The Bible is the authoritative and accurate account of who God is, what He has done, and how we should live. The 66 books of the Old and New Testament, written by human authors and inspired by the Holy Spirit, are without error in their original form and are the primary way God still speaks to us today.

Deut. 4:1–2; 17:19; Ps. 19:7–10; Prov. 30:5; 2 Tim. 3:15–17; Heb. 4:12; 2 Pet. 1:19–21

There is one true God who is the Creator and rightful ruler of everyone and everything. This one God eternally exists as three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each of whom has always existed and is fully and equally God.

Gen. 1:1–2; Deut. 6:4; Ps. 24:1; Matt. 3:16–17; 28:19; John 1:1–3; Acts 5:3–4; 1 Cor. 2:10–11

Every person is created in God’s image and has inherent worth from conception. Humans are made to know and enjoy God, steward His creation, and live in line with God’s plan, purposes, and precepts.

Gen. 1:26–27; Deut. 10:12–13; Ps. 16:11; 139:13; Isa. 43:7; Mic. 6:8; John 17:3

Humans were created to exist forever. All who have been reconciled with God by faith in Jesus will receive God’s undeserved grace and live with Him forever in a real heaven. All who die while separated from God will receive God’s just punishment and remain separated from Him forever in a real hell.

Job 19:25–27; Isa. 25:8; Dan. 12:2; Matt. 25:46; 1 Thess. 4:13–18; 2 Thess. 1:7–12; 1 John 2:25; Rev. 21–22

The gospel is the good news that God saves sinners through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. No one can ever be good enough to save themselves. Jesus lived the perfect life we cannot live, died the death we deserve to die, and rose to life to give us life. Salvation is a free gift provided by Jesus that must be personally received through repentance and faith in Jesus alone as Savior and Lord.

We are saved from the penalty of sin and for a restored relationship with God as His child. Genuine believers cooperate with the Holy Spirit to become more like Jesus and can be assured they can never lose their salvation, because the grace of God that saves us also changes and sustains us.

John 1:12; 3:16; 10:28–29; Acts 3:19; Rom. 3:10–12; 8:1, 28–39; 1 Cor. 15:1–3, 9–10; 2 Cor. 5:18–21; Eph. 2:1–10; Col. 2:13–14; Titus 2:11–12; 1 Pet. 1:3; Jude 24

Sin is humanity’s and the world’s greatest problem. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, humanity’s relationship with Him was fractured, and every person since has been disobedient by nature and by choice. As a result, we are separated from God and deserve to be judged by God. Our lives and the world are marked by the brokenness that sin creates.

Gen. 3; Ps. 51:5; Isa. 59:2; Matt. 12:36; Rom. 3:10–23; 5:12–21; 8:20–22; Eph. 2:1–3; Heb. 9:27

Jesus is the eternal Son of God who entered into and changed history. He was and is both fully God and fully man. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Through His life, death, and bodily resurrection, He did all that was necessary to make salvation possible. After rising from the grave, He ascended into heaven and will one day physically return and reign for eternity as King.

Matt. 1:18–23; 28:6; John 1:1–2, 14; Acts 1:9–11; Rom. 4:25; Phil. 2:6–7; Col. 2:9; Heb. 1:1–3; Rev. 19–22

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity who lives in each Christian from salvation. Through His ministry, the Holy Spirit brings people to Jesus and empowers subsequent godly living and service. Though all Christians fully receive the Holy Spirit at salvation, they are called to seek to be continually filled with the Spirit, enabling them to live distinctive and powerful lives that point others to Jesus. The spiritual gifts seen in the Bible should be practiced in love and according to biblical guidelines.

Ezek. 36:26–27; Matt. 28:19; John 15:26; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 3:16; 12–14; Gal. 5:22–23; Eph. 5:18; Titus 3:5

The Church is the people of God set apart for the mission of God. It is composed of every genuine believer in Jesus Christ for all time. We are knit together to become the body and bride of Christ, having a special relationship with God and a corresponding assignment from God: the Great Commission. Every Christian should belong to and actively participate in a local church, an organized and localized expression of the worldwide community of believers.

Matt. 28:19–20; Acts 2:42–47; 1 Cor. 1:2; 12:12–13; Eph. 5:25–27; 1 Pet. 2:9; Heb. 10:24–25; Rev. 4

God established a permanent pattern for gender, family, and sexuality at creation and reaffirmed it throughout Scripture. God created humanity, biologically male and female, for one another. There are two distinct, God-given gender identities—male and female—rooted in these two biological sexes that are not interchangeable.

They come together to form the foundational relationship of society’s foundational institution: the family. God designed marriage as a lifelong, public covenant between one biological man and one biological woman that serves His purposes in the world and reflects His relationship with His people. Therefore, all sexual activity outside heterosexual marriage is sinful because it falls short of God’s wise and wonderful plan for human relationships. Sex is a gift from God to be enjoyed exclusively within marriage as defined by God.

Gen. 1:26–28; 2:18–24; Deut. 22:5; Mal. 2:13–16; Matt. 19:4–9; 1 Cor. 6:9–11, 18; Eph. 5:21–33

God has given two outward, visible signs of God’s inward, invisible work that all Christians should practice. They proclaim and remind us of the gospel, strengthen our faith, and celebrate what Christ has done for and in us.

Baptism by immersion in water is a one-time act of obedience for followers of Jesus to publicly declare their new life in Christ after they have personally repented and believed in Him. While the Bible gives freedom in how often it is observed, communion is a repeated act with other believers that commemorates Jesus’ death on the cross and gives us a special chance to enjoy His continued presence with and work for us.

Matt. 3:13–17; 26:26–30; Acts 2:38–42; 16:30–33; Rom. 6:3–5; 1 Cor. 10:16; 11:23–30; Col. 2:12

God will bring the world to its appropriate end in His own time and way. When Jesus personally and visibly returns, all things will finally and perfectly be as they are in heaven. He will raise the dead and reward everyone with either everlasting reward or punishment based on their response of faith to Him during their lives.

There are many theories about how these events will unfold. While understanding and discussing them has value, our focus should not be endless speculation and debate. Instead, Jesus’ return should inspire faithful living, hope for believers, and urgency to share the gospel with unbelievers.

Matt. 16:27; 24:1–51; Mark 13:10; Luke 14:12–24; 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Thess. 4:13–5:11; 2 Thess. 1:7–12; Heb. 9:26–28; 2 Pet. 3:7–18; Rev. 20–22