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We consider the entirety of Scripture to be our statement of faith. Rather than limiting our beliefs to a doctrinal statement, we hold that the every word of the Bible is the authoritative foundation for all that we believe and practice.

 

We believe that Scripture includes the traditional Protestant canon: 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament, totaling 66 books, known today as the Bible.

 

We believe that:

 

• "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16).

 

• Because the Scriptures were inspired by God and authored by His prophets and apostles, they are the sole and final authority for faith and practice in the Church (Matthew 4:4; John 17:17, 1 Corinthians 14:37, 2 Peter 3:15-16).

 

• In their original form (original languages and original writings), the Scriptures were inerrant (2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 12:6-7). Among our group, we have differing opinions on the inerrancy of various English translations, but we agree that God has preserved His words in a way that allows them to be known and relied upon today (Psalm 12:6-7, Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35).

 

In practice, we generally use the King James Version in our Bible studies, but we are not against consulting commentaries, concordances, dictionaries, and other translations for clarity.

 

Because not everyone shares the same understanding of Scripture, what follows serves as a summary of some key biblical truths that we generally hold.  This is not intended to be a doctrinal statement that sets us apart; instead, it is simply an affirmation that we believe what the Bible says about the Gospel and Jesus Christ.  It is also intended to let prospective visitors know what we understand Scripture to teach regarding certain important matters. These beliefs are drawn directly from the Bible and are explained in light of our understanding of essential vs. non-essential doctrines.

 

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Essential vs. Non-Essential Doctrines

 

We believe that unity in the Church should be based on shared faith in the essentials of the Gospel, not on uniformity regarding secondary doctrines.

 

• Essential doctrines are those that are necessary for salvation and form the foundation of Christian unity.

 

• Non-essential doctrines—while still important—are those on which believers may disagree in good conscience without breaking fellowship.

 

While we hold strong convictions on various doctrinal matters, we do not believe in forcing personal interpretations of non-essential doctrines upon others. We believe in Christian liberty in these areas, trusting the Holy Spirit to lead each believer into truth. Our aim is to encourage growth in Christ rather than enforce doctrinal conformity beyond what Scripture requires. For a more detailed explanation of our stance on essential vs. non-essential doctrines, see our Statement on Unity page.  For an explanation of our approach to discipleship and teaching, see our Discipleship Approach page.

 

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The Gospel of Jesus Christ

 

The Promised Redeemer

 

We believe the Gospel is, in short, that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the Promise of God made through the prophets in the Old Testament Scriptures (Mark 1:15, Luke 24:44). This promise included, in sum:

 

• That God would send a Redeemer who would crush the head of Satan, liberating all creation—including fallen mankind—from the kingdom of darkness and establishing His own righteous rule (Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 9:6-7, Luke 1:32-33, John 8:36, Romans 8:19-21, Colossians 1:13, 2:14-15, Hebrews 2:14-15).

 

• That the Promised Redeemer would provide forgiveness of sins and total restoration for all who repent and believe on Him as Lord and Savior (Luke 24:46-47, Ephesians 1:7, Acts 10:43, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:25-27, Hebrews 8:10, 10:16, 13:20-21).

 

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Who Jesus Is & What He Has Done

 

We believe:

 

• Jesus is the uniquely begotten Son of God – King of Kings and Lord of Lords – to whom all authority, both in Heaven and in Earth, has been given (Psalm 2; Matthew 28:18, John 3:16, 35-36, 5:22-23, 8:42, Luke 10:16, 1 John 5:11-12, Philippians 2:9-11, Hebrews 1:1-2).

 

• Jesus is the Word of God who was with God in the beginning, who is God, and who was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1-14).

 

• Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and was thereafter seen of the apostles and many other witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).

 

• After His resurrection, Jesus ascended to Heaven to sit enthroned at the right hand of the Father, reigning until His enemies are made His footstool, at which time He will bodily return to raise the dead and judge mankind according to whether they believed in Him, casting those who rejected Him into outer darkness and receiving unto Himself those who received Him by faith as Lord and Savior (Daniel 7:13-14, Acts 1:9-11, Mark 16:19, Hebrews 1:3, Psalm 110:1, 1 Corinthians 15:25-26, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 2 Timothy 4:1, John 3:36, Matthew 8:12, Matthew 22:13, Matthew 25:30, John 14:2-3, Matthew 25:34).

 

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The Centrality of the Finished Work of Christ

 

We believe:

 

• Salvation is given on the basis of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross alone (Romans 8:32, Galatians 6:14).

 

• Jesus' Finished Work is sufficient – apart from any added works of righteousness which we have done – to provide not only for the forgiveness of sins, but also for total restoration and of all those who believe in Him (Romans 8:11, Hebrews 7:24-25, 2 Corinthians 3:18).

 

• Jesus saves whosoever believes in Him on the principle of grace (a free gift), which precludes anyone being saved by having done something to earn or merit salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 4:4-5, 16, 11:6).

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While Scripture contains many essential truths, we believe the Gospel is the only essential truth that must be believed for salvation. As well, even though the Gospel contains more than a few facts about Jesus, we acknowledge that one can be born again by responding in faith to whatever measure of Gospel truth has been revealed to them (Mark 10:15, John 3:16, Acts 16:31). However, believers must continue in the faith and hold fast to the true Gospel to be received by Christ at His return (Colossians 1:23).

