What We Believe

II. The Trinity

We believe that there is one living and true God, existing eternally in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
These three persons contain the very nature of God and are equal in every divine perfection.
They each execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.
The triune God is self-existent and self-sufficient,
perfect and immutable, infinite and all-knowing, purposeful and all-powerful,
sovereign and worthy of our praise, loyalty, and love (Genesis 1:1, 26; Deuteronomy 32:3,4; Psalm 48:10; Isaiah 43:10, 13; Malachi 3:6; John 1:1, 3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19, 20; Ephesians 4:5, 6).

III. The Father

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit who is good, righteous, and just.
He is perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love.
He reigns with providential care over His universe and infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass according to his sovereign will.
He saves all who come to Him through Jesus Christ from sin and death.
He desires worship and obedience from the saints, and He hears and answers their prayers. a
He deals mercifully in the affairs of men, yet He demonstrates wrath towards unrepentant sinners (Exodus 3:14; Psalm 19:1; Luke 10:21,22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7;1 Timothy 1:1, 2; 2:5, 6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6).

IV. Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, who exists having two natures, fully human and fully divine.
The natures of Jesus are without confusion, change, division, or separation.
The eternal Son of God was conceived when the Holy Spirit miraculously overshadowed the virgin Mary
Jesus Christ was born of Mary, lived a sinless life, died as a substitutionary atoning sacrifice for our sins, and rose bodily from the dead on the third day.
He ascended into heaven, where he intercedes for His people as an eternal high priest. One day, he will return bodily and visibly in all his glory to judge the earth and establish his eternal kingdom.
He is the head of the church, having purchased it with his own shed blood.
All who claim allegiance to Christ are to obey his commands, imitate his life, and promote his gospel (Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–38; John 1:1; 13:15, 16;20: 28–31; Acts 1:11; 20:28; Romans 5:6–8; 6:9–10; 9:5; Ephesians 5:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:25; 9:28; 12:2; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 2:21–23).

V. Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He proceeds from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
He graciously works to call, regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who profess saving faith in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit indwells every believer and serves as an abiding helper, teacher, and guide.
He is the source of all scripture and illuminates them for all who desire to know truth.
This results in personal transformation through the renewing of the mind.
The Spirit of God helps believers to engage in spiritual warfare, and He gives His fruit to those who walk in Him. He constitutes the church as God’s family and promotes its unity and maturity.
He grants spiritual gifts to each believer for service and promotion of the gospel.
He provides endurance for all believers and seals them for the final day of redemption (John 3:5–8; 4:24; 14:16,17; 6:63; Acts 1:8; 2:1–4; Romans 8:9–11; 12:2; Galatians 5: 22–25; Ephesians 1:13–14; 4: 3–6, 11–13; 6:10,11; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6–7).

VI. Humanity

We believe humanity, both male and female, is the special creation of God, made in His image for His glory.
Mankind was created that we might enjoy and delight in God, and worship Him as a result.
Man was created with a material body and an immaterial soul/spirit. Man was created with intelligence and will.
Each person exists as a moral creature that is accountable for his/her choices before God.
People were created to be relational. They were created to relate to God and to one another, most intimately through marriage, family, and the church.
Men and women, as image-bearers of God, demonstrate the dignity and sanctity of all human life. As a result, every person possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Men and women are equal in the sight of God, and they have clearly defined roles that complement each other and reflect the glory of the Triune God.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman exclusively in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband is to be the head of the wife, which entails loving nurture and spiritual leadership.
The wife is to respect her husband and to submit to him willingly as unto the Lord. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing from the Lord. They are to obey their parents in the Lord. Parents are to raise their children in the nurture and instruction of the Lord.
The Bible opposes all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography (Genesis 1:26–30; 2:5–7, 15–25; Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Joshua 24:15; Romans 1:19–32; 3:10–18, 23; 1 Corinthians 1:21–31; Ephesians 2:1–22; 5:21–6:3; Colossians 1:21–22; 3:9–11).

