We teach that there is but one living and true God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-7; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Hebrews 9:14), an infinite, all-knowing, pure Spirit (John 4:24), perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)—each subsisting in Trinity and equally deserving of glory, honor, worship, and obedience.
God the Father – We teach that God the Father, the first Person of the Triune Godhead, orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace (Psalm 145:8-9; 1 Corinthians 8:6). He is the Creator of all things (Genesis 1:1-31; Ephesians 3:9). As the only absolute and omnipotent Ruler in the universe, He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption (Psalm 103:19; Romans 11:36). His fatherhood involves both His designation within the Trinity and His relationship with mankind. As Creator He is Father to all men (Ephesians 4:6), but He is spiritual Father only to believers (Romans 8:14; 2 Corinthians 6:18). He has decreed for His own glory all things that come to pass (Ephesians 1:11). He continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events (1 Chronicles 29:11). In His sovereignty He is neither the author nor approver of sin (Habakkuk 1:13; John 8:38-47), nor does He abridge the accountability of moral, intelligent creatures (1 Peter 1:17). He has graciously chosen from eternity past those whom He would have as His own (Ephesians 1:4-6); He saves from sin all who come to Him through Jesus Christ; He adopts as His own all those who come to Him; and He becomes, upon adoption, Father to His own in a unique and eternal relationship (John 1:12; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5; Hebrews 12:5-9).
God the Son – We teach that the Word-Son, the second Person of the Triune Godhead, eternally possesses all the divine excellencies and perfections, and in these He is coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father (John 1:1; 10:30; 14:9; Philippians 2:5-6).We teach that God the Father created according to His own will, through His eternal Word-Son, by whom all things continue in existence and in operation (John 1:3; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:2).We teach that in the incarnation (God becoming man) the eternal Christ by free and sovereign choice of submission to His Father surrendered only the independent prerogatives and exercises of deity, but nothing of the divine essence and nature, either in degree or kind. In His incarnation, the eternally existing second Person of the Trinity accepted all the essential characteristics of humanity, apart from sin, and so became the God-Man: very God of very God, and very man of very man; so that the Man, JESUS, is now and forever both Son of God and Son of Man, perfectly existing and representing Deity and humanity in unmixed and indivisible oneness of person with two natures (Micah 5:2; John 1:14; 5:23; 14:9-10; 17:5; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9).
We teach that our Lord Jesus Christ was virgin born (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23, 25; Luke 1:26-35); that He was God incarnate (John 1:1, 14); and that the purpose of the incarnation was to reveal God, redeem men, destroy Satan’s kingdom, and establish and rule over God’s kingdom on earth as the true Vicegerent of God (Psalm 2:7-9; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:29; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 5:15; 7:25-26; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 2:8.)We teach that our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption once-for-all through the shedding of His blood and sacrificial death on the cross, and that His death was voluntary, vicarious, substitutionary, propitiatory, and redemptive (John 10:15; Romans 3:24-25; 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24). We teach that Jesus’ perfect sacrifice was sufficient to save the world, but efficient to save only those who believe (John 3:16; Hebrews 10:13; 1 John 1:1-2).We teach that on the basis of the efficacy of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the believing sinner is freed from the punishment, the penalty, the power, and one day the very presence of sin; and that he is declared righteous, given eternal life, and adopted into the family of God (Romans 3:25; 5:8-9; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18).
We teach that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead and that He is now ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He now mediates as our Advocate and High Priest (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:38-39; Acts 2:30-31; Romans 4:25; 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24; 1 John 2:1). We teach that in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, God confirmed the deity of His Son and gave proof that God has finally, fully, and forever accepted the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Jesus’ bodily resurrection is also the guarantee of a future resurrection life for all believers (John 5:26-29; 14:19; Romans 1:4; 4:25; 6:5-10; 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23).We teach that Jesus Christ will visibly return in power and great glory to execute judgment upon the ungodly and to establish His kingdom on earth as the Son of David (Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:22-23; Acts 1:9-11; 17:30-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20).
God the Holy Spirit – We teach that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Triune Godhead, is a divine Person, eternal, underived, possessing all the attributes of personality and deity, including intellect (1 Corinthians 2:10-13), emotions (Ephesians 4:30), will (1 Corinthians 12:11), eternality (Hebrews 9:14), omnipresence (Psalm 139:7-10), omniscience (Isaiah 40:13-14), omnipotence (Romans 15:13), and truthfulness (John 16:13). In all the divine attributes He is coequal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son (Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; 28:25-26; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Jeremiah 31:31-34 with Hebrews 10:15-17).
We teach that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to execute the divine will with relation to all mankind. We recognize His sovereign activity in creation (Genesis 1:2), the incarnation (Matthew 1:18), the written revelation (2 Peter 1:20-21), and the work of salvation (John 3:5-7). We teach that the work of the Holy Spirit as it relates to the Church age began at Pentecost, when He proceeded from the Father as promised by Christ (John 14:16-17; 15:26) to initiate and complete the building of the Body of Christ, which is His church (1 Corinthians 12:13). The broad scope of His divine activity includes convicting the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ and transforming believers into the image of Christ (John 16:7-9; Acts 1:5; 2:4; Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 2:22).
We teach that the Holy Spirit is the supernatural and sovereign Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). The Holy Spirit also indwells, sanctifies, instructs, empowers them for service, and seals them unto the day of redemption (Romans 8:9; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13).We teach that the Holy Spirit is the divine Teacher, who guided the apostles and prophets into all truth as they committed to writing God’s revelation, the Bible (2 Peter 1:19-21). Every believer possesses the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit from the moment of salvation, and it is the duty of all those born of the Spirit to ever be being filled with (controlled by) the Spirit (John 16:13; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27).We teach that the Holy Spirit administers spiritual gifts to the church. The Holy Spirit glorifies neither Himself nor His gifts, but He does glorify Christ by implementing His work of redeeming the lost and building up believers in the most holy faith (John 16:13-14; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
We teach that the Holy Spirit is sovereign in His work of bestowing all spiritual gifts for the purpose of bringing glory to Christ and good to His Church (1 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:4). In addition to giving gifts to the Church, we teach that the Holy Spirit applies the sovereign work of the risen Christ in giving gifted men to the Church for the perfecting of the saints through true spiritual leadership and these men are to be recognized and respected (Ephesians 4:7-12; Hebrews 13:17).