The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16, 17; 2 Pet 1:20, 21; Matt 5:18; John 16:12, 13).
The Godhead
We believe in the Triune God, eternally existing in three persons–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, and co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections (Deut 6:4; 2 Cor 13:14).
The Person and Work of 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 (Jn 1:1, 2, 14; Lk 1:35).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Rom 3:24, 25; 1 Pet 2:24; Eph 1:7; 1 Pet 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 (Ac 1:9, 10; Heb 7:25; 9:24; Rom 8:34; 1 Jn 2:1, 2).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (Jn 16:8-11; 2 Cor 3:6; 1 Cor 12:12-14; Rom 8:9; Eph 1:13, 14).
We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth; and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:13; 1 Jn 2:20, 27; Eph 5:18).
The Total Depravity of 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 (Gen 1:26, 27; Rom 3:22, 23; Eph 2:1-3, 12).
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph 2:8-10; Jn 1:12; Eph 1:7; 1 Pet 1:18, 19).
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
We believe that all the redeemed once saved are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (Jn 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom 8:1, 38, 39; 1 Cor 1:4-8; 1 Pet 1:5).
We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word; which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom 13:13, 14; Gal 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
The Two Natures of the Believer
We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit; and, that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural (Rom 6:13; 8:12, 13; Gal 5:16-25; Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:10; 1 Pet 1:14-16; 1 Jn 3:5-9).
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 (2 Tim 3:1-5; Rom 12:1, 2; 14:13; 1 Jn 2:15-17; 2 Jn 1:9-11; 2 Cor 6:14; 7:1).
Missions
We believe it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind (Mk 16:15; Ac 1:8; 2 Cor 5:19, 20).
The Church
We believe that the Church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age (Eph 1:22, 23; 5:25-27; 1 Cor 12:12-14; 2 Cor 11: 2).
We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Ac 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Tim 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
The Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the fall; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6, 7; Isa 14:12-17; Matt 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev 20:10).
Second Advent of Christ
We believe in the “Blessed Hope,” the personal, glorious, bodily, imminent, and premillennial coming and return of the Lord Jesus Christ when He will exercise His role as righteous Judge and fully establish His millennial and eternal kingdom (1 Thess 4:13-18; Zech 14:4-11; Rev 19:11-16).
We believe that while Scripture clearly presents the reality of the rapture, its timing in relation to the Great Tribulation remains variously interpreted. Nevertheless, the primary responsibility of the true disciple is to wait expectantly and serve faithfully until He comes (1 Thess 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Pet 1:13-16).
The Eternal State
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29, 11:25, 26; Rev. 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; Rec. 20:4-6; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1: 23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17).
We believe that the souls of the 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; Matt. 25:41-46; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude vss. 6, 7; Mark 9:43-48; Rev 20:11-15).
The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed the following ordinances to the Church to be observed:
- Baptism. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful picture, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its effect: our death to sin and resurrection to new life (Matt 28:19; Ac 2:41; Ac 8:36-38).
- The Lord’s Supper. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ in commemoration of His death, and is to be partaken by believers in accordance with 1 Cor 11:23-29.