VII. Sin

The first man and woman were created innocent of sin, but rebelled against God and thus introduced sin and death into the human race.
Consequently, all people have a sinful nature that has corrupted every aspect of their being; they are spiritually dead in their sins.
Every sinner is wholly inclined toward evil and rebellion against God and can do nothing righteous in their own strength.
As a result, all people are by nature servants of sin and under God’s wrath.
They are subject to all of the harmful and deadly consequences of their sin both temporal and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus Christ sets them free through the message of the gospel. Only God’s grace in Jesus Christ can restore people to a right relationship with God (Genesis 3; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-19, 23; 5:12-21; 7:23-25; Ephesians 2:3-10; Hebrews 2:14-15;Titus 1:15; James 1:14-15).

VIII. Salvation

We believe salvation is offered to all people and comes by grace alone through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It results in justification through the grace of election, calling, regeneration, and spiritual adoption.
Salvation continues in sanctification and will culminate in the perseverance and glorification of all saints when Christ returns.
There is no salvation apart from personal repentance of sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; salvation cannot be gained in any other way.
Since humans are sinners both by nature and choice, they naturally face the condemnation of God apart from salvation.
The Holy Spirit regenerates and draws sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. In that moment, they become new creations in Christ, delivered from condemnation to gifted with eternal life.

In keeping with the Protestant tradition, we believe that salvation comes by faith alone, in Christ alone, by God’s grace alone, according to the Holy Scriptures alone, to the glory of God alone.
There is no mixture of faith and works in regards to salvation.
Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and who have been sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end (Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Ecclesiastes. 2:11; John 1:12,13; 5:30; 8:12; Ephesians 2:4–10; Romans 3:23–24; Romans 8:28-39; 2 Corinthians 5:17–20; 1 John 3:2).

IX. The Church

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all born-again persons are members.
We believe local churches are the visible expression of the universal church on earth.
The local church is an autonomous congregation of baptized believers operating under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The congregation is to gather regularly to celebrate God-centered worship, to commit to the teachings of Scripture, to exercise its gifts for the work of service, and to enjoy a common fellowship and unity in Christ.
Every church member has the responsibility to give faithfully of his time, abilities, and material possessions to support the mission and ministries of the church. The church is to obey the Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples of all the nations by both local evangelism and global missions (1 Timothy 3:1–12; Galatians 6:1–2; Matthew 18:15–17; 2 Corinthians 8–9; Philippians 4:10–19; Matthew 28:16–20; John 20:21–23).

There are two ordinances instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ for the local church to celebrate regularly—baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
This event signifies a believer’s death to sin and resurrection to new life as a result of faith in and obedience toward the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord’s Supper is an event designed to remember the Lord’s sacrificial death for his people, to confess and cleanse sin from the local congregation, and to anticipate the Lord’s return.
Church discipline is to be exercised according to scriptural principles (Matthew 4:16,17; 18:15-20; Mark 14:22-25; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34).

There are two scriptural offices in the local church: Elder and Deacon.
The Elders are responsible for the spiritual development and oversight of the local church before God. Elders serve as pastors, or under-shepherds, of Christ.
Deacons are chosen from the congregation and are to function as servants to the church, assisting the Elders in caring for church members and church ministries (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 1 Peter 5:1-3).

X. Liberty & Cooperation

We believe that every Christian is to relate directly to God and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith and conscience.
All Christians should live for the glory of God and the well being of others.
They should strive to be blameless before the world, and they should be faithful stewards of their possessions.

Every local church is to be independent and free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority.
The institution of the Church and the State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its God-ordained duties and being free from dictation or patronage of the other.

We believe the local church can best promote the gospel of Jesus Christ by cooperating with like-minded churches in an organized structure.
Such an organization exists and functions by the will of the churches choosing to be involved. Cooperation is voluntary and may be terminated at any time (Acts 15:36,41; 16:5; Romans 12:1,2; 14:7-9, 12; Colossians 1:9,10; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 16:1; Galatians 1:1-3; 1Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 12:1,2; Revelation 1:4, 10, 11).

XI. Last Things

In His own time and way, God will bring the world to its appropriate end.
Jesus Christ will return to the earth bodily and visibly in glory, the bodies of the dead will be raised, and He will judge all people in righteousness.
The unrighteous, along with the Devil and his demons, will be consigned to hell, the place of eternal punishment and suffering.
The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and forever dwell, along with the elect angels, in the glory of heaven with the Lord (Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15).

