What we believe

Tenets of Faith

The human phraseology employed in this statement is not inspired nor contended for, but the truth set forth is held to be essential to a full Gospel ministry.  No claim is made that it contains all the truth in the Bible, only that it covers orthodox fundamental matters.


The Scriptures Inspired 

The Bible is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to men, the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and superior to conscience and reason, but not contrary to reason (2 Tim. 3:15-17; 1 Pet. 1:23-25; Heb. 4:12)

 

The One True God 

The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent, self-revealed “I AM,” and has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association, by simultaneously existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29; Isa. 43:10, 11; Matt. 28:19)

 

Man’s Fall and Redemption 

Man was created good and upright, for God said, “Let us make man in our image and after our likeness.”  Man, by voluntary transgression, fell, and his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Gen. 1:26-31; Gen. 3:17; Ro. 5:12-21).

 

The Salvation of Man

Conditions of Salvation 

The Grace of God, which brings salvation, has appeared to all men, through the preaching of repentance toward God and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; man is saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, and being justified by grace, has become heir of God according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 2:11; 3:5-7; Ro. 10:13-15; Luke 24:47).

 

Evidences of Salvation 

The inward evidence to the believer of his/her salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (Ro. 8:16).  The outward evidence to all men is a life of holiness (1 Thess. 4:7; 2 Tim 1:9).

 

Baptism in Water 

The ordinance of baptism by burial with Christ should be observed as commanded in the Scriptures by all that have repented of their sins and have believed on Christ as their Savior and Lord.  In doing so, they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they have also been released to walk with Him in newness of life (Matt. 28:19; Ro. 6:4).

 

The Lord’s Supper (Communion) 

The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements bread and fruit of the vine, is the symbol expressing our sharing in a memorial to His suffering and death, and a prophecy of His second coming, and is enjoined to all believers “until He comes” (John 6:48, 51, 53-57; Luke 22:19, 20; 2 Pet. 1:4; 1 Cor. 11:25).

This statement of faith is not intended in any sense as a substitute for the Word of God.  The Bible shall be first and final in all matters.

 

The Holy Scriptures 

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God; that it was written by individuals who were moved by the Holy Spirit so that their writings, in the original, were supernaturally, verbally, and completely inspired, free from error, as no other writings have ever been or ever will be.  The Bible (39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament Books) is a God-breathed treasure of the complete and final revelation of the will of God to man, and is the only absolute authority in all matters of faith and conduct.  God has preserved His Word through the ages, so that it is completely trustworthy and eternal.  See Matt. 24:35; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21.

 

The Godhead

We believe that there is only one true God, existing eternally in three distinct but equal persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  This uniquely Divine unity best described as a “tri-unity.”  See Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19029; 2 Cor. 13:14. 

  1. God the Father We believe in God the Father who is perfect in holiness, boundless in love, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power.  We believe that He is active in the affairs of men and that He hears and answers prayers, that He elects and saves from sin all who will come to Him through Jesus Christ His Son.  See Lev. 11:44; Psalm 139; Dan. 2:21; 4:17; 1 Pet. 1:2; 1 Cor. 8:6. 

  1. God the Son  We believe in Jesus Christ, God the Son, pre-existent with the Father, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, without human father, truly God and truly man, sinless in His life and nature, infallible in His teaching, providing salvation for the sins of the world by His substitutionary death on the cross.  We believe in His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the Father’s right hand where He presently and continually intercedes for His people, and in His glorious and personal Second Coming.  See John 8:58; 10:30-33; Col. 1:14-18; Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23; Heb. 4:15; 7:26; Eph. 1:7; 1 John 2:2; Matt. 20:28; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 15:20; Acts 1:11; Rev. 19:11-16.

  1. God the Holy Spirit We believe in the deity and person of the Holy Spirit.  We believe He came from God to convict, to regenerate, to baptize, to indwell, to sanctify, to seal, to fill, to dispense spiritual gifts, and to comfort those who believe in Jesus Christ.  See John 14:26; Acts 5:3-4; John 16:8-11; Titus 3:5; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; Eph. 1:13; 5:18; 1 Cor. 12:11.


The Creation 

We believe the Genesis account of creation to be completely accurate and literal; all things being the result of the direct creation of God without any evolutionary process whatsoever.  See Genesis 1, 2; John 1:3; Col. 1:15-18.

 

Satan 

We believe in the reality and person of Satan, the Devil; that he was created by God as an angel, but through pride and rebellion became the enemy of the Creator; that he became the unholy prince and power of the air, and that he is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the Lake of Fire.  See Isa. 14:12-14; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:11-14; Rev. 20:10.


Man 

We believe that man according to the Scripture, was created a moral being in the image and likeness of God; who through an act of voluntary disobedience, fell from his original sinless state.  Consequently, the entire human race, having fallen in Adam, have been found guilty, are now sinners, depraved in nature, unable to redeem themselves, void of holiness, inclined to evil, and hopeless apart from Divine grace.  See Gen. 1:26-28; Gen. 3; Rom. 3:9-23; 5:12.

