Statement of Faith

Preamble

We receive the following Creed, in its original wording, as the witness of the Biblical faith once for all delivered unto the saints (Jude 3).

I. The Creed

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.

And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

II. Supplementary Articles

1. Holy Scripture. We believe the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God, without error in the original manuscripts, the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

2. The Holy Trinity. We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in nature, power, and glory.

3. The Person of Christ. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, one person in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified for our sins, risen bodily on the third day, and ascended to the right hand of the Father.

4. Salvation. We believe that salvation is by grace through faith in the crucified and risen Christ, not of works, and that this grace unites the believer to Christ by the Holy Spirit, forgiving sin, imparting new life, and conforming the believer progressively to Christ’s likeness in the fellowship of His Church.

5. The Holy Spirit and the Biblical Gifts. We believe the Holy Spirit is Lord and Giver of Life, worshiped and glorified together with the Father and the Son. We believe that the Holy Spirit who spoke by the prophets and rested upon Christ without measure continues to fill, empower, and gift the Church, including baptism in the Holy Spirit, the manifestation of spiritual gifts described in Scripture, and the ministry of healing and deliverance, always exercised in submission to Scripture and for the glory of Christ.

6. The Church and the Sacraments. We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, of which every congregation that holds the Biblical faith is a true, if imperfect, member. The Church exists to worship Jesus Christ and to adore Him, gathering His people to glorify His name, proclaim His gospel, and grow together in His likeness. We believe the Holy Spirit empowers the Church to be witnesses of Christ, sending her out in the authority of His name to make disciples of all nations. We receive water baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) as sacraments instituted by Christ Himself, through which His grace is received by faith, and we honor the historic ministry of Word and sacrament as gifts entrusted to the whole Church.

7. Marriage and Human Sexuality. We believe that marriage is instituted by God as the exclusive union of one man and one woman for life, and that human sexuality, including the right ordering of sexual intimacy within marriage and chastity outside of it, is to be lived in accordance with the teaching of Holy Scripture. We hold that every person, regardless of struggle or circumstance, bears the image of God and is to be treated with dignity, compassion, and the offer of the gospel’s transforming grace.

8. Things to Come. We believe in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come, when Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.