OTHER STATEMENTS WE AFFIRM

• Danvers Statement
• Chicago Statement
• Nashville Statement

(PLEASE NOTE: Our partnering churches based in the US also affirm the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 and the Abstract of Principles)

II. Theology

Biblical theology is sound doctrine; it is right thoughts about God; it is belief that accords with Scripture.
The entire Bible teaches sound doctrine.
Many New Testament books, such as Paul’s epistles to the Romans and Ephesians, are stuffed to the brim with rich doctrinal teaching (see Rom. 1-11 and Eph. 1-3).
The authors of the New Testament frequently argue that sound doctrine is essential for healthy Christians and healthy churches (see 1 Tim. 1:5, 2 John 1-6, and Titus 2:1-10).
Biblical theology is essential for Evangelism. The gospel is doctrine. Therefore, sound doctrine is necessary for evangelism.
Discipleship. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). Christians grow by learning and living in light of the truth—in other words, by sound doctrine.
Unity. According to the New Testament, the only true unity is unity in the truth (1 Jn. 1:1-4; 2 Jn. 10-11).
Worship. To worship God is to declare his excellencies (1 Pet. 2:9-10) and to exalt him because of who he is (Ps. 29:2). True worship is a response to sound doctrine.

III. The Gospel

The good news is that:
The one and only God who is holy made us in his image to know him (Gen. 1:26-28).
But we sinned and cut ourselves off from him (Gen. 3; Rom. 3:23).
In his great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law himself and taking on himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn from their sin and trust in him (John 1:14; Heb. 7:26; Rom. 3:21-26, 5:12-21).
He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice and that God’s wrath against us had been exhausted (Acts 2:24, Rom. 4:25).
He now calls us to repent of our sins and trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness (Acts 17:30, John 1:12).
If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God (John 3:16).
He is gathering one new people to himself among all those who submit to Christ as Lord (Matt. 16:15-19; Eph. 2:11-19). Romans 1-4 contains one of the fullest expositions of the gospel in all of Scripture, and 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 contains a succinct summary of the gospel.
A biblical understanding of the gospel is important because the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, and it is the only way for sinful people to be reconciled to a holy God.
Not only that, but everything in a church flows from its understanding of the gospel, whether preaching, counseling, discipleship, music, evangelism, missions, and on.

IV. Conversion

A biblical understanding of conversion recognizes both what God does and what people do in salvation.
In conversion, God: gives life to the dead (Eph. 2:5) gives sight to the blind (2 Cor. 4:3-6) and gives the gifts of faith and repentance (Phil. 1:29; Acts 11:18). And in conversion, people: repent of sin (Mk. 1:15; Acts 3:19) and believe in Jesus (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 3:21-26).
A biblical understanding of conversion recognizes that only God can save, and that he saves individuals by enabling them to respond to the gospel message through repenting of sin and trusting in Christ.
Jesus called people to repent and believe in him (Mk. 1:15).
He said that unless someone is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven (Jn. 3:1-8).
Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles call people to turn from their sin and trust in Christ (Acts 2:38, 3:19-20, 10:43, 13:38-39, 16:31, 17:30).
Many of the epistles describe both our need to repent and believe in Christ and God’s supernatural work to accomplish this (Rom. 6:1-23; 1 Cor. 2:14-15; 2 Cor. 4:3-6; Eph. 2:1-10; 1 Thess. 1:9-10; 2 Tim. 2:25-26).
A biblical understanding of conversion is important for churches because It clarifies how churches should exhort non-Christians—they should call non-Christians to repent of sin and trust in Christ.
It reminds churches that they must rely upon God in all of their evangelistic efforts; only he can give new spiritual life.
It teaches churches to maintain a sharp distinction between themselves and the world.
Church members’ lives should be marked by the fruit of conversion, Churches should admit to baptism and the Lord’s Supper only those who show evidence of conversion.

V. Evangelism

Evangelism is simply telling non-Christians the good news about what Jesus Christ has done to save sinners and urging them to repent and believe.
In order to biblically evangelize you must: Preach the whole gospel, even the hard news about God’s wrath against our sin. Call people to repent of their sins and trust in Christ.
Make it clear that believing in Christ is costly, but worth it.
Scripture contains both teaching on evangelism (Matt. 28:19-20; Rom. 10:14-17; 1 Pet. 3:15-16) and examples of evangelistic preaching (see Acts 2:14-41, 3:12-26, 13:16-49, 17:22-31).
Moreover, any time Scripture speaks of the gospel, it is teaching us what we are to share in evangelism (see, for example, Romans 1-4 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
When a church has an unbiblical understanding of the gospel, they don’t evangelize, they evangelize in misleading or manipulative ways, or they share a message that’s not the gospel.
On the other hand, a biblical understanding of evangelism clarifies our role in the mission God has given to the church: we are to preach the good news about what Christ has done and pray that God would bring people to believe it.

