God

He spoke the universe into existence. He is the sovereign Lord of the universe. He has eternally existed as 3 persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These 3 are coequal and are fully God. God knows everything, sees everything and has all power. God is faithful to all His promises. He always does what is right.

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Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2–3; 15:11; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1–3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9–11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6–13

Jesus Christ

He has eternally coexisted with God the Father. He is fully God, and fully human. He lived a sinless life. He offered Himself freely as the perfect sacrifice for humanity’s sins by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead to demonstrate His power over sin and death. After His resurrection, He ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of God the Father and engages in a ministry of intercession for us. He will return to earth one day to gather His people. For all eternity future, He will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

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Genesis 18:1.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1.; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 53:1–12; Matthew 1:18–23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1–6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1–18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25–27; 12:44–50; 14:7–11

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has existed eternally as God the Spirit. He is fully God. He was involved in the creation of the universe. In the world today, He convicts people of their sin and convinces them of their need for salvation. He indwells all believers in Jesus and serves as their power for ministry and obedience. He guides believers in the direction God wants them to go and reveals God’s will to them. He enables our understanding of Holy Scripture. Christians should live daily under His control and guidance.

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Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1–3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28–32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18–19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16–17,26; 15:26; 16:7–14

The Bible

The Bible is the revealed Word of God. It is the authority for our belief and practice. The Bible was written by human authors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because the Bible is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error.

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Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1–2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7–10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1–32; Matthew 5:17–18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44–46; John 5:39; 16:13–15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25–26; 2 Timothy 3:15–17

Humanity

People are the supreme act of God’s creation. They have been created in God’s image. Although people have much potential for good, they are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin.” This attitude separates sinful people from holy God. Thus, humanity is in need of a Savior.

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Genesis 1:26–30; 2:5,7,18–22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3–6; 32:1–5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26–31; Romans 1:19–32; 3:10–18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14–25; 8:14–18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21–31; 15:19,21–22; Ephesians 2:1–22; Colossians 1:21–22; 3:9–11.

Salvation

Human beings are not capable of making up for their sinfulness through good deeds or self-improvement. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s solution for humanity’s sin problem can human beings be forgiven of their sins. Salvation begins the moment a person trusts Christ for forgiveness and salvation. Salvation continues as the Holy Spirit grows the believer into Christ-likeness. Salvation will culminate in the final blessed and abiding state of the saved in heaven.

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Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14–17; 6:2–8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21–26; 27:22–28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28–32; John 1:11–14,29; 3:3–21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28–29; 15:1–16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30–31; 17:30–31; 20:32; Romans 1:16–18; 2:4; 3:23–25; 4:3.

Eternal Security

All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has saved in Christ, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Holy Spirit, disrupt their fellowship with God, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ.

Yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

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John 10:28-29; 1 John 5:13; John 3:16; 3:3; 6:39; Romans 5:1; 8:31-39; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; Hebrews 6:18-20; 7:25; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 13:5; 1 Peter 1:5; Psalm 97:10.

The Church

A New Testament church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers associated by a covenant of faith in Jesus and the spreading of the gospel message. The Bible also speaks of the church as the Body of Christ which includes the saved of all of the ages, believers from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.

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Matthew 16:15–19; 18:15–20; Acts 2:41–42,47; 5:11–14; 6:3–6; 13:1–3; 14:23,27; 15:130; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4–5; 7:17; 9:13–14; 12; Ephesians 1:22–23; 2:19–22;3:8–11,21; 5:22–32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18.

Baptism

Biblical baptism is the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, as well as the believer’s death to sin and burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life.

Baptism, being a symbolic act, has no power or ability to save one from the penalty of sin.

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Matthew 3:13–17; 28:19–20; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22; Acts 2:41–42; 8:35–39; 16:30–33; Romans 6:3–5; Colossians 2:12.

The Lord's Supper

Sometimes referred to as communion, the Lord’s Supper is a celebration that symbolizes the believer’s covenant of faith in Jesus Christ. Through partaking of bread and the fruit of the vine, the believer memorializes the death of Jesus and anticipates His second coming. The Lord’s Supper, being a symbolic act, has no power or ability to save one from the penalty of sin.

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Matthew 26:26–29; Mark 14:22–26; Luke 22:19–20; John 3:23; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29.

Eternity

At the final resurrection of the dead, all persons will live eternally with God in heaven if they have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Those who have rejected Jesus will live eternally in a state of separation from God by their sins.

Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence.

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Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8–9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31–46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43–48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19–26; 17:22–37; 21:27–28; John 14:1–3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24–28,35–58; 2 Corinthians 5:10.