What We Believe

We believe that the Bible, composed of sixty­‐six books, is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-­21; Romans 10:17

We believe that there is only one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.

Father: John 10:30

Son: Hebrews 1:8

Spirit: Acts 5:3­‐4

Trinity: Matthew 3:16­‐17

Oneness: Deuteronomy 6:4

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, hears and answers prayer, concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of humanity, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

John 16:23-­28 & 17:5; Ephesians 1:3-­14

We believe in God the Son, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, exaltation to the right hand of the Father where He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords, perpetual intercession for His own people, and personal, visible return to the earth.

John 1:1, 14; Philippians 2:5-­11; Colossians 1:13-­23; Romans 8:34

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and to regenerate, sanctify, baptize, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe the Bible’s teaching that the Holy Spirit is received by every believer at the moment they hear the gospel and trust in Christ; that He indwells every believer in Christ and intercedes for them in prayer; that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide; and that He gives gifts to individual believers for building up the body of Christ in love.

John 14:26 & 16:7-­13; Ephesians 1:13; Romans 8:16; Romans 8:26-­ 27; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:11-­16

We believe that God created human beings, male and female, in His own image and, therefore, from conception all human life has inherent value and is sacred before God; that men and women belong to a created order that God declared to be very good and, as believers, enjoy equal access to God as coheirs of God’s grace in Christ. We believe that the image of God in human beings is now distorted and the original blessedness has been forfeited due to the fall of Adam; that the sin of Adam resulted in physical, spiritual, volitional, and emotional corruption, which is separation from God ⎯ eternal death. The supreme need of every human being is reconciliation with God, and the restoration lovingly and freely offered by God through the gospel.

Genesis 1:26; 1 Timothy 2:13; 1 Peter 3:7; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1­‐4, 12; Romans 5:10; 8:29; Acts 3:21

We believe that human beings are created in the image of God; but through the Fall of Adam, that all people are sinners by nature and by personal choice and, therefore, have need to be saved from condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ by faith as their personal Lord and Savior are saved from condemnation, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, are declared righteous before God and become new creations preserved by the grace and power of God. We also believe that those thus saved need no mediation other than Jesus Christ and can come directly to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:21-­22; Romans 3:23-­24; Ephesians 2:8-­10; Titus 3:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 3:18

We believe that Satan is a spirit being, a fallen angel, the first created being to sin; that he is the enemy of God and man and consciously strives to separate the two; and that he will suffer eternal, conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire.

Matthew 4:1-­11; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 20:1-­10; 2 Corinthians 4:6

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members by the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit of God. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that the Holy Spirit gives leaders to the church to equip believers for the work of the ministry, and that God has laid upon the local church the primary task of giving the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

Matthew 28:16-­20; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 10:24-­25; Ephesians 4:11-­16; Ephesians 3:10

We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God, the enjoyment of God, and the well being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before God, the church, and the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions, and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others that full stature of maturity in Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:31; Psalm 16:9-­11; Matthew 5:16; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Colossians 1:28 & 3:1‐17

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Biblical baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the triune God to publicly signify their union with Christ. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for the commemoration and proclamation of His death for us. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of Jesus Christ for His church.

Romans 6:1-­11; Matthew 3:13-­17 & 26:26-­29 & 28:19 – ­20; 1 Corinthians 11:20-­34

We believe that each human being is ultimately responsible to God alone in all matters in the practice of faith. Also, this church is independent and autonomous and will be subject to no other authority than God in its beliefs and practices of faith. We further believe that although church and state should be separate, the church shall always remain free to exercise its influence for biblical morals and ethics.

Romans 14:12; Proverbs 14:34; Mark 12:17; Acts 4:19; Romans 13:1‐2

We believe that local churches can promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with others of like faith. Such organizations exist and function by the will of the church. Cooperation in any organization is voluntary and may be terminated at any time.

1 Corinthians 12

We believe in the blessed hope of the personal, glorious, and bodily return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for His church. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust for final judgment ⎯ the everlasting joy of the just, and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost. We believe in the final and full consummation of the Kingdom of God in the New Creation ⎯ the New Heavens and New Earth, the home of righteousness where all sin and its effects are forever removed. We believe that God will make all things new again.

John 14:1-­3; Acts 1:10-­11; Acts 24:15; John 5:29; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-­18; Revelation 20-­21