1. The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in every matter in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matt 5:18; John 16:12-13).
2. The Godhead
We believe in one Triune 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 having the same attributes and perfections (Deut 6:4; 2 Cor 13:14).
3. The Person and Work of Christ
a. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, eternally God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1,2,14; Luke 1:35).
b. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Rom 3:24-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Eph 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
c. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God the Father, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-11; Heb 9:24; 7:25; Rom 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).
4. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
a. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; revealing Christ to men and enabling them to believe; and that He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; 2 Cor 3:6; 1 Cor 12:12-14; Rom 8:9; Eph 1:13-14).
b. We believe that He guides believers into all truth, anoints and teaches them, and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (John 16:13; 1 John 2:20 in the NET Bible(r)” rel=”external”>1 John 2:20,27; Eph 5:18).
5. The Total Depravity of Man
a. We believe that the book of Genesis presents a historically accurate account of the origin of man, the fall of Adam and Eve, and consequently the entire human race, the worldwide flood, the call of Abraham, and the origin of God’s chosen people, Israel.
b. We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that when man sinned the human race fell and became alienated from God. Man, thus, is totally depraved and of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen 1:26-27; Rom 3:22-23; 5:12; Eph 2:1-3, 12; Ps 51; Gen 5:2).
6. Salvation
a. We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal and purposeful faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph 2:8-10; 1 Cor 15:1-5; Eph 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
b. We believe that while the death and resurrection of Christ is sufficient provision for the salvation of all men, only those who exercise saving faith will have forgiveness of sin and receive eternal life. Those who so exercise faith are then regenerated, baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit, and granted every spiritual blessing in Christ (1 John 2:2; 1 Cor 15:1-4; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5; Rom 6:3-4; Eph 1:3).
7. The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
a. We believe that all the justified, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom 8:1,38,38; 1 Cor 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:5).
b. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word; which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (1 John 5:10-13; Rom 13:13-14; Gal 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
8. The Two Natures of the Believer
We believe that the regenerated person retains his corrupt, sinful, depraved nature, but at the moment of salvation also becomes a partaker of the Divine nature, capable of pleasing God through the ministries of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:9-10; Rom 6:13; 8:12-12; Gal 5:16-25; I Peter 1:14-16; I John 3:5-9).
9. Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded by God (2 Tim 3:1-5; Rom 12:12; 14:13; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1).
10. Missions
We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind (Matt 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor 5:19-20).
11. The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
a. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; that the gifts of evangelist and pastor-teacher are given to the church for the equipping of the saints today; that each believer has a spiritual gift for the purpose of ministry to others, such as the gifts of ministry, helps, leadership, administration, exhortation, giving and mercy. (1 Cor 12:4-11; Eph 4:7-12; 1 Peter 4:10; Rom 12:6-8; 2 Cor 12:12).
b. We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15; James 5:14-15).
c. We believe in the autonomy of the local church (Acts 13:1-4; 20:28; Rom 16:1; 1 Cor 3:9,16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
d. We recognize the ordinances of water baptism (immersion and the Lord’s Supper as a scriptural means of testimony for the church today (Matt 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:8; 1 Cor 11:23-26). 12. The Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and cause of the fall; 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; Isa 14:12-17; Matt 4:2-11; Rev 20:11).
13. The Second Advent of Christ
We believe in that blessed hope, the personal, imminent, pretribulational and premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for the church; and in His subsequent return to earth, with His saints, to establish His Millennial Kingdom, which will begin only after the second advent (1 Thess 4:13-18; Zech 14:4-11; Rev 19:11-16; 20:1-6; 1 Thess 1:10; 5:9; Rev 3:10).
14. The Eternal State
a. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Rev 20:5-6; 22:12).
b. We believe that the souls of the justified are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Rev 20:4-6; 2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23; 3:32; 1 Thess 4:16-17).
c. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; Matt 25:41-46; 2 Thess 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Rev 20:11-15).
