What We Believe
I. Bible
We believe that the Bible, consisting of sixty-six books, is the inspired Word of God; that every part is fully and equally inspired; and that every single word of Scripture was produced under the control of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21).
We also accept the Scriptures in their entirety as being inerrant (in the original writings) and infallible. For this reason we are committed to the Bible as our final authority in all matters of doctrine, faith, and practice (Mt. 5:17; Jn. 17:17).
II. God
We believe that there is only one true, eternal, living God, who is sovereign over all things. God can be known through the many absolute and relative attributes revealed in the Scriptures (Ex. 3:14; Dt. 6:4; Col. 1:15–17).
God is the source and sustainer of life. He, according to the counsel of His own will, decreed whatsoever comes to pass, including both His permissive will and His causal will (Isa. 14:24, 26–27; Eph. 1).
III. Trinity
We believe, although there is only one true God, that God consists of three distinct persons, each of whom is coeternal and coequal.
We believe that the Father is God, that the Son (Jesus, the Christ-Messiah) is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God (Dt. 6:4; Jn. 1:1; 14; 6:27; Acts 5:3–4).
IV. Christ
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be absolute Deity, the eternal Son of God, who became man without ceasing to be God. In the incarnation, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (Isa. 9:6–7; Mt. 1:18–25; Jn. 3:16; Heb. 1:8).
We believe that Jesus Christ was both fully God and fully man at the same time (Phil. 2:5–8).
We believe that He was totally holy by virtue of His miraculous birth and sinless life (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15).
We believe that Jesus Christ voluntarily laid down His life, the just dying for the unjust, making it possible for man to be saved (Jn. 10:17; Heb. 9:14, 28; 1 Pet. 3:18).
We believe that He rose bodily from the dead on the third day after death, and that He ascended into heaven to the right hand of the Father (Jn. 2:19–22; Acts 1:9–11; Heb. 1:3).
We believe that, presently, He is our Intercessor and Advocate, the only true Mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 4:14; 7:25; 1 Jn. 2:1).
V. Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is Deity, a divine person of the Godhead. He is not a force, but is truly a person and is equal with the Father and the Son (Acts 5:3–4).
We believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to all believers at the moment they are regenerated, and that these gifts are to be used for the edification and perfecting of the believers in the Church. We believe that the miraculous and sign gifts were given for a unique purpose to the first-century Church, but that they ceased at the end of that century (Rom. 12:3–8; 1 Cor. 12—14; Eph. 4:7–16; Heb. 2:3-4).
VI. Man
We believe that God created man directly and instantaneously from the dust of the ground. Man was created in the image of God and was able to have intimate fellowship with God (Gen. 1:26–27; 2:7).
We believe that marriage is a gift and act of God, joining two people together to make one flesh. God designed marriage to be an exclusive covenant between one biologically-born man and one biologically-born woman for life and that sexual relations are permissible only within the bonds of marriage (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:4-6; Heb. 13:4).
We believe that all of humanity fell away from God when Adam first sinned, and that the fall resulted in both physical and spiritual death for man. In this fallen condition, man was left totally depraved and unable to remedy his own situation (Gen. 3:6–13; Rom. 5:12–21; 1 Cor. 15:21–22; Eph. 2).
VII. Sin
We believe that sin is anything that does not conform to the character and nature of God (1 Jn. 3:4).
We believe that all mankind sinned in Adam, the head of the human race, and that each human being has a sin nature, and also has committed personal sin (Rom. 1:18; 3:23; 5:12; 1 Jn. 1:8–10).
VIII. Salvation
We believe that salvation is the act of God whereby man is brought into a proper relationship with God. It is that act where spiritually dead man is made spiritually alive (Ps. 3:8; Jon. 2:9; Eph. 2:1–2).
We believe that this is accomplished by the grace of God through man’s faith in the death (shed blood), burial, and bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1–4; Eph. 2:8–10).
We believe that salvation involves three things for the believer: deliverance from the penalty of sin at the moment of regeneration; victory over the power of sin during the Christian life; and deliverance from the presence of sin at glorification.
We believe that salvation positionally sanctifies the believer, but that the believer needs to experience, in his daily life, progressive sanctification (Rom. 6:14; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:20–21).
IX. Satan and Angels
We believe in the existence of the person of Satan. He was created by God as the greatest of angels, but later rebelled against God. After he fell, he organized his own kingdom, which consists of both evil angels and unregenerate man. He is currently the ruler-god of this age. Satan’s ultimate goal is to overthrow God. He seeks to keep the unsaved from becoming saved. He seeks to hinder and destroy the Christian’s testimony and ministry for God.
We believe that both Satan and his evil angels will be consigned to the eternal Lake of Fire after the Millennium (Isa. 14:12–17; Ezek. 28:11–19; Mt. 25:41; Jn. 8:44; Rev. 20:7–10).
We believe that there is an innumerable host of angels who remained faithful and true to God. They are servants to the Most High God and are ministering spirits to those who are heirs of salvation (Ps. 91:11–12; Mt. 4:6; Acts 12:7–10; Rev. 7:11).
X. Church
We believe that the true Church is a universal, invisible, living organism and that it is the “body of Christ” who is Himself the head of this body. The universal Church is made up of regenerate, redeemed believers only (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:22–23; 5:23; Col. 1:18).
We believe that the Church began on the day of Pentecost; that every believer was indwelt/baptized by the Holy Spirit into the one body of Christ, which is the Universal Church (Jn. 14:16–17; Acts 1:4–5; 2:1–4; 1 Cor. 12:13).
We believe that the Scriptures teach that there are to be local churches. These churches are to be the visible representation of the body of Christ in the local community. Local churches are to observe the ordinances of Christ and seek to do the will of God (Mt. 28:19–20; Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 1:2; 11:23–28).
We believe that the local church should be totally committed to the edifying (developing to maturity) of the believers and also should have an active outreach in evangelism (1 Cor. 14; Eph. 4:11–16).
