We believe that Scripture contained in the Old and New Testament to be the verbally inspired word of God (Holy Spirit led), the final authority of faith and life, infallible (absolute truth), inerrant (without error), and God breathed. The Scriptures are the means by which we learn of God and His gospel – the story of creation, fall, redemption and restoration. In the Scriptures God has revealed truth and salvation – by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. By careful study of the Scriptures we can grow and test our faith, learn how to fight against sin, and find great joy and hope in the character and work of God.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalms 1, 119; Proverbs 3:3-4, 12:22; Jeremiah 33:6; Zechariah 8:16-19 // Matthew 5:18; John 1:14-18, 8:31-32, 14:6-7, 16:12-13, 17:17-19; Romans 4:23-24, 15:4; 1 Corinthians 15:1; Ephesians 1:3, 4:25, 5:6-10, 6:14; Philippians 4:8-9; 1 Timothy 3:15; 2 Timothy 2:15, 3;16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 John 1:2

The Gospel (“good news”) is the account of God’s mercy and grace toward his own creation. It begins with the creation account itself – God breathing into existence everything and forming man into his own image. While God created everything good, man rebelled against God and incurred eternal judgment and death as a result of that rebellion. God’s self-revelation (the Bible) is the testimony of God’s merciful mission to save humanity and heal this broken world. The way he chose to accomplish this was by sending his only Son Jesus Christ to live as a man on earth. We see this Gospel message presented in the Old Testament with the promise of a Messiah (Jesus), and we see it fulfilled in the New Testament with the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus followed by the beginning of the Christian Church. Everything in Scripture (either plainly or in more obscure ways) points to this Gospel message and testifies to the person, work, and cross of Jesus. While all things are not yet reconciled to God, He is in the process of redeeming this world and true believers in Jesus will one day have the joy of dwelling with him forever in heaven.

Genesis 3:15, 12:2-3; 2 Samuel 7:12; Isaiah 53; // Matthew 4:17, 23, 24:14; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:18-19; Luke 7:22, 16:16; Acts 14:15; Romans 1:16-17; 1 Corinthians 1:17-25, 9:16-18, 23; 15:1-8; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Galatians 1:6-11, 2:19-21, 3:7-9; Ephesians 3:6; Philippians 1:27; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Timothy 1:8-11; 1 Peter 4:6, 17

We believe that there is one true and living God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three persons of this ‘Trinity’ are co-eternal in being, co-eternal in nature, co-equal in power and glory; they are distinct persons and form the triune Godhead – the one true God. God alone is omnipresent (everywhere all the time), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), immutable (unchanging), eternal (no beginning or end) and sovereign (supreme rule and authority). God shares with us His holiness, love, truth, righteousness, mercy and beauty.

Genesis 18:25, 50:21-22; Exodus 3:5, 34:6-7; Leviticus 19:2; Deuteronomy 31:6, 32:4; Numbers 23:19; Job 42:2; Psalms 5:4-6, 27:4, 50:2, 84:11, 90:2, 93:2, 99:5, 102:12, 102:27, 139:1-12, 147:5; Proverbs 15:3; Ecclesiastes 3:11; Isaiah 6:3, 8:13, 33:17, 40:12-14, 46:10, 57:15; Jeremiah 23:24; Habakkuk 1:12-13; Malachi 3:6 // Matthew 18:23-35, 19:26; John 3:16, 14:6, 17:17; Acts 17:31; Romans 2:11, 11:29, 12:8; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 2:4-7, 3:20-21; Colossians 1:17; Titus 1:2, 3:5; Hebrews 4:13, 13:8; James 1:17; 1 Peter 1:14-19; 1 John 1:5, 4:8-16 

God the Father

In the triune Godhead, God the Father is the eternal sovereign authority that freely chooses how to execute his will in all creation. He is the one who orders all things and receives all glory. While the Son and Holy Spirit are subject to his supremacy and authority, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal members of the triune Godhead. He in turn presents his Son Jesus as his exact representation, primary agent, and the main focus of all of his self-revelation (the Bible).   The Father gives the gift of salvation, credits the faith of believers as righteousness in light of the Son’s atoning death, and seals believers with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of their eternal life in heaven.

Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Isaiah 63:16 // Matthew 3:17, 6:6, 6:9, 11:25-27; Mark 13:24-32; Luke 10:21-22; John 1:18, 4:24, 5:17-23, 6:44-46, 12:26-28, 14:7-13; Romans 1:7; Galatians 1:1

God the Son

In the Triune Godhead, God the Son is the eternal only Son of God the Father who specifically and uniquely reveals the fullness of God in Creation. He existed before creation with the Trinity, was an active agent in creation itself, was incarnated in human form (Jesus of Nazareth), lived a perfect sinless life, and died a physical death only to be resurrected (in bodily form) and rule in heaven at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus fully and completely submits to the will of the Father, and while on his earthly mission he submitted to the Holy Spirit to carry out the Father’s will. In turn, when he left this earth after his resurrection he sent the Holy Spirit to continue his ministry in the Christian Church.

Jesus’ life on this earth served as a sacrifice to atone for the sins of those who believe in him. While all of creation was affected by sin at the Fall of Man in Genesis 3, Jesus is the one who comes as a redeemer to restore humanity to right relationship with God. In living a perfect life, he lived the life that we humans are incapable of living. In dying his unjust and horrific death on the cross he died the death that was meant for us. In his mercy, God applies the perfect sinless life of Christ to those who believe in him, and poured out his wrath and punishment for our sins on Jesus while he was on the cross. Thus the earthly life of Christ is an example for us, an atonement for us, an evidence of God’s grace toward us, and a message of hope for us.

