God
One God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Gal. 1:1; John 20:28; Acts 5:3-4; Deut. 6:4).
God called the world into existence out of nothing. He created all things and through Him all things continue to exist (Acts 17:24-28; Job 34:14-15).
God permits evil while bringing about good. In the end He will reward the righteous and punish the wicked (2 Pet. 3:3-18).
Scripture
Scripture is the inspired, inerrant word of God, preserved today in what is called the Bible. All Bible translations are subject to the copied manuscripts of the original authors (2 Tim. 3:16; John 10:35).
Scripture is supremely authoritative in defining man and how he is to respond to God, his world, and others (2 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 4:12-13).
Scripture is the sufficient, Spirit-inspired guide for all church activity and human relationships (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Man and Sin
God created man in His image and likeness, with all the qualities necessary to function perfectly in the world and live in proper relationship with Himself and others (Gen. 1-2).
The first man, Adam, freely and consciously chose to disobey God. As a result, his fellowship with God was severed, his nature transformed from righteous to unrighteous, and his ability to function greatly impaired, including his ability to reason, act, and believe (Gen. 3; Rom. 5:12-21; 1:18-3:20).
Through Adam, death, guilt, and depravity spread to all men, for in him all mankind resided. Man in his depraved state is sinful by nature and choice. He is unable to submit to God's standard of righteousness and without desire to do so (Gen. 5:1-6:5; Ecc. 7:20; Prov. 6:16-19).
Apart from God's grace and mercy, man will remain a sinner forever. When he dies, he will suffer the penalty for sin, eternal punishment (Rom. 7:21-24; Matt. 25:34-46).
Person and Work of Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Son of Man, fully God and fully man (John 5:18; Col. 2:8-9).
Jesus was sent to the world by God the Father for the purpose of redeeming mankind from sin. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin named Mary (Mark 10:45; Matt. 1:18-23).
Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, taking to Himself the sins of the world and receiving God's wrath as full payment for sin (Matt. 27:1-50; 1 John 2:2; Col. 2:13-14).
Jesus was raised from the tomb on the third day of his death and burial, after which He appeared many times to His disciples. Forty days later He ascended into Heaven and was seated at the right hand of God (Matt. 27:51-28:15; Acts 1:1-11; Col. 3:1).
Jesus Christ will one day return to rapture the Church, judge the world, establish His kingdom, and make all things new (1 Thess. 4:15-17; Acts 17:30-31; Rev. 20:4-22:21).
Salvation
Man is in need of salvation, having transgressed God and His laws (Rom. 5:12-21).
Salvation is the application of the work of Christ to the life of an individual, resulting in reconciliation with God and deliverance from the consequences of sin and death (Rom. 5:6-11; 1 Pet. 2:24).
The Gospel is the good news that God has made salvation possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:8-10).
Salvation is received by grace through faith. It is God's gift and cannot be earned by doing good deeds. Anyone who repents and believes in the Lord Jesus will be saved (Rom. 2:8-10; Mark 1:14-15; cf. Acts 11:18; Phil. 1:29).
Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and God the Spirit (Acts 5:3-4).
The Holy Spirit preserves God's creation and works in the lives of men, both saved and unsaved (Job 34:14-15).
The Spirit convicts people of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He also controls their affairs and governs history. He illumines their minds to the truth of Scripture, works repentance and faith in their hearts, and reconciles them to God (John 16:7-11; 19:10-11; Acts 27:24; 16:14).
The Spirit dwells within the Church, guiding and empowering her for ministry. He also indwells believers individually, conforming them to the image of Christ and assisting them in prayer (1 Cor. 12:1-11; 1 John 2:27; Rom. 8:9-30).
The Church
The Church is the body of Christ, made up of all who believe in Him. It is manifested to the world in the form of local churches (Eph. 4:11-13; Gal. 1:1-2).
The Church's mission is to proclaim the gospel, give praise and prayer to God, and build itself up in love (Matt. 28:19; 4:10; Eph. 6:18; 4:16).
The Church is empowered for ministry by the Holy Spirit, who distributes spiritual gifts among believers just as He wills (1 Cor. 12:1-11).
The local church is pastored by Jesus Christ (the Chief Shepherd) through a body of elders (His undershepherds) (1 Pet. 5:1-4).
The local church is interdependent with other local churches in maintaining unity and accomplishing the mission of the Church (John 17:20-23).
The local church is to strive in maintaining unity and truth without sacrificing one for the other (Eph. 4:1-6; 1 Tim. 3:15).
The local church recognizes all believers in Christ as members, one of another (Rom. 12:5; cf. Gal. 2:9).
The local church recognizes the priesthood of the believer, each one having direct access to God through Christ and authority to minister to one another (1 Pet. 2:5,9).
The local church observes water baptism and the Lord's supper, two ordinances serving as outward expressions of inward spiritual realities: (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-25).
