God and His Revelation2 Timothy 3:16–17; Psalm 19:7–11
The Holy Scriptures2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21
The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God and the final authority for faith and obedience. Scripture contains everything necessary for God’s glory, salvation, and faithful Christian living. The Holy Spirit enables believers to understand it, and Scripture is its own surest interpreter.
God and the Holy TrinityMatthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14
There is one living and true God, infinite and perfect in every way. He is eternal, self-existent, unchangeable, all-knowing, all-powerful, holy, just, good, and loving.
This one God eternally exists as three distinct persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—equal in divine nature, power, and glory.
God’s Gracious PurposeEphesians 1:3–11; Romans 8:28–30
From eternity, God freely and wisely ordained everything that comes to pass. His sovereignty does not make him the author of sin or remove human responsibility.
In grace, God has made salvation available in Christ to all people. Those who turn from sin and trust in Christ receive eternal life; those who persist in unbelief remain under just condemnation for their sin.
Creation, Providence, and the FallGenesis 1–3; Acts 17:24–28
CreationGenesis 1:1, 26–31; Colossians 1:16
God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—created the visible and invisible world in six days, and everything he made was very good.
He created humanity male and female, in his image, with immortal souls, moral responsibility, and dominion over the earth.
Divine ProvidencePsalm 103:19; Proverbs 16:9; Romans 8:28
God continually sustains, directs, and governs every creature and event according to his wise and holy purpose. His providence extends even over human sin without making him its author or excusing the sinner.
God exercises special care over his church and works all things for its ultimate good.
Humanity’s Fall into SinGenesis 3:1–19; Romans 5:12–19
Adam and Eve willingly disobeyed God and fell from their original righteousness. As humanity’s first parents and representatives, they brought guilt, corruption, and death upon their natural descendants.
Every person is therefore born with a sinful nature from which actual sins arise and is subject to God’s righteous judgment apart from Christ.
God’s Covenant and Christ’s RedemptionGenesis 17:7; Galatians 3:7–14
The Covenant of GraceGenesis 3:15; Hebrews 8:6–13
Because the distance between God and humanity is so great, people can enjoy saving fellowship with him only through his gracious initiative.
After the fall, God revealed the covenant of grace, promising salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ. This salvation is entirely a gift of grace received through faith.
Christ the Mediator1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:14–16
Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and humanity and the church’s prophet, priest, and king. He is fully God and fully man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, yet without sin.
He perfectly obeyed God, died as a substitute for sinners, rose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now intercedes for his people. He will return in glory to judge the world.
Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice is sufficient for all, and it effectively saves everyone who comes to him in repentance and faith.
The Application of SalvationEphesians 2:8–10; Titus 3:4–7
Human Freedom and the Need for GraceJohn 1:12–13; Acts 17:30; Ephesians 2:1–5
Human choices are voluntary and are not externally forced. Sin has deeply affected every person, and no one can save himself or produce the righteousness God requires. Yet God graciously calls all people to repent and believe, and those who respond to his grace may come freely to Christ.
God’s grace renews the sinner’s will so that the person freely comes to Christ and increasingly desires what is good. Only in glory will believers be perfectly and unchangeably free from sin.
God’s Gracious CallJohn 16:8–11; Romans 10:8–13
Through his Word and Spirit, God calls sinners to salvation. He awakens their minds, exposes sin, and graciously enables them to turn from sin and trust in Christ. This saving response is not earned by human merit, but it is genuinely received through faith.
This new birth rests entirely on God’s grace, not on human merit or prior action. Salvation is found in Christ alone.
JustificationRomans 3:21–28; 2 Corinthians 5:21
God freely justifies those who believe by pardoning their sins and accepting them as righteous.
This righteousness is not earned or produced by believers. It rests entirely on Christ’s obedience and sacrificial death, credited to them by God. Faith alone receives Christ, yet genuine faith never remains alone but produces love and obedience.
AdoptionJohn 1:12; Romans 8:14–17
All who are justified are adopted into God’s family through Jesus Christ. They receive his name, the Spirit of adoption, access to the Father, loving discipline, protection, provision, and the promise of an everlasting inheritance.
Sanctification2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–7
Those united to Christ are set apart for God and progressively transformed through his Word and Spirit.
Sin’s ruling power is broken, although remaining corruption continues to produce spiritual conflict. By grace, believers grow in holiness and increasingly live for God.
Saving FaithRomans 10:9–17; Hebrews 11:1, 6
Saving faith is produced by the Holy Spirit, ordinarily through the ministry of God’s Word. It believes what God has revealed and responds to his commands, warnings, and promises.
Above all, saving faith receives and rests upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life. It may be weak or strong, but through Christ it ultimately endures.
RepentanceMark 1:15; 2 Corinthians 7:9–10
Saving repentance is a grace by which sinners recognize the evil of their sin, grieve over it, turn from it, seek God’s mercy in Christ, and pursue faithful obedience.
