THE SCRIPTURES

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary, inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice (2 Timothy 2:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 12:6-7).

THE GODHEAD

We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three Persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost; and that these three are one God. The Triune God, eternally existing in three persons is co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and have the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14).

THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of 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 through His substitutionary death on the cross at Calvary (John 1:1-2, 14; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; 7:14; Philippians 2:5-8; Galatians 4:4-5).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His finished work on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24, 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2).

We believe that on departing earth, He was accepted by His Father and that His acceptance is final assurance to us that His redeeming work was perfectly accomplished (Hebrews 1:3).

THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Person who reproves the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, indwelling all believers and sealing them unto the day of redemption. We believe that the Holy Ghost, the Third Person of the Trinity, dwells in every believer immediately upon placing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and that God provides, through the Holy Ghost, power to live the Christian life (John 16:8-11; II Corinthians 3:6; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14; Galatians 5:16-25).

MAN

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. The Bible is explicitly clear that “all” men have come short of the glory of God.” There is “none righteous,” and our ONLY HOPE is by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12).

The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image and is mindful of him, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every individual possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love (Psalm 8:4-9; Colossians 3:9-11).

SALVATION

We believe all men were born with an inherited sin nature received from our common ancestor, Adam. Man is sinful by nature and man is a sinner by choice. He is totally incapable of reforming himself or ceasing from his sin by his own power. We believe that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again spiritually, and that the new birth of the believer comes only through faith and acceptance of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God at Calvary.

We believe, also, that our redemption has been accomplished by the grace of God, an unmerited gift, given in love by God and not the result of any human works. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and for His glory alone! (John 3:17-18; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Romans 4:4-5) Salvation is “by grace” plus nothing minus nothing.

We believe that men are justified by faith alone and are accounted righteous before God only through the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; I Peter 1:18-19). We hold true that all the redeemed, once saved are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We believe that eternal life is the present possession of every believer (John 6:37-40,10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:4-5; Jude 1, 2).

THE CHURCH

We believe that the message of our Lord Jesus Christ to those whom He has saved is to make Christ known to the whole world and that this is the purpose of the church through the individuals within it (Matthew 28:18-19; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:11-2). We believe that the New Testament church is a local assembly of baptized believers who have voluntarily joined themselves together to carry out the Great Commission. The Lord is doing His work in this world through local churches. The establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11). We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. Christ is the only head of the church (Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; I Peter 5:1-4).

THE ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH

We recognize the ordinances of baptism by immersion in water and the Lord’s Supper as a Scriptural means of testimony for local churches in this age (Matthew. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42, 18:18; I Corinthians 11:23-26).

BIBLICAL 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 of God (II Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1, 2, 14:13; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1).

THE RETURN OF CHRIST

We believe the “Blessed Hope” of our Lord’s return is literal, personal, visible, imminent manner. The future period of great tribulation on the earth will be climaxed by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth as He went in person in the clouds with power and great glory to establish His millennial kingdom. But prior to this tribulation, we believe there will be the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the air to receive to Himself into Heaven both His own who are alive and remain until His coming and also all who have died in Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 3:10).

OUR ETERNAL STATE

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28, 29, 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13).

We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Revelation 20:4-6; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17).

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; Matthew 25:41-46; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:11-15).