We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary (equally in all portions) inspired Word of God. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures are inerrant (without error), infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. Furthermore, they shall remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their literal, grammatical-historical meaning. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Psalm 119:89, 105, 130, 160;Proverbs 30:5, 6; Luke 24:25-27, 44, 45; John 5:39; 17:17; Acts 28:25; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23). *We prefer and recommend formal translations of the Scriptures (i.e. ESV, KJV, NASB, NET, NKJV, CSB).

We believe there is only one living and true God, infinite in every attribute, Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth, inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all worship, confidence and love. Furthermore that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, equal in every Divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great2 work of redemption (Exodus 15:11; 20:2, 3; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-7; Matthews 3:16-17; 28:19; John 14:10, 26; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; Revelation 4:11).

1) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal, un-created Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 1:2-3).

(2) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice providing an unlimited atonement for sin; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2:24; 1 John 2:2).

(3) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, Mediator, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 9:24; 1 John 2:1-2).

(1) We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, equal with God the Father and Son, and of the same nature. His work is to execute the Divine will with relation to all mankind. We recognize His sovereign activity in creation, the incarnation, the written revelation, and the work of Salvation (Genesis 1:2; Matthews 1:18; 28:19; John 3:5, 6; 14:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

(2) We believe He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 3:5, 6; 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14).

(3) We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27).

(4) We believe that He is sovereign in the bestowal of gifts of service to every believer, at salvation, to be used for the edification of the body. (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12, 16).

(5) We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary gifts used by God in the early church. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing (1 Corinthians 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22).

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Furthermore, that man is totally depraved leaving him under the just condemnation to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse, and that of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 40:12; 51:5; John 3:17-18; Romans 3:10-13, 22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians. 2:1-3; 4:17-19).

(1) We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of God’s grace; and through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by appointment of the Father, voluntarily took upon Himself the form of a man, was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin in nature or deed, honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins. (John 3:16; Matthew 18:11; Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 15:11; Philippians 2:7, 8; Hebrews 2:14, 4:15; Romans 3:24-25; 1 John 4:10; Isaiah 53:6; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

(2) We believe that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a Martyr, but was the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the just dying for the unjust, Christ, the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree. (John 10:18; Philippians 2:8; Galatians 1:4; 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:11; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 12:2; 1 Peter 3:18)

(3) We believe that, having risen bodily from the dead, He is now enthroned in heaven as our suitable, compassionate, all sufficient Savior and mediator for His believer priests. (Isaiah 53:12; Hebrews 7:25, 9:12-15, 10:10-18; 1 John 2:2)

(4) We believe that the blessings of this atonement are given to all who believe from the heart and confess to God this Lord and Savior as his own Lord and Savior. It is the immediate duty of man to obey the command to accept this offer of mercy. (Acts 17:30; Romans 10:8-10)

(1) Grace

(a) We believe that salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the redemption of Jesus Christ, the merit of His shed blood, and not on the basis of human merit or works (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8 10; 1 Peter 1:18 19).

(b) We believe that in order to be saved, all men must be born again as new creation’s in Christ Jesus, and that this new birth is instantaneous. (John 3:7; Acts 16:30-33; 2Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 3:26)

(c) We believe that in the new birth, the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God. (2 Peter 1:4; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1, 4-9; Colossians 2:13; Titus 3:5)

(d) We believe that the new creation is brought about in a manner above comprehension, not by culture, not by character, nor by the will of man, but wholly and solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience by faith in the gospel. (John 1:12, 13, 3:8)

(e) We believe that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith in the finished work and person of Jesus Christ. (Romans 10:8-10; James 2:14-26; 1 John 5:1-5)

(2) Justification

We believe that the great gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is justification, and that justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life on the basis of Christ’s righteousness and atonement. It is bestowed not in consideration of any works4 of righteousness which we have done or ever will do, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s sacrifice and in His righteousness which is imputed to us. (Acts 13:39; Romans 4:24-25; 5:1, 9, 8:1; Galatians 3:11; Titus 3:5-7)

