God the Father is the Creator of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11).

By His word and for His glory, He freely and supernaturally created the world out of nothing (Psalm 33:6-9; Hebrews 11:3).

Through that same word He daily sustains all His creatures (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3).

He rules over all and, together with the Son and the Spirit, is the only Sovereign God whose plans and purposes cannot be thwarted (Psalm 115:3; Isaiah 46:10; Daniel 4:35).

He is faithful to every promise (Numbers 23:19; 2 Corinthians 1:20), works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), and in His unfathomable grace gave His Son Jesus Christ for mankind's redemption (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).

He made all things for the praise of His glory (Isaiah 43:7; Ephesians 1:11-12) and intends for mankind, in particular, to live in fellowship with Himself (1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 John 1:3).

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is the eternal Word made flesh, supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary (John 1:1,14; Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:18-23).

He is perfect in nature, teaching and obedience (Hebrews 4:15; John 7:46; Philippians 2:8).

He is fully God and fully man (Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:5).

He was always with God and is God (John 1:1-2; John 8:58).

Through Him all things came into being and were created (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16).

He was before all things and in Him all things hold together by the word of His power (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3).

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, and in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 1:15; Colossians 2:9).

He is the only Savior for the sins of the world, having shed His blood and died a vicarious death on the cross (Acts 4:12; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2).

By His death in our place, He revealed divine love and upheld divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God (Romans 3:25-26; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

Having redeemed us from sin, on the third day He rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death and the powers of darkness (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Colossians 2:15).

For a period of forty days He appeared to over five hundred witnesses, performing many convincing proofs of His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:5-6; Acts 1:3).

He ascended into heaven where, at God's right hand, He intercedes for His people and rules as Lord over all, awaiting His return (Acts 1:9-11; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20-21).

He is the Head of His body, the church, and is to be adored, loved, served and obeyed by all (Colossians 1:18; Philippians 2:9-11).

The Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8; 2 Corinthians 3:17).

Through the proclamation of the gospel, He persuades people to repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord (Acts 2:37-38; 1 Corinthians 12:3). By the same Spirit a person is led to trust in divine mercy (Romans 15:13; Ephesians 2:8).

The Holy Spirit unites believers to Jesus Christ in faith, brings about the new birth and dwells within the regenerate (1 Corinthians 12:13; John 3:5-6; 1 Corinthians 6:19).

The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Son, who in turn came to glorify the Father (John 16:14; John 17:4).

He leads the church into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God's Word (John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13).

He is to be respected, honored and worshipped as God, the third Person of the Trinity (Acts 5:3-4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

We accept the Bible, including the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, as the written Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

The Bible is an essential and infallible record of God's self-disclosure to mankind. It leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:17; John 20:31).

Being given by God, the Scriptures are both fully and verbally inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). Therefore, as originally given, the Bible is free of error in all it teaches (Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5; John 17:17).

Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through it in living power (2 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 4:12).

All believers are exhorted to study the Scriptures and diligently apply them to their lives (Acts 17:11; Joshua 1:8).

The Scriptures are the authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice and doctrine (Psalm 119:105; Isaiah 8:20).

They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation or worldly wisdom (Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18-19; Colossians 2:8).

Every doctrinal formulation, whether of creed, confession or theology, must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in Holy Scripture (Acts 17:11; Isaiah 8:20; Galatians 1:8-9).

God made man, male and female, in His own image, as the crown of creation, that man might glorify Him through enjoying fellowship with Him (Genesis 1:26-27; Isaiah 43:7; 1 Corinthians 1:9).

Tempted by Satan, man rebelled against God (Genesis 3:1-7; Romans 5:12).

Being estranged from his Maker, yet responsible to Him, he became subject to divine wrath, inwardly depraved and, apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God (Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 1:18; John 6:44).

This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to his mind, will and affections (Romans 1:28; Ephesians 4:17-18; Jeremiah 17:9). Unregenerate man lives under the dominion of sin and Satan (Romans 6:20; Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 5:19). He is at enmity with God, hostile toward God, and hateful of God (Romans 8:7; Colossians 1:21; John 15:18-19).

Fallen, sinful people, whatever their character or attainments, are lost and without hope apart from salvation in Christ alone (Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:12; Acts 4:12).

Jesus Christ is the gospel. The Good News is revealed in His birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Luke 24:45-47).

Christ's crucifixion is the heart of the gospel, His resurrection is the power of the gospel and His ascension is the glory of the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17-18; Romans 1:4; Ephesians 1:20-21).

Christ's death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; Isaiah 53:4-6). It satisfies the demands of God's holy justice and appeases His holy wrath (Romans 3:25-26; Romans 5:9).

It also demonstrates His mysterious love and reveals His amazing grace (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:7-8).

Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5; John 14:6). There is no other name by which men must be saved (Acts 4:12).

At the heart of all sound doctrine is the cross of Jesus Christ and the infinite privilege that redeemed sinners have of glorifying God because of what He has accomplished (1 Corinthians 2:2; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Revelation 5:9-10).

Therefore, we want all that takes place in our hearts, churches and ministries to proceed from and be related to the gospel (Galatians 6:14; Colossians 1:28; Philippians 1:27).

The proper response to the gospel is faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, a faith that is naturally accompanied by repentance from sin (Acts 20:21; Mark 1:15; Hebrews 6:1).

Biblical repentance is characterized by a changed life, and saving faith is evidenced by kingdom service and works (2 Corinthians 7:10; James 2:17-18; Matthew 3:8).

While neither repentance nor works save, unless a person is willing to deny himself, take up his cross and follow Christ, he cannot become His disciple (Ephesians 2:8-9; Luke 9:23; Luke 14:26-27).

