Our Beliefs:

Lives centered on the Gospel of Christ

What We Believe

At the center of our beliefs is one of the most important questions that ever has been asked. In the new testament of the Bible in the book of Acts a jailkeeper asks the question “What must I do to be saved”. This fundamental question is one that informs our beliefs, our theology, and in its answer we find the central basis for our beliefs.


As we answer this question it is important for us to recognize that the very question we want to answer is in the Bible, which is God’s word, and it tells us everything that we need to know in order to love and serve Jesus. It is reliable and without error.


The book of Acts answers this question about salvation with these words “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” As a Christian Church we believe that knowing Jesus as He has been revealed to us through the Bible is the way in which we are given eternal life. In order to understand why Jesus had to come and die on the cross for our sins, we have to understand the bigger story of what the Bible teaches.


We believe that through the disobedience of Adam and Eve decay, disrepair, and ruinous sin entered the world. If we go to the very first book of the Bible we read of Adam and Eve who were the first people to walk this earth, and who were made without sin. They were instructed to obey God, and when they did not sin intruded into the world. This is an external struggle as the world ​​was corrupted by it, and it is an internal struggle as we are born sinners because of it. We call this “the fall”, and because of this fall, we, along with our world, are not as we are supposed to be.


We believe that God, in His kindness and grace, was not content to leave His world and His people in a state of ruin. In sharing with Adam and Eve the tragic consequences of their sin, He also shared with them that one day He would send a messiah, or a king, that would rule in the hearts of God’s people. Since then, God has chosen a people who by His grace and kindness, have looked ahead by faith for the coming of the Messiah to our world, and we have the privilege in our time and place to see that Jesus is the promised one that brings us hope and salvation.


We Believe that the coming of Jesus is good news for all people, and that as it is proclaimed God uses His word to bring His people to trust Jesus as their Savior. As this message is proclaimed to all people, God’s people respond to it in faith.


We believe that through the work of His Holy Spirit each and every one of God’s people will be brought into His kingdom on the last day.


We believe that God’s grace is not temporary. All who truly place their faith in Jesus Christ will be counted among the elect on the last day.


We believe that one day Jesus will come again, and that He will make “all things new”. The restoration of our fallen condition and of our damaged world will one day be made complete when there is a new heavens and a new earth.


We believe that the Bible is best understood from a reformed perspective. We are Reformed in our faith and practice according to the Scriptures as summarized in the Belgic confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort.​

Affirmation of Faith

In His divine wisdom our Lord has entrusted to us who are His church both the privilege to believe the whole counsel of God and the inseparable responsibility to practice it. Before he left this earth our Lord said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). To that end, we hereby gladly affirm our belief in the historic Reformed Christian faith given in the Scriptures, commit ourselves to live faithfully by the Scriptures, and consequently to reject all that is contrary to the Word of God. This is necessary for us especially because we live in times when churches and people are uncertain of their faith, some of whom are departing from the faith. We vow together to promote this faith joyfully in our world, and, if need be, to suffer persecution rather than deny the truths of the affirmations herein contained.

THE WORD OF GOD

THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FAITH AND PRACTICE

WE AFFIRM:

  1. That the foundation for all that the church believes and teaches both in faith and practice is the infallible and inerrant Word of God, the Scriptures.
  2. That the Scriptures possess absolute authority and that the Ecumenical Creeds and the Three Forms of Unity, our confessions, possess authority subordinate to the Scriptures in our churches.
  3. That the Holy Spirit will lead, guide, and direct His church always in accord with the Word of God, the Scriptures, never contrary to the Scriptures.

