Holy Scriptures
We
believe the Scriptures, both the Old and the New
Testaments, to be the verbally inspired Word of God,
written by men under the control of the Holy Spirit,
inerrant and infallible in the original manuscripts and
the final authority in the faith and life. We accept the
grammatical-historical system of interpretation of the
Scriptures, and accept the historical record of the
Bible as accurate.
One
and Only God
We
believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons;
the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who are
identical in essence and substance, equal in power and
glory, and possess precisely the same attributes and
perfection.
Jesus
& What He Did
We
believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of
God, became man without ceasing to be God; that He was
conceived by the Holy Spirit and physically born of a
virgin, in order that He might redeem (pay the price
for) sinful man. He accomplished this redemption by
voluntarily giving His physical life as a sinless
substitutionary sacrifice on a wooden cross, thereby
satisfying God’s righteous judgment against the sin of
man. He gave proof that He accomplished that redemption
by His bodily resurrection from the grave. He then
ascended to heaven and sits on the right hand of His
Father where He intercedes on behalf of His people.
The
Holy Spirit
We
believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Person who
convicts this world of sin; that He alone brings new
life to those who are spiritually dead and places all
believers into the one true Church, which is the Body of
Christ; that He indwells them permanently, seals them
unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon
them; that He helps us pray; that he fills and leads us.
Human
Race
We
believe that men and women were created in the image and
likeness of God, in innocence and without sin. But in
Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited the
consequence and guilt of his sin, a sinful nature,
becoming spiritually dead and alienated from God so that
man is a sinner both by nature and by personal choice.
Man, of himself, is incapable of remedying his lost and
depraved condition.
Salvation
From Sin
We
believe that salvation is a gift of God’s grace given to
all whom God has elected to salvation. Salvation
includes all that God does in rescuing men and women
from the penalty, power and presence of sin and
restoring them to a right relationship with God. As
such, it is solely the work of God from the beginning to
the end. It is the Holy Spirit who causes believers to
have saving faith. Salvation cannot be gained by doing
good works because it is a free gift for all who put
their trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the
cross. All who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord
are forgiven and saved from their sins and made
righteous before God and are born into the family of
God. God’s purpose for saving His elect is so that they
bring glory to Him by their lives.
Is Secure
We
believe that all saved, those in whom God has
accomplished His transforming work of grace, are kept by
His power and thus are secure in Christ forever. This
assurance, however, is not the occasion for sin, for God
in holiness cannot tolerate persistent sin in His
children, and in infinite love He corrects them. True
faith in Christ is expressed by a fruitful, God pleasing
life that endures until death.
Sanctification
We
believe that God, in the Scriptures, has given us
everything pertaining to life and godliness. This
includes the salvation from the penalty of sin and on
going work of sanctification (separation) from sin.
Sanctification from sin affects both the positional and
practical aspects. Positional sanctification as a work
of the Holy Spirit is complete and absolute; however,
practical sanctification is a result of the continuing
work of the Spirit using the Word of God to provide
nourishment for growth into maturity in Christ. While
the process of practical sanctification is assured by
the word and the Spirit, it is yet imperfect in this
life. Spiritual growth occurs as believers feed on the
Word and are in fellowship with other believers for
encouragement and service.
The
Church
We
believe that the true Church, called the Body of Christ,
is a spiritual organism. Every person who has trusted
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of his or her sins is a
part of the Church. The local church, as established in
Scripture, is made up of redeemed individuals who have
joined together for worship, instruction, fellowship and
service. It is directed, guided and instructed by its
Head – Jesus Christ, who delegates to local church
leaders (elders & deacons) the oversight of the
people and ministries for the fulfillment of His
mission. He gives spiritual gifts to all for the
edification and service to His body.
Ordinances
of The Church
We
believe that our Lord Jesus Christ instituted two
ordinances to be observed by all believers as a matter
of obedience, not as a condition for salvation. Water
baptism, subsequent to the believer’s profession of
faith, and the Lord’s supper – to be done in
remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins.
Eternal
Life
We
believe that at death the souls of unbelievers remain in
conscious misery until the final judgment when the soul
and body will be reunited and cast into the lake of
fire, not to be annihilated, but to be separated from
God forever in conscious punishment. We also believe
that at death the souls of those who have trusted Christ
for salvation pass immediately into His presence and
remain there in conscious bliss until the resurrection
of the body at Christ’s coming for the Church, when the
soul and body will be reunited. We then shall be with
Him forever in glory.
End of Time
We
believe, according to His promise, that Jesus will
personally return to earth again for His people prior to
a massive outpouring of sin and ungodliness led by a
wicked earthly leader – the antichrist. After a period
of time, Christ will return again with His people to set
up His millennium (1,000 literal years) reign on this
earth. He will end this reign with a final sentencing of
Satan to an eternal punishment in the lake of fire.