This gospel of grace is to be sincerely preached to all people in all nations (Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 10:14-15; Mark 16:15).

Salvation, the free gift of God, is provided by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, for the glory of God alone (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:24; Acts 4:12; Romans 11:36).

Anyone turning from sin in repentance and looking to Christ and His substitutionary death receives the gift of eternal life and is declared righteous by God as a free gift (John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Romans 3:21-22).

The righteousness of Christ is imputed to him (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:23-25).

He is justified and fully accepted by God (Romans 5:1; Romans 8:1).

Through Christ's atonement for sin an individual is reconciled to God as Father and becomes His child (2 Corinthians 5:18-19; John 1:12; Galatians 4:4-5).

The believer is forgiven the debt of his sin and, through the miracle of regeneration, liberated from the law of sin and death into the freedom of God's Spirit (Colossians 2:13-14; Romans 8:1-2; John 3:3-6; 2 Corinthians 3:17).

The Holy Spirit is the active agent in our sanctification and seeks to produce His fruit in us as our minds are renewed and we are conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:22-23; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Though indwelling sin remains a reality, as we are led by the Spirit we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, freely keeping His commandments and endeavoring to so live in the world that all people may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven (Romans 7:18-25; Romans 8:14; 2 Peter 3:18; John 14:15; Matthew 5:16).

All believers are exhorted to persevere in the faith knowing they will have to give an account to God for their every thought, word and deed (Hebrews 12:1; Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Ecclesiastes 12:14).

The spiritual disciplines, especially Bible study, prayer, worship and confession, are a vital means of grace in this regard (Joshua 1:8; Philippians 4:6; John 4:23-24; 1 John 1:9).

Nevertheless, the believer's ultimate confidence to persevere is based in the sure promise of God to preserve His people until the end, which is most certain (Philippians 1:6; John 10:27-29; Romans 8:38-39; Jude 24-25).

The Holy Spirit empowers believers for Christian witness and service (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:49).

The promise of the Father is freely available to all who believe in Jesus Christ, thereby enabling them to exercise the powers of the age to come in ministry and mission (Acts 2:38-39; Hebrews 6:5).

The Holy Spirit desires to continually fill each believer with power to witness, and imparts His supernatural gifts for the edification of the Body and the work of ministry in the world (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:11-12).

All the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in the church of the first century are available today and are to be earnestly desired and practiced in an orderly manner (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 1 Corinthians 14:1; 1 Corinthians 14:39-40).

The gifts are essential in the mission of the Church in the world today (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11).

God by His Word and Spirit creates the church, calling sinful men out of the whole human race into the fellowship of Christ's body (John 17:17; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:22-23).

By the same Word and Spirit He guides and preserves that new redeemed humanity (Matthew 16:18; John 10:27-29; Ephesians 5:25-27).

The church is not a religious institution or denomination. Rather, the church universal is made up of those who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ and have personally appropriated the gospel (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Acts 2:47).

The church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit (John 4:23-24; Ephesians 1:11-12; Revelation 5:9-10).

It also exists to serve Him by faithfully doing His will on the earth, involving a commitment to see the gospel preached and churches planted in the entire world for a testimony (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 15:20).

The ultimate mission of the church is worship and the means by which this is accomplished is the making of disciples through the preaching and embracing of the gospel (Revelation 4:11; Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 10:14-15).

When God transforms human nature, this then becomes the chief means of society's transformation (Matthew 5:13-16; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; 1 Thessalonians 1:8).

Upon conversion, newly redeemed men and women are added to a local church in which they devote themselves to teaching, fellowship, the Lord's Supper and prayer (Acts 2:41-42; Acts 2:47; Hebrews 10:24-25).

Our beliefs about marriage and sexuality, as with all topics, are based on Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16).

God created human beings in His image, male and female (Genesis 1:26-27).

We all have sinned and fallen short of God's standards in one way or another (Romans 3:23). Yet His forgiveness, grace, and mercy extend to each of us who turn from our sin and ask for it (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Marriage is a picture of Christ's relationship with His Bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:25-32).

It is defined from the beginning of Scripture as a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24) and reaffirmed by Jesus as God's exclusive design for sexual expression (Matthew 19:4-6).

God designed sexual intimacy for the marriage relationship between a husband and wife and does not endorse or condone it in any other context.

Water baptism is intended only for the individual who has received the saving benefits of Christ's atoning work and become His disciple (Acts 2:41; Acts 8:12).

Therefore, in obedience to Christ's command and as a testimony to God, the church, oneself and the world, a believer should be immersed in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:47-48; Romans 6:4).

Water baptism is a visual and symbolic demonstration of a person's union with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12).

It signifies that his former way of life has been put to death and vividly depicts a person's release from the mastery of sin (Romans 6:6-7; Galatians 2:20).

As with water baptism, the Lord's Supper is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).

This ordinance symbolizes the breaking of Christ's body and the shedding of His blood on our behalf and is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ's death (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:25-26).

As we partake of the Lord's Supper with an attitude of faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, and signify our unity with other members of Christ's body (1 Corinthians 11:24-26; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1 Corinthians 11:28).

The eternal purposes of God include the future, physical, visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:30), the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those alive in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52), the judgment of the just and the unjust (Acts 24:15; Revelation 20:11-13), and the fulfillment of Christ's kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth (Revelation 21:1-5; 2 Peter 3:13; Isaiah 65:17).

In eternity, Satan with his hosts and all those outside Christ are finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment (Revelation 20:10-15; Matthew 25:41-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:9).

The righteous, in glorious bodies, shall live and reign with Him forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory (Revelation 22:3-5; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44; Revelation 5:13).

Then shall the eager expectation of creation be fulfilled, and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God who makes all things new (Romans 8:19-21; Revelation 21:5).