Statement of Faith

Anthropology:

On the Study of Humanity - We hold and affirm that, Humanity, according to the Scriptures, was created by God, imago Dei (in the image of God), and for the Glory of God. Further, that as beings created in the image of God, every person carries an inherent dignity and equality relative to that claim while remaining distinctively complementarian in terms of roles for males and females. That said, the "goodness" of humanity was lost at the fall upon Adam and Eve's disobeying of God's command; since that time, all persons have therefore been born into sin and are in desperate need of salvation.

(Genesis 6:5; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:23, 5:8, 5:12-21, 7:18; Ephesians 2:1-3)

Bibliology:

On the Study of the Bible - We hold and affirm that, the Bible is the divinely inspired, inerrant, and everlasting word of God. The Scripture, according to Paul in his second letter to Timothy, is "given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." In making this claim, it is therefore evident and affirmed that the Bible is the ultimate deciding and definitive source of wisdom, guidance, and standards for Christians and that it is likewise wholly sufficient, clear, authoritative, and necessary for an objective and proper understanding of life, death, and all things in-between.

(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20,21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31,32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32)

Christology:

On the Study of (Jesus) Christ - We hold and affirm that, Jesus Christ is God and is yet the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of a virgin, Mary; and, this same Christ, willingly and in obedience to the Father gave His life as a propitiation for the sins of humanity (past, present, and future); and, being found an acceptable sacrifice, He was then physically resurrected by God on the third day. More still, as is repeatedly evidenced throughout the Scriptures, Jesus Christ - during His earthly ministry - was both truly God (Divine) and truly man. Any Christological position that does not affirm each of these things is and will be refuted/rejected.

(Matthew 1:20; 28:1-20; Luke 2:52; 24:1-53; John 1:1-4; 1:20-21:25; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 12-34; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 1:4; Colossians 1:15- 20; 1 Thessalonians 4:16Hebrews 1:1-3; 9:28; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 1:7)

Ecclesiology

On the Study of the Church - We hold and affirm that, The Church is the visible and physical representation of Christ Jesus and His teachings which remain present on the earth today. Further, it is held that - regardless of denominational distinctions - the entirety of the spiritual church comprises what the Bible refers to as "The Bride of Christ." Therefore, as a Bride, those of the church are called to live lives of faithfulness, obedience, and relationship through conscientious stewardship, community, and holiness according to the example and dictates of God as revealed through the Scriptures and illuminated by the Holy Spirit.

Eschatology:

On the Study of Last Things - We hold and affirm that, Last Things refers to the future as indicated through biblical prophecy, other special revelation, and/or allegorical narrative. As such, it is believed that there is an imminent, personal, and literal physical second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15)

Hamartiology:

On the Study of Sin - We hold and affirm that, Sin is any person's willful and/or unintentional departure from, contradiction to, and failure as it pertains to walking in obedience to God. God, as the objective moral lawgiver, is incapable of sin and is therefore the standard by which the righteousness or lack thereof of any person is measured - hence, all have sinned and fallen short of His glory. As understood in an objective legal sense, this sin is the violation/infraction committed by a person in relationship to God's law, both general and specific, resulting in not only His divine displeasure but also His divine wrath and judgment. Because God is the perfect standard, He is both just and justifier in executing or granting mercy concerning His divine decree of judgment against sin.

(Genesis 6:5; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:18; 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:21-26, 5:8, 5:12-21, 7:18; Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 Timothy 2:5-6)

Pneumatology:

On the Study of the Holy Spirit - We hold and affirm that, The Holy Spirit is God. He is a member of the Triune God (the Godhead - Father, Son, and Spirit). Further, it is by the prompting of the Holy Spirit that believers are convicted and brought to Christ; and, upon conversion, the Spirit likewise works (indwells) in the believer to fill, to sanctify, to illuminate, to pray, and to restrain from sin that same believer in a progressive sense - that is, until glorification at the second coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Additionally, it is believed that by and through the Holy Spirit all fruits of the same are made evident in the life of any believer - this as indicated throughout the New Testament concerning spiritual and/or ministerial giftings.

Soteriology:

On the Study of Salvation - We hold and affirm that, Salvation is inherently tied to the concepts of justification and sanctification. We elect not to argue for or against the concept of "once saved, always saved" but we do affirm that one does not simply "lose" their salvation; the free gift of grace found in Christ is something that may be willfully rejected by a person for one reason or another. That in mind, salvation begins upon conversion of the individual after having believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and made public confession thereof - to include the public confession and repentance of sins. Salvation is completed upon glorification at the second coming of Christ. Justification therefore is the instantaneous salvific effect of having been indwelt by the Holy Spirit once come to faith in the Lord Jesus, sanctification is the ongoing process by which the Holy Spirit "grows and/or matures" the believer beyond that initial faith and knowledge of God (inherently revealing and guarding against sin in the life of the believer), and ultimate sanctification is again completed at the second coming.

(John 3:18, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:21-26; 10:8-13; 1 Timothy 2:5-6)

Theology Proper:

On the Study of the God - We hold and affirm that, God is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and that in this He is also triune in nature. Triune meaning: "God is the Father, He is the Son, and He is the Holy Spirit; however, the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father." God is therefore One (singular and whole) in being yet separate in person (triune). Further, the relationship between the three identifies that the Son serves the will of the Father, the Spirit serves the will of the Father through the will of the Son, yet each are of co-equal essence. Any theological position on God which does not affirm this view, such as modalism (Sabellianism) or Unitarianism, is to be refuted/rejected.

(Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-6, 46:9-10; John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; 1 Timothy 2:5; Genesis 1:26; Psalm 45:6-7, 110:1; Matthew 3:13-17, 28:17-20; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6)