The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. It is the message of the whole Bible: The creation, the fall, redemption and consummation ordained by God and accomplished through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Christ’s crucifixion is the heart of the gospel. His resurrection is the power of the gospel. His ascension is the glory of the gospel.
Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins. It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases His holy wrath. It also demonstrates His mysterious love and reveals His amazing grace. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name by which men can be saved. At the heart of all sound doctrine is the cross of Jesus Christ and the infinite privilege that redeemed sinners have in glorifying God because of what He has accomplished. Therefore, we want all that takes place in our hearts, churches and ministries to proceed from and be related to the gospel.
The Bible is God’s infallible, inerrant, Word. Scripture alone is our only rule of faith and practice. II Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Sovereignty means rulership or ownership. It is the most important principle of salvation because God provides our way to salvation. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Romans 8:28-30 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.”
The Bible teaches that there is only one God who exists eternally in three persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
We believe that with the Word of God, the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are absolutely essential to our growth in grace. We believe baptism replaces the Old Testament sign of circumcision (Colossians 2: 11-12) and is for believers and their children (Acts 2:38). We believe the Lord’s Supper replaces the Old Testament Passover (I Corinthians 5:8) and is to be given to members in good standing of an evangelical church. See the attached document on the use of grape juice and wine when observing the Lord’s Supper.
We adhere to the doctrines outlined in the historic Westminster Standards: The Westminster Confession of Faith, The Westminster Larger Catechism, & The Westminster Shorter Catechism. We believe that the Westminster Standards contain the essence of the doctrine found in the Bible.
Fasting is a gracious gift from God. It reminds us that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). During His earthly ministry, our Lord Jesus taught that we are to fast as we await His return (Matt. 9:15). When done with medical wisdom, fasting is a spiritual discipline that directs our dependence away from physical sustenance and toward God’s Word and prayer. In moments of hunger, we turn to the comfort of the Holy Spirit through prayer, feeding our souls with His presence and word.
You can read our entire position paper as well as a helpful reference guide at the attached hyperlinks.
We are called to preach the Gospel to everyone that comes among us, in order that they might believe unto eternal life and become members of the Body of Christ and Covenant Church. We minister to and shepherd the people God has sent into our midst. We gladly proclaim the whole counsel of God to believers that they might apply it to every area of life. We build up believers in Christ through worship in spirit and in truth. We make it out duty to equip believers by the Word to discover and develop their gifts for their individual ministries. We believe in sending believers out to serve the Lord wherever He calls them.