“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)
We believe the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, that Jesus Christ is the grand theme of its message, that salvation is wrought by the atoning blood of Christ alone through the convicting, regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, by the power of God alone and to the glory of God alone.
We desire as a church to stand fast in one spirit, that we may with one mind and with one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Preaching repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was made sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21).
“The gospel lays man in the dust, and places God on the throne! It places man as a sinner, at the sovereign disposal of God. It will yield nothing to man's pride, and pays no compliment to man's supposed goodness or abilities.
The gospel is a proclamation . . .
of peace by the blood-shedding of God incarnate;
of a full, free, and complete salvation--for all who truly believe on His name;
of a glorious inheritance, an everlasting kingdom, and a crown of glory--as a free gift for the vilest of men!
Or in other words, the gospel is the good news of pardon, peace, protection, and everlasting life--for all who are willing to receive and enjoy them!” ( adapted from James Smith, "Rills from the Rock of Ages", 1860)
Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
We wholeheartedly confess that salvation is of the Lord. God has declared His glory in the heavens, making all men responsible before Him. He further has declared His glory in His Word, to man's conscience and through His church. God hath commanded all men everywhere to repent, to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
We stand upon the shoulders of those who have gone before us, we affirm the “five solas” as essential doctrines of the faith: Sola scriptura (Scripture alone), Sola fide (faith alone), Sola gratia (grace alone), Solus Christus (Christ alone), and Soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone).
You may find the following five points helpful in setting forth what we believe
- Total Depravity:
We stress the pervasive corruption of sin. Sin reaches every aspect of human personality and leaves no nook or cranny untainted. The prophet Jeremiah writes, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). For this reason, all people are spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1) and unable, apart from the inward stirrings of the Holy Spirit, to respond in faith to the offer of the Gospel. We must depend on a sovereign act of God to break the grip of sin. - Unconditional Election:
We believe that the eternal, unconditional love of God for us is the ultimate basis of our salvation. Believers do not establish their own redemption; they utterly depend on God’s sovereign, everlasting love in Christ as the ground of their salvation. As Paul wrote, “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy” (Rom. 9:16). - Particular Redemption:
We emphasize that Christ’s atoning death did not simply make salvation possible. Rather, His sacrifice on the cross completely accomplished the salvation of believers. Christ died for “His sheep” (John 10: 11, 15), “His Church” (Acts 20:28), and “His people” (Matt. 1:21) to give them eternal life. God sovereignly ordained Christ’s death as the full payment for our sins. Thus, it fully satisfied the judgment of God for those who believe. - Irresistible Grace:
We recognize that salvation comes to sinful people because the Holy Spirit sovereignly changes their rebellious hearts. He gives them the spiritual ears with which to hear the call of God. The sheep hear the voice of Christ, are known by Him, and follow Him (Jn. 10:27). We depend on His powerful grace to transform us into new creations and to draw us to our Savior. - Perseverance of the Saints:
We stress that God’s power will keep true believers in Christ to the end. While we recognize our responsibility to “work out our salvation” with great seriousness (Phil. 2:12), we also affirm that it is God who is at work within us both “to will and to do His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). Thus, we persevere in faith with the assurance of eternal life because God sovereignly works all things for our good (Rom. 8:28).
For more on what we believe see The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689)