With one heart we believe and with one voice we confess that there is one true God, the Father Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth and all things, visible and invisible (Gen 1:1; Deut 6:4; Isa 46:9; John 1:3; Col 1:16). Beyond all comprehension, he is a single and simple spiritual being who is eternal, invisible, the only wise God (John 4:24; Rom 11:34; 1 Tim 1:17). Infinite in all perfections, he rules and preserves all things and brings to pass all his good purposes according to his wisdom, love, and justice (Lev 11:44–45; 19:2; Deut 32:4; Ps 18:25–30; Matt 5:48). Thus, we confess him and him only as worthy of all glory, honor, and praise (Deut 10:12–22; Neh 9:6; Rev 4:11; 15:4).
He revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty (Gen 17:1; 35:11; 48:3), and made himself known to their descendants as the LORD, the living God who is merciful and faithful, keeping his covenant promises forever (Ex 3:13–18; 6:2–8; 34:6–7). But in the fullness of time, he has made himself more fully known by sending his Son Jesus Christ and by giving us the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:16–17; 17:5; Luke 24:49; John 1:14–18; 3:16–18; 16:7; Acts 1:4; 2:33; Gal 4:4–6).
Therefore, having come to know God through faith in his Son, we confess him as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God eternally existing in three equally divine persons who know, love, and honor one another and make each other known to man (Matt 11:25–27; Luke 10:21–22; John 14:26; 15:26). And having come to know him thus, we resolve to obey his commission by going and making disciples through the preaching and teaching of his word and through baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:16–20).
As God is perfect, so is his word. It is true with no hint of falsehood, righteous with no trace of sin, and good unstained by evil (Ps 12:6; 19:7–11; 119:137–144). So, with full assurance and faith, we believe all that God has spoken.
We believe that God has spoken in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments which were written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:21). Thus, with all our hearts and by his grace, we receive these scriptures as his word and gladly submit to believe and obey all that is contained in them, acknowledging that the word of the Lord proves true in all things (Josh 21:45; 23:14; Ps 18:30; Prov 30:5; John 10:35).
We confess that God’s word is given to us that we might find life through faith in Jesus Christ who came to fulfill all that the prophets have spoken (Matt 5:17; Luke 24:44–47; John 5:39–40). So, we acknowledge that Scripture is necessary and sufficient to make us wise for salvation, to train us in righteousness, and to equip us for every good work (2 Tim 3:14–17). Therefore, we devote ourselves to read, teach, and study Scripture together and individually that we might find life in his name (Acts 2:42; 17:11; 18:26; Col 4:16; 1 Thess 5:27; 1 Tim 4:13; 2 Tim 4:1–2).
We believe in God the Father, who loved us and sent his Son into the world to save us and to grant that we, through faith in Christ, should become children of God (John 1:12–13; 3:16–17; 1 John 4:9–10). In love, he predestined us for this adoption which he accomplished in the fullness of time by sending his only begotten Son and by giving us his Holy Spirit (Eph 1:3–10; Gal 4:4–7). Therefore, we know him not only as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ but also as our Heavenly Father, and we trust in him as the only source of every good, the Father of mercies from whom all life, all provision, and all comfort flows (2 Cor 1:3–4; 2 Thess 2:16–17).
Through prayer, we depend upon him for our daily bread, the forgiveness of sins, and sanctifying grace through the Holy Spirit (Matt 6:8–15; Luke 11:1–13). In our lives, we endeavor to live as his children through faith in Christ (John 8:42–47; 12:35–36) and love for others (Matt 5:43–47; Luke 6:27–36). With hope, we wait to inherit the life which he has guaranteed for us by the gift of his Spirit and which he keeps for us with Christ in heaven (Eph 1:11–14; 1 Pet 1:3–5). In all things we resolve to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness as we wait with hope for the day when our adoption as sons will be seen, the day when we appear with Christ in glory (Matt 6:25–34; Rom 8:23; Col 3:1–4; 1 John 3:1–3).
We believe in God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us by his death on the cross (Eph 5:2; 1 John 3:16). He is the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light from Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, of the same essence as the Father (John 1:18; 3:16; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3). In the fullness of time, he came into the world in the likeness of man, having become perfect man, even as he was, is, and ever will be perfect God (John 1:14; Gal 4:4–5; Heb 2:17; Rev 1:4–8). Thus, he united in his person two natures, one divine and one human, that he might redeem mankind from sin and death and reconcile us to God (Gal 3:13; Heb 9:11–14).