VI. Membership

According to the Bible, church membership is a commitment every Christian should make to attend, love, serve, and submit to a local church.
Throughout Old Testament history, God made a clear distinction between his people and the world (see Lev. 13:46, Num. 5:3, Deut. 7:3).
Christ says that entering the kingdom of God means being bound to the church “on earth” (Matt. 16:16-19; 18:17-19). Where do we see the church on earth? The local church.
The New Testament explicitly refers to some people being inside the church and some people being outside (1 Cor. 5:12-13). This is much more than a casual association.
The church in Corinth consisted of a definite number of believers, such that Paul could speak of a punishment inflicted by the majority (2 Cor. 2:6).
Not only does the New Testament speak of the reality of church membership, but its dozens of “one anothers” are written to local churches, which fill out our understanding of what church membership should practically look like.
Biblical church membership is important because the church presents God’s witness to himself in the world. It displays his glory.
In the church’s membership, then, non-Christians should see in the lives of God’s changed people that God is holy and gracious and that his gospel is powerful for saving and transforming sinners.

VII. Church Discipline

In the broadest sense, church discipline is everything the church does to help its members pursue holiness and fight sin.
Preaching, teaching, prayer, corporate worship, accountability relationships, and godly oversight by pastors and elders are all forms of discipline.
In a narrower sense, church discipline is the act of correcting sin in the life of the body, including the possible final step of excluding a professing Christian from membership in the church and participation in the Lord’s Supper because of serious unrepentant sin (see Matt. 18:15-20, 1 Cor. 5:1-13).
The New Testament commands corrective discipline (excluding unrepentant sinners from the fellowship of the church) in passages like Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 2 Corinthians 2:6, and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15.
The New Testament speaks about formative discipline (our efforts to grow in holiness together) in countless passages about pursuing holiness and building one another up in the faith, such as Ephesians 4:11-32 and Philippians 2:1-18.
Think of discipline as the stake that helps the tree grow upright, the extra set of wheels on the bicycle, or the musician’s endless hours of practice.
Without discipline, we won’t grow as God wants us to. With discipline, we will, by God’s grace, bear peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:5-11).

VIII. Discipleship

Scripture teaches that a live Christian is a growing Christian (2 Pet. 1:8-10). Scripture also teaches that we grow not only by instruction, but by imitation (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1).
Therefore churches should exhort their members to both grow in holiness and help others do the same.
Peter exhorted his readers to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18) Paul exhorted the Ephesians to grow by speaking the truth in love to one another (Eph. 4:15).
Many passages in Scripture instruct us to imitate godly leaders (Phil. 4:9; Heb. 13:7).
The point is that, according to Scripture, all Christians should grow in Christ, imitate other godly Christians, and encourage others in their growth in Christ-likeness.
Promoting biblical discipleship and growth is important because none of us are finished products.
Until we die, all Christians will struggle against sin, and we need all the help we can get in this fight. If a church neglects discipleship and growth, or teaches a skewed, un-biblical version of it, it will discourage genuine Christians and wrongly assure false Christians.
On the other hand, if a church fosters a culture of Christian discipleship and growth, it will multiply believers’ efforts to grow in holiness.
A church that is not growing in the faith will ultimately yield an unhealthy witness to the world.

IX. Leadership

The Bible teaches that each local church should be led by a plurality of godly, qualified men called elders.
Paul lays out the qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Passages that evidence a plurality of elders in one local church include Acts 14:23, Acts 20:17, 1 Timothy 4:14, 1 Timothy 5:17, and James 5:14. God gifts churches with elders to: feed God’s sheep God’s word (Jn. 21:15-17), guide the sheep (1 Tim. 4:16; 1 Pet. 5:3, Heb. 13:7), and protect the sheep from attackers (Acts 20:27-29; 2 Tim. 4:3-4; Tit. 1:9), while protecting both themselves and the church through the wisdom of their plurality (Prov. 11:14; 24:6).
Biblical church leadership is important because without it, God’s people are like sheep without shepherds.

