The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matt.5:18; John 16:12-13).

The Godhead

We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; 2 Cor. 13:14).

The Person and Work of 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 (John 1:1,2,14; Luke 1:35).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through 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 (Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Eph. 1 :7; 1 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 High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24, 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).

The Person and Work of 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; 2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13-14).

We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth; and, that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (John 16:13; 1 John 2:20-27; Eph. 5:18).

Creation and Fall

We believe that in the recent past (thousands of years), God spoke and the heavens, earth and all therein came into being. This took six literal days and was perfect (Gen. 1:1-31; Ex. 20:11; Rom. 1:20; 8:20-22).

We believe that God created Adam directly from the dust of the earth and Eve from Adam’s rib (Gen. 1:27; 2:21-22; Ps. 139:14; Mk. 10:6).

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the 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 (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3,12).

We believe in God’s past judgment with a universal flood destroying all human life save eight faithful people (Gen. 7:1-24, 9:19; 2 Peter 3:4-7).

Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith alone, in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 2:8-10; John 1 :12; Eph. 1 :7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom.8:1, 38, 39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:5).

We believe that it is the privilege of 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 (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:14; Titus 2:11-15).

The Two Natures of the Believer

We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit; and, that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural (Rom. 6:13; 8:12-13; Gal. 5:16-25; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 John 3:5-9).

Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (2 Tim. 3:1-5; Rom. 12:1-2, 14:13; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1).

Marriage

We believe that sexual intimacy is a wonderful gift of God that is only to be expressed between one man and one woman within the love and bonds of marriage (Genesis 2:24-25; Proverbs 5:18; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5; Hebrews 13:4). Therefore, we believe that any other form of sexual intimacy is both immoral and a perversion of God’s gift (Leviticus 18:1-30; Proverbs 6:32; 1 Corinthians 6:18; Romans 1:26-27).

Missions

We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:19-20).

The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and, that the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers (in addition to the other permanent gifts) are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today; and, that speaking in tongues and the working of miraculous sign gifts gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established during the apostolic age (1 Cor. 13:8-13; 2 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 4:7-16).

We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15). We also believe that God can, and does at times, work miracles and miraculous healings according to His sovereign will and the prayers of His saints.

The Church

We believe that the Church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2).

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; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).

The Ordinances

We believe that the Lord has committed two ordinances to the local church, namely, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

We believe that the ordinance of Christian Baptism is the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This is distinctly a believer’s baptism and is a public testimony of the individual’s personal faith in the crucified, buried and risen Lord. It does not in any way grant the forgiveness of sins or confer grace to the person (Matt. 28:19; Acts 8:36-37; 18:8; Rom. 6:3-5).
We believe that the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ to commemorate His death for us. The elements used are symbolic of our Lord’s body and blood and do not grant life or convey grace to the participant. Believers are to practice this ordinance until Christ comes again (1 Cor. 11:23-34).

Dispensationalism

We believe in the dispensational view of Bible interpretation but reject the extreme teaching known as “Hyper Dispensationalism,” such as that teaching which opposes either the Lord’s Table or water baptism as a Scriptural means of testimony for the church in this age (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:8; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).

The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the fall; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).

The Second Advent of Christ

We believe in that “Blessed Hope,” the personal, imminent, pre-tribulation and pre-millennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to earth, with His saints, to establish His Millennial Kingdom (1 Thess. 4:13-18; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-6; 1 Thess. 1:10, 5:9; Rev.3:10).

The Eternal State

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29, 11:25-26; Rev.20:5, 6, 12, 13).

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; Rev. 20:4-6; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17).

We believe that the soul of unbelievers remain after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; Matt. 25:41-46; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 20:11-15).