Statement of Faith

I. Of the Scriptures

We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction; that it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter; that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried.

II. Of the True God

We believe there is one, and only one, living and true God—an infinite, intelligent Spirit. His name is Yahweh (the Lord), the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness and is worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.

III. Of the Creation and Fall of Humanity

We believe humanity is the special creation of God, made in his own image. God created them male and female as the crowning work of his creation. The gift of male and female is thus part of the goodness of God’s creation. The gift of marriage consists of the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime, and this gift models the way God relates to his people. God created the human race in holiness under his law, but by voluntary transgression, humanity fell from that holy and happy state. As a result, all people are now sinners, not by external compulsion but by choice. They by nature entirely lack the holiness that is required by the law of God and are actively inclined to evil. Therefore, they are under just condemnation to a sentence of eternal ruin, without defense or excuse.

IV. Of the Way of Salvation

We believe the salvation of God’s people is completely by grace, through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by the appointment of the Father freely took upon himself our nature, yet without sin. He honored the divine law by his personal obedience and by his death made full atonement for our sins. Having risen from the dead, he is now enthroned in heaven, and uniting in his wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections, he is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior.

V. Of Justification

We believe that the great gospel blessing that Christ secures to those who believe in him is justification; that justification includes the pardon of sin and the promise of eternal life on principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness that we have done but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood; that by virtue of that faith his perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us of God; that it brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor with God and secures every other blessing needful for time and eternity.

VI. Of the Freeness of Salvation

We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith; and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth except for his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the gospel, which rejection involves him in an aggravated condemnation.

VII. Of Grace in Regeneration

We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be regenerated, or born again; that regeneration consists in giving a holy disposition of the mind; that it is effected in a manner above our comprehension by the power of the Holy Spirit, in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; and that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life.

VIII. Of Repentance and Faith

We believe repentance and faith are sacred duties, as well as inseparable graces. They are produced in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God, who convinces us of our guilt, danger, helplessness, and the way of salvation by Christ. And they consist of turning to God with genuine sorrow, confession, and a petition for mercy, and simultaneously, heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on him alone as the only and all-sufficient Savior.

IX. Of God’s Purpose of Grace

We believe election is the eternal purpose of God according to which he graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners. Election is perfectly consistent with human free agency and includes all the means necessary to achieve God’s purpose; that it is a most glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, being infinitely free, wise, holy, and unchangeable; that it completely rules out boasting and promotes humility, love, prayer, praise, trust in God, and the active imitation of his free mercy. It encourages the greatest possible exercise of human responsibility. The election of individuals to life may be confirmed by its effects in everyone who truly believes the gospel. Election is the foundation of Christian assurance, and confirming our election deserves our greatest diligence.

X. Of Sanctification

We believe that Christians, once they have been regenerated, are immediately and permanently declared to be sanctified as God’s people by virtue of their union with Christ. We also believe that Scripture refers to sanctification as a process by which, according to the will of God, we are progressively made partakers of his holiness. This work is begun in regeneration, and is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, and by God’s appointed means. These means include the Word of God, selfexamination, self-denial, watchfulness, prayer, and the oversight and fellowship of the visible church.

XI. Of the Perseverance of Saints

We believe that only those who endure in faith to the end are true believers; that their persevering attachment to Christ and his church is the grand mark that distinguishes them from superficial professors; that a special providence watches over their welfare; and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

XII. Of the Harmony of the Law and the Gospel

We believe that the law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of his moral government; that it is holy, just, and good; and that the inability which the Scriptures ascribe to fallen humanbeings to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from their love of sin. One great end of the gospel, and a means of grace connected with the establishment of the visible church, is to deliver fallen human beings from their love of sin and to restore them through a Mediator to genuine obedience to the holy law.

XIII. Of a Gospel Church

We believe that a visible church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel. Visible churches observe the ordinances of Christ, are governed by his laws, and exercise the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by his Word. The only scriptural officers of the church are elders (also called overseers or pastors) and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are defined in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus.

XIV. Of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that proper Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, into the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit. Baptism’s purpose is to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its effect, in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life. We believe the Lord’s Supper is to be observed in his churches to the end of the age as a perpetual remembrance and display of the sacrifice of himself in his death. It is given for the confirmation of the faith of believers in all the benefits of Christ’s death, their spiritual nourishment and growth in him, and their further engagement in and to all the duties they owe him. The supper is to be a bond and pledge of their communion with Christ and each other.

XV. Of the Lord’s Day or Christian Sabbath

We believe the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day or Christian Sabbath. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and points to the rest that awaits the people of God. It should include exercises of worship, rest, and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s conscience under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

XVI. Of Civil Government

We believe that civil government is of divine appointment, for the interests and good order of human society. Government officials are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed. The only exception is for matters contrary to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience and the Prince of the kings of the earth.

XVII. Of the Righteous and the Wicked

We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only those who through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God, are truly righteous in his esteem; while all those who continue in impenitence and unbelief are in his sight wicked and under the curse; and this distinction holds among men both in and after death.

XVIII. Of the World to Come

We believe the end of the world is approaching; that at the last day, Christ will descend from heaven and raise the dead from the grave; that a separation will then take place; that the wicked will be justly assigned to endless punishment and the righteous to endless joy; and that this judgment will fix forever the final state of people, in the new heavens and the new earth or in hell, on principles of righteousness.

(Adapted from the 1853 New Hampshire Confession of Faith)