Statement of Faith
On Man
We believe that man was created by God from the dust of the earth,
without sin or the knowledge of good and evil. The first man, Adam,
transgressed the command of God, and as God had warned, the process of
death entered him and all of his descendants because of that
transgression. Therefore, all have sinned and are worthy of the sentence
of death. Because of our unrighteousness, we are unable to approach a
holy God, except through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. Through Jesus,
we not only can come before the Throne of Grace, but we may approach it
boldly since our confidence is not in ourselves, but in the Lord Jesus.
On the Atonement
Because all have sinned and are therefore under the sentence of death,
all must trust in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus for the remission of
sins. There is no other way to reconcile with God or escape from eternal
judgment, except through the propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus.
Those who trust in Jesus Christ have access to the Throne of Grace by His sacrifice and by His sacrifice and by His sacrifice alone. Good works are acceptable to God only as a love offering given to Him because of His worthiness, and have no bearing on our acceptance, standing or approval, all of which were accomplished by the cross. Good works offered for the purpose of acceptance, standing or approval are therefore an affront to the cross by which all of these things were gained for us by Jesus. Good works are not offered for His approval, but for His joy and glory, and must be offered through the Son (see 1 Peter 2:5) in obedience to Him. Therefore, the goal of our service is obedience and not sacrifice.
