god

The God of Scripture is a triune God. God is one essence that is composed of three persons—Father, Son, Holy Spirit—and all three persons of the Godhead are fully God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 6:27; John 1:1-3; Acts 5-3-4).

The Bible

Scripture is a form of special revelation given by God. The Bible is God’s word; therefore, it is authoritative, inerrant, sufficient, and perspicuous. The Bible has all of these qualities because of its verbal-plenary inspiration. Scripture’s authority includes expert authority, moral authority, command authority, and final authority. (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Salvation

Salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, his death and resurrection. Saving faith is that which brings salvation—as opposed to the faith of atheists or members of other religious groups which does not bring about salvation (John 20:31). This saving faith is found in delighting in God who gives the gift of faith. This saving faith has three components: knowledge, assent, and personal trust. To have saving faith one must know about God who he or she has faith in, assent to the biblical truths about God, and personally trust in the God of the Bible (Romans 10:13-17; John 4).

Water Baptism

Baptism by immersion is a sign of our being crucified with Christ as well as raised with him--a sign of our salvation. We must practice it because it is a command in Scripture (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38). Additionally, it is to be practiced because it is the identifying sign that someone is proclaiming him/herself a member of the body.

The Local Church

The church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23). The entity is one and holy, incorporating believers historically, geographically, and apostolically (John 17:20-23; 1 Peter 1:14-15; Romans 15:5-6; Revelation 5:9). God uses the local church to nurture his people, to guide and keep his people in faith and repentance. Additionally, the local church is a powerful testimony to the surrounding world of the holy God.