Repentance continues throughout the Christian life and should address known sins honestly and particularly. No sin is too great to condemn a person who truly repents and trusts in Christ.
Good WorksMatthew 5:16; Ephesians 2:10; James 2:14–18
Good works are those God commands in Scripture. They are the fruit and evidence of genuine faith, glorify God, strengthen assurance, help others, and adorn the gospel.
Good works cannot earn forgiveness or eternal life, since even our best efforts remain imperfect. Our ability to do good comes entirely from the Spirit of Christ.
God’s Preservation and Our PerseverancePhilippians 1:6; Hebrews 10:23–25
God faithfully keeps all who are united to Christ, and believers are called to continue in faith, repentance, and obedience. Scripture warns against falling away, and it assures us that God supplies grace to preserve those who remain in Christ.
God’s preserving grace, Christ’s intercession, the Spirit’s presence, and the believer’s continuing trust all give strength for the Christian life. Believers may fall into serious sin for a time, but God calls them to repentance, restores them, and completes his work in all who remain faithful to Christ.
Assurance of SalvationRomans 8:15–16; 1 John 5:11–13
True believers may possess a well-grounded assurance of salvation based on God’s promises, the evidence of grace in their lives, and the Spirit’s witness.
Assurance is not the essence of saving faith and may take time to develop. It may be weakened through sin, negligence, or severe trials, yet God preserves his people from final despair.
The Christian LifeRomans 12:1–2; Colossians 3:1–17
The Law of GodMatthew 22:37–40; Romans 3:31
God’s moral law reflects his righteous character and permanently binds all people.
The ceremonial laws given to Israel were fulfilled and ended in Christ. Israel’s civil laws expired with that nation, although their underlying principles of justice remain instructive.
Believers are not justified by the law, but it continues to reveal God’s will, expose sin, guide faithful living, and show their continuing need for Christ.
The GospelRomans 1:16–17; 1 Corinthians 1:18–25
After the fall, God revealed the gospel through the promise of Christ. Knowledge of salvation through Christ comes through God’s revealed Word, not through nature or human reason alone.
The outward proclamation of the gospel must be accompanied by the Holy Spirit’s effective work for sinners to be converted.
Christian Liberty and ConscienceGalatians 5:1, 13; Romans 14:1–12
Christ frees believers from the guilt and dominion of sin, the law’s condemnation, slavery to Satan, and the fear of death. He gives them free access to God and enables willing, childlike obedience.
God alone is Lord of the conscience. No person or institution may require belief or obedience contrary to Scripture or impose human teachings as though they carried divine authority.
Christian liberty must never be used as an excuse for sin.
Civil GovernmentRomans 13:1–7; 1 Peter 2:13–17
God established civil authorities for the public good, the protection of those who do right, and the punishment of wrongdoing.
Christians may hold public office and, when justice and necessity require it, participate in lawful defense. Believers should pray for authorities, honor them, pay what is owed, and obey lawful commands unless obedience would require disobedience to God.
MarriageGenesis 2:18–24; Matthew 19:4–6
Marriage is a covenantal union of one man and one woman. It is given for mutual help, the honorable raising of children, and the prevention of sexual immorality.
Believers should marry in the Lord, and marriage must not occur within relationships forbidden by Scripture.
Christ and His ChurchEphesians 1:22–23; Colossians 1:18
The ChurchMatthew 16:18; Acts 2:42–47
The universal church consists of all whom God has redeemed and united under Christ, its only head.
A local church is a gathered congregation of professing believers who commit themselves to Christ and to one another under his Word. Christ gives each church the responsibility to worship, teach, appoint qualified elders and deacons, practice discipline, and observe his ordinances.
Churches should cooperate and seek one another’s counsel while retaining responsibility for their own affairs.
The Communion of SaintsActs 2:42–47; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27
All believers are united to Christ and therefore to one another. They are called to use their gifts, prayers, encouragement, service, and material resources for each other’s good.
This fellowship should extend, as opportunity allows, to the whole household of faith.
Death, Resurrection, and JudgmentJohn 5:28–29; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
The State after DeathLuke 23:39–43; 2 Corinthians 5:6–8
At death, the body returns to dust while the soul continues consciously before God.
The righteous are received into paradise with Christ, while the wicked remain under punishment awaiting judgment. Scripture teaches no third state for departed souls.
The Resurrection1 Corinthians 15:20–26, 42–49
At Christ’s return, the dead will be bodily raised and reunited with their souls. The righteous will be raised to everlasting glory and the unrighteous to dishonor.
The Last JudgmentMatthew 25:31–46; Revelation 20:11–15
God has appointed a day when Jesus Christ will judge fallen angels and every person with perfect righteousness.
The redeemed will enter everlasting life and joy in God’s presence, while the unrepentant will receive everlasting punishment.
Because the time of Christ’s return is unknown, everyone should turn from sin, find comfort in God’s promised justice, and remain watchful for the Lord’s coming.
