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The Holy Scriptures
(1) We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for the Word of God concerning faith and life. The thirty-nine (39) books in the Old Testament and the twenty-seven (27) books in New Testament, totaling sixty-six (66) books, are the complete and divine revelation of God to man.
(2Tim 3:16-17; 2Pet 1:20-21)
God
We believe in one triune God, existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each co-eternal in being, perfection and holiness, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and possessing the same attributes and perfections; but separate in personalities.
(Deut 6:4; Matt 3:16-17; Matt 28:19; John 14:10, 26; 2Cor 13:14; 1Jn 5:7)
The Person and Work of God the Father
We believe that God the Father is sovereign. We believe that God the Father has always existed and will always exist. We believe that we pray to God the Father, through the intercession of His Son, and aided by the intercession of the Holy Spirit.
(Rom 15:6; 1Cor 8:6; 2Cor 1:2-3; Gal 1:1, 3; Eph 4:6)
The Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ
(1) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal 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.
(Isa 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2Cor 5:19-21; Gal 4:4-5; Phi 2:5-8)
(2) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His suffering and death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.
(Acts 2:18-36; Rom 3:24-25; Eph 1:7; 1Pet 1:3-5; 2:24)
(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, Christ fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate.
(Acts 1:9-10; Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; 9:24; 1Jn 2:1-2)
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
(1) We believe that the Holy Spirit 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 the Lord Jesus Christ, and indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption.
(Titus 3:5; John 16:8-11; Rom 8:9; 1Cor 12:12-14; 2Cor 3:6; Eph 1:13-14)
(2) We believe that the Holy Spirit is our Comforter, sent by God the Father after the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected, and sent into each believer's heart upon being born again. (John 14:26; 16:7)
(3) We believe that the Holy Spirit 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.
(Eph 1:17-18; 5:18; 1Jn 2:20,27)
(4) We believe that the Holy Spirit bestows spiritual gifts to every believer to equip them to build up one another in the Church and to advance the mission of the Church.
(Rom 12:3-8; 1Cor 12:4-11, 28; Eph 4:7-12)
(5) We believe that certain gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as supernaturally speaking in other real languages, were given as signs to authenticate the office of the apostles appointed by Jesus, to unite the early church of both Jew and Gentile, and to give warning that the promised Messiah should not be rejected. Speaking in tongues has never been the common or necessary sign of the baptism or of the filling of the Holy Spirit.
(1Cor 1:22; 12:13; 14:21-22; 1Cor 12:12; Heb 2:3-4)
Creation
We believe that God created the universe according to the Genesis account. We reject the theory of macro-evolution and all other unscriptural theories of origin. We believe that God created men and women in His own image and likeness to represent Him on earth under His righteous rule and to live in loving fellowship with Him. According to God's wisdom, He made men and women as equal in value but distinct and complimentary in characteristics and roles.
After Creation and before humanity's sin, God instituted marriage to be of one man and one woman. After humanity's fall in sin, the desires and inclinations of humans became distorted, expressing itself in many sinful ways, which often go against nature and always go against God. In love, God calls sinners to salvation through Christ and to righteous living by His Spirit so that redeemed sinners can joyfully live in fellowship with God and in love with one another. In this way, God's redeemed people are restored to the purpose for which they were created, men and women are able to live with mutual respect and love for one another, and the marriage of one man and one woman is able to be lived out as an illustration of the love Christ has for the Church.
(Gen 1:1-3:24; Ex 20:11; Prov 5:1-23; Jn 1:1-3; Col 1:16-17; Mat 19:4-6; Eph 5:21-33; Rom 1:16-32)
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that although man was created in the image and likeness of God, in Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became lost and alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.
(Gen 1:26-27; Rom 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is of the Lord (Ps 62:1-2) on the merit of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 1:7) and is a free gift of eternal life and Spirit-led living (Eph 2:8-10; Rom 6:22-23; 8:1-39), which excludes any possible merit on the basis of works of men (Rom 3:19-31; 2Tim 1:9; Titus 3:5). We believe that sinners everywhere are called in Scripture to repent from sin and to receive the risen Christ as Lord and Savior by faith
(Acts 2:38; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:21; Rom 10:9-15; 1Cor 15:1-4).
