The Creeds of the Church

The Apostles’ Creed

We believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
We believe in the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen.

The Nicene 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 Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come.

Amen.

Statements of Faith

The One True God

We believe in the only true God - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He created all things and upholds all things by the Word of His power. In Him we live and move and have our being. He is a God of truth and without iniquity, He is just and right, and He shall judge the world. We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections, and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience. 

John 17:3; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 12:29; Hebrews 1:3; Acts 17:28; Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 9:8; John 1:1-4; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 4:3-4.

Jesus Christ

We believe in the total deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe He is the manifestation of God in the flesh. We believe He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We believe Him to be true God and true man.

John 1:1,1:14, 1:18; John 14:8-9; 1 Timothy 3:16.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner upon belief in Christ, baptizing the believer into one body of which Christ is the head. The Holy Spirit indwells, guides, instructs, fills, comforts and empowers the believer for godly living. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of God¹s righteousness and of coming judgment (John 16:8-11). We believe the Scriptures teach that the gifts of the Spirit, the ministries of the Lord and the manifestations of the Spirit are for every believer and follower of Jesus Christ (Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 12). We believe the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a distinct and separate occurrence in the life of a believer.

John 16:14; Mark 13:11; John 14:26; John 16:13; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Acts 1:8.

The Inspired Scriptures

We believe the Scriptures of the Old Testament and New Testament are verbally inspired by God and inerrant in their original writings. We believe the 66 books of the Old Testament and the New Testament are God's complete and sufficient revelation and therefore carry God's authority for the total well-being of mankind.
Psalm 119:97-104; Psalm 119:160; Matthew 5:18; John 5:46-47; John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:15-16.

Mankind

We believe man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker but, by voluntarily transgressing, fell from his sinless and happy state. Consequently, all mankind is sinful. All people are sinners not only by inheritance, but also by their own choice and therefore are under just condemnation without defense or excuse. We believe that without exception every man and every woman is totally depraved and needs a Savior.
Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; Romans 1:18, Romans 1:32.

Salvation

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice. We believe that each person who by faith receives Him as personal Savior is justified on the basis of Jesus Christ's shed blood on Calvary. Each person who receives Christ as personal Savior is born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby becomes a child of God.
Romans 5:8; Romans 10:9, 10; Eph. 2:8, 9.

The Resurrection

We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ, His ascension into heaven and His present life for us as High Priest and Advocate.

Acts 1:3; Acts 1:9; Hebrews 7:25-26.

Heaven, Hell, & the Return of Christ

We believe in the blessed hope: the personal, pre-millennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ. His return has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer. We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The saved are raised to eternal, conscious bliss in Heaven; the lost are raised to eternal torment in Hell in conscious separation from God. 
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:34; John 14:2; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Revelation 2:7; Matthew 8:11; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 13:49-50; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 12:5; Revelation 21:8.

The Church

Upon accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, a believer becomes part of His body, which is the church. There is one church universal, composed of all those throughout the world who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Scriptures command believers to gather in order to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of the ordinances (baptism and communion), fellowship, service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world in fulfillment of the command of Christ to make disciples of all believers. Wherever God's people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the church ­ under the oversight of elders and other supportive leadership. The local fellowship is to work together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.
Ephesians 5:23; Romans 12:1; Acts 2:42-46; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:16.

Missions

Realizing that the cause of Christ extends beyond any one local fellowship, we commit ourselves to an ongoing ministry of extending the call of Christ to make disciples around the world.
Matthew 28:19-20.

In Essentials – Unity
In Non-Essentials – Liberty
In All Things – Charity

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." — Hebrews 13:8