II. The Trinity

We believe that there is one living and true God, existing eternally in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
These three persons contain the very nature of God and are equal in every divine perfection.
They each execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.
The triune God is self-existent and self-sufficient,
perfect and immutable, infinite and all-knowing, purposeful and all-powerful,
sovereign and worthy of our praise, loyalty, and love (Genesis 1:1, 26; Deuteronomy 32:3,4; Psalm 48:10; Isaiah 43:10, 13; Malachi 3:6; John 1:1, 3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19, 20; Ephesians 4:5, 6).

III. The Father

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit who is good, righteous, and just.
He is perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love.
He reigns with providential care over His universe and infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass according to his sovereign will.
He saves all who come to Him through Jesus Christ from sin and death.
He desires worship and obedience from the saints, and He hears and answers their prayers. a
He deals mercifully in the affairs of men, yet He demonstrates wrath towards unrepentant sinners (Exodus 3:14; Psalm 19:1; Luke 10:21,22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7;1 Timothy 1:1, 2; 2:5, 6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6).

IV. Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, who exists having two natures, fully human and fully divine.
The natures of Jesus are without confusion, change, division, or separation.
The eternal Son of God was conceived when the Holy Spirit miraculously overshadowed the virgin Mary
Jesus Christ was born of Mary, lived a sinless life, died as a substitutionary atoning sacrifice for our sins, and rose bodily from the dead on the third day.
He ascended into heaven, where he intercedes for His people as an eternal high priest. One day, he will return bodily and visibly in all his glory to judge the earth and establish his eternal kingdom.
He is the head of the church, having purchased it with his own shed blood.
All who claim allegiance to Christ are to obey his commands, imitate his life, and promote his gospel (Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–38; John 1:1; 13:15, 16;20: 28–31; Acts 1:11; 20:28; Romans 5:6–8; 6:9–10; 9:5; Ephesians 5:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:25; 9:28; 12:2; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 2:21–23).

V. Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He proceeds from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
He graciously works to call, regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who profess saving faith in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit indwells every believer and serves as an abiding helper, teacher, and guide.
He is the source of all scripture and illuminates them for all who desire to know truth.
This results in personal transformation through the renewing of the mind.
The Spirit of God helps believers to engage in spiritual warfare, and He gives His fruit to those who walk in Him. He constitutes the church as God’s family and promotes its unity and maturity.
He grants spiritual gifts to each believer for service and promotion of the gospel.
He provides endurance for all believers and seals them for the final day of redemption (John 3:5–8; 4:24; 14:16,17; 6:63; Acts 1:8; 2:1–4; Romans 8:9–11; 12:2; Galatians 5: 22–25; Ephesians 1:13–14; 4: 3–6, 11–13; 6:10,11; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6–7).

VI. Humanity

We believe humanity, both male and female, is the special creation of God, made in His image for His glory.
Mankind was created that we might enjoy and delight in God, and worship Him as a result.
Man was created with a material body and an immaterial soul/spirit. Man was created with intelligence and will.
Each person exists as a moral creature that is accountable for his/her choices before God.
People were created to be relational. They were created to relate to God and to one another, most intimately through marriage, family, and the church.
Men and women, as image-bearers of God, demonstrate the dignity and sanctity of all human life. As a result, every person possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Men and women are equal in the sight of God, and they have clearly defined roles that complement each other and reflect the glory of the Triune God.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman exclusively in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband is to be the head of the wife, which entails loving nurture and spiritual leadership.
The wife is to respect her husband and to submit to him willingly as unto the Lord. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing from the Lord. They are to obey their parents in the Lord. Parents are to raise their children in the nurture and instruction of the Lord.
The Bible opposes all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography (Genesis 1:26–30; 2:5–7, 15–25; Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Joshua 24:15; Romans 1:19–32; 3:10–18, 23; 1 Corinthians 1:21–31; Ephesians 2:1–22; 5:21–6:3; Colossians 1:21–22; 3:9–11).

