Beliefs

The Bible

We believe that the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testament is the Word of God. We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Bible. It is God’s complete and final authoritative revelation of God’s will for man and is therefore the final authority for faith and life. We believe in a normal, literal interpretation of the Bible. We believe that the Scriptures are inerrant in their original autographs and that God has promised to preserve His Word. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matt. 5:18) For reasons of unity within the church, its textual reliability, and our belief that it is the best translation for English speaking people, we choose to use the King James Version of the Bible.

The Godhead

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons, God the Father, God the Son who is Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. They are co-equal, co-eternal, and co-substantial. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2Cor. 13:14; John 14:10,26).

The Person and Work of the Father

We believe God the Father who is an infinite, personal spirit, who is perfect in every way. We believe, in His sovereignty and mercy, that He concerns Himself with the affairs of man. In His foreknowledge He knows everything that will be. God the Father hears and answers prayer. God the Father will save anyone who comes to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. (Luke 10:21-22; Matthew 23:9; John 3;16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; I Timothy 1:1-2; 2:5-6; I Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6)

The Person and Work of Jesus Christ

We believe in the eternal deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe He became fully man without ceasing to be God. We believe in His virgin birth, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe that He lived a sinless life, performed miracles, and died a substitutionary and atoning death by His shed blood on the cross. We believe in His bodily resurrection and in His ascension to the right hand of God the Father. We believer He ever lives to make intercession for His saints, and that He is coming again to rule and reign in power and glory. (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 8:46; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30-31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9-10; Hebrews 7:25; 9:28; I Timothy 3:16)

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts men of sin, righteousness, and judgment. We believe He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all who believe into the body of Christ. We believe that he indwells and seals all believers unto the day of redemption. We believe the Holy Spirit comforts, illuminates, guides, equips, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service. He gives gifts to every Christian for the purpose of edifying the church and doing the work of the ministry. (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; 1Cor. 12:12-14; 2Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14; Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27; Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11,28; Eph. 4:7-12; 1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8, 14:21-22)

Mankind

We believe that man was created in the image of God and therefore was originally without sin. However, through the sin of Adam man became alienated from God and incurred physical and spiritual death. As a result all human beings are sinners by nature, choice, and practice and are under God’s wrath. We believe that man is totally depraved and can do nothing by himself to change his state. Apart from God’s gracious intervention, man is without help or hope. We believe that any man whoever repents of their sins and by faith receives Christ as their Lord and Savior will be forever in God’s presence, and those who refuse to receive Christ will be forever separated from God. (Gen. 1:26-27; John 3:16; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19).

Salvation

We believe that eternal life and the forgiveness of sins is a miraculous work of God by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. It is available to all who turn from their sins and trust in Jesus’ atoning death and victorious resurrection. We believe that salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. It is only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ that man can be regenerated, justified, sanctified, and glorified. (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Pet. 1:18-19)

The Eternal State

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men. Those who are saved will be resurrected to eternal life, and those who have rejected Christ will be resurrected to judgment. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord and awaiting their bodily resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with God. We believe that the souls of the unbeliever will remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when the soul and body are reunited and will appear before the Great White Throne. They will be cast into the Lake of Fire. They will not be annihilated, but will suffer everlasting, conscious punishment and torment. We believe in a literal Heaven that will be the eternal home of the redeemed. We believe in a literal Hell that will be the Christ-less, eternal abode of those who will suffer the punishment of rejecting Christ, along with Satan and the fallen angels. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13; Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6; Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15; Matthew 13:41-43; John 14:2; Revelation 21-22)

Eternal Security

We believe that all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ are kept by God’s power and are secure in Christ both now and forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5).

Baptism

We believe in baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Baptism is to take place after salvation and has no ability to merit salvation. We reject the idea and practice of infant baptism or any form of sprinkling for any person. We believe that baptism is an outward expression of our faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:1-5; Acts 8:36-38; Acts 2;41; Matthew 3:16; Matthew 28:19-24; John 14:2; 2 Corinthians 5:8)

The Church

We believe that the local church which is a visible body and bride of Christ is made up of individuals who have been born again by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We believe the establishment and continuance of the church is taught and defined in the Bible. We believe that Jesus instituted the local church during His earthly ministry as recorded in the Gospels. We believe in the autonomy of the local church. We believe that the church is to observe and perform two ordinances, water baptism; which is an outward declaration of their faith by immersion, and the Lord’s Supper, reserved for the members of the local church. The local church has been tasked with proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. The Scriptural offices are pastor and deacon. Both men and women are gifted to serve in the church, but the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scriptures. (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27; Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11; Acts 13:1-4; 15; Rom. 16:1,4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; )

Christian Living

We believe that as justified believers we should also be sanctified believers. The life of a Christian is one that should be lived separate from sin and set apart to God. He has commanded that we love Him supremely and we are to sacrificially love others. We must live out our faith in obedience to God’s Word as the Holy Spirit changes us into the likeness of Christ. (Romans 12:1-2; Romans 8:29)

Spiritual Gifts

We believe that spiritual gifts are given to the church for the reason of evangelizing the lost and edifying believers. We believe that the gift of tongues was the least important of gifts and was given as a sign for unbelieving Jews. (John 7:37-39; Acts 2:38; I Corinthians 1;22; 13:16-17; 6:19-20; 12-14)

Evangelism

We believe that it is the churches responsibility to continue the work that Christ started until He returns. The church is what God promised would continue. We believe the ministry of reconciliation has been committed to every believer. Jesus Christ command the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty of every Christian and every church to actively seek to make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 16:18; 28:19-20; Acts 1:8)

Things to Come

We believe in the imminent return of Christ and the gathering up of His church. We believe in the tribulation, the personal and physical second coming of Christ to establish His millennial kingdom, and the eternal state wherein the unsaved are judged and condemned to a literal hell and the saved are glorified to enjoy everlasting blessing in the presence of God. We are pre-tribulation and pre-millennial. (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; 1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Thess. 4: 13-18; Titus 2:13, Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6).

Satan

We believe that Satan is a literal person, who was once an angel of God, but fell from his perfect state due to his sin of pride. He authored sin and therefore caused the fall of man. His the enemy of God and man and he will be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).

Creation

We believe that God created the universe in six, literal, 24-hour days. We reject evolution, theistic evolution, the gap theory, or the day-age theory as being unscriptural. (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11)