THE TRINITY

There is one true & living God who exists in 3 persons: the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit

There is one and only one living and true God. God is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being. He is the Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, & Ruler over the universe. He is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. God is of one substance, power, and eternal purpose yet eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son—Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Trinity is without division of nature, essence, or being. The persons of the Trinity are equal in every divine perfection. They execute distinct yet harmonious functions in the work of creation providence, and redemption. The Triune God possesses all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness.

Genesis 1:1,26—27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 3:16—17; 28:19; John 1:1—4; 4:24; 5:26; 15:26; Acts 7:2; Romans 1:19—20; 9:5; 2 Corinthians 13;14; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:5—6; Colossians 2:9; 1 John 5:7

God The Father ::

God the Father is an everlasting, infinite, perfect personal being who is the sovereign and rightful ruler of all that exists.  He is all perfect in holiness, power, knowledge, love, and wisdom.  He created all things and upholds, directs, disposes, and governs all creatures, actions, and things by His understanding and provision according to his infallible foreknowledge and the immutable counsel of His own will.  God in His providential care over the universe makes use of all natural and spiritual means and yet is free to work without, above, and against them at His pleasure.   He is sufficient in Himself, not standing in need of any creature that He has made.  He demonstrates His nature with steadfast mercy towards humanity and He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men. He draws men and women to Himself through His Son—Jesus Christ, forgiving the sin and delivering from death those who come to Him through Christ for salvation.  As such, He is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. The Father hears and answers prayer according to His infinite wisdom, love, and providence.  He will carry out all things in their proper time and order that they would come to their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ to reveal the supremacy of His name and purposes especially including the power of His love.

Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2—3; 15:11; 20:1; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Job 22:2—3; Psalm 19:1—3; Psalm 139; Isaiah 43:3,15; 55:10—11; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Daniel 3:27; Hosea 1:7; 2:21—22; Matthew 4:4; 6:9; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9—11; Luke 10:21—22; John 3:16; 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1—8, Acts 1:7; 17:24—28, 31; Romans 1:7; 4:19--21; 8:14—15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:1—2, 17; 2:5—6; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:3, 17; 1 John 5:7; Revelation 1:4—6

God The Son—Jesus Christ ::

Jesus Christ is the only begotten eternal Son, very God of very God, and the image of the invisible God. In His Incarnation He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and was born of the virgin Mary.  Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet He lived a sinless life. He performed many signs and wonders, and taught the words of eternal life.  He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and offered Himself as His substitutionary and sacrificial death on the cross.  By doing so, He made the atonement provision for the redemption of men from sin.  He secured for us eternal redemption and made a way for everlasting life. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion.  He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in who Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man.  Salvation is found in and through Christ and Him alone.  It only because of His grace that we may approach His throne and receive the pardon for our sins.  He awaits the time when the Father will send Him personally back to the earth in power and glory to judge the world and to usher in the final portion of His redemptive mission.  He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord. He is worthy of praise and honor from all creation in whatever worship, service, or obedience that He is requires of them.  At His appearance every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

Genesis 18:1; Psalms 2:7; 110:1; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27, 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 20:28; 27; 28:1—6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1—18, 29; 8:46—47;10:30,38; 11:25—27; 12:44-50; 14:7—11; 16:15—16, 28; 17:1—5, 21—22; 20:1—20, 28, 30—31; Acts 1:9, 11; 2:22—24; 7:55—56; 9:4—5, 20; Romans 1:3—4; 3:23—26; 5:6—21; 6:9; 8:1—3; 9:5; 10; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1—28; 2 Corinthians 5:19—21; 8:9; Galatians 3:13; 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:7, 20; 3:11; 4:7—10; Philippians 2:5—11; Colossians 1:13—22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14—18; 1 Timothy 2:5—6; 3:16; Titus 2:13—14; Hebrews 1:1—3; 4:14—15; 7:14—28; 9:12—15, 24—28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21—25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7—9; 3:2; 4:14—15; 5:9; 2 John 7—9; Revelation 1:13—16; 5:9—14; 12:10—11; 13:8; 19:16 

God The Holy Spirit ::

The Holy Spirit is fully divine, equal with the Father and the Son as God who convicts and convinces the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.  He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth.  The Holy Spirit is the divine agent by who believers are born into the Kingdom of God.  As our abiding helper, the Spirit effectually calls, sanctifies, empowers, baptizes, indwells, guides, teaches, and equips all believers for service and witness.  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit guides, governs, and protects the child of God from spiritual defeat and oppression.  He enables believers to live in union with Christ Jesus and God the Father. At the moment of salvation, it is who He who immerses every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7; Isaiah 61:1—3; Joel 2:28—32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16—17, 26; 15:26—27; 16:7—14; Acts 1:8; 2:1—4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6—13; 19:1—6; Romans 8:9-11, 14—17, 26—27; 12:4—8; 1 Corinthians 2:10—14; 3:16; 6:19; 12:3—11,13; 2 Corinthians 3:6, 17; 12:12; Galatians 4:6; 5:25; Ephesians 1:13-14; 22; 4:11—12; 30; 5:18; 6:11—18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6—7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17