As followers of Christ, we are all called to “work out our
salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12b). God’s Word is a great
treasure given to us to reveal who God is and how He is moving in our world and
history. The people of God have a great responsibility to accurately understand
the Word of God and to apply it to our lives and the world around us.
As part of the Evangelical Free Church of America, we abide by their Statement of Faith. It accurately reflects our understanding of who God is, of salvation and how to live as Christians in our world today.
The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:
- God—We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
- The Bible—We believe
that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the
words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is
without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for
salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge
and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it
teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
- The Human Condition—We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God's saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
- Jesus Christ—We believe
that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two
natures. Jesus-Israel's promised Messiah-was conceived through the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under
Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at
the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
- The Work of Christ—We
believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood
on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning
death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
- The Holy Spirit—We
believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ.
He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are
baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He
also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for
Christ-like living and service.
- The Church—We believe
that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God's grace
through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the
body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local
churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus
mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper, which visibly and
tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when
celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish
the believer.
- Christian Living—We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God's Word, the Spirit's power, and fervent prayer in Christ's name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ's commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
- Christ's Return—We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.
- Response and Eternal Destiny—We
believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning
to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God
will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to
condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal
blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the
praise of His glorious grace. Amen.