VII. Sin

The first man and woman were created innocent of sin, but rebelled against God and thus introduced sin and death into the human race.
Consequently, all people have a sinful nature that has corrupted every aspect of their being; they are spiritually dead in their sins.
Every sinner is wholly inclined toward evil and rebellion against God and can do nothing righteous in their own strength.
As a result, all people are by nature servants of sin and under God’s wrath.
They are subject to all of the harmful and deadly consequences of their sin both temporal and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus Christ sets them free through the message of the gospel. Only God’s grace in Jesus Christ can restore people to a right relationship with God (Genesis 3; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-19, 23; 5:12-21; 7:23-25; Ephesians 2:3-10; Hebrews 2:14-15;Titus 1:15; James 1:14-15).

VIII. Salvation

We believe salvation is offered to all people and comes by grace alone through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It results in justification through the grace of election, calling, regeneration, and spiritual adoption.
Salvation continues in sanctification and will culminate in the perseverance and glorification of all saints when Christ returns.
There is no salvation apart from personal repentance of sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; salvation cannot be gained in any other way.
Since humans are sinners both by nature and choice, they naturally face the condemnation of God apart from salvation.
The Holy Spirit regenerates and draws sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. In that moment, they become new creations in Christ, delivered from condemnation to gifted with eternal life.

In keeping with the Protestant tradition, we believe that salvation comes by faith alone, in Christ alone, by God’s grace alone, according to the Holy Scriptures alone, to the glory of God alone.
There is no mixture of faith and works in regards to salvation.
Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and who have been sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end (Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Ecclesiastes. 2:11; John 1:12,13; 5:30; 8:12; Ephesians 2:4–10; Romans 3:23–24; Romans 8:28-39; 2 Corinthians 5:17–20; 1 John 3:2).

IX. The Church

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all born-again persons are members.
We believe local churches are the visible expression of the universal church on earth.
The local church is an autonomous congregation of baptized believers operating under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The congregation is to gather regularly to celebrate God-centered worship, to commit to the teachings of Scripture, to exercise its gifts for the work of service, and to enjoy a common fellowship and unity in Christ.
Every church member has the responsibility to give faithfully of his time, abilities, and material possessions to support the mission and ministries of the church. The church is to obey the Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples of all the nations by both local evangelism and global missions (1 Timothy 3:1–12; Galatians 6:1–2; Matthew 18:15–17; 2 Corinthians 8–9; Philippians 4:10–19; Matthew 28:16–20; John 20:21–23).

There are two ordinances instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ for the local church to celebrate regularly—baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
This event signifies a believer’s death to sin and resurrection to new life as a result of faith in and obedience toward the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord’s Supper is an event designed to remember the Lord’s sacrificial death for his people, to confess and cleanse sin from the local congregation, and to anticipate the Lord’s return.
Church discipline is to be exercised according to scriptural principles (Matthew 4:16,17; 18:15-20; Mark 14:22-25; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34).

There are two scriptural offices in the local church: Elder and Deacon.
The Elders are responsible for the spiritual development and oversight of the local church before God. Elders serve as pastors, or under-shepherds, of Christ.
Deacons are chosen from the congregation and are to function as servants to the church, assisting the Elders in caring for church members and church ministries (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 1 Peter 5:1-3).

X. Liberty & Cooperation

We believe that every Christian is to relate directly to God and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith and conscience.
All Christians should live for the glory of God and the well being of others.
They should strive to be blameless before the world, and they should be faithful stewards of their possessions.

Every local church is to be independent and free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority.
The institution of the Church and the State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its God-ordained duties and being free from dictation or patronage of the other.

We believe the local church can best promote the gospel of Jesus Christ by cooperating with like-minded churches in an organized structure.
Such an organization exists and functions by the will of the churches choosing to be involved. Cooperation is voluntary and may be terminated at any time (Acts 15:36,41; 16:5; Romans 12:1,2; 14:7-9, 12; Colossians 1:9,10; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 16:1; Galatians 1:1-3; 1Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 12:1,2; Revelation 1:4, 10, 11).

XI. Last Things

In His own time and way, God will bring the world to its appropriate end.
Jesus Christ will return to the earth bodily and visibly in glory, the bodies of the dead will be raised, and He will judge all people in righteousness.
The unrighteous, along with the Devil and his demons, will be consigned to hell, the place of eternal punishment and suffering.
The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and forever dwell, along with the elect angels, in the glory of heaven with the Lord (Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15).

