Articles of Faith

We affirm that God created man in His own image distinctly male and female (Genesis 1:26-27) in innocence (Genesis 1:31). As a free moral agent Adam chose to go his own way and sinned. This sin resulted in death for all mankind. Because Adam sinned, mankind is now born with a sinful nature, sinning willfully and incapable of living righteously.  Man’s only hope of reconciliation to his creator is to turn in humble dependence believing in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ who shed His blood for rebellious man.

(Romans 5:12; Hebrews 9:12)

We further affirm that man was uniquely created on the sixth day of Creation: out of the dust of the ground, given the breath of life becoming a living soul (Genesis 2:7), in God’s own image, innocent, having a free will (Genesis 2:16-17), not alone (Genesis 2:20-25), for God’s good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

Mankind was given an opportunity to reflect in a perfect way God and His:

• Creativity (Genesis 1) / Man – be fruitful and subdue (Genesis 1:28; Hebrews 2:6-8);
• Spirit (Genesis 1:2; John 4:24) / Man – living soul value(Genesis 2:7; Proverbs 20:27; James 2:26);
• Communication (Genesis 3:8; John 1:1- the Bible) / Man (Genesis 2:15-17, 23-24;3:1-6);
• Intellect (Genesis 1; John 1:1; whole of Scripture)/Man (Genesis 2:18-20);
• Morality (Genesis 2:16-17) / Man was given the freedom to choose obedience or his own way (Genesis 2:16-17;3:1-7);
• Relationships (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:18) God gave Eve to Adam to complete, to compliment, and to be his helper / companion for life(Genesis 2:20).

God joined one man and one woman together in marriage, establishing a monogamous pattern of spiritual, emotional, and physical union for all time.

We affirm that God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, and that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complete each other. God’s institution of monogamous marriage between male and female is not only the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society, but pictures Christ’s union with His people through a male groom and a female bride. For this reason we affirm that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.

Man was given every opportunity to live in “The Garden of Eden” to fellowship with his Creator, depending and trusting in God. In this environment mankind was given a choice.  In Genesis 2:16-17, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it:  for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”  Presented with the choice of obedience or not believing God’s word. Man chose sin: (Genesis 3:1-8) Eve was deceived (1 Timothy 2:14) and Adam disobeyed (Romans 5:12, 18-19). Man fell and Innocence was lost, resulting in Adam’s sin nature passing to all men (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12, 19).  Man is sinful (Romans 3:12; 4:5; 5:8) by birth (Psalms 51:5) and by choice (Romans 1:18-23). By sin mankind came under God’s Judgement separating mankind from his creator (Ephesians 2:1-2) by death, spiritually and physically (Genesis 2:17; Romans 2:1; 6:23a). Man’s only hope of reconciliation to his creator is to humble himself turning from his sin and in faith, believe and trust in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ who shed His blood for rebellious man (Isaiah 53:5-6; Romans 5:8; John 3:15-21) providing the way for mankind to be restored to right fellowship with God, man’s Creator.