What We Believe
The Scriptures
We believe in the plenary verbal inspiration of the Bible, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament canon which, being inerrant in the original manuscripts is the sole authority on all matters of faith and practice. (2 Pet 1:21; 2 Tim 3:16-17).
The Godhead
We believe that God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, righteousness, justice, goodness, and truth. He is the source of all things external to himself, he supports and upholds by his decree everything external to himself, and all things exist to show his greatness and to bring him pleasure. The one true and living God exists eternally in three self-existent, uncreated persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, of one and the same essence, equal in divine attributes, yet distinct in personality and function (Gen 1:5, 8, 13; Ex 20:1; Rom 11:36; Col 1:16–17; Rev 4:11; Deut 6:4; 2 Cor 13:14; Gen 1:2; John 5:23, John 14: 26, 28).
Jesus Christ
- We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ Who was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and is truly God and truly Man, one Person with two natures, divine and human (Matt 1:18-20; John 1:1,2,14).
- We believe the Lord Jesus Christ died as a substitutionary sacrifice for sin according to the Scriptures, and all who receive Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood (2 Cor 5:21; Rom 3:21-26; Heb 2:9; 1 Jn 2:2).
- We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ; in His bodily ascension into Heaven; and in His present life there as High Priest for all believers (Matt 28:1-10; Acts 1:9; Heb 7:25-28).
- We believe in the imminent return of Christ, at which time all believers in Christ will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and be kept from the promised period of divine wrath upon the Earth (1 Thess 4:14-17; 1 Cor 15:51-53; 1 Thess 5:6, 9; Rom 5:9).
The Holy Spirit
- We believe in the Holy Spirit who is one of the three Persons of the Trinity. We believe among His ministries are the following: the restraining of evil in the world to the measure of the divine will; the conviction of the world regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment; the regeneration of all believers; the indwelling of those who are saved, and the continued filling for power, teaching and service of believers in proportion to their yieldedness to God and the Word that is evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit in the life (2 Thess 2:7; John 3:5-6; 16:7-11; Rom 8:9; Eph 4:30, 5:18; Rom 6:13; Gal 5:16, 22-23).
- We believe some gifts of the Holy Spirit were temporary. We believe speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the filling or baptism of the Spirit. We believe God, in accord with His own will, does hear and answer prayer for the sick and afflicted (1 Cor 12:11, 30; 13:8; James 5:14-16).
Salvation
- We believe man was created in the image of God; he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death which is separation from God, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and in practice become sinners in thought, word and deed (Gen 1:26, 27; 3:1-24; Rom 5:12-21; Eph 2:1-6).
- We believe salvation is the gracious gift of God, received through personal repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose blood was shed in death and who rose again, for the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is wholly apart from human merit. All those who believe are regenerated children of God (Eph 2:8,9; Acts 3:19; 20:21; Heb 6:1; John 1:12; 3:5-7; 20:31).
- We believe all the elect of God, once saved, are kept by God's power and are secure in Christ forever (John 10:27-30; Rom 8:31-39).
Sanctification
We believe sanctification is presented in three senses in Scriptures: While the believer's bondage to sin is gone (positional sanctification), the presence of sin and its tendencies are not. The believer should be growing in conformity to Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit through the means of the Word of God and prayer, faith, obedience, self denial, and an active resistance against sin and Satan (progressive sanctification). The believer will only be fully conformed to the image of Christ i.e., sinless, at glorification (future sanctification) (Heb 10:10; John 17:17; Eph 5:25-27; 1 Thess 4:13-18; Gal 5:17; Rom 7:18-25).
Separation
We believe in the Biblical doctrine of separation which encompasses: (1) separation of the local church from all affiliation and fellowship with those who deny the truths of the Christian faith and from those who are content to walk in fellowship with unbelief and disobedience to Scripture; (2) separation of the individual believer from all worldly practices dishonoring to the Savior; and (3) separation of church and state (2 Tim 3:1-5; Rom 12:1-2; 14:13; 16:17 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; Matt 22:21).
The Church
We believe in the Church - a living, spiritual body of which Christ is the Head; and of which all regenerated people in this age are a part. We believe the Church is a body peculiar to the age of grace and entirely distinct from the nation, Israel. We believe a local church is a company of believers in Jesus Christ, immersed upon a credible confession of faith and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe the local church is autonomous, the center of God's program for this age, and that every Christian is bound by Scripture to give his unhindered cooperation to the ministry of his local church (Matt 16:16-18; 1 Cor 12:12-17; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Tim 3:15-16).
The Ordinances
We believe there are two ordinances: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water and is properly called “believer's baptism.” It sets forth in a beautiful and solemn way our identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection and the resultant responsibility to “walk in the newness of life.” Baptism is a prerequisite to church membership. The Lord's Supper is the commemoration of the Lord's death until He comes, and it is a reminder of our continual fellowship with Him and should be preceded by careful self-examination (Matt 28:19-20; Acts 8:36-39; Rom 6:3-5; 1 Cor 11:23-32).
The Great Commission
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ has commissioned us to take the Gospel to the world, and evangelism and church-planting at home and abroad should be primary in the program of the local church, which includes the baptism and instruction of believers (Matt 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).
Last Things
We believe in the imminent rapture of the church to Heaven followed by a seven year period of tribulation upon all the earth. At the end of this period of tribulation, Jesus Christ shall come back to Earth in power and glory with His Church to establish the promised Davidic Kingdom. He shall reign for one thousand years, during which time peace and righteousness will cover the earth, Satan will be bound, and Israel shall be established in her own land. At the end of this glorious reign, Satan shall lead a rebellion against Christ, shall be defeated, and shall be forever banished to the Lake of Fire.
The wicked dead shall be judged at the Great White Throne and shall be condemned to everlasting conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire. The righteous shall be in eternal conscious blessedness in the presence of the Lord (John 14:3; Matt 24:21; Rev 19:11-16; 21:1-15; Ezek 39:25-29; 1 Thess 4:17).