OTHER STATEMENTS WE AFFIRM

• Danvers Statement
• Chicago Statement
• Nashville Statement

(PLEASE NOTE: Our partnering churches based in the US also affirm the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 and the Abstract of Principles)

II. Theology

Biblical theology is sound doctrine; it is right thoughts about God; it is belief that accords with Scripture.
The entire Bible teaches sound doctrine.
Many New Testament books, such as Paul’s epistles to the Romans and Ephesians, are stuffed to the brim with rich doctrinal teaching (see Rom. 1-11 and Eph. 1-3).
The authors of the New Testament frequently argue that sound doctrine is essential for healthy Christians and healthy churches (see 1 Tim. 1:5, 2 John 1-6, and Titus 2:1-10).
Biblical theology is essential for Evangelism. The gospel is doctrine. Therefore, sound doctrine is necessary for evangelism.
Discipleship. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). Christians grow by learning and living in light of the truth—in other words, by sound doctrine.
Unity. According to the New Testament, the only true unity is unity in the truth (1 Jn. 1:1-4; 2 Jn. 10-11).
Worship. To worship God is to declare his excellencies (1 Pet. 2:9-10) and to exalt him because of who he is (Ps. 29:2). True worship is a response to sound doctrine.

III. The Gospel

The good news is that:
The one and only God who is holy made us in his image to know him (Gen. 1:26-28).
But we sinned and cut ourselves off from him (Gen. 3; Rom. 3:23).
In his great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law himself and taking on himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn from their sin and trust in him (John 1:14; Heb. 7:26; Rom. 3:21-26, 5:12-21).
He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice and that God’s wrath against us had been exhausted (Acts 2:24, Rom. 4:25).
He now calls us to repent of our sins and trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness (Acts 17:30, John 1:12).
If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God (John 3:16).
He is gathering one new people to himself among all those who submit to Christ as Lord (Matt. 16:15-19; Eph. 2:11-19). Romans 1-4 contains one of the fullest expositions of the gospel in all of Scripture, and 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 contains a succinct summary of the gospel.
A biblical understanding of the gospel is important because the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, and it is the only way for sinful people to be reconciled to a holy God.
Not only that, but everything in a church flows from its understanding of the gospel, whether preaching, counseling, discipleship, music, evangelism, missions, and on.

IV. Conversion

A biblical understanding of conversion recognizes both what God does and what people do in salvation.
In conversion, God: gives life to the dead (Eph. 2:5) gives sight to the blind (2 Cor. 4:3-6) and gives the gifts of faith and repentance (Phil. 1:29; Acts 11:18). And in conversion, people: repent of sin (Mk. 1:15; Acts 3:19) and believe in Jesus (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 3:21-26).
A biblical understanding of conversion recognizes that only God can save, and that he saves individuals by enabling them to respond to the gospel message through repenting of sin and trusting in Christ.
Jesus called people to repent and believe in him (Mk. 1:15).
He said that unless someone is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven (Jn. 3:1-8).
Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles call people to turn from their sin and trust in Christ (Acts 2:38, 3:19-20, 10:43, 13:38-39, 16:31, 17:30).
Many of the epistles describe both our need to repent and believe in Christ and God’s supernatural work to accomplish this (Rom. 6:1-23; 1 Cor. 2:14-15; 2 Cor. 4:3-6; Eph. 2:1-10; 1 Thess. 1:9-10; 2 Tim. 2:25-26).
A biblical understanding of conversion is important for churches because It clarifies how churches should exhort non-Christians—they should call non-Christians to repent of sin and trust in Christ.
It reminds churches that they must rely upon God in all of their evangelistic efforts; only he can give new spiritual life.
It teaches churches to maintain a sharp distinction between themselves and the world.
Church members’ lives should be marked by the fruit of conversion, Churches should admit to baptism and the Lord’s Supper only those who show evidence of conversion.

V. Evangelism

Evangelism is simply telling non-Christians the good news about what Jesus Christ has done to save sinners and urging them to repent and believe.
In order to biblically evangelize you must: Preach the whole gospel, even the hard news about God’s wrath against our sin. Call people to repent of their sins and trust in Christ.
Make it clear that believing in Christ is costly, but worth it.
Scripture contains both teaching on evangelism (Matt. 28:19-20; Rom. 10:14-17; 1 Pet. 3:15-16) and examples of evangelistic preaching (see Acts 2:14-41, 3:12-26, 13:16-49, 17:22-31).
Moreover, any time Scripture speaks of the gospel, it is teaching us what we are to share in evangelism (see, for example, Romans 1-4 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
When a church has an unbiblical understanding of the gospel, they don’t evangelize, they evangelize in misleading or manipulative ways, or they share a message that’s not the gospel.
On the other hand, a biblical understanding of evangelism clarifies our role in the mission God has given to the church: we are to preach the good news about what Christ has done and pray that God would bring people to believe it.

