What We Believe

The Bible- The Holy Bible is the authoritative inspired Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible, and inerrant. 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26

God– We believe there is one God. In the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and attribute, fulfilling distinct, but complementary, roles in the great work of redemption. (Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 John 5:7.)

God the Father
We believe in God the Father, the co-Creator with the Son and the Holy Spirit, who is the eternal, all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present, and unchangeable Creator of all. (Deuteronomy 32:6; Psalms 103:13; Isaiah 63:16; Matthew 6:9; John 3:1, 5:19-23, 17:1-11; Acts 17:28; Romans 8:14-16; Ephesians 4:6.)

God the Son
We believe in Jesus Christ, God the Son, co-Creator with the Father and Holy Spirit, who took upon Himself human form, being conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. His death by crucifixion and His bodily resurrection reconciled the human race to God. He ascended to heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us as the King of kings and Lord of lords. (Isaiah 53:1-5; Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:1-3, 11:25-26; Ephesians 1:20-23; Philippians 2:1-6; 1 Timothy 2:5.)

God the Holy Spirit
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, co-Creator with the Father and Son, who is now sent by the Father through the Son to convict the world of sin, lead us into all truth, and empower and equip the Church to carry on Christ’s work on earth. (Genesis 1:2; John 14:26, 15:26, 16:8; Acts 1:8.) We believe the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in every believer at the moment of salvation. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is distinct from salvation, releasing the power of the Holy Spirit through faith. Consistent with biblical accounts, believers should anticipate Spirit-baptism to be accompanied by speaking in tongues and other biblical manifestations. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is given to endue the believer with power from God, to offer an inspired witness for Christ, to lead the believer in a life of holiness, and to equip for a Spirit-filled life of service. (John 7:37-39, 14:16; 2:4, 2:38-39, 8:14-17, 10:44-46, 19:6; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16.)

Gifts Of The Holy Spirit– The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible’s lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters. John 15:8; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4:16; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6-7; Hebrews 2:4; 1 Peter 4:10

Human Beings– People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin.” This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life. Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1,2

Redemption– Man was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression he fell; his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Genesis 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21; Titus 2:14; Galatians 3:13

Salvation– Salvation is God’s free gift to us but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into their life by faith. Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; John 14:6; Titus 3:5; Romans 3:23-24, 5:1, 6:23, 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Galatians 3:26; Hebrews 9:22; I Tim 2:4; 1 John 2

Jesus’ Blood– The blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death. 1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29

Repentance– Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation. Acts 2:21, 3:19; John 6:37; 1 John 1:9
New Birth– In order to become a child of God, a person must be born again. John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17

Sanctification– Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3; Romans 8:29, 12:1-2; Hebrews 2:11

The Church– The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus’ Great Commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the Church as a member of the body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23

Water Baptism: Following a person’s declaration of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible commands them to be baptized in water. The only form of baptism we practice is believer’s baptism by immersion. Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38, 41; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48; Romans 6:4. 

Communion: A time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-28

Healing Of The Sick– Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a sign, which is to follow believers. It is also listed in scripture as one of the gifts of the Spirit. Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29

Resurrection– Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected; those that are saved to the resurrection of life and those that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation. Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21

Eternity– People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:3-4, 41; Mark 9:43-48; John 3:16, 14:2, 17, 17:24; Romans 6:23, 8:17-18; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 2 Corinthians 2:7-9, 5:1; Hebrews 9:27, 11:16; 1 Peter 1:4; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8

Second Coming Of Christ– Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures. Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7

Marriage/Sexual Purity- We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as either male or female. These two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God {Genesis 1:26–27}. All activities and policies of the University, including living arrangements and athletic participation, will reflect these beliefs in application. We further believe that marriage, the Church, and righteous governments are the building blocks of human civilization, and that the Church and righteous governments should therefore recognize the Biblical design for marriage, which is one man and one woman in a monogamous relationship for life {Genesis 2:18–25; Matthew 19:4–6; Because we believe that the term marriage has only one meaning—the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture {Genesis 2:18-25}—we also believe that sexuality is a gift from God and that God intends sexual activity to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other {1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2–5}.Hebrews 13:4}. We further believe in sexual purity, and we believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, polyamory, incest, or use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God {Matthew 15:18–20; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10}.