We believe in his virgin birth (Matt 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–38), his sinless life (Luke 23:41, 47; Heb 4:15), his mighty works (Luke 24:19; Acts 2:22), and his authoritative words (Matt 7:24–29; Mark 1:22; Luke 4:36). We confess that, just as he foretold, he suffered and died for our sins on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day, as it was written of him by the prophets and witnessed by his disciples (Matt 16:21; Mark 10:45; Acts 2:32; 1 Cor 15:3–8). By his sacrificial death, he atoned for our sins and turned aside the righteous wrath of God (Mark 10:45; Rom 3:25; Gal 3:13; 1 John 2:2). Thus, he reconciled us to God, making peace by the blood of his cross (Eph 2:13; Col 1:20). We also believe in his ascension to heaven where he reigns at the Father’s right hand and intercedes for his people continually (Ps 110:1; Luke 24:50–53; Acts 2:33; Heb 7:25), and we believe that he will return in glory at the appointed time to judge the living and the dead (Mark 13:27, 32; Acts 1:7; 17:30–31; 2 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5).
By his grace, therefore, we resolve to pursue godliness while we wait with faith and longing for that day (1 Thess 1:10; Tit 2:11–15). We confess and proclaim that this Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah, the only begotten Son of God, our only Lord and Savior (Matt 16:15–16; Acts 2:36; 4:11–12; Phil 3:20; Jude 1:25).
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, through whom God has poured his love into our hearts that we might know Christ by faith and that we might love one another (Luke 24:49; John 14:16–17; Acts 1:8; Rom 5:5; 1 Cor 12:31–14:1; Gal 5:22). He is God, of one essence with the Father and the Son, yet a distinct person, not a mere force, who is neither begotten nor made but eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son (John 15:26; Heb 9:14). As Scripture testifies, he is Lord (2 Cor 3:17); thus, he commands his people and is grieved when we stubbornly resist his will (Isa 63:10; Acts 8:29; 10:19; Eph 4:30).
In fulfillment of God’s word, he rested on Jesus at his baptism and empowered him in his earthly ministry (Isa 11:1–5; Matt 3:16; Luke 4:18; 10:21; John 1:32). The same Spirit was poured out upon the church at Pentecost (Joel 2:28–32; Acts 2:1–21), and he dwells in all who are united with Christ by faith (Acts 10:44–47; 11:12–18; 15:6–11; Rom 8:9–10). He caused us to be born again (John 3:1–8; Gal 3:1–3); he seals us for the day of redemption (Eph 4:30); he guarantees to us our inheritance as sons of God (Rom 8:11; Eph 1:13–14); he sanctifies us by producing the fruit of righteousness in us (Isa 32:14–17; Ezek 36:27; Gal 5:16–24); he makes us abound in faith, hope, and love (Rom 15:13; Gal 5:5; 1 Thess 1:2–10); he gives us the wisdom and strength we need to endure in our faith (Prov 8:12–16; 1 Cor 2:6–13; Eph 1:15–21; 3:14–19); and he gives gifts to each of us according to his grace and wisdom so that we may build one another up in love (1 Cor 12:1–11; Eph 4:7–16).
So, we aim always to walk by the Spirit in faith and love and holiness; we resolve not to grieve or resist him through willful unbelief and disobedience; and we depend upon him for the wisdom and strength we need to live faithfully in this age as we wait for the age to come.
We believe that God made man, male and female, in his image and likeness, to live in fellowship with him as his children, and to rule his creation with wisdom and righteousness (Gen 1:26–30; Ps 8:3–8; Luke 3:38). Adam and Eve, our first parents, were made to fulfill this role together as equal and complementary partners (Gen 2:18–25). However, through the deception of Satan in the guise of a serpent, they sinned against God, violating his clear command, were separated from his fellowship, and became mortal creatures (Gen 2:15–17; 3:1–24). Their sin brought a curse on every part of creation, bringing pain, conflict, and death into the world (Gen 3:16–19; Rom 8:19–22). So, through Adam’s sin, sin and death spread to all mankind.
