At ELBC, we adhere to the following truths derived from various portions of the Holy Bible.

The Holy Scriptures (the Bible)
The Bible, comprising 66 books from the Old and New Testaments, is God's written revelation, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is inerrant and infallible. It is the ultimate authority for faith and practice, applying to all generations. Its dual authorship ensures accuracy, with divine inspiration guiding human writers. Believers should interpret it literally, grammatically, and historically, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

God: Father/Son/Holy Spirit
There is one living and true God, and that He exists in three co-equal Persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections. God the Father is the Creator and sovereign in creation and redemption, choosing and saving believers. Jesus Christ, the Son, is fully God and fully man, who secured redemption through His death and resurrection, and will return to establish His kingdom. The Holy Spirit is God, working in creation, salvation, and sanctification. He indwells believers, convicts the world of sin, glorifies Christ, and gives spiritual gifts and He guides believers into all truth.

Man
Man was created directly by God in His image, initially free from sin, with intelligence, will, and moral responsibility. Humanity was made male and female, with these biological sexes divinely assigned at conception. Any confusion of these sexes is contrary to God's design. Man's purpose is to glorify God, enjoy His fellowship, and fulfill His will. However, through Adam's sin, humanity became corrupt, lost innocence, and incurred spiritual and physical death. This sin nature and guilt are inherited by all humans except Jesus Christ, making salvation dependent on God's grace through Christ's redemptive work.

Salvation
Salvation is entirely by God’s grace through faith, accomplished on the basis of the sacrificial death of Christ, and not human effort, or merit. Election is God's sovereign choice before the world’s foundation to save certain individuals in Christ, involving regeneration and sanctification. It does not negate human responsibility to repent and believe. Jesus Christ’s death and perfect obedience satisfied God’s justice, propitiated His wrath, and secured reconciliation for those given to Him by the Father. Justification is God’s declaration of sinners as righteous through faith in Christ, involving the imputation of sins to Christ and His righteousness to the believer, independent of works. Believers are positionally sanctified at conversion, while progressive sanctification is an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, growing believers in holiness and conformity to Christ through obedience. Redeemed individuals are secured by God’s power and assured of eternal life. Those who deny the faith were never truly saved, and true believers will show the fruit of salvation in righteous attitudes and actions. Believers are called to separate from sin, apostasy, and worldliness, living consecrated lives that reflect gratitude for God’s grace and adherence to Scripture and the Beatitudes.

The Church
The church consists of all believers in Jesus Christ, united into one spiritual Body by the Holy Spirit and is the bride of Christ with Him as its Head. It began on the day of Pentecost and will be completed at the rapture. The church is a distinct entity from Israel, revealed as a mystery during the current age, comprising all regenerated individuals from Pentecost to the Rapture and serving as God's spiritual body for this era. Local churches are established for worship, ministry, and fellowship, with Christ as the supreme authority. Elders and deacons lead according to biblical standards. A plurality of Elders, or pastors, lead local churches with spiritual authority under Christ, and the congregation is to respect their leadership. Each local church is autonomous, making its own decisions regarding membership, discipline, and governance, under the guidance of Scripture. The church’s purpose is to glorify God through worship, teaching, fellowship, observing ordinances, and spreading the gospel. Believers are called to serve using their spiritual gifts. Miraculous Gifts: The more extraordinary gifts such as miracles, healing and tongues have ceased as they are not essential for the normal function of the church. Rather, they are sign gifts used by God for the purposes of authentication.

Ordinances
The church observes only two ordinances: Baptism by immersion of believers as a testimony of faith and identification with Christ's work. The weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper as a commemoration of Christ's death, observed with self-examination and communion with fellow believers.

End times
Jesus Christ will return before the tribulation to take His church to heaven, and believers will be rewarded for their works. After the church is removed, God's judgments will fall on an unbelieving world, culminating in Christ’s return to earth and the judgment of the living. After the tribulation, Christ will reign on earth for 1,000 years, fulfilling covenant promises to Israel and bringing peace and justice. After the millennial reign, Satan will be defeated, and unbelievers will face bodily resurrection and eternal punishment in the lake of fire. After the final judgment, the saved will dwell in a new heaven and earth, enjoying eternal fellowship with God, while the triune God reigns forever. In the eternal state believers will dwell with God forever in the new heaven and the new earth.