Equipping Christians Statement of Faith

God: We believe that there is one true and living God, who is the creator and ruler of heaven and earth. He had no beginning and has no end; He is from everlasting to everlasting. There were no gods formed before Him and there will be no gods formed after Him. In the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in all their works (Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God; He became fully human without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the power of Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life and shed His blood to save mankind (John 1:2-3; Philippians 2:6; Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:2-3).

Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, and as such is co-essential and co-equal with the Father and the Son (Acts 5:3-4). His convicting, regenerating, and sanctifying activity is based upon the redemptive work of Christ and the preaching of the gospel (John 16:13-14; Titus 3:5,6; Ephesians 2:22).

Bible: We believe that the sixty-six books of the Bible as originally given are in their entirety the Word of God, that they are unique and final, and that they are therefore the supreme authority for faith and life (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). We believe that God has providentially preserved the integrity of these biblical scriptures down through the ages so that they remain reliable today (Matthew 5:18).

Man: We believe that through the disobedience of Adam all have become sinners both by nature and choice (Psalms 51:5; Romans 5:12ff), and that apart from regeneration, we are at enmity with God (Romans 8:7).

Salvation: We believe that God in His grace has provided salvation through the Person and work of Jesus Christ, who bore our sins in His own body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24); that salvation is apart from any human merit; that salvation is a gift from God resting solely on Christ’s blood shed on the cross.

Church: We believe that, upon personal trust in Jesus Christ, the believer is baptized by the Spirit into the Church which is the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). Local assemblies, meeting for edification and evangelism, are its visible form.

Missions: We believe that as Christians we are called to make the gospel known to our neighbors and to all nations (Matt. 28:19-20), and to make disciples through prayerful instruction in the Scriptures, with the aim of building up local congregations that are mature in the faith (Ephesians 4:11-13).

Israel: We believe all the promises of God regarding the nation of Israel will be fulfilled. The church—established on the day of Pentecost--is separate from Israel and will continue until the “times of the gentiles” is fulfilled (Luke 14:24). God has a plan for Israel in these Last Days in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. We reject “replacement theology,” which promotes the idea that the church has replaced Israel.

Last Things: We believe that Jesus Christ will return bodily at the end of the age to judge the living and the dead; that all people will be raised; those who have personally trusted in Christ to a resurrection of life, and the lost to a resurrection of damnation (John 5:29; Revelation 20:11-15).