We teach that man was directly and immediately created by God in His image and likeness. Man was created free of sin with a rational nature, intelligence, volition, self determination, and moral responsibility to God ( Genesis 2:7 , 15-25 ; James 3:9 ).

We teach that God’s intention in the creation of man was that man should glorify God, enjoy God’s fellowship, live his life in the will of God, and by this accomplish God’s purpose for man in the world ( Isaiah 43:7 ; Colossians 1:16 ; Revelation 4:11 ).

We teach that in Adam’s sin of disobedience to the revealed will and Word of God, man lost his innocence; incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death; became subject to the wrath of God; and became inherently corrupt and utterly incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace. With no recuperative powers to enable him to recover himself, man is hopelessly lost. Man’s salvation is thereby wholly of God’s grace through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ ( Genesis 2:16-17 ; 3:1-19 ; John 3:36 ; Romans 3:23 ; 6:23 ; 1 Corinthians 2:14 ;Ephesians 2:1-3 ; 1 Timothy 2:13-14 ; 1 John 1:8 ).

We teach that because all men were in Adam, a nature corrupted by Adam’s sin has been transmitted to all men of all ages, Jesus Christ being the only exception. All men are thus sinners by nature, by choice, and by divine declaration ( Psalm 14:1-3 ; Jeremiah 17:9 ; Romans 3:9-18 , 23 ; 5:10-12 ).

We teach that marriage is an institution given by God to mankind, and is only to be between one man and one woman as in the initial design ( Genesis 2:24 ), and as later affirmed by Jesus Christ ( Matthew 19:8 ; Mark 10:6-12 ). Any engagement in sexual activity outside of a marriage as the Bible defines it, is considered as sexual immorality in the Bible, and is a legitimate ground for divorce ( Matthew 19:9 ) and church discipline ( 1 Corinthians 5:2 , 13 ).