The
God of the Word
We believe and teach that there is but one
true, eternally existing God. This unique God is Triune, being
one in essence (Deuteronomy 6:4), and yet existing, ever and always,
in three Persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 48:16;
Matthew 28:19). Functional subordinations within the Trinity
never stand opposed to the full Deity that each of the Persons
possesses.
God the Father: We believe and teach that God the Father, the
first person of the Trinity, orders and disposes all things according
to His own purpose and grace (Psalm 145:8-9
; 1 Corinthians 8:6).
He is the creator of all things (Genesis 1:1-31
; Ephesians 3:9).
As the only absolute and omnipotent ruler in the universe, He
is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption (Psalm 103:19;
Romans 11:36). His fatherhood involves both His designation within
the Trinity and His relationship with mankind. As Creator He is
Father to all men (Ephesians 4:6), but He is spiritual Father
only to believers (Romans 8:14; 2 Corinthians 6:18).
In His sovereignty He is neither author nor approver of sin (Habakkuk 1:13; John 8:38-47). He has graciously chosen from eternity past
those whom He would have as His own (Ephesians 1:4-6) yet without
abridging the accountability of moral, intelligent creatures (Romans 9:19-21; 1 Peter 1:17). He graciously saves all who come to Him
through Jesus Christ, adopting them as His own (Matthew 11:28;
John 1:12; Romans 8:15;
Galatians 4:5).
In view of His attributes of greatness (i.e., His self-existence,
infinitude, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, immutability
and incomprehensibility), He is transcendent in Being (Psalm 113:1-5;
Isaiah 57:15a). However, from the perspective of His qualities
of goodness (i.e., qualities including justice, grace, love, beneficence,
restraint, mercy, and faithfulness), He is genuinely immanent
or intimately involved with all His creatures, especially His
chosen people (Psalm 113:6-9; Isaiah 40:27-31,57:15b).
God the Son: We believe and teach that the second Person of the
Godhead is eternally of the same essence of Being as the Father
(John 10:30
, John 14:9). His attributes of greatness and goodness also
correspond to the Father's. His emptying of Himself in Philippians 2:5-8 was not of His divine essence or the surrendering of His
full Deity but pertained to the independent exercise of His Divine
prerogatives during the First Advent - the incarnation (John 1:14).
His incarnation was initiated by the Virgin Birth or Miraculous
Conception in which He took upon Himself genuine humanity (Hebrews 2:9-18). He thereby became the unique God-man who consequently
is the perfect Revealer, Savior, Mediator, and ultimately the
Judge of all men (cf. respectively, John 1:18; Titus 2:13; 1 Timothy 2:5; John 5:27). Through this loving condescension, He fully accomplished
His task of grace which culminated in His sacrificial death, burial,
resurrection, and ascension, furnishing the grounds for the forgiveness
of believing sinners (cf. respectively,Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Romans 6:1-11; Romans 1:4, 4:25; Acts 1:9). As our sole and perfect Mediator,
Christ is prophet, priest, and king of the Church of God (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:24; Daniel 7:14;Acts 4:12; Luke 1:33; John 14:6).
We believe and teach that our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled His
priestly office by offering Himself a sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 5:7-10, 7:27) truly (i.e., actually, not potentially) accomplishing
our redemption and reconciliation (Luke 1:68; Revelation 5:9)
through the shedding of His blood and sacrificial death on the
cross. His death was voluntary, vicarious, substitutionary, propitiatory,
and redemptive (John 10:15;
Romans 3:24-25,
5:8;
1 Peter 2:24).
As a result of these truths, we believe and teach that Christ's
atoning death is sufficient to satisfy God's eternal justice for
the sins of all mankind but is efficient only for all who will
believe - who constitute the elect people of God (Isaiah 53:8;
Matthew 1:21,
20:28;
Luke 1:68
; John 10:15;
Ephesians 5:25).
Today our Lord is building His Church (Matthew 16:18) and continually
ministers to her as the heavenly Advocate interceding for the
saints (Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1). He will return for His bride
in glory (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
and will adjudicate the reward and retribution of all people (Acts 17:30-31;
2 Corinthians 5:10;
Revelation 20:11-15).
God the Spirit: We believe and teach that the Holy Spirit, the
Third Person of the Godhead, is equal in nature with God the Father
and God the Son (Acts 5:3-4;
1 Corinthians 12:4-11,
18; 2 Corinthians 13:14). His divine Personhood is attested by many references to
His attributes of greatness and goodness. In His role within the
economy of the Trinity, He bears divine witness to the Person
and work of Christ in this age (John 15:26). In His relationship
to the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit is their divine Author and
Applier (2 Samuel 23:2;
John 14:25-26,
16:13;
1 Corinthians 2:6-16;
Ephesians 6:17;
2 Peter 1:21).
He is the predominate divine Agent in the Father's plan of salvation
through the work of the Son (John 3:1-10;
16:8-11 ). The Holy Spirit
has always been active in regeneration and renewal, i.e., in personal
salvation and sanctification in both the Old and New Testament
eras. He is vitally associated with our adoption, sealing and
service (Romans 8:12-17;
Ephesians 1:13,
5:18 ). Historically,
the Spirit was intimately involved in the Church's birth at Pentecost
(Acts 2:1-4). In this present age, all genuine disciples permanently
possess the full indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit from the
moment of salvation as a spiritual grace of the New Covenant (John 16:13;
Romans 8:9;
Ephesians 1:13-14). It is the duty of all those
born of the Spirit to be controlled by the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
The Holy Spirit also sanctifies, fills, instructs, empowers them
for service, and seals them unto the day of redemption (Acts 4:31;
Romans 8:9;
2 Corinthians 3:6;
Ephesians 1:13;
1 John 2:20,
27).
We teach that the Holy Spirit administers spiritual gifts to
the Church. He glorifies neither Himself nor His gifts by ostentatious
displays, but He does glorify Christ by implementing His work
of redeeming the lost and building up believers in the most holy
faith (John 16:13-14;
Acts 1:8;
2 Corinthians 3:18). In this respect,
God the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the bestowing of all His gifts
for the purpose of mutual edification and the perfecting of the
saints (1 Corinthians 12:4-11;
Romans 12:6-9).
