On the following essentials we agree and believe:
1. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, without error, in the original text. It is the final authority for the Christian faith and life.
2. Jesus Christ is true God and true man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, arose bodily from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of God the Father.
3. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. His ministry is to glorify Jesus Christ, convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly living and service.
4. Man is by nature sinful and is inherently in need of salvation. The shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only means for salvation for all who believe.
5. God created mankind in His own image: male (man) and female (woman), each sexually different but with equal personal dignity, and each with complementary roles and responsibilities. Our biological sex is a gift from God which is a reflection of God within that person and should not be changed or altered by man, or referred to differently than what God has determined. God ordained and created marriage to exist only between one man and one woman and should thus be honored, both in marriage, and before marriage. (Gen 1:27-28a; 2:24; John 3:16; Romans 1:26-27; 5:1: 6:23; I Corinthians 5:9-13; 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:1-17; I Thessalonians 4:3-8; I John 5:11-13)
(3-2024)