The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be verbally and plenarily inspired of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the Church. (II Timothy 3:16-17, II Peter 1:20-21)
We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life, which define man's responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to his purpose. Three of these dispensations--the age of law, the age of the church, and the age of the kingdom--are subjects of detailed revelation in the Scripture. (Genesis 1:28, I Corinthians 9:17, II Corinthians 3:9-18, Galatians 3:13-25, Ephesians 1:10, 3:2-10, Colossians 1:24-25,27, Revelation 20:2-6)
The Godhead
We believe in one triune God, the Creator, Preserver, and Ruler of all things, eternally existing in three distinct persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory, having the same divine attributes and perfection without division of essence, or being. Genesis 1:26;II Corinthians 13:14; Colossians 1:16-18; I John 5:7
Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, Luke 1:35, John 1:1-2, II Corinthians 5:19-21, Galatians 4:4-5, Philippians 2:5-8)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through his blood which he shed in his death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by his literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36, Romans 3:24-25, I Peter 2:24, Ephesians 1:7, I Peter 1:3-5)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where as our Great High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10, Hebrews 9:24, 7:25, Romans 8:34, I John 2:1-2)
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11, Romans 8:9, I Corinthians 12:12-14, II Corinthians 3:6, Ephesians 1:13-14, Ephesians 4:30)
We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 1:17-18, 5:18, I John 2:20,27)
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Romans 12:3-8, I Corinthians 12:4-11, 28, Ephesians 4:7-12)
We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gifts of healing were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of baptism or filling of the Holy Ghost and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayer of believers for physical healing. (I Corinthians 1:22, 13:8, 14:21-22, James 5:14-15)
Creation
We believe the Genesis account of creation as being neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate, creative acts of God, in six, consecutive twenty-four hour days, without any evolutionary process; that man (spirit, soul and body) was created by a direct work of God and not from previously existing forms of life; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, the parents of the entire human race. We reject Darwin,s Theory of evolution, The Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution, believing them to be unscriptural theories of the origin. Genesis 1 and 2; Isaiah 45:18; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16, 17
Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and, that man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 3:22-23, 5:12, 6:23, Ephesians 2:1-3, 4:17-19)
Salvation
We believe that a person is saved when he repents of his sin and exercises faith by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior; that salvation is a gift of eternal life wholly by the grace of God apart from merit or works; and that all who believe on Him are justified (declared righteous) on the basis of His shed blood. John 3:16-18; Acts 16:31; Romans 6:23; Romans 10:9, 10; I Corinthians 15:3.4; Ephesians 2:8, 9; II Peter 3:9
We believe that all the redeemed of God are kept by God’s power and are thus eternally secure in Christ forever, and that once a person is truly saved, he will show fruits of salvation. John 10:27-29; Philippians 1:6; II Timothy 1:12; I John 5:13
Eternal Security
We believe that all redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30, Romans 8:1, 38-39, I Corinthians 1:4-8, I Peter 1:4-5)
We believe that it is the privilege of the believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Romans 13:13-14, Galatians 5:13, Titus 2:11-15)
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God accomplished in a threefold manner: first, an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Savior; second, a continuing process in the believer as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the life; third, the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord’s return. John 17:17; I Corinthians 1:30; II Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 5:25,26,27; I Thess. 4:3,4; 5:23,24; Hebrews 10:10-14; 13:12
The Church
We believe that the local church, which is the body of Christ and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again believers. (I Corinthians 12:12-14, II Corinthians 11:2, Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27)
We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27, 20:17, 28-32, I Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-11)
We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free of any external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28, Romans 16:1, 4, I Corinthians 3:9, 16,5:4-7, 13, I Peter 5:1-4)
We recognize only water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:41-42, I Corinthians 11:23-26)