VI. Membership

According to the Bible, church membership is a commitment every Christian should make to attend, love, serve, and submit to a local church.
Throughout Old Testament history, God made a clear distinction between his people and the world (see Lev. 13:46, Num. 5:3, Deut. 7:3).
Christ says that entering the kingdom of God means being bound to the church “on earth” (Matt. 16:16-19; 18:17-19). Where do we see the church on earth? The local church.
The New Testament explicitly refers to some people being inside the church and some people being outside (1 Cor. 5:12-13). This is much more than a casual association.
The church in Corinth consisted of a definite number of believers, such that Paul could speak of a punishment inflicted by the majority (2 Cor. 2:6).
Not only does the New Testament speak of the reality of church membership, but its dozens of “one anothers” are written to local churches, which fill out our understanding of what church membership should practically look like.
Biblical church membership is important because the church presents God’s witness to himself in the world. It displays his glory.
In the church’s membership, then, non-Christians should see in the lives of God’s changed people that God is holy and gracious and that his gospel is powerful for saving and transforming sinners.

VII. Church Discipline

In the broadest sense, church discipline is everything the church does to help its members pursue holiness and fight sin.
Preaching, teaching, prayer, corporate worship, accountability relationships, and godly oversight by pastors and elders are all forms of discipline.
In a narrower sense, church discipline is the act of correcting sin in the life of the body, including the possible final step of excluding a professing Christian from membership in the church and participation in the Lord’s Supper because of serious unrepentant sin (see Matt. 18:15-20, 1 Cor. 5:1-13).
The New Testament commands corrective discipline (excluding unrepentant sinners from the fellowship of the church) in passages like Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 2 Corinthians 2:6, and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15.
The New Testament speaks about formative discipline (our efforts to grow in holiness together) in countless passages about pursuing holiness and building one another up in the faith, such as Ephesians 4:11-32 and Philippians 2:1-18.
Think of discipline as the stake that helps the tree grow upright, the extra set of wheels on the bicycle, or the musician’s endless hours of practice.
Without discipline, we won’t grow as God wants us to. With discipline, we will, by God’s grace, bear peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:5-11).

VIII. Discipleship

Scripture teaches that a live Christian is a growing Christian (2 Pet. 1:8-10). Scripture also teaches that we grow not only by instruction, but by imitation (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1).
Therefore churches should exhort their members to both grow in holiness and help others do the same.
Peter exhorted his readers to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18) Paul exhorted the Ephesians to grow by speaking the truth in love to one another (Eph. 4:15).
Many passages in Scripture instruct us to imitate godly leaders (Phil. 4:9; Heb. 13:7).
The point is that, according to Scripture, all Christians should grow in Christ, imitate other godly Christians, and encourage others in their growth in Christ-likeness.
Promoting biblical discipleship and growth is important because none of us are finished products.
Until we die, all Christians will struggle against sin, and we need all the help we can get in this fight. If a church neglects discipleship and growth, or teaches a skewed, un-biblical version of it, it will discourage genuine Christians and wrongly assure false Christians.
On the other hand, if a church fosters a culture of Christian discipleship and growth, it will multiply believers’ efforts to grow in holiness.
A church that is not growing in the faith will ultimately yield an unhealthy witness to the world.

IX. Leadership

The Bible teaches that each local church should be led by a plurality of godly, qualified men called elders.
Paul lays out the qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Passages that evidence a plurality of elders in one local church include Acts 14:23, Acts 20:17, 1 Timothy 4:14, 1 Timothy 5:17, and James 5:14. God gifts churches with elders to: feed God’s sheep God’s word (Jn. 21:15-17), guide the sheep (1 Tim. 4:16; 1 Pet. 5:3, Heb. 13:7), and protect the sheep from attackers (Acts 20:27-29; 2 Tim. 4:3-4; Tit. 1:9), while protecting both themselves and the church through the wisdom of their plurality (Prov. 11:14; 24:6).
Biblical church leadership is important because without it, God’s people are like sheep without shepherds.