John 17:17; Matthew 4:4; 5:17-20; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 119:105; Belgic Confession Articles 2, 3, 5, 7, 29

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:

  1. To preach and teach the Word of God as our fundamental duty, to make, nurture, and equip disciples of Jesus Christ, and to obey the Great Commission joyfully.
  2. To live according to the Word of God in all of life; in the context of our interpersonal relationships, our families, our daily callings and tasks in the marketplace, and our schools.
  3. To worship only in accord with the commands and principles of the Word of God.
  4. To submit to the final authority of the Word of God instead of the rules and regulations of those who “ascribe more power and authority” unto themselves “than to the Word of God”.

(Belgic Confession Article 29).

WE REJECT:

  1. “With all our hearts whatsoever does not agree with this infallible rule” (Belgic Confession Art. 7).
  2. The error of those who teach that the Holy Spirit leads, guides, and directs His church contrary to the Word of God, or that He provides new divine revelation in addition to the Word of God.
  3. The efforts of all who set aside or muffle the full impact of God’s Word in the name of evangelism, because this effort invalidates the church’s total witness to the world and makes obedience to the Great Commission impossible.

THE INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE

WE AFFIRM:

  1. That the Scripture is the very Word of God written. Since God does not lie nor does He make mistakes, His Word cannot contain error. Therefore, Scripture is inerrant. “Scripture in its whole extent and in all parts is the infallible and inerrant Word of God” (Acts of Synod 1979, p. 127).
  2. That Scripture’s primary subject is the glory of God, a central demonstration of which is the message of redemption. Since the Scripture’s authority, however, extends to all that it actually teaches, all of Scripture’s subject matter is God’s Word and always true. When Scripture speaks concerning matters of history, science, ethics, or anything else, it is true and authoritative, and it governs our thinking in these areas.
  3. That the infallibility of Scripture necessarily implies the inerrancy of Scripture.

2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; Mark 13:31; Titus 1:1-3; Hebrews 6:16-20; Revelation 22:18, 19; Belgic Confession Articles 3, 7; Acts of Synod 1979, p. 127-128.

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:

  1. To teach diligently and defend faithfully the Word of God as infallible and inerrant, and to reject all errors that militate against this doctrine.
  2. To believe and teach all that the Word of God teaches, but especially the primary message of
  3. Scripture that there is redemption for us from sin only through Jesus Christ.

WE REJECT:

  1. The error of those who teach that the Scripture is not itself in its entirety the Word of God, but becomes the Word of God, or contains the Word of God.
  2. The error of those who teach that because of the secondary or human factor in the Scripture’s authorship there are errors, contradictions, or discrepancies in the Word of God.
  3. The error of those who teach that Scripture’s authority only extends to matters of salvation, but not to the Scripture’s references to matters of history, science, ethics, or anything else.
  4. The error of those who teach that we need not study God’s World as well as God’s Word in matters of history, science, ethics, or other areas of general revelation, or who claim that Scripture provides a complete description of such areas.

GENESIS

WE AFFIRM:

  1. That the book of Genesis was written by Moses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and in, all its parts is an accurate, historical presentation.
  2. That Genesis 1 teaches that God created everything out of nothing and that He created it good.
  3. That God created the first man, Adam, from the dust of the ground and the first woman, Eve, from that man. The first man was a unique creation of God, not descending from any previously existing creature. All human beings are descended from these first parents.
  4. That at creation each creature evolved from one form of life (Genesis 1, 1 Corinthians 15:39).

Genesis 1-11; Hebrews 1:2, 10; Hebrews 11:3; Mark 10:6; Luke 24:27

Belgic Confession Articles 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 23

Acts of Synod 1982, pp. 107-108; Acts of Synod 1991, p 767

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:

  1. To understand and teach the Book of Genesis, not only as an accurate account of the beginning of the world, but also as the foundation for many of the Reformed, Christian doctrines so precious to and important for the church.
  2. To respect the uniqueness of human beings as the only image-bearers of God.

WE REJECT:

  1. The error of those who teach that the beginning chapters of Genesis are not the inerrant record of historical factual events of the beginning of the world, but are myth or only a literary device designed to teach religious truth.
  2. The error of those who teach that Adam was not a historical figure, and the error of those who teach that Adam was not the first human being, that he descended from “evolutionary forebears of the human race” (Acts of Synod 1991, p. 767), or that he was not a direct creation of God.

