Belief 1:The
Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of
God, given by divine inspiration through the holy men of God who
spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. In
this Word, God has committed to man the knowledge necessary for
salvation. The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of
His will. They are the standard of character, test of experience,
authoritative revealer of doctrines, and trustworthy record of God's
acts in history.
Belief 2:There
is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three CO-eternal
Persons. God is immortal, all-knowing, all-powerful, above
all, and ever present. He is infinite and beyond human comprehension,
yet known through His self revelation. He is forever worthy
of worship, adoration, and service by the whole creation.
Belief 3:God
the Eternal Father is the Creator, Source, Sustainer, and Sovereign
of all creation. He is just and holy, merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
The qualities and powers exhibited in the Son and Holy Spirit are
also revelations of the Father.
Belief 4:God
the Eternal Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ. Through
Him all things were created, the character of God is revealed, the
salvation of humanity is accomplished, and the world is judged.
Forever truly God, He became also truly man, Jesus the Christ.
He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
He lived and experienced temptation as a human being, but perfectly
exemplified the righteousness and love of God. By His miracles
He manifested God's power and was attested as God's promised Messiah.
He suffered and died voluntarily on the cross for our sins and in
our place, was raised from the dead, and ascended to minister in
the heavenly sanctuary in our behalf. He will come again in
glory for the final deliverance of His people and the restoration
of all things.
Belief 5:God
the Eternal Spirit was active with the Father and Son in Creation,
incarnation, and redemption. He inspired the writers of Scripture.
He filled Christ's life with power. He draws and convicts
human beings; and those who responds He renews and transforms into
the image of God. Sent by the Father and Son to be always
with His children, He extends spiritual gifts to the church, empowers
it to bear witness to Christ, and in harmony with the Scriptures
leads it into all truth.
Belief 6:God
is the Creator of all things, and has revealed in Scripture the
authentic account of His creative activity. In six days the
Lord made "the heaven and the earth" and all living things upon
the earth, and rested on the seventh day of that first week.
Thus He established the Sabbath as a perpetual memorial of His completed
creative work. The first man and woman were made in the image
of God as the crowning work of Creation, given dominion over the
world, and charged with responsibility to care for it. When
the world was finished it was "very good" declaring the glory of
God.
Belief 7:Man
and woman were made in the image of God with individuality, the
power and freedom to think and to do. Though created free
beings, each is an indivisible unity of body, mind, and spirit,
dependent upon God for life, breath, and all else. When our
first parents disobeyed God, they denied their dependence upon Him
and fell from their high position under God. The image of
God in them was marred and they became subject to death. Their
descendants share this fallen nature and its consequences.
They are born with weaknesses and tendencies to evil. But
God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself and by His Spirit
restores in penitent mortals the image of their Maker. Created
for the glory of God, they are called to love Him and one another,
and to care for their environment.
Belief 8:All
humanity is now involved in a great controversy between Christ and
Satan regarding the character of God, His law, and His sovereignty
over the universe. This conflict originated in heaven when
a created being, endowed with freedom of choice, in self-exaltation
became Satan, God's adversary, and led into rebellion a portion
of the angels. He introduced the spirit of rebellion into
this world when he led Adam and Eve into sin. This human sin
resulted in the distortion of the image of God in humanity, the
disordering of the created world, and its eventual devastation at
the time of the worldwide flood. Observed by the whole creation,
this world became the arena of the universal conflict, out of which
the God of love will ultimately be vindicated. To assist His
people in this controversy, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and the
loyal angels to guide, protect, and sustain them in the way of salvation.
Belief 9:In
Christ's life of perfect obedience to God's will, His suffering,
death, and resurrection, God provided the only means for atonement
for human sin, so that those who by faith accept this atonement
may have eternal life, and the whole creation may better understand
the infinite and holy love of the Creator. This perfect atonement
vindicates the righteousness of God's law and the graciousness of
His character; for it both condemns our sins and provides for our
forgiveness. The death of Christ is substitutionary and expiatory,
reconciling and transforming. The resurrection of Christ proclaims
God's triumph over the forces of evil, and for those who accept
the atonement assures their final victory over sin and death. It
declares the Lordship of Jesus Christ, before whom every knee in
heaven and on earth will bow.
