Our Beliefs
Concerning the Scriptures
We believe the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it is the supreme authority in which all matters of faith and conduct will be examined. We believe that God has graciously preserved His Word through the centuries and that any translation that accurately translates from reliable Hebrew and Greek manuscripts is useful in ministry.
2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20,21; Mark 13:31; John 10:35; Heb 4:12; Josh 1:8; Neh 8:1-8; Is 40:8
Concerning the Triune God
We believe that there is only one living and true God, existing eternally in three infinite Persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They are equal in divine perfection and attributes yet execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
Gen 1:1; Deut 6:4; Is 45:5,21-22; John 5:44; Ex 3:4; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; John 5:23; Acts 5:3,4
Concerning the Fall of Man
We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God. We believe that as a consequence all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore totally depraved and under condemnation.
Gen 1:26-31; James 3:9; Rom 5:12-21; Rom 6:23; Eph 2:1; Ps 51:5; Rom 3:10-18
Concerning Salvation
We believe that salvation is wholly of God by His grace on the basis of the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, His redemptive death, and not on the basis of human merit. We believe that those who repent and forsake sin and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation and given eternal life. We believe that those who are regenerated are justified, being declared righteous by God and treated that way for all eternity. We believe that the redeemed community is kept by the power of God and their salvation is thus secure in Christ forever.
John 1:12; Rom 3:25; Heb 9:14-15,22; I Peter 1:18-19; Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19; Rom 5:1; John 3:3-8; Titus 3:5; Rom 3:24,26; Rom 8:30,33; 2 Cor 5:21
Concerning the Church
We believe that the church consists of all who place their faith in Jesus Christ, and who are united into the spiritual body through Spirit baptism. The church was formed on the day of Pentecost and will be complete when Christ returns for His Bride. We believe that Christ, who gave himself for the church, is the supreme Head of the church. We believe that every local church is autonomous, free from any external authority and responsible for maintaining pure doctrine, church discipline, membership and government of the church. We believe that there are two Biblical offices designated in the Scriptures for each local church: Elders and Deacons.
Eph 2:11-3:6; 1 Cor 12:12-13; Acts 2:1-21; 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 4:15; Col 1:18; 1 Tim 3:15; Jude 3; Rev 2-3; 1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Pet 5:1-5
Concerning Ordinances
Two ordinances have been entrusted to the church: the Lord’s Supper and baptism. The Lord’s Supper is the remembrance and proclamation of Christ’s death until His return. Baptism, by immersion, is the testimony of a believer proclaiming his faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior and his resurrection to new life.
Acts 2:28-42; 1 Cor 11:23-32; Acts 8:36-39; Rom 6:1-11
Concerning Satan
We believe that Satan is the unrighteous ruler of this world and the author of sin, and is a created angel who has rebelled against God taking many angels with him into sin. We believe that Satan is the enemy of God and man, but he has been defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and he shall be punished eternally in the lake of fire.
2 Cor 4:4; Is 14:12-17; Ezek 28:12-17; Matt 25:41; Is 14:13,14; Rev 12:9,10; Rom 16:20; Gen 3:15; John 12:31; Rev 20:10
Concerning the Righteous and the Wicked
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only those who are justified by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of our God are truly righteous; while those who continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked and under the curse; and this distinction is true among people both in and after death, in the everlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost in the Lake of Fire.
Gen 18:23; Rom 6:17-18; 1 John 5:19; Rom 6:23; John 8:21