THE CHURCH OF GOD

ITS SAVIOR

WE AFFIRM:

  1. That the redemptive work of Jesus Christ was unique and He remains the only basis of salvation.
  2. That we are right with God only by grace through faith alone.

Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5; John 14:6; 2 Timothy 1:8-12; Hebrews 10:11-14; Romans 5:1, 2, 9-11; 8:1-4; Ephesians 2:1-10

Belgic Confession Articles 20, 21, 22, 23, 26

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:

  1. To take this gospel of Christ to our world as the only answer to mankind’s sin, rebellion, and separation from God.

WE REJECT:

  1. The error of those who teach that there may be salvation apart from participation in the covenant of grace mediated by Jesus Christ, for this is a subversion of the gospel.
  2. The error of those who teach that salvation is in part the work of those who are saved.

ITS UNITY

WE AFFIRM:

  1. That the church is the universal body of Christ. The basis of its unity is not a denominational name, ethnicity, or similarity of background, but solely the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and the doctrines which the Word teaches.
  2. That God’s people are accountable to one another, both on the local level and whenever possible on a wider basis.
  3. That each church must seek ecclesiastical fellowship and union with other churches who faithfully adhere to the Word of God, but only with such bodies.
  4. That, though the local church comes primarily under the authority of the local elders, the rulers of each church are also accountable to other elders who live, and rule in accord with God’s Word.

Ephesians 2:11-22; 4:1-16; Acts 15; 1 Corinthians 5-6:11; 11:17-34; 12:12-31;

Belgic Confession Articles 27, 28, 29

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:

  1. To demonstrate openly in our world that we are part of the body of Christ by a pure and holy lifestyle, by our words and deeds, by being and sending missionaries of the gospel, and by seeking unity with believers everywhere who faithfully adhere to God’s Word.
  2. To submit ourselves to one another out of reverence to Christ and before His Word, and to hold one another accountable to that Word for our lives, actions, teaching, and ministries.
  3. To seek, where possible, visible meaningful fellowship and union with all who believe and faithfully adhere to the Word of God.
  4. To pray for the unity of the church and its faithfulness to the Word of God everywhere.
  5. To call churches to repentance which do not adhere faithfully to God’s Word, and sever relationships with churches which do not repent after repeated admonitions, lest by our silence we share in condoning their sin.

WE REJECT:

  1. The error of those who teach that there is no accountability for the church beyond the local congregation.
  2. The error of those who teach that we should not seek visible meaningful fellowship and union with those who believe and adhere faithfully to the Word of God, and who are therefore content to remain by themselves.

ITS WORSHIP

WE AFFIRM:

  1. That the activities performed in the worship of the church and the content of these activities must be prescribed by the Word of God and must be done for the glory of God.

Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 5:8-10; Leviticus 10:1-7; 1 Samuel 15:22, 23; John 4: 23, 24

Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 96; Belgic Confession Article 32

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:

  1. To promote in worship only that which brings glory to God and that which He has commanded in His Word.

WE REJECT:

  1. The error of those who confuse worship with entertainment, who substitute man-centered activities for God-centered worship, who neglect law or gospel to remove the offense of the Word, who preach or teach “self-esteem” or self-improvement as alternatives to the Word, or who “worship Him in any other way than He has commanded in His Word”.

(Heidelberg Catechism, Answer 96).

ITS OFFICES

WE AFFIRM:

  1. That men and women equally bear the image of God and are to serve Him with all their gifts according to His specific callings to them.
  2. That from creation men were given authority and ultimate leadership in the family and in the church.
  3. That Christ, as He makes clear in His Word, does not call women to the authoritative offices in the church, and therefore the church may not ordain them to these offices.
  4. That the purpose of the spiritual gifts given to men and women in Christ is not self-fulfillment but service to others, to the end that God receives all the glory.