Since we are born into this world in Adam, we confess that we are sinful by nature and by choice. Therefore, we acknowledge that we stand under the same sentence of death (Rom 5:12–14; 1 Cor 15:22). Furthermore, we confess that we are without excuse before God, for he has revealed his will clearly to mankind not only in the created order but also through his law which is implanted on every human heart (Ps 19:1–6; Rom 1:18–32; 2:12–16). His law is most clearly revealed to us in Scripture, and it is summarized in the first and second great commandments: 1) that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and 2) that we should love our neighbor as ourselves (Deut 6:4–5; Lev 19:18; Matt 7:12; 22:34–39; Rom 13:8–9; Gal 5:14; James 2:8).
As Christians, we seek to fulfill these commandments through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and love for all others (Matt 5:43–48; John 13:34–35; 15:12, 17; 1 John 5:1). Nevertheless, we readily confess that we all fall short of this perfect standard (Rom 3:23). We do not claim to have perfectly fulfilled any of God’s law, but we make it our aim, through confession and repentance, to conform our lives to God’s will more fully every day (1 John 1:8–9). We know that good works and acts of religion can neither reconcile us to God nor bring us eternal life, so we do not seek to earn God’s favor by our good works (Rom 3:20, 28; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8–9). Yet we know and believe that God purposed from before creation not only to make man in his image but also to reconcile and transform sinful men and women in Christ.
Before the foundation of the world, he chose us to be holy and blameless before him (Eph 1:3–4). Likewise, he predestined us for adoption so that we would be conformed to the image of his Son (Rom 8:29; Eph 1:5). At the time appointed, he called us with an effectual call so that we would believe in Christ and be justified by faith (Matt 16:17; John 5:65; Rom 8:30). Thus, we believe that we are a new creation now because God has caused us to be born again and united us with Christ by the Holy Spirit so that we have come to share in all the benefits of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection (John 3:3–8; Col 3:1–4; 1 Pet 1:3).
We recognize that we do not yet experience every blessing of the life we have as children of God (Eph 1:3; 1 John 3:1–3). It is God’s will to renew us in Christ’s image by degrees through the regular means of grace, which are prayer, fellowship, Scripture, and the ordinances (2 Cor 3:18; Eph 3:16; 6:18; Col 3:16; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 4:2; Heb 4:12; 1 Pet 1:3). Moreover, it is his purpose to reserve the fullness of our redemption for the age to come (Luke 21:28; Rom 8:23). Therefore, we avail ourselves of these means as we wait with hope for the completion of his purpose of redemption and the glory that awaits us at Christ’s coming (Heb 10:24–25).
Lastly, we recognize that mankind continues in sin and rebellion against God, manifesting their rebellion in ways that are peculiar to every place and time (Rom 3:9–18). Presently, our culture rejects God’s rule by seeking to redefine marriage, gender, and sexuality while simultaneously minimizing the importance of marriage and parental authority. Moreover, our culture has long demeaned human dignity through such horrors as abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide. But as long as heaven and earth endure, God’s creation purposes stand, and we are all responsible to our maker, owing him our full allegiance and obedience (Matt 19:4–5; Mark 10:6; Acts 17:22–31).
We make it our aim, therefore, to fulfill his creation purposes in our lives by pursuing, protecting, and promoting faithfulness in marriage; by raising our children in the fear of the Lord; by working with industry and integrity in our vocations; by giving appropriate honor to human authorities; by affirming and defending the dignity of all human life; and by pursuing peace with all people inasmuch as it depends on us (Matt 5:9; Rom 13:1–7; Eph 5:22–6:4; 1 Thess 4:9–12; 1 Tim 1:8–11; 2:2; 1 Pet 2:13–25). Moreover, we freely proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ’s saving work to others that all who hear it might believe and be saved (Rom 10:13–14; 1 Cor 15:1–4).
We believe that God has called us not only as individual men and women but as members in the Church, the body of Christ (Rom 12:5; 1 Cor 12:27; Eph 5:23). Under the Old Covenant, God called his people within the framework and governance of the Mosaic Law (Ex 19–20; Deut 29:1). Yet, before this covenant was inaugurated, and even after God enacted it at Sinai, he always had a people who were his not by law but by faith (Gen 15:6; Rom 4:1–12; Gal 3:15–29; Heb 11).
