The Bible. The Holy Bible was written by men inspired by God, and it is His revelation of Himself to us. It's a perfect treasure of divine instruction: God is its author, salvation is its purpose, and its content is truth without any error. That makes all Scripture completely true and trustworthy. The Bible reveals the standards by which God judges us, and it is, and will always remain, the foundation of Christian unity and the final authority by which every belief, practice, and opinion should be measured. From beginning to end, all Scripture points to Jesus Christ, who is the center of God's revelation.

God. God the Father reigns over all of creation, lovingly guiding His universe, His creatures, and the course of human history according to His gracious purposes. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-wise. He shows a father's care toward all people, and He becomes a true Father to everyone who becomes His child through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ. Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, becoming fully human while remaining fully God. He lived a perfect, sinless life, obeyed God's law completely, and revealed the Father to us. On the cross, He died in our place to pay for our sins and make a way for us to be forgiven. He rose bodily from the grave, appeared to His disciples, and ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God as the one Mediator between God and people. He lives in every believer today, and He will return in power and glory to judge the world and complete His work of redemption.

The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is fully God. He inspired the writers of Scripture and helps us understand its truth, always pointing us to Jesus Christ. He convicts people of sin, draws them to the Savior, and brings new life to everyone who believes. The moment we're saved, He places us into the Body of Christ and lives within us as God's promise that He will finish the work He began. Day by day, He shapes our character, comforts us, and gives spiritual gifts so we can serve God through His church. He empowers believers and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

Man. God created people in His own image, male and female, as the crowning work of His creation, and He made the gift of gender part of the goodness of that creation. In the beginning, mankind was without sin and given the freedom to choose. Tempted by Satan, man chose to disobey God, and sin entered the human race. As a result, every person is born with a nature inclined toward sin, and once we're old enough to make moral choices, we sin and stand condemned before God. Only God's grace can restore us to fellowship with Him and allow us to live out the purpose for which He created us. Because every person bears God's image and Christ died for all, every person of every race has full dignity and deserves respect and Christian love.

Salvation. Salvation is God's gift of redemption for the whole person, offered freely to everyone who receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, whose blood secured eternal redemption for all who believe. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Him. Salvation begins with the new birth, when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and we respond by turning from sin to God in repentance and trusting Christ completely in faith. In that moment, God justifies us, fully forgiving our sin and bringing us into a relationship of peace and favor with Him. From then on, the Spirit living within us sets us apart for God's purposes and helps us grow toward spiritual maturity throughout our lives. Salvation reaches its completion in glorification, when the redeemed enter the final, eternal blessing of life with God.

The Church. A New Testament church is an independent local congregation of baptized believers, joined together by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel. The church observes the two ordinances Christ gave, follows His teachings, uses the gifts God has given its members, and works to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation governs itself under the lordship of Christ through democratic processes, and every member is accountable to Christ as Lord. The church has two scriptural offices: pastor/elder/overseer and deacon. Both men and women are gifted for service in the church, but the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. The New Testament also describes the church as the Body of Christ, made up of all the redeemed of every age, from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It's an act of obedience that pictures the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior: dying to sin, burying the old life, and rising to walk in new life in Christ. It also testifies to our faith in the final resurrection of the dead. As a church ordinance, baptism comes before the privileges of church membership and the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience in which church members share the bread and the fruit of the vine to remember the death of our Redeemer and look forward to His return.

Evangelism and Missions. Every follower of Christ and every church has both the duty and the privilege of making disciples of all nations. When the Holy Spirit gives us new life, He also gives us a new love for others, so sharing the Gospel flows naturally from a changed heart. Jesus Himself repeatedly commanded His followers to preach the Gospel to all nations. Every child of God is called to faithfully reach the lost for Christ, sharing the Good News with our words, backing it up with the way we live, and using every method that honors the Gospel.