1 Timothy 2 & 3; Titus 1; 1 Corinthians 14

Belgic Confession Articles 30, 31

Acts of Synod 1994, pp. 505-508. 513-516

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:

  1. To develop and use the gifts and abilities of all of God’s people – men, women, and our youth in accord with the Word of God and for the good of God’s kingdom and people.
  2. To preserve the holiness, quality, and authority of the offices of the church in accord with the Word of God.

WE REJECT:

  1. The error of those who teach that permitting women to be ordained as office bearers in the church is a position which honors Scriptures as the infallible Word of God.
  2. The error of those who deny these offices to women for reasons which are contrary to the Scriptures, such as bigotry, male-chauvinism, or tradition.

THE LIFE OF GOD'S PEOPLE

GREAT COMMISSION

WE AFFIRM:

  1. That it is the fundamental duty of God’s people to strive to make and nurture disciples for Jesus Christ in joyful adherence to the Great Commission.
  2. That the task of fulfilling the Great Commission can only be done effectively in our community and world if we stand firmly on the teachings of the Scripture, and if all of God’s people, not simply a select few, actually are engaged in being Christ’s witnesses.
  3. That faithfulness in fulfilling this Great Commission is not dependent on marketing methods or techniques which minimize Biblical standards for worship and evangelism.

Matthew 10:32, 33; 28:16-20; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; 2 Timothy 2:12; 1 Peter 2:1-12; 3:15; Acts 1:8

Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 54

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:

  1. To fulfill this Great Commission by repenting of our failure to be Christ’s witnesses adequately in the past and by making His Commission a priority for the life of the church and its members.
  2. To fulfill this Great Commission by training and equipping ourselves and others to accomplish this mandate better.
  3. To pray fervently and compassionately for our lost world and neighbors.
  4. To employ those methods, and only those methods, for outreach which conform to the Scripture.

WE REJECT:

  1. The error of those who teach that missions is not properly the concern of the church or its members.
  2. The error of those who teach that by trusting in or using marketing methods and techniques which minimize or undermine Biblical standards for worship or evangelism they are being faithful in fulfilling the Great Commission.
  3. The error of those who seek to attract people to Christ merely through entertainment and proceed to teach them only concepts which are designed not to offend non-Christians.

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

WE AFFIRM:

  1. That Jesus Christ is the Lord of all life, not simply of a particular aspect of the Christian’s life.
  2. That every part of our hearts and lives much be brought into conformity to the Word of the Lord of life.
  3. That no part of life is spiritually neutral, but that Christ is the covenant Head and Lord of every endeavor of the Christian: education, business, labor, family, recreation, political activity, social activity, and so forth.
  4. That the Christian life begins with Christ’s gift of regeneration, that we embrace this life by repentance and faith as our response to the gospel, that this repentance and faith will characterize the Christian throughout his life, and that we are unable to submit every part of our lives to Christ
  5. unless they continue to be present.

Ephesians 1:15-23; 4:1-6; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; 10:31; Matthew 5; 6:10; John 3:1-21

Belgic Confession Article 29.

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:

  1. To acknowledge Christ’s exalted position as Lord and to humble ourselves before Him by obeying His Word in every aspect of daily life.
  2. To honor Christ as Lord, and covenant head, and King by educating our children (wherever possible) from a specifically Christian perspective; by living as families and individuals, as husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, men and women, children and young adults in obedience to God’s Word; and by using our gifts and abilities to fulfill our callings in society – all to the glory of God.
  3. To live a holy lifestyle in accordance with God’s Word.
  4. To proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ to our churches and world as our Savior from ongoing sin, and as our only help who enables us to submit to His lordship.

