WHAT WE BELIEVE
God the Father
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, one in substance and co-equal in power and glory as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Who is the Creator and Sustainer of all things both visible and invisible; self-existent, infinite, personal, unchangeable, and eternal in His being; perfect in holiness, love, justice, goodness, wisdom, and truth; omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent; both
immanent and transcendent to creation.
(Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4, 32:4; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 90:2; John 14:16; 2 Corinthians 13:14;
1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:3)
We believe that the Father is begotten of none. He is the eternal Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Author of Salvation, the Father of all who are born to newness of life through faith in Jesus Christ.
(Genesis 1:1; Psalm 90:2; John 13:3, 16:28; Ephesians 1:3-4; 1 Peter 1:2-3; 1 John 2:23, 3:1)
The Trinity
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son, is one in substance, majesty, and glory with the Father and the Son, to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.
(Matthew 28:19; Luke 24:49; John 3:5-6, 14:16-18 and 26, 15:26, 16:7-14; Acts 1:8, 2:1-4, 13:2-4, 15:28; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 2:10-12, 6:19-20, 12:4-11, 12:13; 2 Corinthians 6:16, 13:14; Galatians 5:22-23;
Eph. 2:21-22; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2, 1 John 2:20-27)
The Bible
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the divinely inspired word of God, without error in the original manuscripts, the final authority for faith and life, infallible, and God-breathed.
(Psalm 119:9, 89, 105; Matthew. 24:35; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25;
2 Peter 1:21)
Mankind
We believe that man was created by an immediate act of God and not by the process of evolution. Man and woman were created in the image and likeness of God, possessing personality and holiness, and being image bearers of God. The purpose of their creation is that that they might glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
(Genesis 1:27; Ephesians 1:5-6)
We believe that man sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual, and eternal death, which is separation from God. All human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. Man is totally depraved and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.
(Genesis 3:13, 16-17; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 7:7ff.; 1 John 1:8)
We believe that God has provided redemption for everyone through the mediatorial work of Christ, who voluntarily offered Himself on Calvary as a perfect sacrifice for sin, the just suffering of for the unjust, bearing sin’s curse and tasting death for everyone. We believe that those who repent and forsake sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation and receive eternal life.
(John 10:17-18; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 1:15, 2:5-6; Titus 2:11-12; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 3:18)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins.
(Matthew 1:21; John 3:14-17, 6:44; Romans 3:10-12, 19, 20, 23;
Ephesians 2:1-3, 8-9)
We believe that genuine repentance is a necessary attitude and act of one’s will that make it possible for the holy and just God to forgive one’s sin. As an attitude it involves knowledge of, a change of mind toward, and a godly sorrow for sin; a proper reverence for God’s holiness; and a surrender to God. Repentance is one’s appropriate response to the grace of God in conviction.
(Psalm 51:3-4; Proverbs 28:13; Isaiah 6:1-5, 55:6-7; Matthew 3:2 and 8, 4:17; Luke 13:3, 15:18, 18:13, 19:8; John 16:8-11; Acts 11:18; Romans 2:4, 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 7:9-10; 2 Tim. 2:25)
We believe that faith must accompany repentance and is a gift from God, giving those who receive it the ability to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and to receive Him as Savior. True faith is always evidenced by obedience to the Word of God.
(Acts 13:38-39, 16:31; Romans 4:3, 5:1; Ephesians 2:8-10;
Hebrews 11:6; James 2:17)
We believe that when the requirements of repentance and faith have been met, God justifies and regenerates the sinner. This experience is witnessed to by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who produces in the heart a desire to do the will of God.
(John 3:3 and 5, 5:24; Acts 22:10; Romans 5:1 and 9, 4:4-5, 8:16 and 33; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1; 2 Peter 1:4)
We believe that sanctification is the work of God in making people holy. It is the will of God, provided in the atonement, and is experienced through faith by the operation of the Holy Spirit through the Word and the blood. Believers in Christ are perfected in holiness in the fear of God and grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
(Psalm 4:3; Matthew 16:24; John 17:17; Acts 15:8-9; Romans 6:19 and 22, 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Galatians 2:20, 6:14; Ephesians 5:26; Colossians 3:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 12:14, 13:12; 1 Peter 1:2 and 15-16; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 John 5:6)
We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ, and that because He lives we too shall live. Our glorification is God’s final act in our salvation and will be realized when we see Him as He is.
(1 Corinthians 15:3-8 and 19-23; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17; 1 John 3:2)
The Christian life
We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God by loving Him and loving mankind; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of His possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.
(Matthew 22:37-39; Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:27; 1 Corinthians 10:32; Ephesians 2:10)
The Church
We believe that the invisible and universal church is an organism composed of all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who have been called out of the world, separated unto righteousness and vitally united by faith in Christ, its living Head and sovereign Lord.
( 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:15-16; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 12:23)
We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.
(Matthew 18:15-17; Acts 2:42, 46, 47 and 20:7; 1 Corinthians 5:1-4, 16:2)
The Last Things
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom.
(Matthew 24:14, 36-51, 25:1-13; Mark 13:10, 32-37; Luke 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Col. 3:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; Titus 2:12-13; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:7-8; 1 John 2:28-3:3; Revelation 1:7, 22:12-13)
We believe that in the final years of this present age an unprecedented time of intensified persecution and divine judgments will occur worldwide. This period of “great tribulation” will culminate with the coming of Christ who will triumph at the Battle of Armageddon, subdue evil and fully establish His kingdom on earth.
(Matthew 24:15-31; 1 Corinthians 15:24-25; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10; Revelation 6:1-19:21)
We believe that after Christ returns with His church, He will reign on earth for a thousand years. During this period, Satan will be bound and Christ will demonstrate His sovereign power over evil by ruling the world in righteousness.
(Psalm 2:7-9, 98:9; Isaiah 9:3-7, 11:6-9; Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 20:1-6)
We believe that no condemnation awaits those in Christ who by faith were judged as sinners at the cross and have passed out of death into life. However, as children in the family of God, they are being disciplined and chastened during this lifetime as God conforms them to the image of His son. Their lives and works will be judged for rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Those without faith in Christ will appear before God for final judgment and condemnation at the Great White Throne.
(Psalm 96:13; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 25:14-46; John 5:24; Romans 8:1, 29; 1 Corinthians 3:8-15, 4:2-5, 11:32; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 9:27, 12:5-8; Revelation 20:11-15)
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead to one of two eternal destinies, heaven or hell. All unbelievers will be justly sentenced to