WHAT WE AFFIRM AS THE BODY OF CHRIST:

WE AFFIRM our belief in one God, infinite spirit, creator of all things, who exists eternally in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  These three are one in essence but distinct in person and function. (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalms 90:2, 102:25-27; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; 2 Corinthians 3:17.)

WE AFFIRM that the Father is the first person of the Trinity, and the source of all that God is and does.  From Him the Son is eternally generated, and from Them the Spirit eternally proceeds.  He is the designer of creation, the speaker of revelation, the author of redemption, and the sovereign of history. (Psalms 33:9, 135:6; John 1:1-2, 14, 18, 14:16, 26, 6:37, 15:26, 16:7; Matthew 10:29-30; Romans 8:29.)

WE AFFIRM that the Lord Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity.  Eternally begotten from the Father, He is God. He was conceived by the Virgin Mary through a miracle of the Holy Spirit.  He lives forever as perfect God and perfect man: two distinct natures inseparably united in one person. (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6; Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-2, 14; Revelation 1:8.)

WE AFFIRM that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, proceeding from the Father and the Son and equal in deity. He is the giver of all life, and active in the creating and ordering of the universe.  He is the agent of inspiration and the new birth. He restrains sin and Satan, and He indwells and sanctifies all believers. (Genesis 1:26-27; Matthew 28:19; John 3:5-6, 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7, 8-11; Acts 5:3-4;1 John 5:4; Romans 15:16; 2 Corinthians 13:14.)

WE AFFIRM that all things were created by God.  Angels were created as ministering agents, though some, under the leadership of Satan, fell from their sinless state to become agents of evil.  The universe was created in six actual days and is continuously sustained by God; thus it both reflects His glory and reveals His truth.  Human beings were directly created, not evolved, in the very image of God.  As reasoning moral agents, they are responsible under God for understanding and governing themselves and the world. (Genesis 1:1-31; Exodus 20:11; Proverbs 16:4; Matthew 13:41, 24:30; Luke 10:18; John 1:3; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16.)

WE AFFIRM that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, though written by men, was supernaturally inspired by God so that all its words are the written true revelation of God; it is therefore inerrant in the originals and authoritative in all matters.  It is to be understood by all through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and its meaning determined by the historical, grammatical, and literary use of the author's language, comparing Scripture with Scripture. (Proverbs 30:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14.)

WE AFFIRM the historical accuracy of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, including God's creation of Adam and Eve as the literal, male and female ancestors of all people; the global flood; and the origin of nations and languages at the Tower of Babel. (Genesis 7, 8, 11:1–9.)

WE AFFIRM that Adam, the first man, willfully disobeyed God, bringing sin and death into the world.  As a result, all persons are sinners, which is evidenced in their willful acts of sin; and they are therefore subject to eternal punishment, under the just condemnation of a holy God. (Genesis 3:6-7; Romans 3:23, 5:12, 18, 6:23.)

WE AFFIRM that Jesus Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice by the appointment of the Father.  He fulfilled the demands of God by His obedient life, died on the cross in full substitution and payment for the sins of all, was buried, and on the third day arose physically and bodily from the dead.  He ascended into heaven where He now intercedes for all believers. (Isaiah 53:6; Acts 2:23; John 10:15; Philippians 2:5-9; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 5:2; Luke 24:26; Acts 1:9-11, 17:3; 1 Corinthians 15:4; 1 Timothy 2:5.)

WE AFFIRM that each person can be saved only through the work of Jesus Christ; through repentance of sin and by faith alone in Him as Savior.  The believer is declared righteous, born again by the Holy Spirit, turned from sin, and assured of heaven. (Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8; Acts 16:31; John 3:3-5, 16, 10:28-29; Matthew 1:21; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 John 5:13.)

WE AFFIRM that the Holy Spirit indwells all who are born again, conforming them to the likeness of Jesus Christ. This is a process completed only in heaven.  Every believer is responsible to live in obedience to the Word of God in separation from sin. (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:11; John 3:3-5, 14:16; Romans 6:12-19.)

WE AFFIRM that a church is a local assembly of baptized believers, under the discipline of the Word of God and the Lordship of Christ, organized to carry out the commission to evangelize, to teach, and to administer the ordinances of believer's baptism and the Lord's table.  Its offices are Pastors and Deacons, and it is self-governing.  It functions through the ministry of gifts given by the Holy Spirit to each believer. (Matthew 16:18, 28:19-20; Romans 6:3-4; Ephesians 3:21, 4:11-16, 5:27; 1 Corinthians 11:24, 26, 12:13; 1 Timothy 3:8-13, 15.)

WE AFFIRM that the return of Christ for all believers is imminent.  It will be followed by seven years of great tribulation, and then the coming of Christ to establish His earthly kingdom for a thousand years.  The unsaved will then be raised and judged according to their works and separated forever from God in hell.  The saved, having been raised, will live forever in heaven in fellowship with God. (John 14:2-3, 13; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Titus 2:13; Revelations 3:10, 7:14, 20:4-6, 11-15, 21:1-8.)

WE AFFIRM that God created marriage in the beginning, as a blessing for both man and woman, before any sin or rebellion entered the world, and that He created marriage to be between one man and one woman, who enter into a covenant relationship, complement one another, serve one another, and sanctify one another for as long as they both shall live.  Accordingly, the Bible defines marriage as a covenant relationship between one man and one woman. Marriages other than between a man and a woman, as created at birth, will not be performed by Church ministers or on Church property. (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:15-25; Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 7:14.)