Jesus will one day return in glory, as he has promised in Scripture. At that time there will be a bodily resurrection of the dead, and a judgment day – the righteous to eternal life, and the wicked to eternal punishment.

Genesis 3:15; Job 19:25-26; Psalm 22; Psalm 96:13; Isaiah 53, 61:1-3, 61:10-11; Joel 2-3 // Matthew 12:8, 16:27-28, 24-25; Mark 13; Luke 17:22-37, 18:31-33, 23:33-24:53; John 1:1-5, 1:10, 14:3, 14:6; Acts 1:7-11, 2:22-36, 17:31; Romans 3:21-26; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 8:6; 15:3-8; 15:20-­28; Philippians 2:5-11, 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3; 2 Timothy 41; Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:9-18; James 5:7-9; 2 Peter 3:8-14; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 22:10-21

God the Holy Spirit

In the Triune Godhead, God the Holy Spirit is the eternal unique Spirit of God who enacts the Father’s will as accomplished by the Son and those who have faith in the Son. The Spirit indwells believers in Jesus at regeneration in accordance with the will of the Father, empowers believers to live lives that are glorifying to God in a process of continual sanctification, focuses attention and glory toward the Son, inspired and continues to illumine the Scriptures to testify to the Son, and blesses the Church with spiritual gifts mentioned in the Scriptures.

Genesis 1:2; Exodus 35:31; Psalm 139:7; Isaiah 11:2; Ezekiel 37:11-14 // Matthew 3:11; Mark 13:11; Luke 4:16-21; John 1:32-33, 3:5-8; John 14:16-17, 4:25-26, 15:26, 16:7-14; Acts 1:8, 2:2-4, 38, 5:1-11, 32, 10:44-47; Romans 8:1-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14, 12:3-11; Galatians 5:22-25

We believe that salvation for man comes from God. The Scriptures are clear that there is no other name or power in heaven, on earth, or anywhere that can save man except by the redemptive work of Christ.

In saving man, God exchanges the perfect work of Christ on the cross and credits his sacrificial atoning death as righteousness for the sins of those who believe in him. Christ’s death then, is penal (the penalty meant for sinners), substitutionary (Christ died as a substitute on our behalf), and a full atonement for sin (fully absorbing the wrath of God for those who believe in him). We also see that God exchanges our sin and his wrath for Christ’s obedience and God’s joy, becoming a “propitiation” for us. As a result, our sins are washed clean by the blood of Christ, and we bear the guilt and shame of our sin no more (“expiation”).

We also believe that God saves man from his fallen state of sinfulness as an act of grace. God the Father gives believers the gift of faith in Christ Jesus, and applies the atoning blood of Christ to their lives. God the Holy Spirit then gives believers a regenerated heart and seals their redemption until Christ’s return. In the course of salvation we believe that the divine act of regeneration precedes the human expression of the faith that God gives. If God does not change a person’s heart and draw man to himself, man is incapable of achieving saving faith.

Leviticus 16:15-20 // Matthew 20:28; John 6:35-40, 6:44-45, 19:28-30; Romans 3:21-26, 8-9, 10:3-9; 1 Corinthians 1:21-25; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; Galatians 3:13, 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:3-23, 2:4-10; Colossians 1:19-23; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; Hebrews 2:14­-18, 6:17-20, 9:24-28; 1 Peter 1:8-12, 3:18; Revelation 5:9

We believe that man was created as both upright (without sin) and in the image of God (attributes communicable to God). God did not create man because God was lonely. Instead, God created man to reveal His goodness and glory to him primarily through relationship, as we see when God walks and talks with Adam and Eve in the garden prior to the entrance of sin (God brings Adam and Eve into relationship with Himself). When Adam and Eve sinned, they brought division between man and God, taking the image of God and making it corrupt with sin. As a result, the nature of a man (mind, soul and body) became totally corrupt as the sin of Adam was imputed (inherently passed) onto all mankind.

As a further result of that original sin man’s image has been distorted, exchanging God’s imprint on the human mind, soul, and body for lies. Jesus Christ is mankind’s only hope for salvation and the restoration of God’s image. In Jesus man finds the true expression of God’s design for humanity. By the atoning blood of Jesus, the Holy Spirit regenerates man’s soul, takes the broken distorted image of God and begins mending and molding it to the image of Christ (sanctification) – a perfectly restored image. As Christians we strive and long for the day when we will live in that perfectly restored, glorified body that awaits us in heaven, knowing that we will battle our earthly bodies and sin nature in the meantime.

Genesis 1:26-28, 9:6; Psalm 8:3-8, 46:10, 144:3-4; Proverbs 22:2; Ecclesiastes 2:14-16, 3:20; Isaiah 1:18, 26:8; Zechariah 12:1 // John 17:17; John 3:16; Acts 10:28, 17:26; Romans 3:10-24, 5:12-17, 7:14-25, 9:23; 1 Corinthians 11:7, 15:21-22; 2 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Titus 2:11-14; James 1:14; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Revelation 21:3-7

• New Hampshire Baptist Confession (1833)
• Baptist Faith and Message (2000)
• Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978)
• Westminster Catechism
• Apostles Creed
• Nicene Creed
• Acts 29 Network Distinctives and Values
• Lausanne Covenant Statement of Faith