What I Believe (Doctrinal Statement)

1. I believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. It is infallible and authoritative.

 “and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 3:15).
"For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (II Peter 1:21).

2. I believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
“I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).

3. I believe, concerning Jesus Christ, in:

His deity 

“We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God" (John 10:33).

His virgin birth

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us" (Matthew 1:23; see also Isaiah 7:14).
“The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35)

His sinless life

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
“Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens" (Hebrews 7:26).

His mercies and vicarious atoning

“This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him” (John 2:11).
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:3).
“In him we have redemption through his , the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered , so that by the grace of God he might taste for everyone" (Hebrews 2:9).

His resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies’” (John 11:25).
‘that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:4).
"After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19).

His present reign and personal return in glory

“’Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’" (Acts 1:11).
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war” (Revelation 19:11).

4. I believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration (new life) by the Holy Spirit for salvation, in the sinfulness of human nature, and justification by faith alone in the shed blood of Jesus on my behalf. It is only by God's grace through faith we can be "saved."

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil" (John 3:16-19).
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from to life” (John 5:24).
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
”But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his , how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! (Romans 5:8-9)
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:8-10).
“he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5).

5. I believe in the resurrection of the saved unto the "resurrection of life," and the lost (those who have not placed their faith in Jesus) unto condemnation and eternal death.

"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:28-29).

6. I believe in the spiritual unity of the believers in Christ.

“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9).
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (I Corinthians 12:12-13).
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28)

7. I believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit who indwells believers and enables them to live godly lives.

 "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:13-14).
“Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?” (I Corinthians 3:16)
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (I Corinthians 6:19-20).
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30).
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

Graphic of open Bible, adapted, courtesty of istorywriter, Pixabay