 

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Non-Essential Distinctives

 

What follows are viewpoints generally held by the regular attendees of this gathering. While we do not believe that understanding or agreeing with every aspect of these doctrines is essential for salvation (or to be a welcomed member of our spiritual family!), we do regard them as important matters that greatly affect the effectiveness and fruitfulness of individual believers and the Church as a whole.

 

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

 

We believe that all true disciples of Jesus have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, have become a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, have been born again into Jesus' Kingdom, and thus have new, resurrection life "in the Spirit." (Ephesians 1:13-14; John 3:5-6, Romans 8:9). We also believe that, even after this has occurred, it is God’s desire to fill believers with the Holy Spirit so that they may be witnesses of the Gospel not only in word, but also in power (Acts 4:8,31, 9:17, 13:9, 13:52, Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, 4:19-20, 1 Thessalonians 1:5).  Therefore, we believe it is appropriate for believers who have already received the gift of the Holy Spirit to ask God to fill them with the Holy Spirit so that they may speak the Gospel with boldness and in demonstration of the Spirit and power (Acts 4:24-31, 1 Corinthians 2:4-5).  At the same time, we believe the normative way the Holy Spirit draws people to Christ is through conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8).  We also believe that seeking after signs for their own sake is unwise and unbiblical (1 Corinthians 1:21-23).

 

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Spiritual Gifts

 

We believe that all the spiritual gifts listed in the Bible are still available to believers today (1 Corinthians 13:10,12). We do not believe that any of the gifts – as a matter of biblical doctrine – became extinct with the apostles or the early Church or upon the completion of the canon of Scripture. We acknowledge that – as a matter of present reality – certain spiritual gifts are not in operation in the Church to the same degree that they were in the early Church. We do not believe, however, that anything in the Bible teaches that any of the spiritual gifts will, at some point prior to the return of Christ (1 Corinthians 13:10,12), cease to be available to believers who earnestly desire them for the edification of the Church and the advancement of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 14:1,5,12,18,39).

 

When it comes to the use of spiritual gifts, we take a conservative and biblical approach, emphasizing order, discernment, and testing in accordance with Scripture (1 Corinthians 14:26-33; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21).  We do not endorse practices such as barking, uncontrollable laughter, falling into trances, prophesying new doctrinal revelation, or prophesying the timing of end-times events, as these go beyond biblical teaching (1 Corinthians 14:40). To read more about our approach, view our Frequently Asked Questions page here.

 

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The Nature of Grace and Faith

 

We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 4:4-5). However, we do not believe that grace is irresistible or that regeneration precedes faith (Luke 13:34, Acts 7:51, Ephesians 1:13).

 

We affirm that:

 

• Salvation is God’s free gift of grace, given to those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as a matter of free will (John 5:40, Luke 13:34, Acts 7:51, John 3:16; Acts 16:31, Romans 5:15,16,18).

 

• All mankind is universally sinful and fallen and in need of salvation (Romans 3:19,23, 5:12).

 

• The fallenness of mankind does not make us unable to respond to the Gospel in faith (Acts 17:30; Romans 1:16/10:17).

 

• When Jesus returns, He will only receive those who: "Continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and [are] not moved away from the hope of the gospel." (Colossians 1:23)

 

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The Nature of God

 

We believe that:

 

• The Father is God (John 6:27; 1 Corinthians 8:6);

 

• Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1/14; Titus 2:13);

 

• The Holy Spirit is God (John 14:16-18, Acts 5:3-4); and

 

• "These three are one" (John 10:30; 1 John 5:7).

 

We believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct from one another yet constitute one God. We do not believe that a person must fully understand the nature of God to be saved, as this is a truth beyond full human comprehension (Romans 11:33-34, Isaiah 55:8-9, 1 Timothy 3:16, Mark 10:15).

 

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Last Things

 

We believe:

 

• In the bodily Return of Jesus Christ to the Earth (Acts 1:11, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Revelation 21:3);

 

• In the bodily resurrection of all who are dead in Christ on the last day (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 15);

 

• In the instant glorification of all who are alive and remain on the last day (Romans 8:18-25, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, 1 Corinthians 15:51);

 

• That every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:9-11);

 

• That Jesus will judge the living and the dead, casting those who rejected Him into a Lake of Fire (Acts 10:42, 2 Timothy 4:1, 1 Peter 4:5, Revelation 20:11-15);

 

• That there will one day be a New Heaven and a New Earth and that God will one day dwell with His people and will wipe away all tears from from their eyes; and "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." (Revelation 21:1-5, 2 Peter 3:10-13)

 

We also believe that all of the following eschatological viewpoints fall within historic Christian orthodoxy, and as such, are non-essential (but not unimportant) matters over which the Church should not divide.

 

• Premillennialism / Amillennialism / Postmillennialism

 

• Futurism / Idealism / Historicism / Partial-Preterism

 

Finally, we believe that Scripture teaches that no one can know the timing of Jesus’ return—not the day, the hour, or even the general timeframe (Matthew 24:35-36, Acts 1:7).  As such, we do not attempt to predict or speculate about when these events will take place.  While we joyfully look forward to Christ’s return, we do not believe that making such predictions is an edifying message for the Church or an effective way to minister the Gospel to the world.