What We Believe

The Holy Scriptures

We believe that the Holy Scriptures (the Old & New Testaments) were given by God through Divine inspiration to Spirit-controlled men.  We believe the Holy Scriptures to be the inspired, inerrant & infallible living Word of God. We hold to the truth that the Holy Scriptures are the only inspired writings ever given by God to man.  We believe the Bible to be the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions shall be tried. (II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:19, 20, 21)

The Triune God

We believe there is One and only One living and true God, the Creator, Preserver, Eternal Judge and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth. We believe first that He is the Holy God, and the God of love, grace, mercy, truth and redemption. We believe in the unity of the Godhead that there are three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices. (Exodus 20:2, 3; I Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11)

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, came into this world as foretold in the Scriptures to manifest God to mankind and to be the Redeemer of the sinful world. He took upon Himself human flesh and a sinless human nature in the form of a servant. We believe in the virgin-birth of Christ through the supernatural conception by the Holy Spirit in a virgin, Mary.  Jesus was both fully God and fully man, who came to die for the sin of the world - the just for the unjust.  Jesus Christ alone is the full, complete payment and substitute for sin.  He rose from the dead, according to the Scriptures, retaining the same body, though glorified. We believe in His bodily resurrection and ascension into heaven, where He now serves as the High Priest for the redeemed of God and head over the church.  (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 53:1ff; Micah 5:2; Luke 1:30-35; 24:34-39; John 1:1-2; 20:20; Acts 2:22-6; Rom. 3:25-26; Phil. 2:1-10, Heb. 1:3; 2:17; 4:14-15; 7:25; 10:1-14)

The Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that He restrains the evil one until God's purpose is fulfilled. He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony; and that He is the agent in the new birth; that He seals, bestows gifts, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. (Genesis 1:1-3; Matthew 28:19; John 14:16, 17, 26; 16:8-11; Hebrews 9:14)

The Devil

We believe in the personality of Satan; that he is the unholy god of this age and the ruler of all the powers of darkness and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. (Matthew 4:1-11; Revelation 20:10)

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 over six literal days without any evolutionary process; that man (spirit, soul and body) was created by the 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 first parents of the entire human race. (Genesis 1-2; John 1:3; Colossians 1:1-17)

Grace and the New Creation

We believe that all men have sinned and come short of the glory and intention of Almighty God.  Therefore, all men are in need of salvation.  We believe, in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that salvation is the free gift of God.  We believe that if any man is saved there is an evident change of life from unrighteousness to righteousness, seen in the daily newness of life and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (John 3:3; 3:6, 7; Acts 16:30-33; Romans 6:23; II Cor. 5:17; Ephesians 2:1, 5; II Peter 1:4; I John 5:1)

Justification

We believe that justification is the judicial act of God, whereby He declares us to be righteous through faith in Christ Jesus; that justification includes the pardon of sin and the imputation of God's righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer. (Isaiah 53:11; Zechariah 13:1; Acts 13:39; Romans 5:1, 9; 8:1; II Corinthians 5:18-21)

Repentance

We believe that repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit. Sin brings death to the soul through eternal punishment and that true repentance cannot be separated from true faith.  We believe that the saved are transformed through the work of the Holy Spirit to a new life in Christ. (Luke 13:1-3; 15:7, Romans 2:4, 12:1-2)

Faith and Salvation

We believe that faith alone in Jesus Christ is the only condition for salvation. (Acts 16:31)

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's holiness at the moment of salvation;  second, a continuing process in the saint 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 Cor. 3:18; Ephesians 5:25, 26; I Thessalonians 4:3, 4; Hebrews 3:1)

 

The Freedom of the Will

The human will is free and self-controlled having power to yield to the influence of the Truth and the Spirit, or to resist them and perish.  This includes the freedom to accept or revoke salvation (Lk. 18:18-25, Acts 9:1-8, Rom. 10:13, Heb. 6:4-6, Rev. 2:7, 11,17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22, 22:17)

 

The Church

We believe in the unity of all true believers in the church, which is the body of Christ, and that all believers, both Jews and Gentiles, are added to this church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:41, 42; I Corinthians 11:2, 12:12, 13; Eph. 3:1-6) We believe that this church is manifested through the local church which is a congregation and called out assembly of baptized believers associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; and that its officers are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scripture. We believe the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all as we have opportunity and the discipling of the believer in the faith after the salvation work. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; that the one and only superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it is scriptural for biblical churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel. Each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; and that on all matters of membership, polity, government, discipline, benevolence, the will of the local church is final. (Acts 15:13-18; 20:17-28; I Tim. 3:1-7; Eph. 1:22, 23, 4:11, 5:23, 24; Col. 1:18)

 

Ordinances

We believe that biblical baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, under the authority of the local church, to show in the believer the resurrected Christ; that baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership. We believe that the Lord's Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination. The elements themselves represent the body and blood of the Savior in symbol only. There is neither common nor efficacious grace extended to the recipient of these ordinances. We practice the act of feet washing (as our Lord did at the Last Supper) as it teaches humility and reminds the believer of a daily cleansing from all sin.  It is to be ministered to all true believers.  (Matthew 3:16, 28:19-20; John 3:23; John 13:1-20, Acts 2:41-24, 8:36, 38, 39; Romans 6:3-6; I Cor. 11:23-28; Colossians 2:12)

Separation

We believe in obedience to the Biblical commands to separate entirely from worldliness and ecclesiastical apostasy unto God. (II Corinthians 6:14-7:1)

Tithing

God commanded tithes (ten percent) and offerings (above the tithe) in the Old Testament; Jesus Christ endorsed it in the Gospel; and the Apostle Paul said," upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him." We believe that in the New Testament grace-giving is taught, that a man gives cheerfully and wonderfully above His tithe to the work of the ministry and needs of the believers. (Gen. 14:20, Lev. 27:30, Num. 18:21, Deut. 14:23,28, Mal. 3:8-10, Matt. 23:23, I Cor. 16:2)

Civil Government

We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that leaders are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.  (Exodus 18:21, 22; II Samuel 23:3; Acts 23:5; Romans 13:17)

The Rapture and Subsequent Events

We believe in the imminent, pre-tribulational, pre-millennial return of Christ for His church; and that at that moment the dead in Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies, and the living in Christ shall be given glorified bodies without experiencing death; and all shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the tribulation, the seventieth week of Daniel. (Daniel 9:25-27; Matthew 24:29-31; Revelation 20:1-4, 6)

Marriage and Sexuality

We believe that GOD has ordained the home and marriage (Gen. 1:26-28, 2:18-25, Eph. 5:21-33) to be between one man and one woman.  We believe that GOD has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.  We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman.  (Gen. 2:24, Rom. 7:2, I Cor. 7:10, Eph. 5:22-23) We believe that any form of sexual perversion (e.g., homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest) or any form of sexual practices clearly stated as sinful in the Scriptures (e.g., fornication, adultery, and pornography) are sinful perversions of GOD’s gift of sex and intimacy.  We believe that GOD created the gender of each baby and that each child should be raised in the “grace and admonition” of the LORD to the identity that they have in Christ as a human being, as well as a believer.  Attempts to alter one’s gender by appearance or surgery are not in agreement with GOD’s Creation and and are sinful. (Gen. 2:24, 19:5,13, 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4) 

We honor and abide by these eternal Biblical truths in our practices, functions and activities of our local church.