Statement of Faith

The Holy Scriptures

We believe in the Holy Scriptures, accepting fully the writings of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible as the very Word of God, verbally inspired in all parts and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God, altogether sufficient in themselves as our only infallible rule of faith and practice (Exodus 24:4; Matthew 5:18; John 10:35; 16:13; 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

The One Triune God

We believe in the One Triune God, who is personal, spirit, and sovereign (Mark 12:29; John 4:24; 14:9; Psalm 135:6); perfect, infinite, and eternal in His being, holiness, love, wisdom and power (Psalm 18:30; 147:5; Deuteronomy 33:27); absolutely separate and above the world as its Creator, yet everywhere present in the world as the upholder of all things (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 104); self-existent and self-revealing in three distinct Persons-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (John 5:26; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14) each of whom is to be honored and worshiped equally as true God (John 5:23; Acts 5:3-4).

The Lord Jesus Christ

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Second Person of the Triune God, the eternal Word and Only Begotten Son, our great God and Savior (John 1:1; 3:16; Titus 2:13; Romans 9:5); that, without any essential change in His divine Person (Hebrews 13:8), He became man by the miracle of Virgin Birth (John 1:14; Matthew 1:23), thus to continue forever as both true God and true Man, one Person with two natures (Colossians 2:9; Revelation 22:16); that as Man, He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15; John 8:46); that as the perfect Lamb of God He gave Himself in death upon the Cross, bearing there the sin of the world, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead (Isaiah 53:5-6; Matthew 20:28; Galatians 3:13; John 1:29); that He rose again from the dead and was glorified in the same body in which He suffered and died (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:25-28); that as our great High Priest He ascended into heaven, there to appear before the face of God as our Advocate and Intercessor (Hebrews 4:14; 9:24; 1 John 2:1).

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is the Third Person of the Triune God (Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4), the divine Agent in nature, revelation and redemption (Genesis 1:2; Psalm 104:30; 1 Corinthians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 3:18); that He convicts the world of sin (John 16:8-11), regenerates those who believe (John 3:5), and indwells, baptizes, seals, empowers, guides, teaches, and sanctifies all who become children of God through Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19; 12:13; Ephesians 4:30; 3:16; Romans 8:14; John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 6:11).

The Second Coming of Christ

We believe in the second coming of Christ; that His return from heaven will be personal, visible and glorious–a Blessed Hope for which we should constantly watch and pray, the time being unrevealed but always imminent (Acts 1: 11; Revelation 1:7; Mark 13:33-37; Titus 2:11-13; Revelation 22:20); that when He comes He will first by resurrection and translation remove from the earth His waiting Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18), then pour out the righteous judgments of God upon the unbelieving world (Revelation 6:1 – 18:24), afterward descend with His church and establish His glorious and literal kingdom over all the nations for a thousand years (Revelation 19:1 – 20:6; Matthew 13:41-43), at the close of which He will raise and judge the unsaved dead (Revelation 20:11-15), and finally as the Son of David deliver up His Messianic kingdom to God the Father (I Corinthians 15:24-28), in order that as the Eternal Son He may reign forever with the Father in the New Heaven and the New Earth (Luke 1:32-33; Revelation 21:1 -22:6).

The Creation and Fall of the Human Race

We believe in the creation and fall of man; that he was the direct creation of God, spirit and soul and body, not in any sense the product of an animal ancestry, but made in the divine image (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7, 18-24; Matthew 19:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:23); that by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man became a sinful creature and the progenitor of a fallen race (Genesis 3:1-24; 5:3), who are universally sinful in both nature and practice (Ephesians 2:3; Romans 3:23; 5:12), alienated from the life and family of God (Ephesians 4:18; John 8:42-44), under the righteous judgment and wrath of God (Romans 3:19; 1:18), and have within themselves no possible means of recovery or salvation (Mark 7:21-23; Matthew 19:26; Romans 7:18).