The Eternal Security and Certainty of Believers
(1) We believe that once a person has been saved, then he can never go to hell and he is eternally secure in the Lord Jesus Christ.
(John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom 8:1; 38-39; 1Cor 1:4-8; 1Pet 1:4-5)
(2) We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the certainty of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word. However, we believe that God's Word forbids Christians to use their liberty as an occasion to sin.
(Rom 13:13-14; Gal 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
The Church and Ordinances
(1) We believe that the New Testament Church, which is the body and the espoused bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons who unite together to serve God in prayer, worship, obedience, and fellowship.
(Acts 2:42; 1Cor 12:12-14; 2Cor 11:2; Eph 1:22-23; 5:25-27)
(2) We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches that are led by a plurality of pastors, served by deacons, and governed by membership is taught and defined in the New Testament.
(Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1Tim 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
(3) We believe in the autonomy of the local church, governed and controlled by its members only.
(Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom 16:1,4; 1Cor 3:9, 16; 5:4-7,13; 1Pet 5:1-4)
(4) We believe the local church is commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ to make disciples, baptize, and teach among all nations.
(Matt 28:19-20)
(5) We recognize water baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper as the two Scriptural ordinances of obedience in this, the Church age.
(Matt 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 8:36-38; 1Cor 11:23-26)
(a) Baptism: We believe that baptism is the Christ-ordained symbol of the believer's identification with the Lord Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (Matt 28:19; Rom 6:4-5). We believe that the only scriptural mode of baptism is by immersion in water (Mark 1:10).
(b) Lord's Supper: We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to keep the Lord's Supper to memorialize His death (1Cor 11:24-26). We believe that the fruit of the vine and bread should be used to symbolize Christ's blood and body.
The Return of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will personally, physically, and visibly return with His saints to eternally establish His earthly kingdom and to create the new heavens and earth.
(Ps 89:3-4; Dan 2:31-45; Zech 14:4-11; Acts 1:11; 1Th 1:10, 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
The Eternal State
(1) We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men and women—the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to eternal death.
(Mt 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev 20:5-6, 12-13)
(2) We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present in heaven with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the resurrection, when spirit and body will be reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord and to live eternally with Him, ultimately on the new heavens and earth.
(Luke 23:43; 2Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23; 3:21; 1Th 4:1617; Rev 20:4-6)
(3) We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain cut off from God at death, where they wait in what is called hell until their resurrection to judgment. At the judgment, they will give account to God and be separated eternally into what is called the lake of fire, having rejected the forgiveness and salvation of God in Jesus Christ.
Though all unbelievers will remain eternally separated from God, Jesus taught that there will be varying degrees of what that punishment is like. Those who have been given greater witness and revelation of God's salvation and, yet, have remained hard-hearted toward Him, will have a greater judgment. Our trust is in the good, wise character of God as it relates to the just judgment of unbelievers.
(Matt 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2Th 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev 20:11-15)
Governance under God
We believe that God has created and ordained all earthly authority to consist of three basic institutions: 1) the local church, 2) the home, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities; and all, including the authorities themselves, are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each of these institutions specific Biblical responsibilities and has limited each institution from infringing upon the others; the local church, the home, and the state are each sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. We believe that we must obey the state unless it requires us to act contrary to our faith, at which time we must obey God rather than the state.
(Mt 22:15-22; Ac 5:29; Rom 13:1-7; Eph 5:22-24; Titus 3:1-2; Heb 13:17; 1Pet 2:13-14)
Christian Love
We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly with all people. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or of obtaining personal justice, except for self-defense. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and to pray for any person who engages in sinful actions.
(Lev 19:18; Mt 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Phil 2:2-4; 2Tim 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1Jn 3:17-18)
Missions
We believe that God has given the Church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples of Christ among all nations. A great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group are being converted to the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against the advancement of the church, so we worship and make disciples with confidence in our triune God to fulfill His promises. The church is called to faithfully give witness of the Gospel.
God brings the increase.
(Mt 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2Cor 5:20)
