statement of faith

 There is one living and true God, infinitely perfect in glory, wisdom, holiness, justice, power and love, one in His essence but eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God sovereignly created the world out of nothing, so that His creation, while wholly dependent upon Him, neither comprises part of God, nor conditions His essential perfection (Genesis 1:2; Matthew 28:19,20). 

 The books which form the canon of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God, inerrant in the original writings, the only infallible rule of faith and practice (II Timothy 3:16). 

 God created man in His own image, in a state of original righteousness, from which man subsequently fell by a voluntary revolt, and consequently is guilty, inherently corrupt and subject to divine wrath. 

 Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, became man without ceasing to be God uniting to His divine nature a true human nature in His incarnation, and so continues to be both God and man, in two distinct natures and one person, forever. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, exhibited His deity by manifold miracles, fulfilled the requirements of the Law by His sinless life, shed His blood as a vicarious and propitiatory atonement for man’s sin, was resurrected from the dead in the same body, now glorified. He ascended into heaven and now intercedes in glory for His redeemed as our greatest high priest and advocate, and as the Head of the Church and Lord of the individual believer (Matthew 1:20,21; John 1:1-14; Romans 3:21-26; 5:6-11; I Peter 3:18; I John 2:1,2; Luke 24; Acts 1:9; Hebrews 8). 

 The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgement, through the ministry of regeneration and sanctification applies salvation and places believers into the Church, guides and comforts God’s children, indwells, directs, gifts and empowers the Church in godly living and service in order to fulfill the great commission, and seals and keeps the believer until Christ returns (John 16:1-33; I Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 1:13,14).  

 Every man, regardless of race or rank, who receives the Lord Jesus Christ by faith is born into the family of God and receives eternal life. This occurs solely because of the grace of God and has no ground in human merit. 

 The Holy Church is the one institution specifically ordained of God to function in the furthering of the Kingdom until Christ comes again. It consists of all those regenerated by the Spirit of God, in mystical union and communion both with Christ, the head of the Body, and with fellow-believers. Neighborhood congregations are the local manifestation of the Church universal. In obedience to the command of Christ, these congregations preach the word of God, equip God’s people for the work of ministry, and administer the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. 

 The Lord Jesus Christ will return bodily, visibly and personally to receive His own, to conform believers to His own image and to establish His millennial kingdom. He will judge the quick and the dead and will effect a final separation of the redeemed and the lost, assigning unbelievers to eternal punishment and believers to eternal glory, enjoying conscious fellowship with Him (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Corinthians 15:50-58; Revelation 20:4-6). 

 Man’s chief end in life is to honor and glorify Almighty God. Personal salvation is a means to this end.