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Statement of Faith

The ICC Statement of Faith includes the following "foundational truths" that make up the core of what we believe as a church. Bible references are included that support each of the truths.

The Word of God

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. Mk 13:31; Jn 8:31-2, 20:31; Acts 20:32; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-1.

The Trinity

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these Persons are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious roles in the work of creation, providence, and redemption. Gen.1:1, 26; Matt.28:19; John 1:1, 3, 4:24; Rom.1:19, 20; Eph. 4:5- 6.

God The Father

We believe in God the Father an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. Matt. 23:9; Lk. 10:21-22; Jn. 3:16; 6:27; Rom1:7; 1 Tim.1:1-2; 2:5-6; 1 Pet.1:3; Rev. 1:6.

Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, co-existing with the Father and Holy Spirit from eternity past. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal visible return to earth. Matt.1:18-25, 20:28; Lk 1:26-38; Jn 1:1; 20:28, 20:30-1; Acts 1:11; Rom. 5:6-8; 6:9, 10, 9:5; 8:46; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph.1:4; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 9:28; 1 Pet. 2:21-23.

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit baptizes, indwells, seals, and secures every believer in Christ at the moment of regeneration, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide. Jn. 14:16-17, 26; 16:9-14; Rom. 8:9, 12-17; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Gal.5:22-26; Eph.1:13-14.

Man

We believe that man was a direct creation of God, made in His image and likeness; that man sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God. We believe as a consequence of Adam’s sin, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice. We believe that the wages of sin is death but God has made a propitiation for man’s sin in His Son. Genesis 1:26; 5:2; 3; 2:17; Psalm 14:1-3, 51:7; Proverbs 28:13; Eccles. 2:11; Isa. 53:6; Jeremiah 17:9; John 5:24; Romans 1:19-32, 3:10-19, 23; 5:19, 6:23; 9:22; 2 Thess.1:9; James 1:14-15; 1 John 5:11-12; Rev. 19:3, 20; 14:15; 21:18

Salvation and Regeneration

We believe that those who repent and trust Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, receive eternal life and are thus eternally saved from the wrath and condemnation of God. We believe that this salvation is by grace through faith and is the free gift of God, neither earned or merited, deserved, or secure in part or in whole by any virtue of man’s work. We believe that the redeemed have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Jn.1:12-13, 3:3, 16, 8:12, 10:26-29; Rom.1:16-17, 8:1; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal.2:20, 4:4-7; Eph.2:8-9; 1 Pet.1:3-9; 1 Jn. 1:9; Rev. 21:27

Christian Life

We believe that the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever; that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ; and that he should submit daily to the lordship of Jesus Christ, thus experiencing the joy of an abundant life. Jn. 10:10; 14:15, 23-4; Rom.12:1-3; 1 Cor.4:2, 10:31; 2 Cor.9:6-9; Gal.2:20, 5:16; Eph. 4:14-15; 5:16, 22-23; Col.1:9-10; Heb.12:1-2; 1 Pet.1:14-16; 2 Pet.1:3-11;1 Jn 2:3-6.

The Church

We believe that the Church exists both as the Universal Bride of Christ and as a Local Assembly of Believers. We believe that the Church is a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe that the Lord will build the Church Universal and will one day present it to Himself in all her glory, holy and blameless, without spot or wrinkle. We believe that the church is triumphant and that even the gates of hell will not prevail against her. We believe that the Universal Church is best expressed in independent and autonomous Local Churches and that these are free to govern, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, without ecclesiastical interference. We believe that the Local Church best promotes the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with other Local Churches including participation in a denominational organization of like faith and practices. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the Local Church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. Matt.16:17-19, 28:18-20; Acts 1:7-8, 15:36, 41; 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:1; Gal.1:1-3; Eph.2:19-22; Acts 1:8; Eph.5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Heb.10:23-25; Rev.1:4,10-11.

The Ordinances

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: believer’s baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matt.3:13-17, 26:26-30, 28:18-20; Jn. 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor.10:16, 11:23-26.

Life, Death, and the After-Life

We believe that God is the author of life and that human life is formed and begun at conception. We believe that life is most sacred and that the termination of life is to be determined by the Lord Himself. We believe that man dies once and immediately faces judgment. We believe that those who have placed their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and will thus be immediately received into the presence of the Lord in a literal heaven. We believe that those whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be judged on the basis of their deeds and will thus be eternally lost and will spend eternity in a literal hell without any hope of future redemption. Ps. 51:5, 139:13-16; Eccl. 3:1-2; Jer.1:5; Mk. 9:42-50; Lk 16:20-31, 23:43; Jn 3:16-18; Heb.9:27; Rev.20:12-15, 21:27.

The Last Things

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His literal, earthly millennial kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked. We believe that the Lord is coming soon. Matt.16:27; Mk 14:62; Jn 14:3; Acts 1:11; Phil. 3:20; 1 Thess.1:10, 4:15, 5:9-11; 2 Tim. 4:1; Tit. 2:13; 1 Cor. 4:5; 15; 2 Thess.1:7-10, 2:1-12; Rev.3:10, 20:4-6, 11-15.