The Bible

We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration, Divine authenticity and authority of the Old and New Testaments–66 books in all. We hold to the Divine inspiration, by the Holy Spirit through holy men of old, of each book, of every word and of every letter down to the smallest particle of a letter in the original manuscripts. We believe this revelation is accurate and all-sufficient for both faith and practice (Jeremiah 36:2-6, 17-18; Matthew 5:18; Mark 12:26, 36; Luke 24:24-27, 44; Acts 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21).

The True God

We believe there is one and only one Divine and True God, an Infinite Spirit, Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth, wholly independent from His creation, inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three distinct persons—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—known as the Trinity, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (Exodus 20:2, 3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11).

God the Father
We believe that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity; that the Father sent and commissioned His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the Divine Lamb or sacrifice in His plan of salvation; that He predestinated, called, justified, and glorified the Elect according to His foreknowledge (John 1:29, 36; 3:16; 5:24; 14:26; 16:7; Romans 8:36-39; Ephesians 1:4-5).

God the Son
We believe in the absolute Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, Who became man without ceasing to be God, having been miraculously conceived of the Holy Spirit as no other human being was conceived, and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He do the will of God, reveal God, and be able to redeem sinful man. He is the second person of the Trinity, the Eternal Word, Sinless, Savior, Sinbearer. He arose from the dead with a literal body of flesh and bones after suffering death on Calvary’s cross. He ascended into heaven to be our Advocate and Intercessor and to wait for His second coming to earth (Isaiah 7:14; 53:5, 6; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35, 24:39; John 1:1-14, 18; 3:14, 16; 19:33; Acts 1:9-10; 1 Timothy 2:5, 3:16; Hebrews 4:14, 15).

God the Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, equal with the Father and Son, and of the same substance and nature; that He convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment, bears witness to the truth, is the agent of the new birth, and that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies, and helps the believer, indwelling every true child of God (Genesis 1:1-2; Matthew 28:19; John 3:5, 6; 14:16, 17, 26; 16:8-11; Acts 5:3, 4, 32; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:14, 16, 26, 27; Ephesians 1:13,14; Hebrews 9:14)

Man

We believe God created man in His own image in holiness and innocence. However, man fell into sin by voluntary disobedience, incurring guilt and condemnation, becoming totally depraved. Adam’s fallen nature is perpetuated to all his posterity and as a result, all members of the human race are spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. Natural man is wholly disinclined to everything morally good and prone to choose and delight in evil (Genesis 2:17; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Isaiah 64:6; Ro-mans 3:10-12; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1; Luke 24:44, 45).

The Devil

Lucifer (the Devil, Satan) was a created angel who had access to the very throne room of God, but because of his pride and self-exaltation, fell into sin. He is a fallen angel, leader of a host of evil spirits and demons and is destined for the judgment of an eternal justice in the Lake of Fire (Isaiah 14:12-14; Matthew 4:1-11; 2 Corinthians. 4:4; Ephesians 6:11, 12; Revelation 20:2, 10).

Salvation

We believe God, in sovereign grace, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die for sinners, and those who receive Him as Savior are the Elect, who were chosen by God before the foundation of the world (John 1:12-13; Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:3-6). This salvation is solely “by grace . . . through faith . . . not of works lest any man should boast” (John 6:37, 44, 65; Ephesians 2:8-9). Without faith in Christ Jesus, no one will be saved (John 3:16, 36; Acts 16:31; Romans 3:21-22; 10:9-10).

Eternal Security of the Believer

We believe that the salvation of every believer is secure for all eternity, guaranteed to each believer by the fact that the life received is eternal and everlasting by the keeping power of God, by the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit, and by the interceding ministry and advocacy of Christ (John 10:28-29; 17:11-12; Romans 8:35-39; Ephesians 1:13; Titus 3:5; 1 John 2:1).

Justification

We believe that all true believers are purified only by the righteousness of Christ, imputed to them without the consideration of any work of righteousness done by them, and that the full and free pardon of their sins and transgressions is only through the merits of Christ according to the riches of God’s grace (Romans 3:24; 4:5; 5:1; 10:10; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9; Titus 3:5).

Sanctification

We believe that immediate, positional sanctification is that act of God whereby believers are, at the instant of salvation, eternally set apart as belonging to Him by redemption, thereby being placed in the family of God as children, joint heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:14-17; Hebrews 10:10-14).
We believe that sanctification is also the process by which we are made partakers of His holiness according to God’s will; that this begins at salvation and progresses as the believer yields to the Holy Spirit’s control; that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, self-examination, watchfulness and prayer (John 17:17; Romans 6:1-14; Philippians 1:6).