 

Salvation 

We believe that the salvation of sinners, to be initiated by God, is completely by grace, through faith, plus nothing.  The basis of the sinner’s salvation is the finished work of Jesus Christ, who became the sinner’s substitute before God, providing the only acceptable sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, and that all who by faith and repentance of sin receive Him as their personal Savior, are justified by God, and are born again by the Holy Spirit, thereby becoming the children of God.  See Eph. 2:8-9; John 3:16; Heb. 9:26; 1 John 2:2; Acts 16:31; John 1:12.

 

Justification 

We believe that justification is the means by which God declares righteous the sinner.  Thus, it is God’s gracious and full acquittal of every sinner who will believe on Christ.  The source of justification is the grace of God, the basis of justification is the shed blood of the lord Jesus Christ, and the means of justification is through faith.  See 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 3:24; 5:9; 5:1; Titus 3:7.

 

Eternal Security 

We believe that all who are justified by Jesus Christ are saved forever and cannot lose their salvation.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  See John 3:16; 10:28-29; Rom. 8:35-39; 2 Tim. 1:12; Titus 1:2; 1 John 5:11-13.

 

Sanctification 

We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God, accomplished in a threefold manner; first, upon redemption the believer is given a position of holiness which places him “in Christ;” second it is a continuing process by which the Holy Spirit through application of the Word of Wog, causes a believer to grow into his spiritual maturity; and third, the final work of sanctification takes place when the Lord returns and will ultimately be made like Him.  See Rom. 8:15-17; 1 Thess. 4:3; 1 John 3:2.

 

The Church 

We believe the local church is an organized congregation of immersed believers, observing the ordinances of the local church–baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper.  We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government; free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations, and that Christ alone is the Head of the Church.  We believe that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation with other biblical groups; and that on all matters of membership, of procedure, of government, of discipline (1 Cor. 5:1-3), of benevolence, that the will of the local church is final.  We also do hereby believe that the local church is to meet together for the purposes of worship, instruction in doctrine, fellowship, and the evangelization of the lost.  We believe likewise that the Body of Christ is composed of those who have true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  See Acts 2:41-42; Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:2; 5:1-3; Eph. 4:12;  1:22-23; Col. 1:18.


Last Things 

We believe in the premillennial return of Christ, at which time He will literally and physically return to the earth to establish His throne and His kingdom for a period of one-thousand years where He will reign.  We believe that a seven year period of tribulation, known as the Seventy Weeks of Daniel will precede the return of Christ to the earth, and that the Bride of Christ will be translated (raptured) into glory before the wrath of God’s judgment is poured out upon the earth.  The Rapture of the Church is the moment for which every member of the Church should prepare and look toward.  It is the Blessed hope of every born-again believer.  See Isa. 11:4-9; Rev. 19:11-20; 6; Matt. 24:3-46; 2 Thess. 2; Dan. 9:24-27; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; John 14:1-3; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Cor. 15:51-58.

 

The Eternal State 

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead, the saved or righteous to eternal life, and the unsaved or wicked to eternal condemnation and punishment.  We believe that the spirit of the believer at death passes immediately into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that the spirit of the unsaved passes immediately upon death in conscious misery and torment until the final judgment, at which time those names not written in Lamb’s book of life will be cast eternally into the Lake of Fire.  See John 5:28-29; Luke 16:19-26; Rev. 20:5, 6, 11-15; 2 Cor. 5:8, 10; Phil. 1:23.

 

Separation 

We believe that in obedience to biblical commands we are to separate ourselves unto God and from all worldliness and false religious systems.  See 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 1 Thess. 1:9-10; 1 Tim. 6:3-5; Rom. 16:17; 2 John 9-11.

 

The Home, the Church, and Civil Government 

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state.  Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word, God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other.  The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically-assigned spheres of responsibility under God.  See Eph. 5:22-24; Rom. 13:1-7; Matt. 22:21; Acts 4:19, 10; 5:29; 1 Pet. 2:13-14; Heb. 13:17.

 

Human Sexuality 

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman.  We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful uses of God’s gift of sex.  See GEn. 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8, 9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4.

 

Divorce and Remarriage 

We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies.  Divorce and remarriage are regarded as adultery except on the ground of fornication or desertion.  Those individuals having been divorced for a biblical reason (fornication or desertion) or those having lost a spouse to death are biblically free to remarry.  Divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for His service.  See Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Cor. 7:1-7.


Abortion 

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being.  Abortion is murder.  Just like other sin God’s forgives and uses those who may have sought and had an abortion.  See Job 3:16; Psa. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44.

 

Resolving Conflict Between Believers 

We believe that Christians are directed not to bring lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes.  We believe the church possesses all resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between its members.  We believe the ultimate goal is to resolve the conflict and to bring glory to God by the restoration of relationships.  See 1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31, 32.

 

Missions 

We believe that God has given the church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel, and to make disciples, so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  As ambassadors of Christ, we must use every available means to go to our community and the world, not waiting for them to come to us.  See Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20.

 

Giving

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially.  We believe that every Christian should give offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of he church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel.  We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made.  See Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9, 10; Mark 12:41-43; Acts 4:34-37; 2 Cor. 8-9; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17.