The Scriptures

The Bible itself claims to be the "living and active" word of God (Hebrews 4:12).   The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments contain the full record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind.  Different men, while writing according to their own styles and personalities, were moved along by the Holy Spirit to record God’s living words.  These "God breathed" words were given just as God intended without error.  The Bible contains several writing genres, including: history, law, poetry, prose, proverbs and prophecy.  Therefore, those applying themselves to study its historical-grammatical context can accurately understand God’s Word.  We believe these writings to be fully, completely, and accurately translated from their original languages into our own.  Several reliable English translations of God's Word are available to us today.  Scripture is fully trustworthy as our final and sufficient authority for all of life ( II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21).

The Nature of God

The Bible presents to us the one living and true God, eternally (John 17:3) existing in perfect unity as three equally and fully divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20).  Each member of the Godhead, while executing distinct but complementary roles in redemptive history, has precisely the same nature and attributes, and is equally worthy of the same glory and honor and obedience (John 1:1-4; Acts 5:3-4). 

God the Father

The Bible teaches that God the Father created all things in six literal days for His glory according to His own will and for His own purpose (Revelation 4:11), through His Son, Jesus Christ.  He upholds all things by the Word of His power and grace, exercising sovereign headship over all creation, providence, and redemption (Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3).

God the Son

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, moved by love in accordance with the will of the Father, took on human flesh (John 1:1, 14, 18).  Conceived through the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the virgin Mary.  He, being fully God and fully man (John 14:8-9), lived a sinless life and sacrificially gave His life on the cross in our place accomplishing redemption for all who place their faith in Him and obey His gospel (II Thessalonians 1:7-8).  He arose visably and bodily from the dead three days later and then ascended into heaven, where, at the Father’s right hand, He is now Head of His Body the Church.  He is the only Savior and Mediator between God and man, and one day will return from heaven to judge the living and the dead (I Timothy 3:16).

God the Holy Spirit

The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit was active in the work of creation (Gen 1:2), in the incarnation (Matthew 1:18), the written revelation (II Peter 1:20-21), and the work of salvation (John 3:5-7).  We believe that God the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ during this age. This unique work of the Holy Spirit in this age began at Pentecost when He came from the Father as promised by Christ (John 14:16-17, 15:26).  The Holy Spirit was the divine teacher who guided the apostles and prophets into all truth as they recorded God's revelation, the Bible (II Peter 1:19-21).  In the first Gospel sermon ever preached (Acts 2:14-40), the gift of the Holy Spirit was promised to all believers who repent and are baptized for the forgiveness of their sins.  The Holy Spirit is given as a "deposit," or a "down payment" to the Christian (Ephesians 1:14).  It is the duty of all those who are "born of the Spirit" (John 3: 5-8) to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) and to be controlled by the Spirit (Romans 8:9-11; I John 2:20,27). 

Mankind

The Bible tells us that God created mankind—male and female—in His own image and likeness, free of sin, to glorify Himself and enjoy His fellowship.  Tempted by Satan, but in the sovereign plan of God, man freely chose to disobey God, bringing sin, death and condemnation to the world.  All human beings since the beginning have followed in the footsteps of Adam and have freely "sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God" (Romans 3:23).   Alienated from God without defense or excuse, and subject to God’s righteous wrath, every sinner is in desperate need of the Savior (Romans 1:18, 32, 3:10-19; I John 1:10). 

Salvation

The Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as the substitutionary atonement in our place, and that salvation is found in none other than Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was the sole and complete payment for sins, fully satisfying God’s righteous wrath, for each person that turns from sin in repentance and is baptized into Christ, placing their faith in Him for salvation.  At salvation each person is made a new creation by the Holy Spirit, declared righteous before God, and is made an adopted child of God.  Genuine faith must continue in obedience and love for Jesus Christ and persevere to the end (Romans 8:37-39; II Corinthians 8:37-39; I Corinthians 12:13).

The Church

The Bible teaches that when a believer is baptized into Christ, the believer is made part of the Body of Christ (Acts 2:41; I Corinthians 12:13), the one universal Church, of which Jesus Christ is the the Architect and Head (Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:18).  The Scriptures command believers to gather locally in order to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, fellowship, and service to the local body through the development and use of talents and spiritual gifts, and outreach to the world to make disciples (Ephesians 1:22-23; Acts 2:42-46; I Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20). We believe that the establishment and continuity of local churches, or congregations, is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:23, 27, 20:17, 28: Galatians 1:2; Philippians 1:1; I Thessalonians 1:1) and that the members of the one spiritual body are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies (I Corinthians 11:18-20; Hebrews 10:24-25).  Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to these commands, the members of the local church are to work together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ (Ephesians 4:16).

Things to Come

We believe in and expectantly await the glorious, visible, personal, and imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The blessed hope of His return has vital bearing on the personal life, service, and outlook of the believer (I Thessalonians 4:13-18).  The Bible teaches that both the saved and the lost will experience bodily resurrection (John 5:28-29).  The lost will be raised to judgment and experience eternal wrath in hell.  The saved will be raised to eternal life and joy in the presence of God (Matthew 25:31-46; Acts 1:3,9; Hebrews 7:25-26).

[Courtesy of The Lord's church at Spring Street]

If you have any questions or desire to study further please contact us.