WE REJECT:

  1. The error of those who teach that some vocations or parts of life are holier than others, or that some vocations or parts of life are not subject to the claims of Jesus Christ.
  2. The error of those who teach and live as if the Christian faith does not or should not control what we do in daily life.
  3. The error of those who teach that kingdom living can exist where there is no regeneration, or no personal holiness.

HOMOSEXUALITY

WE AFFIRM:

  1. That homosexual desires and actions are a result of the fall and are sinful.
  2. That those who are guilty of these desires and actions or who argue their legitimacy must, like all sinners, be clearly called to repentance and faith.
  3. That the church acts contrary to love for God and its neighbor when it declares morally good or neutral anything which God has declared sinful.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26, 27; Genesis 19

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:

  1. To provide loving support, patient encouragement, and care for those struggling against homosexual temptations, and to encourage them to seek forgiveness and grace to overcome these temptations.
  2. To disallow ecclesiastical office to those who practice or advocate homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle, and to those who deny that “homosexualism – as explicit homosexual practice – must be condemned as incompatible with obedience to the will of God as revealed in Holy Scripture” (Acts of Synod 1973, p. 52).
  3. To discipline those who deny that the Bible condemns homosexual activity.

WE REJECT:

  1. The error of those who teach that people do not have to repent of homosexual desires or actions because these actions and desires are not sinful, or because such actions and desires are morally neutral.
  2. The error of those who would ordain to ecclesiastical office those who practice or advocate homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle.
  3. The error of those who would have no compassion for the homosexual offender who is genuinely repentant.

FEMININE LANGUAGE

WE AFFIRM:

  1. That God alone has the sole right and authority to tell us how He ought to be addressed by His church.
  2. That members of the Trinity receive masculine reference in the Scriptures, not as a result of a cultural bias of a previous age, but because this is how God chooses to reveal and characterize Himself.

Matthew 6:9; Luke 1:34, 35; John 4:23, 24; Matthew 3:16-17

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:

  1. To uphold the full revelation of God, and to seek to understand carefully all that He has revealed about Himself in the Scriptures including His character, His attributes, and His names.
  2. To be mindful, honoring, and respectful of the way God has characterized Himself in His Word in our prayers, writings, speech, teaching, preaching, and educational material.

WE REJECT:

  1. The error of those who teach that the Scriptures or Confessions should be changed to reflect gender neutral titles in their references to God.
  2. The error of those who teach that it is acceptable to substitute the term “goddess” for God “Mother” for Father in the Lord’s Prayer, or to call Christ a sister, and all such similar terms which are unbiblical.

ABORTION

WE AFFIRM:

  1. That God’s gift to us of human life is so precious in God’s sight that He is the only one who may decide when human life shall end.
  2. That the unborn children from conception is a human being in the image of God.
  3. That intentional abortion as we see it practiced today is a grievous sin.

Psalm 139:13; Jeremiah 1:5; Exodus 20:13

Acts of Synod 1972, pp.63-64; Acts of Synod 1976, p. 64

WE COMMIT OURSELVES:

  1. To teach and exemplify the goodness of sexual relations only within marriage.
  2. To honor and protect all human life from conception on.
  3. To provide support services for pregnant women who find it difficult to keep their children in order and encourage them to choose a live birth.
  4. To support all moral efforts to protect the life of the unborn in our land and throughout the world.

WE REJECT:

  1. The error of those who teach that the unborn child is not, or may be less than a human being.
  2. The error of those who teach that abortion is not the taking of the life of a human person.
  3. By these statements may believers more readily discern truth from error, be instructed in the Word, witness effectively to our world, defend against error, and become instruments in preserving and promoting the true unity of Christ’s church in accord with the Word of God.

God

God's gospel originates in, and expresses, the wondrous perfections of the eternal, triune God.

