What We Believe

We believe that the Scriptures, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, are the complete and authoritative Word of God. We believe that the Scripture in its entirely originated with God, and that the writers of the Scriptures were supervised by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Bible speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, styles and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold that the Bible is infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts and the complete and final authority on all matters of faith and practice for the believer.
II Timothy 3:16,17; I Peter 1:23-25; II Peter 1:20,21; Rev. 22:10, 18; Mt. 5:18; John 17:17

About God:

We believe that there is one true Holy God, eternally existing, one essence, in three
co-equal persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each of whom posses equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality. We believe that the Bible reveals God to be holy, sovereign, all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present, eternal, and unchanging. The Bible also reveals that God is loving, just, good, merciful, and true. In the beginning God created out of nothing the world and all the things therein, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom, and goodness. By His providence, God is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes. Ex. 20:2,3; Is. 44:6; Matt. 3:16-17, 28:19; Mk. 12:29; Jn. 4:24; I Cor. 8:6; II Cor. 13:14; I Jn. 5:7

About Jesus:

We believe Jesus Christ is the pre-existent and eternal Son of God who became man in order to reveal God and redeem man. Although He is of the exact same essence, we believe He is a personality distinct from the other members of the Godhead. We believe Jesus Christ was supernaturally conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. In His person, we believe that Jesus Christ combined forever full and undiminished Deity with true and perfect humanity to become the God-man. Jesus Christ lived a life of perfect obedience to God the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all mankind by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose from the dead in the same yet glorified and supernatural Body in which He lived and died. We believe Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, being the only mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for those who trust in Him for salvation. We believe Jesus Christ will come again to earth, personally and visibly, to complete human history and fulfill the purposes of God. Matthew 1:21,23; John 1:1,18, 8:58; Colossians 1:15-17; 1 Timothy 1:15, 3:16; Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 John 2:2

About The Holy Spirit:

We believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, fully equal with God the Father and God the Son. Although He is of the exact same essence, we believe He is a personality distinct from the other members of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit, we believe, has an active ministry to the world in general which includes the restraining of evil and bestowing God’s goodness on all mankind. We also believe that the Holy Spirit has many ministries to every believer in the Body of Christ. These ministries are permanent and irrevocable for the purpose of assurance, strength and wisdom for the believer. The Spirit convicts of sin, bears witness to the truth, is the agent of the new birth, seals, guides, teaches, prepares, comforts, sanctifies, and indwells every true child of God. We believe the Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the truth of Scripture to everyday circumstances. The Spirit’s power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ-like character and to bear fruit to the glory of God.

About Salvation:

We believe that it is God’s desire for all men to spend eternity with Him, but man since Adam, is born into sin and spiritual separation from God. In order to provide a way for man to find acceptance, restoration, and fellowship with God, Jesus Christ paid the price for man’s sin (death) by offering Himself as the perfect and complete sacrifice. This provided a way of restoring the broken a relationship between God and man. The only way for a person to find eternal salvation is to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ as his/her substitute and Savior from sin. God makes this salvation available to all who trust in Christ as Savior. There is nothing a person can do to attain this salvation through good works, moral achievement or religious status. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ also provided reconciliation between God and man, propitiation (turning away) of God’s wrath toward man, justification (declaration of righteousness) of the believer and eternal salvation for all who believe. We believe the Bible is clear in its teaching that salvation is available to all who trust in Christ. We also believe the Bible clearly teaches that when a person accepts Christ as Savior, he becomes one of God’s elect and is predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. This election is an eternal act of God that is not based on any foreseen merit of man, but on the inner work of God’s Spirit within man. Romans 5:1, 8:29-30; Romans 9:14-16; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:4-12, 2:8-9, 4:32; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:18-19, 2:24

About the Church:

As a result of a union with Jesus Christ, all believers become members of His Body, the church. The church began on the day of Pentecost and will continue its distinct purpose until the rapture. We believe that the church exists in both a universal aspect as the Body of Christ, and in a local sense in individual assemblies of believers. The Scriptures command the local church to gather to devote themselves to teaching of the Word, worship, prayer, fellowship, serving the Body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and observance of two ordinances. These two ordinances are believer’s baptism, which we generally practice by immersion, and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that each believer should participate in these ordinances, but that in no way do they (the actions or the elements) impart saving grace or become a pre-requisite for salvation. They are outward symbols which help us to testify to and remember the truth of what God has already done inwardly (at the time of our conversion) in our hearts.
These ordinances are to be readily available for all true believers in Christ, regardless of church or denomination.
We believe the local church is to be under the watch care of elders and other supportive leadership; its members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ. Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:1-4; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28, 12:13; Ephesians 4:4-7; Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17