Statement of Faith

We believe the Scriptures are verbally inspired by God: inerrant, and infallible, sufficient, and authoritative. God is the one Sovereign, living, True, and Triune God and Jesus Christ is his only begotten son – fully God and fully man. Man is spiritually lost and without hope apart from salvation in Christ. Jesus Christ died in our place, revealing God’s perfect mercy and justice, removing sin’s guilt, and satisfying sin’s penalty. He was resurrected bodily from the grave and ascended into heaven. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone and is wholly a work of God. Jesus Christ will one day return visibly, physically, and gloriously.

THE SCRIPTURES of the Old and New Testaments, included in the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, are God’s written revelation to man. The Scriptures are verbally inspired by God in every word and are free of error in the original documents, being infallible, sufficient, and authoritative. As the only essential and infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind, the Bible leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21)

GOD is the one Sovereign, Living, True, and Triune God. He is an infinite, all-knowing Spirit, perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each Person is co-existent, co-equal, and co-eternal with the other Persons in the godhead. Each Person is equally deserving of worship and obedience. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 1:9-11)

JESUS CHRIST is the only begotten Son of God, the eternal Word made flesh, supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. Being fully God and fully man, He was without sin — perfect in nature, in teaching, and in obedience. He was always with God and is God. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:17-25; Colossians 2:8-10; Philippians 2:6-11)

MAN IS SPIRITUALLY LOST. God made man, both male and female, in His own image, for His own glory. When tempted by Satan, man chose to rebel (to sin) against God, ignoring his responsibility to Him. That rebellion brought upon Adam and his descendants both physical and spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God. Therefore, unregenerate man lives under the dominion of Satan in a state of sin. As an enemy of God, man is hostile toward God and hateful of God. Apart from salvation in Christ granted by the grace of God, fallen, sinful man is lost and without hope, irrespective of his quality of character or his achievements. (Romans 5:12-14; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3)

THE ATONEMENT OF JESUS CHRIST. The Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross as the substitutionary (atoning) sacrifice, paying the penalty for sin. By His death in our place, He revealed God’s divine love and upheld God’s justice, removing sin’s guilt and satisfying sin’s penalty. (Isaiah 53; Romans 5:6-11; 1 Peter 3:18)

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST. Having completed His atoning work, the third day He rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death and the powers of darkness. He ascended into heaven where, at God’s right hand, He intercedes for His people and rules as Lord over all. (1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 20-28; Acts 1:9-10; 1 John 2:1)

SALVATION is the free gift of God. The salvation of man, who is sinful and lost, is instantaneous and accomplished solely by the power of the Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of the Word of God when the repentant sinner — enabled by the Holy Spirit — responds in faith. Salvation is provided by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), because of Christ alone (solo Christo), for the glory of God alone (soli Deo Gloria). This salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, the merit of His shed blood, and not on the basis of human merit or works. (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5)

Clydehurst’s Statement of Faith Based Conduct updated and adopted in 2024

THE CONSUMMATION of all things includes the visible, physical, and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the translation of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the ultimate fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom. (Acts 1:6-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 19:11-16)