Our Beliefs
The Holy Scriptures
We believe that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, by which men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit to write the very words of Scripture in the original manuscripts. It is without error and is our guide to faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13)
The Godhead
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three (3) persons — The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — and that these three are one God. The three persons of the Godhead are eternal in being, identical in nature, and equal in power and glory, having the same attributes. (Deuteronomy 6:4; John 1:1-2, 14; Acts 5:3-4; Hebrews 1:1-3)
The Origin and Personality of Satan
We believe that God created an innumerable company of sinless spiritual ones, known as angels. The highest in rank, Lucifer, sinned through pride, becoming satan, whom many demons followed in his fall. (Isaiah 14:12-14) We believe that satan is the originator of sin who led the human race into transgression and accomplished their fall. (Genesis 3:1-19) We believe that satan is a direct enemy of God and in his warfare appears as an angel of light to blind men from the Gospel of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; 1 Peter 4:5)
The Creation and Fall of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, (Genesis 1:26-27) but that in the transgression of Adam (Genesis 3:6-7) the whole human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, (Romans 5:12) became alienated from God and totally unable to change his/her lost condition. (Ephesians 2:12)
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the LORD Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, (John 1:14) being conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (Luke 1:35) in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. We believe that He accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross. His blood being the purchase price, (Ephesians 1:7) and that He secured that redemption forever by His literal, bodily resurrection from the dead. (Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
The Present Ministry of Christ
Our LORD Jesus Christ is now in heaven, exalted at the right hand of God, where as the High Priest for His people He fulfills the ministry of representative, intercessor, and advocate. (Hebrews 9:24, 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, took up His abode in the world in a special sense on the day of Pentecost, after the LORD ascended into glory. The Holy Spirit CONVICTS the lost of their sin (John 16:7-11); He REGENERATES, (gives life to) the lost when they receive Christ as Savior (John 1:12-13, 3:3-6); He BAPTIZES every believer, placing them into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13); He INDWELLS every believer forever, whereby our bodies are the temples or dwelling places of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20); He SEALS the believer unto the day of Redemption, (Ephesians 4:30) which guarantees ownership, and destiny (Ephesians 1:13-14) and it is the duty of every believer to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), allowing Him to control and direct our daily walk.
The Way of Salvation
We believe that Salvation is the gift of God brought to man through grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) and received by personal faith in the LORD Jesus Christ (John 1:12) whose precious blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins. (Ephesians 1:7) Because we are dead in trespasses and sins, (Ephesians 2:1-2) we must be born from above in order to receive God's eternal life. (John 3:3, 3:16, 5:24) We believe that our redemption was accomplished solely by the work of Christ on the cross whereby He was made sin for us, dying in our place. (2 Corinthians 5:21) No sincere effort or good resolution, submission to rules and regulations of the church can add to the finished work of Christ at Calvary, which eliminates "works" as a part of our salvation. (Titus 3:5)
The Security of the Believer
We believe that because of the eternal purpose of God toward His creation and His freedom to exercise grace toward the sinner on the ground of the finished work of Christ, all genuine, true believers are secure in Christ. (Romans 8:1, 8:38-39; John 10:27-30, 5:24; 1 Peter 1:5; John 17:11) We believe it is the privilege of all who are born again to be assured of their salvation. (1 John 5:11-13) We believe, however, that God is a holy and righteous Father, and that, since He cannot overlook the sin of His children, He will when they persistently sin, chasten them and correct them in infinite love. (Hebrews 12:5-8)
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is a setting apart unto God, and is three-fold: First, at the time of salvation, the believer is "POSITIONALLY" set apart once for all. (Hebrews 10:10; 1 Corinthians 6:11) Secondly, we believe, however, that a believer retains His/her nature, which cannot be eradicated in this life. There is, therefore, a "CONTINUAL" sanctification wherein the Christian is to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Savior. (John 17:17; 2 Peter 3:18) Third, we believe that the child of God will be "ULTIMATELY" sanctified in his/her state as he/she is now in his/her standing in Christ, when he/she shall see the LORD and shall be "like Him." (1Thessalonians 3:13, 5:23)
The Church and it's Mission
We believe that the church, the body of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age, irrespective of their affiliation with Christian organization. (Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 1:12-13) The Local Church is a group of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized (immersed) upon a credible profession of faith. It is organized for worship, work and fellowship. The mission of the Church is to proclaim to the lost world the message of redemption in Jesus Christ as Savior, not only to the local community but to the entire world. (Acts 1:8)
The Return of Christ
We believe in the personal actual coming of the LORD Jesus Christ for His own (1Thessalonians 4:13-18) in which the LORD Himself will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first, and we who are alive and remain will be caught up to meet the LORD in the air. Following the "rapture" of the church, the LORD will return to the earth to set up His Kingdom. (Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelations 20:6; Acts 15:16-17)
The Eternal State
We believe that the souls of those who have trusted in the LORD Jesus Christ for salvation do at death immediately pass into His presence, (Philippians 1:23) and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming, when soul and body, reunited, shall be associated with Him forever in glory. But the souls of the unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery, until the final judgment of the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15) at the close of the millennium, when soul and body, reunited, shall be cast in the Lake of Fire (Luke 16:19-26) not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the LORD and from the glory of His power. (2 Corinthians 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)
Church Ordinances
We believe that water baptism and the LORD's Supper are the only ordinances of the church and that they are the scriptural means of testimony for the church in this age. (1 Corinthians 11:2)