What We Believe

 

The Bible

We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as inspired by God, as inerrant in the original writings, and as supreme and final authority in faith and practice (Mark 12:26, 36; Acts 17:2-3; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:10-17; 2 Peter 1:21).

God

We believe in one God existing in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, co-equal and eternal (Gen. 1:26; 3:22; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 3:16-17; John 1:1-4; 1 Cor. 5:21; Hebrews 1:1-3; Rev. 1:4-6).

Jesus Christ

We believe in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ (Phil.2:6; Matt. 16:16; Romans 1:4); in His virgin birth (Matt. 1:18; Luke 1:3, 35); in His sinless life ( 2 Cor. 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26); in His miracles, and in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood (Hebrews 9:22; I Peter 1:18,19); in His bodily resurrection (Luke 24:5-7) and ascension to the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9); and in His personal, bodily, and premillennial return in power and glory (Acts 1:11; John 14:3).

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life (John 14:16-17; 16:8-13; I Cor. 3:16).

Humanity

We believe that man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26); that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but spiritual death (Gen. 2:17), which is separation from God; and that, resultant to this fall, all human beings have since been born with a sinful nature (Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:23; Eph. 2:1-3; I John 3:8).

Salvation

We believe that, for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential (John 3:3-7; 2 Cor. 5:17; Titus 3:5).

Eternity

We believe in the everlasting preservation and blessedness of the saved and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost (Rom. 8:1, 38, 39; John 10:27-30; Rev. 20:15; Rev. 22:2-5).

Godly Living

We believe in the grace of God that saves; that God's Word teaches believers to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts; and that His Word commands us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, carefully performing good works (Rom. 6:11-13, 8:2, 12, 13; Eph.4:22-24; I Peter 1:14-16; Titus 2:11-14).

Ordinances

We believe that the ordinances for the church are Baptism and the Lord's Supper.  Baptism is the immersion into water of a believer in Christ "in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," and symbolizes the fact of regeneration and the union of the believer with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.  The Lord's Supper is a commemoration of His death, and symbolizes the vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice of Christ for all mankind and demands the appropriation of Christ's forgiveness for sin and cleansing in the life of the believer (Matt 28:19, 20; John 3:23; Acts 8:36-38; Rom. 6:4; Acts 2:41; I Cor. 11:23-29).

The Church

We believe in the autonomy of the local church as a body of believers under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and its interdependence through associated fellowship with churches of like faith and practice (I Cor. 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; 8:1-2; Phil. 4:15-16: I Jn. 4:1).