One God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Gal. 1:1; John 20:28; Acts 5:3-4; Deut. 6:4).
God called the world into existence out of nothing. He created all things and through Him all things continue to exist (Acts 17:24-28; Job 34:14-15).
God permits evil while bringing about good. In the end He will reward the righteous and punish the wicked (2 Pet. 3:3-18).
Scripture
Scripture is the inspired, inerrant word of God, preserved today in what is called the Bible. All Bible translations are subject to the copied manuscripts of the original authors (2 Tim. 3:16; John 10:35).
Scripture is supremely authoritative in defining man and how he is to respond to God, his world, and others (2 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 4:12-13).
Scripture is the sufficient, Spirit-inspired guide for all church activity and human relationships (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Man and Sin
God created man in His image and likeness, with all the qualities necessary to function perfectly in the world and live in proper relationship with Himself and others (Gen. 1-2).
The first man, Adam, freely and consciously chose to disobey God. As a result, his fellowship with God was severed, his nature transformed from righteous to unrighteous, and his ability to function greatly impaired, including his ability to reason, act, and believe (Gen. 3; Rom. 5:12-21; 1:18-3:20).
Through Adam, death, guilt, and depravity spread to all men, for in him all mankind resided. Man in his depraved state is sinful by nature and choice. He is unable to submit to God's standard of righteousness and without desire to do so (Gen. 5:1-6:5; Ecc. 7:20; Prov. 6:16-19).
Apart from God's grace and mercy, man will remain a sinner forever. When he dies, he will suffer the penalty for sin, eternal punishment (Rom. 7:21-24; Matt. 25:34-46).
Person and Work of Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Son of Man, fully God and fully man (John 5:18; Col. 2:8-9).
Jesus was sent to the world by God the Father for the purpose of redeeming mankind from sin. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin named Mary (Mark 10:45; Matt. 1:18-23).
Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, taking to Himself the sins of the world and receiving God's wrath as full payment for sin (Matt. 27:1-50; 1 John 2:2; Col. 2:13-14).
Jesus was raised from the tomb on the third day of his death and burial, after which He appeared many times to His disciples. Forty days later He ascended into Heaven and was seated at the right hand of God (Matt. 27:51-28:15; Acts 1:1-11; Col. 3:1).
Jesus Christ will one day return to rapture the Church, judge the world, establish His kingdom, and make all things new (1 Thess. 4:15-17; Acts 17:30-31; Rev. 20:4-22:21).
Salvation
Man is in need of salvation, having transgressed God and His laws (Rom. 5:12-21).
Salvation is the application of the work of Christ to the life of an individual, resulting in reconciliation with God and deliverance from the consequences of sin and death (Rom. 5:6-11; 1 Pet. 2:24).
The Gospel is the good news that God has made salvation possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:8-10).
Salvation is received by grace through faith. It is God's gift and cannot be earned by doing good deeds. Anyone who repents and believes in the Lord Jesus will be saved (Rom. 2:8-10; Mark 1:14-15; cf. Acts 11:18; Phil. 1:29).
Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and God the Spirit (Acts 5:3-4).
The Holy Spirit preserves God's creation and works in the lives of men, both saved and unsaved (Job 34:14-15).
The Spirit convicts people of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He also controls their affairs and governs history. He illumines their minds to the truth of Scripture, works repentance and faith in their hearts, and reconciles them to God (John 16:7-11; 19:10-11; Acts 27:24; 16:14).
The Spirit dwells within the Church, guiding and empowering her for ministry. He also indwells believers individually, conforming them to the image of Christ and assisting them in prayer (1 Cor. 12:1-11; 1 John 2:27; Rom. 8:9-30).
The Church
The Church is the body of Christ, made up of all who believe in Him. It is manifested to the world in the form of local churches (Eph. 4:11-13; Gal. 1:1-2).
The Church's mission is to proclaim the gospel, give praise and prayer to God, and build itself up in love (Matt. 28:19; 4:10; Eph. 6:18; 4:16).
The Church is empowered for ministry by the Holy Spirit, who distributes spiritual gifts among believers just as He wills (1 Cor. 12:1-11).
The local church is pastored by Jesus Christ (the Chief Shepherd) through a body of elders (His undershepherds) (1 Pet. 5:1-4).
The local church is interdependent with other local churches in maintaining unity and accomplishing the mission of the Church (John 17:20-23).
The local church is to strive in maintaining unity and truth without sacrificing one for the other (Eph. 4:1-6; 1 Tim. 3:15).
The local church recognizes all believers in Christ as members, one of another (Rom. 12:5; cf. Gal. 2:9).
The local church recognizes the priesthood of the believer, each one having direct access to God through Christ and authority to minister to one another (1 Pet. 2:5,9).
The local church observes water baptism and the Lord's supper, two ordinances serving as outward expressions of inward spiritual realities: (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-25).
