THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the 66 books of the Bible in its original writing and that it is without error and is the sole authority in all matters of faith and practice. II Tim. 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21
THE GOD HEAD
We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in 3 persons; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfection.
Deuteronomy 6:4; I John 5:7
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 a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. John 1:1-4, 14; Luke 1:35; I Timothy 3:16
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.
Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:2-5, 2:24
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now at the right hand of God, where as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of representative, intercessor, and advocate.
Acts 1:9-10; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 9:24, 7:25; I 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 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 Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14
We believe the Holy Spirit is the illuminator of God’s Word who guides believers into all truth. John 14:26, 16:13; I John 2:20-27
CREATION
We believe in the divine act of creation by God according to Genesis 1:1-31. We believe that God brought all things into existence by His spoken word. Psalms 33:6-9; John 1:3; Hebrews 11:3
THE DEPRAVITY OF MAN
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.
Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; Ephesians 2:1-3
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 sin. Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-9; John 1:12; I Peter 1:18-19
ETERNAL SECURITY OF BELIEVERS
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s Power and are secure in Christ forever.
John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:38-39; I Peter 1:5; I John 5:13
SEPARATION OF THE BELIEVER
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Lord and Savior; and that separation from all religious apostasy, sinful pleasures, sinful practices, and sinful associations is commanded by God.
Romans 12:1-2; II Corinthians 6:14, 7:1; II Timothy 3:1-5
I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11; James 1:27
SANCTIFICATION
We believe that sanctification is a setting-apart unto God.
We believe every believer is positionally sanctified by his union with Christ. Acts 26:18; I Corinthians 1:2, 6:11; II Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 10:10,14
We believe progressive sanctification is brought about by the Holy Spirit as the believer continuously sets himself apart to holy living through obedience to the Word of God. John 17:17; II Corinthians 3:18
We believe every believer will ultimately be fully and completely sanctified when he goes to be with the Lord. John 3:1-3
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and that these gifts are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the Body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-12, 16
We believe that some of the gifts were signs given to authenticate the ministry of the apostles and have ceased in this present age.
II Corinthians 12:12
We believe that every believer possesses one or more spiritual gift(s) for the edification of the body of Christ. Romans 12:6-15
THE CHURCH
We believe that the Church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born again believers of this present age. I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:20;
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
THE TWO ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH
We believe that Christian baptism is immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection of the dead. Matthew 3:13-17, 28:19; Romans 6:1-10
We believe the Lord’s Supper is the partaking of the bread and cup by the believer as a continuing memorial of the body and shed blood of Christ till He comes again. I Corinthians 11:24-26
THE EXISTENCE OF SATAN
We believe in the existence of Satan who was originally created a holy and perfect being, but through pride and unlawful ambition he rebelled against God, thus becoming utterly depraved in character.
Isaiah 14:13-14; Ezekiel 28:13-17; John 8:44; I Timothy 3:7
We believe Satan is the great adversary of God and His people, leader of all other evil angels and spirits, and the deceiver and god of this present world; his powers being supernaturally great, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God who rules over all his wicked devices for good.
Job 1:1-22; Matthew 4:1-11, 12:24-26, 25:41; Luke 22:31-32;
II Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9-10
We believe Satan was defeated and judged at the cross, and therefore his final doom is certain, and that we are to resist him by putting on the armor of God. John 12:31-32, 16:11; Ephesians 6:12-18;
Revelation 12:11, 20:10
We believe in the imminent, personal, premillennial, and pretribulational return of Jesus Christ. Mark 13:32-34; Acts 1:11; II Thessalonians 2:2
We believe that between the coming of Christ for His saints and the second coming of Christ with His saints, the believers in heaven will stand before the “judgement seat of Christ” to be judged for the “things done in his body, whether it be good or bad.” II Corinthians 5:10
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will literally rule upon this earth for a thousand years during which time Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit; and “when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed,” at which time he will go out to deceive the nations and to battle, and after this God will cast him into the lake of fire, which is eternal punishment.
Revelation 20
THE ETERNAL STATE
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and presence 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 II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21-24;
I Thessalonians 4:16-17
We believe that the souls of the unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when the soul and body, reunited, 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
Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thess.1:7-9; Jude 6-7;
Revelation 20:11-15