At NTC Plattsburgh you will discover we believe:

God is the Creator of Everything that is Both Seen & Unseen
God eternally exists as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three are coequal and are one God.


Jesus is the Son of God.
He is coequal with the Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return bodily again someday to earth to reign as King.


The Holy Spirit lives in each Christian from salvation.
The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He provides Christians with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer spiritual gifts when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to be led into all truth by the Holy Spirit.


The Bible is God’s Word to us.
The Bible was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs about living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without error in its original form.


People are the supreme object of God’s creation. God created us to love us.
People are made in the image of God and are to be like Him in character. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us also have a propensity toward disobedience to God called “sin.” Sin separates us from God and causes many problems in our life.

 

Salvation is God’s free gift to us, but we must accept it.
We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and receiving forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into their life by faith.


People will exist eternally with or without God.
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life in Heaven. Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence.


Baptism is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, baptism is a way for us to publicly declare our new life in Christ. It is also a step of obedience based on God’s commands and allows us to follow the example of Jesus, who submitted himself to baptism to “fulfill all righteousness.”


In addition to Essential Beliefs, we have liberty in Non-Essential Beliefs.

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters… Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master servants stand or fall… So then each of us will give an account of ourselves to God… So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.

“I have the right to do anything,” you say–but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”–but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

 

Consistent with contemporary statements above, we also believe in the historic Nicene Creed that was forged in the 4th & 5th centuries and handed to us by our early church leaders:

We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.

Through him, all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.

The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come.

Amen.