Baptism
We believe that the Biblical ordinance of baptism is by immersion, the symbol of the believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection; that every believer should be baptized because of the example and command of our Lord; and that while there is no saving power in water baptism, it is an act of obedience and public testimony by those who are already saved. Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5
The Lord’s Supper
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance given to the church by the Lord Jesus Christ to remember and show forth the Lord’s death till He comes; that the Lord’s table should be open to all regenerated people walking in obedience to the Lord Jesus; and that the elements representing the body and blood of Christ are symbolic and render in themselves no means of grace. Luke 22:14-20; I Corinthians 11:25-32
Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God. (Romans 12:1-2 14:13, II Corinthians 6:14-7:1, II Timothy 3:1-5, I John 2:15-17, II John 9-11)
Satan
We believe that Satan is a supernatural being, a fallen angel, the author of sin, and that he was instrumental in the Fall of man; that he is the “god of this world,” the “prince of the power of the air,” and the open and declared enemy of God and man, and that his final destiny is eternal punishment in the lake of fire. Job 1:6-9; Ezekiel 28:1-19; Matthew 4:1-11; John 8:44; II Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; Revelation 20:10
Hell
We believe in a literal place called Hell, a place of torment, and that the Lake of Fire and Brimstone shall be the final destiny for the eternal punishment of Satan, fallen angels, demons, and unbelieving mankind. Luke 16:22-26; Revelation 20:12-15
Heaven
We believe in a literal place called Heaven where God’s immediate presence is manifested, and where the redeemed and angels dwell. John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 21
The Eternal State
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and eternal punishment. (John 5:28-29, John 11:25-26, Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13, Matthew 25:46)
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43, II Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:23, 3:21, I Thessalonians 4,16-17, Revelation 20:4-6)
We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when, with the soul and body reunited they shall appear at the great White Throne Judgment where they shall be judged and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torments. (Matthew 25:41-46, Mark 9:43-48, Luke 16:19-26, II Thessalonians 1:7-9, Jude 6-7, Revelation 20:11-15)
The Second Coming
We believe in the “blessed hope”, the personal, imminent return of Christ who will rapture His Church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return to the earth with His saints, to establish His earthly Kingdom, which was promised to the Nation of Israel. (Psalms 89:3-4, Daniel 2:31-45, Zechariah 14:4-11, I Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18, 5:9 Titus 2:13, Revelation 3:10, 19:11-16, 20:1-6)
Civil Government
We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the Home, 2) the Church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and are to be governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Romans 13:1-7, Ephesians 5:22-24, 6:1-2, Hebrews 13:17, I Peter 2:13-14)
Human Sexuality
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography is a sinful perversion of God’s gift of sex and must be totally abstained from. (Genesis 2:24, Genesis 19:5, 13, Genesis 26:8-9, Leviticus 18:1-30, Romans 1:26-29, I Corinthians 5:1, 6:9, I Thessalonians 4:1-8, Hebrews 13:4)
Marriage
We believe that marriage is a divine institution whereby God joins a man and a woman together in the bonds of Holy Matrimony, thus making the two become one. The marriage of a man and a woman originated in the heart of God with God Himself joining together the first man (Adam) and the first woman (Eve) in the Garden of Eden. We believe that marriage is the foundation of home life and social order and must remain so until the end of time. We believe marriage is to be the free choice of both the man and the woman he is marrying. The Lord Jesus sanctioned marriage by His presence at the marriage in Cana of Galilee. The Bible adds more sacredness to marriage by using marriage as the symbol of the future relationship of Christ and the church. Since the marriage of a man and a woman is the only type of marriage taught in the Scriptures, we reject any and all same-sex marriage. (Genesis 2:18-24, Matthew 19:4-6, John 2:1-10, Ephesians 5:25-27, Revelation 19:7-9)
Missions
We believe that God has given the Church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every kindred, tongue, people and nation redeemed by Grace through Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As Ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to the sinners at home and abroad with the Gospel and not wait for them to come to us. (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-48, John 20:21, Acts 1:8, II Corinthians 5:20, Revelation 5:9)
What do you believe?
Do you have questions, comments, or concerns?