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We believe that the Bible is the verbally inspired word of God, that it as written by men who were divinely and uniquely inspired and that it was without error in its original writing. It is complete, absolutely trustworthy and has supreme authority in all matters of Christian faith and conduct.
2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:2, 21; John 16:12, 13; Revelation 22:18, 19
The Godhead
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory and with the same attributes and perfections.
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and the He saves from the penalty of sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
John 3:35; John 5:26; John 6:46; John 10:29; Matthew 11:27
God the Son - Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal and only begotten Son of God. We believe that in His mortal life, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that he might reveal God and redeem sinful men. Becoming a man without ceasing to be God, He lived a sinless life and accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross, a vicarious sacrifice for our sins. We believe in His bodily resurrection from the grave and that He ascended into heaven where He is now exalted on the right hand of God, interceding for us as our great high priest. We believe in His personal imminent, physical return to earth to rapture His church, and His subsequent return with His saints to establish His Millennial Kingdom.
Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 1:18-25; 1 Peter 2:24; John 3:16; Luke 24:1-53; Hebrews 4:14-16;
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who convinces the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. He regenerates, sanctifies and comforts those who believe in Jesus Christ, indwelling and sealing them until the day of redemption. He is the Divine Teacher, who guides us into all truth, and by His filling He strengthens us.
John 14:16; John 15:26; John 16:7-14; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13-14
The Nature of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin, man fell thereby inheriting a sinful nature and becoming alienated from God. This resulted in not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is separation from God. By choice we sin; and, of ourselves, we are unable to remedy our lost condition.
Genesis 1:26, 27; Romans 3:10; Romans 5:12; John 3:5
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God, brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins.
John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; Romans 5:18
We believe that every born again child of God possesses eternal life and being justified, sanctified and sealed with the Holy Spirit, is kept by God's power, safe and secure for all eternity. However, a Christian can - through sin - lose his fellowship, joy, power, testimony and reward, and incur the Father's chastisement. Our relationship is eternal, being established by the new birth; fellowship, however, is dependent upon obedience to God's will.
John 6:37; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15; 1 John 5:11-13
The Church
We believe that the universal church of Christ is a living spiritual body of which Christ is the Head, and of which all regenerated people are members. We believe that the local church is a company of believers in Jesus Christ, sharing a credible confession of faith, and voluntarily associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that to the local church was committed, for perpetual observance, the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and that God laid upon the church the task of proclaiming to a lost world the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 2:5; Matthew 28:18-20
We believe that the church has two ordinances:
Baptism is the immersion of the believer in water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, symbolizing the believer's previous experience of the new birth through faith and his union in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as set forth in Romans 6:3-11.
The Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ as a memorial to His atoning sacrifice. In observance of this Supper, believers remember Him; they show forth His death until He comes, and they function as worshipping priests before God. Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-24
We believe the local church is independent and autonomous and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority, and that therefore church and state must be kept separate, each having different functions. Luke 20:19-26; Romans 13:1-7; Titus 3:1
We believe that the Holy Spirit gives each believer one or more of the spiritual gifts and that Christ, our Risen Head, has especially set apart the gifts of evangelists, pastors and teachers in order to help the saints in their service and to build up the body of Christ.
We believe that as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority established, the need for miraculous signs has diminished and they are not now necessary to validate our faith or to authenticate the Scriptures. Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 1:22; 1 Corinthians 12:11-14; 1 Corinthians 12:28-31; Ephesians 4:11-13; Mark 16:17, 18
We believe in the power of prayer, God does hear and answer the prayer of faith in accordance with His sovereign will. John 15:7; 1 John 14, 15
The Eternal State
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgement and everlasting punishment.
Matthew 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25, 26; Revelation 20:5,6,12,13
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from body and present with the Lord; where conscious bliss, they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord.
Luke 16:16-26; Matthew 25:1-46; 11 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Jude 6, 7; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:10
We believe that Satan is a real person, the author of sin and the cause of man's fall; we believe 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; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10
Beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; to Him be glory both now and forever.
AMEN.