WHAT WE BELIEVE
- We believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of the original manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments, which constitute the inerrant Word of God. (II Timothy 3:16-17; Colossians 3:16; Mark 7:13)
- We believe in the Triune God: One God, eternally existing in three equal Persons, revealed as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14)
- We believe in the Deity, virgin birth, perfect humanity, sinless life, substitutionary death, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. (John 20:26-28; Matthew 1:18-25; Hebrews 2:14-18; 4:14-16; I Corinthians 15:1-5)
- We believe in the personality of the Holy Spirit by whom believers are baptized into the Body of Christ, indwelt, and sealed. (John 14:26; I Corinthians 6:19-20; 12:13; Ephesians 4:30)
- We believe in the creation of the universe and man by God, and that God personally created the universe in six 24-hour days (Genesis 1-3).
- We believe in the personal existence of angels, demons, and Satan, all having been created by God. (Job 1-2; Luke 1:26; Mark 4:1-13; Ezek. 28:13,15)
- We believe in the fall, depravity, and guilt of the race in the first man, Adam. (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12)
- We believe that the one condition for salvation is faith in Christ, the death of Jesus Christ for one’s sins and His bodily resurrection, and that all thus saved are eternally secure. (I Corinthians 15:1-5; John 6:47; I Peter 1:5)
- We believe in the priesthood of all believers, and the individual’s personal responsibility to live in obedience to God and His Word, in order to bring glory to Him. This living is in light of the judgment seat of Christ and the potential of receiving or losing rewards. (I Peter 2:9; Colossians 3:16; 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Cor. 5:9-10)
- We believe in the autonomy of the local church as a group of believers gathered together with recognized leaders, for the teaching of the Word of God, worship, fellowship, observance of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Table, mutual ministries, and to provide training and financial support for the spread of the gospel. We believe that there is a clear and important distinction between the Church and the nation of Israel; The Church having its beginning in Acts 2. (Acts 2:41; II Timothy 4:2; Hebrews 13:15-16; I Peter 3:15, 21; I Corinthians 11:23-34; I Thessalonians 5:11-14)
- We believe in the rapture of the church before the period known as the Tribulation (the Seventieth “Week” of Daniel 9). We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ after the Tribulation to establish His Kingdom on the earth. (Daniel 9:24-27; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; Revelation 19-20.)
- We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men–the saved unto eternal life and blessedness, and the rest unto eternal punishment and condemnation in the Lake of Fire. (John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:11-15)
- We believe that marriage is a God-ordained union of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-5; I Corinthians 7:1-4). We understand from the Bible that any intimate sexual activity outside of such marriage (whether heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise) is sin and should be avoided by those who desire to honor God (I Corinthians 6:9-11, 18; Galatians 5:19-21; Hebrews 13:4).
- We believe that with the end of the apostolic age, certain gifts came to an end. These sign gifts were used by God to validate and authenticate the ministry of the apostles and the early church. (Heb. 2:3-4; 1 Cor. 13:8-12; 14:21-22)
- Every point listed above is given as a summary of the major doctrines we believe to be of most importance. The list is only a summary and is in no way exhaustive in the references given to support our belief. We ultimately recognize that the Bible as it is commonly known is the complete word of God and has final authority in all these matters. With this stance we emphasize a consistent contextual, grammatical, and historical hermeneutic in how we interpret Scripture. (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17)