Our Statement of Faith

We believe in THE HOLY SCRIPTURE: accepting fully the writing of the Old and New Testaments as the inerrant (without error) Word of God, verbally (every word) and plenarily (all parts) inspired and therefore altogether sufficient as our only infallible (incapable of error) and authoritative rule of faith and practice (Psalm 119:160; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21; Revelation 22:18-19).

We believe in THE ONE TRUE GOD: Who is a sovereign, intelligent, spiritual and personal being. He is perfect, infinite, and eternal in His being, holiness, love, wisdom, and power and therefore worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love. He is absolutely separate from and above the world as its Creator, yet everywhere present in the world as Upholder of all things. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct ministries in relation to God’s creation and in the great work of redemption (Genesis 1:1, 26; 3:22; 11:7; Exodus 20:2-3; Deuteronomy 4:6; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; Matthew 28:19; Luke 1:35; John 10:30; Revelation 4:11).

We believe in THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: Who is the Second Person of the Trinity, the eternal Word and the Only Begotten Son. Without any change in His Divine Person, He became a man by the miracle of the virgin birth and thus is both true God and true man, one Person with two natures. He gave Himself in death upon the cross, bearing the sin of the world, and suffering the full penalty of divine wrath in our stead. He bodily arose from the grave and as our great High Priest ascended into Heaven, there to appear before God as our Advocate and Intercessor (John 1:1, 14; 3:16; 20:28; Matthew 1:18-25; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:6-10; Hebrews 4:14-16; I John 2:1-2).

We believe in THE HOLY SPIRIT: Who is the Third Person of the Trinity, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature. He was active in creation. He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He is the agent in the new birth. He baptizes, indwells, and seals all who become the children of God through faith in Christ. He further empowers, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and fills believers. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to be used for the edification of believers in the local church. We believe that the sign/revelatory gifts of the Holy Spirit have fulfilled their purpose and are not applicable to the work of the Holy Spirit today. (Acts 5:3-4; Matthew 28:19; Luke 1:35; Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; John 3:5-6; 1Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19; John 14:16-17; Ephesians 1:13; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:14, 16, 26-27; John 14:26; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 27-30; 13:8-10; 14:1-40; Hebrews 2:2-4)

We believe the BIBLICAL ACCOUNT OF THE CREATION OF THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE, ANGELS, AND HUMANITY: that this account is neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate creative acts of God without any evolutionary process. Adam and Eve were created by a direct work of God and not from previous forms of life; and that all people are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race. (Genesis 1; 2; Colossians 1:16-17; John 1:3)

We believe that ALL PEOPLE ARE BY NATURE AND CHOICE SINFUL AND LOST: that man was the direct creation of God, made in His image and likeness; He was created in innocence but by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God he became a sinful creature, the father of a fallen race which is universally sinful in both nature and practice. This sinfulness alienates all people from the life and family of God, and places them under the righteous judgment and wrath of God. Thus he has within himself no possible means of salvation (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:15-17; 3:1-6; Psalm 51:5; Romans 1:18, 32; 3:10-19, 23; 5:12).

We believe in SALVATION BY GRACE ALONE, THROUGH FAITH ALONE, IN CHRIST ALONE: that salvation is the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured by any virtue or work of man, but is received only by personal faith in Jesus Christ. Upon the exercise of such faith a believer receives deliverance and eternal security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the Divine guarantee that they shall never perish (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; John 1:12; Romans 8:1, 35-39; 2 Peter 1:3; John 10:28-29; Philippians 1:6).

We believe in THE EXISTENCE OF SATAN: the devil who was created by God as an angel, but through pride and rebellion became the enemy of his Creator. He thus became 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. (Isaiah 14:12-15; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:1-3; 6:10-13; Revelation 20:10).

We believe in THE RETURN OF CHRIST: that His coming in the air to rapture His church, which is our blessed Hope, is always imminent. Following that event, He will then pour out the righteous judgments of God upon the unbelieving world during a seven year tribulation period and afterward descend with His church and establish His literal and glorious kingdom over all the nations for a thousand years (1 Corinthians 15:51-54; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 6:1-18:24; 19:11-16; 20:4-7).

We believe in the LOCAL CHURCH: which is an organized congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word. Its officers are pastors and deacons whose qualifications, claims, and duties are defined in the Scriptures. We believe the true mission of the church is to “make disciples.” The local church has the absolute right of self-government free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations, and that the one and only Superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit. In all matters of membership, polity, government, discipline, and benevolence, the will of the local church is final. It is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel, but each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation. We believe in the unity of all New Testament believers in the church, which is the body of Christ. All members of this one spiritual body should assemble and identify themselves in local churches. (I Corinthians 12:12-13; Acts 20:17-28; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; Acts 2:41-42; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Philippians 1:1-2; Matthew 28:19-20).

We believe in the ORDINANCES GIVEN TO THE LOCAL CHURCH WHICH ARE BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER; Baptism is by immersion of believers in water, thus portraying the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper is the partaking of the bread and cup by the believer as a continuing memorial of the body and blood of Christ (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41; 8:12; 18:8; I Corinthians 11:23-34).

We believe in the PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS: that Christ is our great High Priest and through Him every born-again person has direct access into God’s presence without the need of a human priest; that the believer has the right and responsibility to personally study and interpret the Scriptures guided by the Holy Spirit and to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Christ (John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:16; II Timothy 2:15; I Peter 2: 5, 9).

We believe in the SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE: with each having definite and distinct spheres of responsibility. Civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good order of human society. Governmental leaders are therefore to be prayed for, and conscientiously honored and obeyed except in those things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming King of Kings (Romans 13:1-7; Matthew 22:21; Acts 4:19-20; 5:29).

We believe in PERSONAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL (CHURCH) SEPARATION: in accordance with the biblical commands to separate ourselves unto God from worldliness; and as a church, from apostasy and unbelief (II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; I Thessalonians 1:9-10; I Timothy 6:3-5; Romans 12:1-2; 16:17; 2 John 9-11).

We believe in the RADICAL AND ESSENTIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED: that all who are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone are truly righteous in God’s sight; while all who continue in impenitence and unbelief are in God’s sight wicked, and under the curse; and this distinction holds among men both in and after death, in the everlasting joy of the saved in heaven and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost in hell (Genesis 18:23; Proverbs 14:32; Malachi 3:18; Matthew 25:34-41; Luke 16:19-31; John 3:16-18; Romans 6:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:11-15

We believe in the SANCTITY OF THE MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP: that the institution of marriage was designed by God to unite one man and one woman in life-long commitment. (Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:3-6). We also believe that sexual intimacy is a gift from God that is to be expressed only between a man and a woman within the bonds of such a marriage (Genesis 1:26-28; I Corinthians 7:1-5; Hebrews 13:4). Therefore, we believe that any other form of marriage or sexual expression is outside of God’s will and plan, and a sin against God (Genesis 19:1-29; Leviticus 18; Proverbs 6:32; Romans 1:24-32; I Corinthians 5:1; 6:12-20). Furthermore, we believe that God takes sexual sins seriously, yet He lovingly offers complete forgiveness and restoration through repentance to those who disobey the Bible’s teaching (Acts 3:19; 1 John 1:9). We also take seriously the responsibility that we have as believers to model the example of our heavenly Father in loving all people – including those ensnared by sexual sin – as we seek their restoration (Galatians 6:1-2; Jude 23).