(3) The Freeness of Salvation

We believe in God’s electing grace and that salvation is freely offered to all by the Gospel and it is the immediate duty of all to accept this salvation by whole-hearted, penitent and obedient faith. Furthermore, there is nothing that prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth except his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel. (John 3:15-18; Acts 2:37-41; Romans 1:18-20; 2:1-5; 10:8-13; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Peter 1:2 Revelation 22:17)

(4) Repentance and Faith

We believe repentance and faith are inseparable graces and our solemn obligations. Furthermore, these graces are wrought in our souls by the quickening Spirit of God who convicts the believer of guilt, danger, helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, so that the believer turns from their sin and to God with sincere contrition, and confesses to God his wholehearted faith (belief and trust) in the work and person of the Lord Jesus Christ as his all sufficient Savior. (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:27-28; 20:21; Romans 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Tim.2:25)

(5) Sanctification

We believe sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, the believer is set apart from sin, unto Christ, and has three aspects. First, the believer has been set apart positionally before God the moment he believes. Second, the believer is being set apart progressively in his walk day by day as he grows in grace toward the likeness of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit in the continual use of the appointed means, especially the Word of God, self-examination, watchfulness, prayer and yielding to the Spirit through biblical change. Finally, the believer is to be set apart prospectively from the very presence of sin when his sanctification is completed at the coming of Christ for the church. (1 Corinthians 1:30, 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 10:10, 14; John 17:17; Romans 8:13; 2 Peter 3:18; Romans 8:28, 29a; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Timothy 4:7b; Hebrews 5:12-14; 1 John 3:3; Romans 12:1, 2; Ephesians 4:22, 24; 1 John 3:2;1 Thessalonians 3:13, 5:23).

(6) The Security of the Believer or Perseverance of the Saints

We believe that every person, immediately upon acceptance of Christ as personal Savior and Lord receives eternal life and is made at once a child of God, and that believers are kept by the power of God through faith and are eternally secure apart from any human works. Furthermore, we believe genuine children of God will prove the sincerity of their salvation with a faith that will endure to the end. (John 1:12; 6:37-40; 8:31; 10:27-29; 14:21-23; Romans 8:28-39; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 1:6; Titus 2:11-13; James 2:14-20; 1 Peter 1:4-5; 1 John 2:19; 5:11-13; Revelation 21:7-8)

(1) We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is a congregation of born-again, baptized believers who associate together by the covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel. Further, we recognize that Christ is the head of the body (Acts 2:41-42; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27).5

(2) We believe that the true mission of the church is expressed in the New Testament and abbreviated in Matthew 28:19-20 and Ephesians 4:11-16, namely “to make disciples; to baptize them; to teach them to obey His Word as He has commanded. Further, we believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures and that the establishments of local churches must not be limited to our own community, but should include all people groups. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to make disciples of “all nations.” (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 2 Corinthians 5:20 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).

(3) We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. However we do believe that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel and that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; 1 Corinthians 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13;16:1-3; 2 Corinthians 8:23-24; 1 Peter 5:1-4).

(4) We recognize water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as the scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. Both serve to commemorate the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Colossians 2:12).

(5) We recognize pastors (also called “elders” or “bishops” in the New Testament) and deacons as the only scriptural officers, whose qualifications and duties are clearly defined in scripture (Acts 14:23, 6:5-6; 15:23; 20:17-28; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4).

We believe in that “blessed hope,” the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His Church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom, which was promised to the nation of Israel (Ps. 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-11; I Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6).

(1) We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13).

(2) We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6).

(3) We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark. 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15).

We believe that Satan is a personality, the origninator of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthews 4:2-11; 25:41; 1 Thessalonians 3:5; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 3:8; (Revelation12:9; 20:10).

We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11; Jeremiah 10:10; John 1:3; Acts 4:24; 17:23-26; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3; Revelation 10:6)

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: The home, the church, and 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. Furthermore, that government leaders are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed except only in things opposed to the Scriptures. (Daniel 1:8-15; 3:17-18; 6:10-11; Matthew 22:21; Acts 4:19-20; 5:29; Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; Titus 3:1; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-17).

We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication and in the case of an unbelieving spouse who desires to depart. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Cor. 7:10-15; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6).

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek
compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander (1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32)

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 the 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 (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17).