Core Beliefs
The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ sent to the world through the Church to God glory forever. The gospel is the truth that Jesus Christ, God's only son died on the cross for the sins of the entire world. It was through this atoning sacrifice that men and women, boys, and girls, throughout the world can through faith trust what Christ did for them, repent of sin and call on Jesus to cleanse them from sin and save them. God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ is the turning point of history. It is the creation of the church to proclaim this wonderful message to the world. We are one body with one Spirit founded on one hope in one Lord by one faith in one God and Father of all!
God
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three distinct persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three persons are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections (Matthew 28:18-19; Mark 12:29–30; Acts 5:3-4; II Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:1-3).
The Person and Work of the Father – We believe that the Father possesses all the attributes of the Godhead. He is the one who has planned, who executes, and who will consummate His plans for the highest good of all things and all beings (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 1:1-3; Romans 1:20; I Corinthians 15:28).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit – We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, the third person of the Trinity. We believe that the work of the Holy Spirit today involves the conviction of sin (John 16:7-11), regeneration (John 3:5-6, 8), indwelling (John 14:16-17), baptizing the believer once and for all at the time of salvation (I Corinthians 12:13), and sealing the believer (Ephesians 1:13-14). We believe that the Holy Spirit gives the believer the power that is needed to live a godly life and that it is our privilege and duty to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:22–25). He also teaches us spiritual truth (I Corinthians 2:13).
The Person and Work of the Father – We believe that the Father possesses all the attributes of the Godhead. He is the one who has planned, who executes, and who will consummate His plans for the highest good of all things and all beings (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 1:1-3; Romans 1:20; I Corinthians 15:28).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit – We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, the third person of the Trinity. We believe that the work of the Holy Spirit today involves the conviction of sin (John 16:7-11), regeneration (John 3:5-6, 8), indwelling (John 14:16-17), baptizing the believer once and for all at the time of salvation (I Corinthians 12:13), and sealing the believer (Ephesians 1:13-14). We believe that the Holy Spirit gives the believer the power that is needed to live a godly life and that it is our privilege and duty to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:22–25). He also teaches us spiritual truth (I Corinthians 2:13).
Bible
We believe that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (II Timothy 3:16). The fact of divine inspiration extends equally and fully to the entirety of the Scriptures as they appeared in the original manuscripts, thus making the Scriptures inerrant in their entirety (John 17:17). As a result, the Scriptures are our final and absolute authority for faith and practice (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18).
Jesus Christ
God has revealed himself to us through his son, Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God, the holy scriptures, and through all of creation itself.
We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-20), born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:23-25), and that He is fully God and fully man (Philippians 2:5-8). We believe He was active in creation (John 1:1; Colossians 1:17), and this creation was accomplished in 6 literal 24-hour days as opposed to “eons” of time (Genesis 1 and 2). We believe that Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a vicarious and substitutionary sacrifice (II Corinthians 5:21). Our justification is made sure by His literal and bodily resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25; I Corinthians 15:17). We believe that Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where as our High Priest, He intercedes for us as our Advocate (I John 2:1–2; Hebrews 7:25; Acts 1:9).
We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-20), born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:23-25), and that He is fully God and fully man (Philippians 2:5-8). We believe He was active in creation (John 1:1; Colossians 1:17), and this creation was accomplished in 6 literal 24-hour days as opposed to “eons” of time (Genesis 1 and 2). We believe that Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a vicarious and substitutionary sacrifice (II Corinthians 5:21). Our justification is made sure by His literal and bodily resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25; I Corinthians 15:17). We believe that Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where as our High Priest, He intercedes for us as our Advocate (I John 2:1–2; Hebrews 7:25; Acts 1:9).
Mankind and Sin
We believe that man was created in the image of God as a direct creation, not in any sense the product of animal ancestry, and that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female (Genesis 1:26). We believe that the human race fell when Adam sinned (Romans 5:12). As a result, man is dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-3). Man is totally depraved, meaning that of himself, he is utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Romans 3:22-23). Man is a sinner both by nature and by choice.
