advocate (1 Tim. 2:5).
Jesus Christ created the universe and everything therein, including humanity. Adam and Eve, the first humans created, were literal human beings who were created perfect by God to live in a perfect world. However, they chose to disobey God, which brought a curse on humanity and all creation, causing us to inherit a radically corrupted nature from them. Since then, all creation has been waiting to be made new.
Jesus Christ created the universe and everything therein, including humanity. Adam and Eve, the first humans created, were literal human beings who were created perfect by God to live in a perfect world. However, they chose to disobey God, which brought a curse on humanity and all creation, causing us to inherit a radically corrupted nature from them. Since then, all creation has been waiting to be made new.
Humanity
All people are born with a radically corrupt nature, which results in all persons sinning due to both nature and choice. Sin separates us from God and is the root cause of evils including (but not limited to) social injustice, oppression, and racism. Since God is the source of all life, our sin leaves us in a state of judgment and spiritual death. All people have sinned. All die and without Christ will face eternal separation from God.
Salvation
God, in His love, provided the only solution to our problem. Christ’s physical death on the cross made forgiveness of sins possible for all people. Salvation is a) by God’s grace alone, b) through faith alone, c) in Christ alone. As the perfect sacrifice, His death in our place paid for the sins of the whole world, thus enabling us to be saved from judgment and to receive the gift of eternal life. Jesus rose bodily from the dead, securing for the believer the forgiveness of sins and victory over death. Because of Christ’s resurrection, believers will also have their bodies raised in a new glorified state though they may physically die. Moreover, believers will never experience spiritual death and separation from God again. We believe in the eternal security and everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the eternal conscious punishment of the lost.
The Church
We believe that the universal Church of Jesus Christ is composed only of those who have been redeemed by His blood, regenerated and sealed by the Holy Spirit, and that they are saved to worship and to serve. We further believe that it is the responsibility and privilege of all who are saved to join in Christ’s mission (i.e., the Great Commission) in seeking and saving the lost by faithfully proclaiming the Gospel message, to the ends of the earth. Finally, we affirm that those who are redeemed will seek to live a holy life, bearing fruit by abiding in Christ, separating themselves from and forsaking all that might dishonor God, cast discredit on His cause, or weaken their personal testimony.
