Belief Statement

About the Bible
We believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, complete as a revelation of God’s will for salvation, and the supreme and final authority in all matters to which it speaks. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:4; John 10:35b; Proverbs 30:5-6)

About God the Trinity
We believe in one God, creator and sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; that these are equal in every divine perfection and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption. (Ephesians 4:4-6; John 1:1-3; John 14:9-11, 16-17, 26; Mark 1:9-11)

About God the Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (John 4:24; John 3:16; Matthew 6:9-13; Acts 4:12; John 14:6)

About Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s only son, and has precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. We believe further that He is not only true God, but true man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We also believe in His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, His priestly intercession on behalf of His people , and His personal, visible, premillennial return from heaven. (Matthew 1:18-25; Isaiah 7:14; John 1:1-14; II Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 9:11-15, 24-28; Titus 2:11-14; Acts 1:1-11; I Corinthians 15:3-8, 12-28; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:1-6)

About the Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, His personality, and His work in regeneration, sanctification, and preservation. His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, and implement Christ’s work of redeeming the lost and empowering the believer for godly living and service. (John 16:7-11; Romans 8:1-17; Titus 3:4-7)

About Mankind
We believe God created man, male and female, in the image of God and free from sin. We further believe man is a sinner by nature and choice, and is therefore spiritually dead. We also believe that those who repent of sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:10-20, 23; Romans 5:12, 17, 19; Romans 6:23; Acts 2:21,38; Titus 3:4-7; Ephesians 1:13-14)

About Salvation
We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We further believe that this salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, and was paid for by the death of Christ on the cross and is received by man through faith, apart from any human merit, works, or ritual. We further believe salvation results in righteous living, good works, and proper social concern. (Ephesians 2:1-9; James 2:14-26; James 1:27)

About the Church
We believe that the church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the head. We believe that the true church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We believe that this body expresses itself in local assemblies whose members have been immersed upon a credible confession of faith and have associated themselves for worship, for instruction, for evangelism, and for service.

About Communion and Baptism
We believe the ordinances of the local church are believer’s baptism by immersion, and the Lord’s supper. (Matthew 16:16-18; I Corinthians 12:12-30; Matthew 28:18-20; I Corinthians 3:16-1711:23-32)

About the Local Church
We believe that each local church is self-governing in function, and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority. We further believe that every human being is directly responsible to God in matters of faith and life, and that each should be free to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. We also believe in the interdependence of local churches, and the mutual submission of believers to each other in love. (John 4:21-24; Acts 4:18-20; Romans 14:1-5; Acts 13: 1-3, 23, 27; I Corinthians 16:1-3; II Corinthians 8:3-4; Philippians 2:1-4; Ephesians 5:21)

About Our Lives
We believe that the supreme task of every believer is to glorify God in his life; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself the full stature of maturity in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3-4; I Corinthians 6:19-20; I Peter 2:12; Malachi 3:10; II Corinthians 8:7; Ephesians 4:13-16)

About Eternity
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the saved and lost; the eternal existence of all men either in heaven or hell; in divine judgments, rewards and punishments. (Hebrews 9:27; II Corinthians 5:10; John 14:1-4; Revelation 20-22)