Scripture
WE AFFIRM that Scripture, which is the sixty-six books separated in the Old and New Testament, is direct revelation from God and serves as the supreme and inerrant authority for guiding both what we believe and how we live (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Timothy 5:18).
WE DENY that any personal revelation, reason, tradition, church figure, or other text can supersede the authority of Scripture in our doctrine and lives.
Trinity
WE AFFIRM that there is one God eternally existing as one essence and three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, each of whom is fully God (Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19). We also affirm the full participation of each member of the Trinity in the atoning work of Christ on the cross, willed by the Father, obeyed by the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:24, Romans 1:4, John 2:19).
WE DENY that the Bible teaches that there are three Gods, that God is one person who actively changes roles, or that the Son and Spirit are subordinate to the Father.
Nature of Christ
WE AFFIRM that the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was both truly man and truly God (1 John 4:12, John 1:1-5).
WE DENY that the Bible teaches that Jesus was merely a man or merely God (2 John 1:7).
Nature of Man
WE AFFIRM that man in his natural state has a heart that produces evil, in the gospels we see Jesus say that “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 7:21-23). We also affirm that man has had eternity placed on his heart, so that his heart will never find rest in the empty things he pursues, until he finds rest in God (Ecc. 3:11). Lastly, we affirm that man cannot consider the Spiritual things because they are folly to him, but once the Spirit resides in him, man can begin to be reshaped by God into the sanctified image of Christ (1 Cor 2:14).
WE DENY that man naturally desires God or considers Spiritual things without divine intervention.
Salvation
WE AFFIRM that salvation comes solely by God’s grace shown towards us and through our faith in Christ. Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6) and that He lived a perfect life on our behalf in order to be a “Lamb without blemish” (1 Peter 1:19) and that without Jesus being divine He could not have atoned for the sins of the whole world.
WE DENY that salvation comes by any sort of merit or work performed by man (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Value of Human Life
WE AFFIRM that humanity was created intentionally in God’s image and therefore holds distinct value and worth from the point of conception. In light of this, we treat all people with dignity and respect regardless of race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or medical condition (Genesis 1:27).
WE DENY that humanity is worthless or was created by some cosmic accident and therefore holds no distinct value or worth. We also deny that any particular people group is to be treated with more dignity and respect than another.
Sexuality (From the Nashville Statement)
WE AFFIRM that God has designed marriage to be a covenantal, sexual, procreative, lifelong union of one man and woman, as husband and wife, and is meant to signify the covenant of love between Christ and his bride the church.
WE DENY that God has designed marriage to be a homosexual, polygamous, or polyamorous relationship. We also deny that marriage is a mere human contact rather than a covenant made before God.
