What We Believe
What We Believe
Let Us Hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering

Statement of Faith

The Bible. We believe the Bible to be the complete Word of God, that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament in the original manuscripts were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and were entirely free from error. Further, we believe that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

The Trinity. We believe in one God, eternally existing in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each Person is fully God, sharing the same nature and attributes (Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19).

God the Father. We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (John 16:23-27, Galatians 4:4-6, Ephesians 1:3, 17-23).

God the Son. We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son. He is true God and true man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. We believe in His sinless life, in His death on the cross as our Substitute, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension into Heaven, in His intercession on behalf of His people, and in His personal return (Matthew 1:18,23; Luke 24:1-8; John 1:1,14; Acts 1:11; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Phil. 2:5-11; Hebrews 4:14-16, 7:24-25; 1 John 2:1; Revelation 19:11-20).

God the Holy Spirit. We believe the Holy Spirit is a Person, and is fully God. He convicts of sin, convinces of righteousness and of judgment, turns the lost soul toward God, indwells every believer, and guides, empowers, and gifts believers for the work of ministry (Matthew 28:19; John 3:5, 16:7-15; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 6:11,19, 12:4-13; Ephesians 3:16, 4:11-16).

Satan. We believe that Satan exists as an evil personality, as the originator of sin, and as the arch-enemy of God and man (Ezekiel 28:11-¬15; Isaiah 14:12-20; Ephesians 6:10-12; 1 Peter 5:8).

Man. We believe that man, both male and female, was divinely created in the image of God; that man sinned, becoming guilty before God; is a sinner by nature and choice, and thereby incurred physical and spiritual death (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7-3:19; Romans 3:23, 5:12-21, 6:23).

Salvation. We believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is based on the sovereign grace of God, and was purchased for us by Christ on the cross. We can be declared righteous only by faith in the all-sufficient sacrifice and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those whom God has specially called to Himself shall be divinely preserved and finally perfected in the image of the Lord (John 1:12, 3:3¬7, 5:24; Romans 8:31-39; Ephesians 1:11-14, 2:8-10; 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Peter 1:3-5).

Future Things. We believe in the personal, bodily, and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ; in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust; in the eternal blessedness of the redeemed, and in the judgment and conscious eternal punishment of the wicked (John 5:29; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, 15:51-58; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 John 8; Revelation 19:20).

The Local Church. We believe that the church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the Head. The true church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been transformed by the Holy Spirit. This body expresses itself in local assemblies whose members have been baptized upon credible confession of Jesus Christ and have associated themselves for the purpose of worship, discipleship, evangelism, fellowship, and service. The ordinances of the local church are believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper. The local church is an independent body that voluntarily associates with other churches for the purpose of furthering the Kingdom of God (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8, 2:41-47; Romans 6:1-11; Ephesians 5:21; Colossians 1:15-18; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Corinthians 11:23-31).

The Church and State. We believe that each local church is self-governing in function and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority. We further believe that every human being is directly responsible to God in matters of faith and life, and that each should be free to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience (Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1; 1 Timothy 2:1-6).

Christian Conduct. We believe that the supreme task of every believer is to glorify God in his or her life. The believer should live blamelessly before the world, be a faithful steward of his or her possessions, and seek to realize for himself or herself the full stature of maturity in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 1:28; 1 Timothy 6:6-9; 1 Peter 1:14-15).

Creation. We believe that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. By God’s command the universe came into existence. All of God’s creation was pronounced by God to be good and was created to glorify God. God is the giver of all life. God upholds and sustains His creation (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:11; Nehemiah 9:6; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 11:3).

Marriage. We believe that marriage is between one man and one woman. Man and woman were created by God to complement one another emotionally, physically, and spiritually for the purpose of relationship and to have the blessing of children (Genesis 2:18-24; Mark 10:5-9; Ephesians 5:21-33; Psalm 127:3).