Salvation
We believe that salvation is solely the work of God and begins with Him, that no one can come to Christ unless he is drawn by the Father (John 6:44, 65), and by Jesus Christ (John 10:27-30).
We believe that due to man’s lost condition, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again (John 3:7-18). We believe that salvation is made possible solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ who was made sin for us, dying in our place (II Corinthians 5:21).
We believe that by faith in the work of Jesus Christ man is declared just and righteous in the sight of God (Acts 16:31; Roman 3:21-31).
We believe that the believer has two natures, an old nature received when he is conceived physically (Psalm 51:5), and a new nature when he is born again spiritually (John 3:7-18), and that he cannot attain sinless perfection here on earth. The Christian life is a moment-by-moment walk of faith and victory as the Holy Spirit reproduces the life of Christ through us (Galatians 5:16).
We believe that through the infinite power of God, the believer’s salvation is made secure forever (Psalms 37:28; John 10:27-29; I Peter 1:4-5), giving us the confidence that no one or thing can take away the salvation God has given us (Romans 8:38-39).
We believe that all believers should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, the believer is commanded to be separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful practices (I John 2:15-17; Romans 12:1-21; II John 9-11).
We believe that due to man’s lost condition, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again (John 3:7-18). We believe that salvation is made possible solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ who was made sin for us, dying in our place (II Corinthians 5:21).
We believe that by faith in the work of Jesus Christ man is declared just and righteous in the sight of God (Acts 16:31; Roman 3:21-31).
We believe that the believer has two natures, an old nature received when he is conceived physically (Psalm 51:5), and a new nature when he is born again spiritually (John 3:7-18), and that he cannot attain sinless perfection here on earth. The Christian life is a moment-by-moment walk of faith and victory as the Holy Spirit reproduces the life of Christ through us (Galatians 5:16).
We believe that through the infinite power of God, the believer’s salvation is made secure forever (Psalms 37:28; John 10:27-29; I Peter 1:4-5), giving us the confidence that no one or thing can take away the salvation God has given us (Romans 8:38-39).
We believe that all believers should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, the believer is commanded to be separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful practices (I John 2:15-17; Romans 12:1-21; II John 9-11).
The Church
We believe that the true, universal church includes all believers in Christ during this present dispensation. The believer is placed into this universal church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13).
We believe that the local church is a group of professing, born-again believers who have been baptized by immersion, and have organized themselves for the purpose of carrying out the Great Commission and all other Scriptural directives (Acts 2:41-47).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has left the church two ordinances: (1) Water baptism by immersion, which is a symbol of our identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection to newness of life (Matthew 28:10); and (2) The Lord’s Supper, which is a memorial of the work of Jesus Christ in giving His body and blood for the forgiveness of sin (Luke 22:19-20; I Corinthians 11:26).
We believe that the local church is a group of professing, born-again believers who have been baptized by immersion, and have organized themselves for the purpose of carrying out the Great Commission and all other Scriptural directives (Acts 2:41-47).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has left the church two ordinances: (1) Water baptism by immersion, which is a symbol of our identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection to newness of life (Matthew 28:10); and (2) The Lord’s Supper, which is a memorial of the work of Jesus Christ in giving His body and blood for the forgiveness of sin (Luke 22:19-20; I Corinthians 11:26).
Eternity
We believe that the rapture of the church is imminent; that is, it will occur and could happen at any moment (I Thessalonians 4:13-18). We believe that following the rapture there will be the fulfillment of Israel’s seventieth week, called the tribulation (Daniel 9:27; Revelation 6-19), during which the church will be in heaven. At the end of this tribulation period, the Lord Jesus Christ will return to the earth (Acts 1:11), with power and glory to introduce the thousand year Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20:6).
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead — the saved to a life of eternal glory and bliss in heaven with God; and the unsaved to eternal judgment of conscious suffering and woe in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; II Corinthians 5:8).
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead — the saved to a life of eternal glory and bliss in heaven with God; and the unsaved to eternal judgment of conscious suffering and woe in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; II Corinthians 5:8).