The authors of this blog come from different theological persuasions and may disagree over different matters or details surrounding the Christian faith. Nevertheless, we are all united by the one, true Gospel of Jesus Christ, and with the bond of charity affirm the following confession:
We believe the Bible to be the written revelation of God, complete and sufficient with respect to whatever we need to know concerning God and His will. We believe the Scriptures to be "God-breathed" and therefore fully authoritative in and of themselves; they rely for their authority upon no church, council, or creed, but are authoritative simply because they are the Word of God. The Scriptures, as they embody the very speaking of God, partake of His authority, His power.
We believe in one true and eternal God, unchanging, unchangeable. We believe God is the Creator of all that exists in heaven and in earth. The God who is described in the Bible is unique; He is unlike anyone or anything else in all the universe. God has all power, all knowledge, all wisdom, and is due all glory, honor and praise. All that comes to pass does so at the decree of the God, yet He is neither the author of sin, nor He takes away the free agency of His creatures. All things will, in the end, result in the glory of God.
We believe the Bible teaches that there is but one being of God, yet there are three Persons who share this one being of God: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Each Person is fully and completely God, each is described in Scripture as possessing the attributes of God. The Father, Son, and Spirit have eternally existed in the relationship described by the term "Trinity."
We believe that man was created in God's image, and was endowed with liberty to remain blameless before God or fall from that blessed state through sinning. Man, out of his own freewill, rebelled against His Creator, and fell into sin together with all his posterity. As a result, all men have become spiritually dead, incapable of having the will to genuinely obey God's law out of faith and love for Him, or genuinely believe the Gospel with true repentance, unless God should first work within them both to will and act according to His good pleasure.
We believe that God, from eternity past, having foreordained all things, joined a certain people to Christ Jesus, so that He might redeem them from their sin and in so doing bring glory to Himself. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died in the place of this elect people, providing full and complete forgiveness of sins by His death upon the cross of Calvary. No other work can provide for forgiveness of sins, and no addition can be made to the completed and finished work of Christ.
We believe that God, in His sovereign grace and mercy (and in accordance with His eternal predestination), regenerates sinful men by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by any action of their own, making them see the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him for Salvation. God grants to them the gifts of faith and repentance, which they then exercise by believing in Christ and turning from their sins in love for God. As a result of this faith, in virtue of the atoning death and imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, God justifies or declares as righteous the one who believes. God's gift of faith, and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the elect, results in a life of continuing repentance and holiness. Good works flow from true, saving faith; they are a necessary result of faith, but are not to be considered necessary to the gaining of justification, which is by God's grace through faith alone, so that no man can boast.
We believe Jesus Christ established His Church, which is made up of all the redeemed in every age. His Church, as an obedient bride, listens to His Word as found in the Bible. All who believe in Christ are placed in His body, the Church. The local (visible) expressions of the Church are very important, and each believer should be actively involved in such a fellowship.
We believe that Christ is coming again to judge the living and the dead. This promise is found throughout the inspired Scriptures. Till His return, believers are to live lives that bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. The Church is to be busy doing the work of evangelism and discipleship, proclaiming the pure, uncompromised Gospel of Christ by teaching the Word of God.