Under the New Covenant, which was promised by the prophets and instituted by Christ in his life, death, and resurrection, God’s people no longer worship within geographical boundaries according to the structures of the Mosaic Law, nor are we limited by ethnic boundaries, for the law has been fulfilled by Christ. Rather, we worship him as one people, whether Jew or Gentile, in Spirit and in truth (Gen 35:11; Jer 31:31; Luke 22:20; John 4:21–25; 2 Cor 3:6; Eph 2:11–21). This people is the Church, one gathering of believers from every people, place, and time. We are one flock, and we have one Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ (Ezek 34:20–23; Ps 1:5; 22:25; 35:18; John 10:14–16; Rev 7:9–17).
In every place, God’s people are called to be members in a local church as a picture of their membership in this great congregation (Rom 12:3–8; 1 Cor 12:12–31). He commands us to regularly assemble so that we might encourage one another through works of faith, labors of love, and steadfastness of hope (Heb 10:24–25). To this end, we gather weekly on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and we employ the ordinary means of grace which God has appointed for this purpose (Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Cor 11:33; 14:26). In our assemblies, we join together in singing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and we devote ourselves to prayer and the public reading and preaching of Scripture (Eph 5:15–20; Col 3:16–17; 1 Tim 2:8; 2 Tim 4:1–4). Furthermore, we regularly observe the ordinances that God has given us, the Lord’s Supper as a regular remembrance and proclamation of Christ’s sacrifice for us, and baptism as an initiatory symbol of our union with Christ in his death and resurrection (Acts 2:38; Rom 6:3–4; 1 Cor 11:23–26).
For the care of his church, God has given elders to shepherd the church and provide oversight through prayer and the ministry of the word, deacons to look to the physical needs of the congregation, and all members who are called to use their gifts in the service of others (Eph 4:11–12; Phil 1:1; 1 Tim 3:10; Tit 1:5). Elders are to be men, qualified in character and competence according to the requirements set forward in Scripture (1 Tim 3:1–7; Tit 1:5–9; 1 Pet 5:1–5). Deacons, likewise, must be qualified in the same ways excepting an aptitude to teach (1 Tim 3:8–13). Members must be regenerate believers who have credibly professed their faith and received baptism as believers (John 3:1–5; Tit 3:5). To ensure the preservation of the church, the whole congregation is the final authority under Christ in certain matters, particularly the recognition or removal of any member or officer within the church, so that the church might be preserved pure in doctrine and holiness (Matt 18:15–20; 1 Cor 5:1–5; Gal 1:6–10; 2 Thess 3:6–15; 1 Tim 5:19–20).
Finally, we believe in our blessed hope, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Tit 2:13). He has assured us that, at the time appointed by and known only to God, he will suddenly descend from heaven in glory (Matt 24:36–41; Mark 13:32). On that day, the dead in Christ will be raised, and, together with all believers who yet remain, we will be gathered to him and transformed into his likeness (1 Thess 4:13–17; 1 John 3:3). But those who reject the gospel will face judgment and be separated from God for all eternity in hell (Matt 25:46; Rev 20:11–15). Therefore, with urgency we plead with all to repent and believe the gospel of Christ that they may escape the judgments of that day (John 5:24; Acts 2:40; 2 Cor 6:2).
There are events which must precede that day, many of which are already present and will be to the end. These include wars, conflicts, and natural disasters; false messiahs and false prophets; and persecutions and trials that must come upon the earth (Matt 24:3–28; Luke 21:5–19; 2 Thess 2:1–12). Though such things might be fearful and may seem to indicate the end of the world, they do not independently signify the immediacy of his coming but are like birth pains before the day of a woman’s labor (Matt 24:8; Mark 13:8). Thus, we respond to such events not with vain speculations or fear but by encouraging one another to trust in the certainty of Christ’s word, his ability and willingness to provide for his people, and his promise that all who endure to the end will be saved (Matt 24:13; Mark 13:7, 11, 13; Luke 12:11–12; 21:10–19, 33; 2 Pet 3:11–15).
Moreover, we remember his words to his disciples when he said, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed in his authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:7–8). Therefore, knowing that he will return like a thief in the night, we resolve to be faithful witnesses and to wait for his coming with patience and constant watchfulness over our lives and doctrine (Matt 24:36–51; Luke 21:34–36; 1 Thess 5:2; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15). For we believe that he is coming soon, and it is our heart’s desire to be found in him on that day (Rev 3:11; 22:7, 12). So, with one heart and one voice, we join his servant John and pray, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20).