Local Church

We believe that the church universal is a New Testament institution; established by Jesus Christ, Who is its sole head; revealed through the holy apostles; empowered and perpetuated by the Holy Spirit; His “body” for service and His “bride” for glory. It began with the New Testament saints and will be consummated at the Rapture (Matthew 16:18; Acts 1:8; 2:1-13; 41-47; 15:14; Romans 16:26; 1 Corinthians 12:12-28; Ephesians 1:22-23; 3:21; 5:23-33; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

We believe that the universal church is manifest today through the local New Testament church, which is an assembly of baptized believers, bound together by a covenant of faith, worshipping together, teaching the Holy Scriptures, reaching the lost with the gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ, defending the faith and engaging in spiritual fellowship; while exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in the local church by His Holy Spirit. The only scriptural offices of spiritual authority in the local church are Pastor and Deacons, whose qualifications and duties are clearly defined in Scripture. We believe that the local church has the absolute right of self-government, directed by the Holy Spirit, and is answerable only to Christ. In all matters of membership, policy, government, discipline, and benevolence, the will of the local church is the final authority. We believe that the local church is the only organization in this age appointed by God to implement His program for the spreading of the Gospel to all the world; that every Christian is bound by Scripture to provide his complete cooperation to the ministry of the local New Testament church (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:29-32).

Ordinances

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which are to be administered exclusively by the local church. Baptism is the total and singular immersion in water of a true believer by the authority of a local church in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, to publicly show forth the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection; and is a scriptural prerequisite to local church membership. The Lord’s Supper is the partaking of bread and the fruit of the vine as symbols of Christ’s body and blood, commemorating His suffering and death for us and reminding us of our continual benefit; and is to be observed on a regular basis continuing until our Lord returns for us. Participation should only be after careful self-examination by those who truly have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior and who have followed His command to be baptized (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 10:47; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32).

Spiritual Gifts

We believe that the redeemed are endowed with spiritual gifts and that these gifts are given to edify the church and are to be exercised in love to that end. We believe that gifts such as speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, human direction of divine healing and prophecy, as manifested during the Apostolic Age, were given at a time when the scriptures were incomplete, to confirm both the message and the messenger; that upon completion of the canon of Scripture, they ceased to exist (Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:7-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 13:8-12 14:22; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Revelation 22:18-19).

End Times

A. We believe in the bodily, personal, pre-millennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ; and that He will come before the seven year tribulation period to catch away His church, coming only in the air, and that He will come with His own at the close of the tribulation to judge the living nations and to set up His kingdom on earth; that He will reign on the earth for a thousand years (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 19:11-21; 20).

B. We believe in the resurrection of the bodies of the dead; that believers who are dead in Christ will at the coming of Christ for His church be raised and caught up with transformed living saints to meet the Lord in the air, and that the wicked dead will be raised at the close of the Millennial Kingdom and stand in their bodies at the Great White Throne Judgment to receive their final doom (John 5:21-30; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 7:9-17; 20:11-15).

C. We believe that the souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation do at death immediately pass into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body, when soul and glorified body are reunited and shall be with Him forever in glory (John 5:21-30; 2 Corinthians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 7:9-17; 20:11-15).

D. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the final judgment of the Great White Throne Judgment at the close of the millennium, when reunited soul and body shall be cast from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power into the torment of the Lake of Fire forever and ever (Luke 16:19-26; 23:43; Revelation 20:11-15; 21; 22:1-5).

Civil Government

We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that we are to pray for magistrates and conscientiously honor and obey them, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only King of kings and Lord of lords, and to Whom all authority in heaven and earth has been given. We believe in the separation of church and state; that each is ordained by God to be sovereign in its own realm (Romans 13:1-7; 2 Samuel 23:3; Exodus 18:21, 22; Acts 23:5; Matthew 22:21; 28:18; Acts 5:29; 4:19-20; Daniel 3:17-18; 1 Timothy 6:14, 15).

Marriage and Human Sexuality

We believe that God made humans heterosexual, male and female, in His image. The only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. We further believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23, 31; Genesis 1:27).

We believe that homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography, in any form, are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex and are contrary to Holy Scripture. We further believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance (Genesis 19:5,13; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-30; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4).