WHAT WE BELIEVE:

 

 

 

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES:

accepting fully the writings of the Old and New Testaments as the very Word of God, verbally inspired in all parts and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God, all together sufficient in themselves as our only infallible and authoritative rule of faith and practice.

 

 

THE ONE TRUE GOD:

who is an intelligent sovereign, spiritual and personal Being; perfect, infinite, and eternal in His Being, holiness and love, wisdom and power; absolutely separate from and above the world as the Upholder of all things. He is revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons but without division of nature, essence or being, and each having a distinct ministry in God's relation to His creation and people.

 

 

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST:

who is the second Person of the Triune God, the eternal Word and Only Begotten Son; that without any change in His divine Person, He became man by the miracle of the Virgin Birth, thus the Savior of all mankind.

 

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT:

who is the third Person of the Trinity, and the divine Agent in nature, revelation and redemption; that He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment; that He regenerates, indwells, seals and anoints all who become children of God through Christ; that He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies and fills believers who daily surrender to Him.

 

 

 

ALL MEN BY NATURE AND CHOICE ARE SINFUL AND LOST:

that man was the direct creation of God, made in His image and likeness; that by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man became a sinful creature, the father of a fallen race which is universally sinful in both nature and practice, thus alienated from the life and family of God, under the righteous judgment and wrath of God, and has within himself no possible means of salvation.

 

 

SALVATION IS BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH:

that salvation is the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any virtue or work of man, but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all true believers have as a present possession the gift of eternal life, a perfect righteousness, sonship in the family of God, deliverance and security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine guarantee that they shall never perish; that this salvation affects the whole man; that apart from Christ there is no possible salvation.

 

 

RIGHTEOUS LIVING AND GODLY WORKS:

not as a means of salvation in any sense, but as its proper evidence and fruit; and therefore as Christians we should obey the Word of our Lord, seek the things which are above, walk as He walked, accept as our solemn responsibility the duty and privilege of bearing the Gospel to a lost world; remembering that a victorious and fruitful Christian life is possible only for those who in gratitude for the infinite and undeserved mercies of God have presented themselves wholly to Christ. For this reason we oppose all practices which depart from a spiritual life.

 

THE EXISTENCE OF SATAN:

who originally was created a holy and perfect being, but through pride and wicked ambition rebelled against God, thus becoming utterly depraved in character, the great adversary of God and His people, leader of all evil angels and wicked spirits, the deceiver and god of this present world; that his powers are vast, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God who overrules all his wicked devices for good; that he was defeated and judged at the cross, and therefore his final doom is certain; that we are able to resist and overcome only in the armor of God, by the blood of the Lamb and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST:

that His coming in the air to rapture His saints, which is the blessed hope, is always imminent; that when He has first by resurrection of the dead and translation of the living removed from the earth his waiting saints, He will then pour out the righteous judgments of God upon the unbelieving world and afterwards descend with His saints and establish His glorious and literal kingdom over all nations for a thousand years.

 

 

FUTURE LIFE, BODILY RESURRECTION & ETERNAL JUDGMENT:

that the spirits of the saved at death go immediately to be with Christ in Heaven, that their works shall be brought before the Judgment Seat of Christ for the determination of rewards which takes place at the time when Christ comes for His own; that the spirits of the unsaved at death descend immediately into Hell where they are kept under punishment until the final day of judgment, at which time their bodies shall be raised from the grave, that they shall be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire, the place of final and everlasting punishment.

 

THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS:

that Christ is our Great High Priest and through Him every born again person has direct access into God’s presence without the need of a human priest; that the believer has the right and responsibility to personally study and understand the Scriptures guided by the Holy Spirit.

 

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LOCAL CHURCH:

that each New Testament church is a local assembly of born again, baptized believers united in organization to practice New Testament ordinances; to meet together for worship, prayer, fellowship, teaching and a united testimony; and to actively engage in carrying out the Great Commission.

 

 

THE INDEPENDENCE AND AUTONOMY OF THE LOCAL CHURCH:

that each New Testament church is free to govern itself without ecclesiastical interference and should cooperate with other New Testament churches as the Holy Spirit leads; that it is responsible to follow the pattern of the New Testament church and is directly accountable to God.

 

 

THE ORDINANCES GIVEN TO THE CHURCH ARE BAPTISM

AND THE LORD’S SUPPER:

that baptism is by immersion of believers, thus portraying the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that the Lord’s Supper is the partaking of the bread and cup by the believer as a continuing memorial of the broken body and shed blood of Christ