Salvation by Grace Through Faith

We believe in salvation by grace through faith, that salvation is the free gift of God (Romans 3:24; 6:23), neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any virtue or work of the recipient (Titus 3:5; Romans 4:4-5; 11:16), but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16; 6:28-29; Acts 16:30-31; Ephesians 2:8-9), in whom all true believers have as a present possession the gift of eternal life, a perfect righteousness, adoption into the family of God, deliverance and security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine guarantee that they will never perish (1 John 5: 13; Romans 3:22; Galatians 3:26; John 5:24; Ephesians 1:3; 2 Peter 1:3; John 10:27-30); that this salvation includes the whole person, spirit and soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24); and apart from Christ there is no possible salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

Righteous Living and Good Works

We believe in righteous living and good works, not as the procuring cause of salvation in any sense, but as its proper evidence and fruit (1 John 3:9-11; 4:19; 5:4; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:14; Matthew 7:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:10); and therefore as Christians we should keep the word of our Lord (John 14:23), seek the things which are above (Colossians 3 : 1), walk as He walked (1 John 2:6), be careful to maintain good works (Titus 3:8), and especially accept as our solemn responsibility the duty and privilege of bearing the Gospel to a lost world in order that we may bear much fruit (Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19; John 15:16); remembering that a victorious and fruitful Christian life is possible only for those who have learned they are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14), and who in gratitude for the infinite and undeserved mercies of God have presented themselves wholly to Him for His service (Romans 12:1-2).

The Existence of Satan

We believe in the existence of Satan, who originally was created a sinless being, but through pride and unlawful ambition rebelled against God (Ezekiel 28:13-17; Isaiah 14:13-14; 1 Timothy 3:7); thus becoming utterly depraved in character (John 8:44), the great adversary of God and His people (Matthew 4:1-11; Revelation 12:10), the leader of all other evil angels and spirits (Matthew 12:24-26; 25:41), the deceiver and god of this present world (Revelation 12:9; 2 Corinthians 4:4); that his powers are supernaturally great, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God, who overrules all his wicked devices for good (Job 1:1-22; Luke 22:31-32); that he was defeated and judged at the Cross, and therefore his final doom is certain (John 12:31-32; 16:11; Revelation 10:10); that we are able to resist and overcome him only in the armor of God and by the Blood of the Lamb (Ephesians 6:12-18; Revelation 12-11).

Future Life, Bodily Resurrection, and Eternal Judgement

We believe in future life, bodily resurrection and eternal judgment; that the spirits of the saved at death go immediately to be with Christ in Heaven (Philippians 1:21-23; 2 Corinthians 5:8), where they abide in joyful fellowship with Him until His second coming, when their bodies will be raised from the grave and changed into the likeness of His own glorious body (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:35-38; 1 John 3:2), at which time their works will be brought before the Judgment Seat of Christ for the determination of rewards, a judgment which may issue in the loss of rewards but not the loss of the soul (1 Corinthians 3:8-15); that the spirits of the unsaved at death descend immediately into Hades where they are kept under punishment until the final day of judgment (Luke 16:19-31; 2 Peter 2:9), at which time their bodies will be raised from the grave, they will be judged according to their works and cast into the place of final and everlasting punishment (Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8; Mark 9:43-48; Jude 13).

Concerning Personal Separation

We believe the Scriptures teach that every believer should be separated unto God from the world, and by the aid of the Holy Spirit, should walk in Christian love and holiness, exhibiting qualities of honesty, integrity, forgiveness and loving kindness. We further believe that any achievement in these characteristics will be evidenced by sincere humility and genuine zeal for the advancement of the cause of Christ. We also believe the Scriptures admonish every believer not to love the world or the things of the world, but rather to flee evil desires, avoid every kind of evil and refrain from questionable practices which destroy one’s testimony, offend one’s brother and fail to glorify God (Proverbs 15:33; Romans 14:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20; 8:9-13; 10:23-, 33; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 4:32; 5:7-20; Philippians 4:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; 1 Peter 5:5-6; 1 John 2:15-17).

The Church

We believe in the Church, the mystical Body and Bride of the Lord Jesus (Ephesians 4:4; 5:25-32), which He began to build on the day of Pentecost (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:47) and will complete at His second coming (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), and into which all true believers of the present age are baptized immediately by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12-13 with 1:2). We further believe that all the members of this one spiritual Body should assemble themselves together in local churches for worship, prayer, fellowship, edification, teaching, evangelization, and the observance of the ordinances of our Lord (Hebrews 10:25; Acts 1:8; 2:41-47; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 5:17-19; 2 Timothy 2:2; Titus 1:5-7), among which are the Baptism of believers (Matthew 3:16; 28:18-20; Acts 2:41; 8:36-39; 16:33; Romans 6:3-5), and the Lord’s Supper or Communion (Matthew 26:26-30; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:17-31).

Civil Government

We believe civil government is instituted by God to punish evil, reward good, and maintain order within the society; that Christians must be good citizens, pray for those in authority, give them honor, and obey the laws of the land in everything that is not in direct opposition to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures (Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1,7)