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who know, love, and glorify one another. Perfectly equal in their divinity, however subordinate in responsibility; the Son submits to the will of the Father & the Holy Spirit is submitted to the will of the Father & the Son. This one true and living God is infinitely perfect both in His love and in His holiness. He is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, and is therefore worthy to receive all glory and adoration. Immortal and eternal, He perfectly and completely knows the end from the beginning, sustains and sovereignly rules over all things, and providentially brings about His eternal good purposes to redeem a people for Himself and restore His fallen creation, to the praise of His glorious grace. (Genesis 1:2, 26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16-17; John 1:1-5; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:16-21)

The Bible

God's gospel is authoritatively revealed in the Scriptures.

All Scripture is self-attesting and, being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God's redemptive acts, culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. (Matthew 5:17-20; John 16:12-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)

The Human Condition

God's gospel alone addresses our deepest need.

Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God's free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, thereby justifying them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life. (Gen. 3; Ps. 143:2; Is. 53:6; Rom. 3:23; I Jn. 1:8-10)

Jesus Christ

God's gospel is made known supremely in the Person of Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus, Israel’s promised Messiah, was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and advocate. ( Lk. 1:35; Jn. 1:1, 14:6; Acts 1:1-10)

The Work of Christ

God's gospel is accomplished through the work of Christ.

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation and being made right with God. (Rom. 3:21-26; Eph. 1:27; Heb. 7:22-28)

The Holy Spirit

God's gospel is now embodied in the new community called the Church.

We believe that we are not simply saved as individuals, but that we are saved “into” something called the Church. This is given many different names in Scripture but the primary one is that of a family or the “household of God” (Eph. 2-3). We are to relate to God as our Father and each other as brothers and sisters “in Christ.” This leads to a deep loving community that displays the power of the gospel to a watching world (John 13:35).

We believe that the local church is an autonomous group of believers who join their lives together by the Gospel. Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

The local church is governed by the scriptures and operates under the Lordship of Christ with Pastor-Elders leading the people toward faithfulness in Christ. The office of the Pastor-Elder is limited to men as qualified by the scriptures. (Acts 2:42-47; Eph. 1:22-23; 1 Pet. 2:9-10)

Christian Living

God's gospel compels us to Christ-like living and mission in the world.

We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With the gospel, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed. We believe that all Christians are called to a life of godly character, devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ and service to Him. 

We believe that the gospel is not only the entry point into the Christian life, but is also the dynamic by which we relate to God. Growing in godliness happens by continually reflecting on the gospel, or “good news” of Jesus’ death and resurrection on our behalf. As we reflect on this, and God’s Word, we become aware of just how big the separation is between our sinfulness and God’s standard. This often happens simultaneously with growth in holiness. As we become more and more aware of just how big the separation is, the gospel becomes more and more important, the cross becomes more and more central, and, as a result, we are driven to worship, rather than pride or despair. (Eph. 5:18; 2 Cor. 6:14, 7:1, Rom. 12:1-2, Eph. 4:32, Col. 1:22-24)

Christ's Return

God's gospel will be brought to fulfillment by the Lord Himself at the end of this age.

We believe in the personal, glorious, and bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ with His holy angels, when He will exercise His role as final Judge, and His kingdom will be consummated. We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the just and the unjust—the unjust to judgment and eternal conscious punishment in Hell, as our Lord Himself taught, and the just to eternal blessedness in the presence of Him who sits on the throne and of the Lamb, in the new heaven and the new earth, the home of righteousness. On that day the church will be presented faultless before God by the obedience, suffering and triumph of Christ; all sin purged and its wretched effects forever banished. God will be all in all, His people will be enthralled by His holiness, and everything will be to the praise of His glorious grace. (Matt. 24:29-31, 36-51, 25:31-46; Lk. 12:35-48,16:19-31; 2 Pet. 3:1-13; Rev. 20:11-15, 21:1-8, 22:6-21)

Response and Eternal Destiny

God's gospel requires a response that has eternal consequences

We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen. (Jn. 5:24, 3:16; Mk. 9:43-50; 2 Thess. 1:9