Our Beliefs

1. Scriptures

We believe the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, to be the verbally, plenarily, inspired Word of God: inerrant in the original writings and that they are the only, supreme, and final authority in faith and practice. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:21)

2. Trinity

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in redemption. (Genesis 1:1; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Acts 5:3-4)

2.1 Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ became man without ceasing to be God; that He was begotten by the Holy Spirit, was born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man. (Philippians 2:6-10; Isaiah 7:14; Colossians 2:9; Matthew 1:18-25)

2.2 The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, co-equal with the Father and the Son and of the same substance and nature; that He convicts the world of sin of righteousness and of judgment; bears witness to the truth; is the agent of the New Birth; and that He seals, guides, teaches, sanctifies, and helps the believer; that He baptizes them into the church, the Body of Christ, indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon each one, and fills (controls) for service those yielded to Him. We believe that certain of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit such as apostleship, predictive prophecy, and tongues were temporary, needed only in the infancy of the church and are not to be expected today. (John 3:8; 14:16; 15:26-27; 16:7-15; Acts 5:1-4; I Corinthians 12:4-13; 13:8-11; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18)

3. Man

We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are now sinners by birth and by choice, positively inclined to evil and are therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin without defense or excuse. (Genesis 2:17; Psalm 51:5; 58:3; Romans 3:10-12, 23; 5:12-21; 6:23)

4. Salvation

We believe that only those who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith are born again by the Holy Spirit and are thereby the children of God and eternally saved. (John 3:3; Galatians 3:24-26; I John 5:13)

4.1 Atonement

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for the sin of mankind according to the Scriptures as a substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe on Him are justified on the basis of His shed blood. (I Corinthians 15:1-4; I John 2:2; I Peter 2:24)

5. Eschatology

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, both the just and the unjust; the eternal conscious punishment of the lost, and the eternal joy of the saved. (Revelation 20:1-10; Daniel 12:1-3; II Peter 2:9)

5.1 The Rapture

We believe in the “blessed hope”; the imminent, Pre-tribulational, pre-millennial coming of Christ for His Bride, the church. (I Corinthians 15:37-58; Titus 2:13; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 2; John 14:1-3)

6. Satan

We believe that Satan is a literal, personal, evil spirit; that he was created perfect and holy, but by sin fell from his original state; that he possesses immense, but not infinite power which is put to use in attempt to thwart God’s program and purposes on earth; that he is a defeated foe, destined to the judgment of eternal torment. (Genesis 1:31; 3:1-16; Matthew 4:8-10: II Thessalonians 2:9-10; John 12:31-32; Ephesians 2:2; Revelation 20:1-10)

7. The Church

We believe that the church is a living, spiritual body of which Christ is the Head; that individuals are joined to this body by being born again; that this spiritual body is best expressed in the form of local congregations of immersed believers until such time as Christ returns to take His Body, as His Bride to be with Him. (I Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 1:2-23; 5:21-32; Acts 1:8; 2:41)

7.1 Church Ordinances

We believe that the Lord Jesus instituted two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to be observed by all believers until He comes; that these are not in any way efficacious and are not to be considered as sacraments, there is no grace conveyed by them; that they are by the clear teaching of Scripture symbolic, and memorial. (Acts 2:41-47; Romans 6:1-10; I Corinthians 12:13; 11:23-34; Ephesians 2:8-10)

7.2 Church Officers

We believe that there are only two officers of the church revealed in Scripture, the pastor and deacons. The pastor is charged with the spiritual welfare and advancement of the church and the deacons are charged with the physical maintenance and welfare of the church. The qualifications for these offices are clearly defined in Scripture and are to be followed. (I Timothy 3:1-7, 8-13; Titus 1:5-9; Acts 6:1-7)

7.3 Church Government

We believe that the clear pattern of church government in the New Testament is congregational government. The government of the church shall be vested in the assembled members, and not subject in any way to the control of any clerical or ecclesiastical body. (Acts 1:12-26; 6:1-8; 13:1-4; 15; Matthew 18:15-20)

8. Separation

We believe that every believer is commanded to live a separated life. God commands and expects holiness of both attitude and activity. This holiness involves a separation of the individual to God, and a separation of the believer’s life from sinful habits of mind and activity, as well as separation from doctrinal error. (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:1; 3:14-21; 4:1, 7, 17-32: 5:1-20; I John 2:15-17; 3:1-3)