Statement of Faith and Doctrine


A. The Scriptures
We believe the Scriptures; consisting of sixty-six books of the Word of God are verbally inspired and inerrant.  We believe this divine inspiration extends fully to all parts of the writings:  historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical as appeared in the original manuscripts.  We believe that holy men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to write these scriptures.  We believe in the infallibility, sufficiency, and final authority of the Scriptures in all matters of conduct and doctrine.  II Tim 3:16-17, II Pet 1:21

 

B. The Holy Trinity
We believe in one God Who exists as a Triunity called the Holy Trinity.  The Trinity consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, three persons co-equal and co-eternal, having the same nature and attributes and worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience.  We believe God is omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, and immutable; full of love, justice, goodness, mercy, and truth.
John 14:16, II Cor 13:14, Matt 3:16-17, Matt 28:19, I Pet 1:2, Ps 135:8-9, Dan 4:35, Eph 2:4-5

 

C. God the Father
We believe in God the Father, the first person of the Trinity; Who orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace.  Eph 3:14-15, Mal 2:10, Phil 2:11, 13, I Cor 15:23-28, I Cor 12:6, Heb 13:20-21

 

D. God the Son
We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the Eternal Word manifested in the flesh.  He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  We believe in His sinless life and ministry on earth, His death on the cross as a substitutionary atonement for our sins through His shed blood, His bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension to the right hand of  God the Father, His advocacy as our High Priest and Mediator, His exaltation, and His coming again.  Is 7:14, Luke 1:30-35, John 1:1-2, 14,18, Phil 2:5-8, Heb 4:15, Heb 7:26, I Cor 15:1-3, II Cor 5:21, Heb 2:9, Heb 4:14, Heb 7:25, John 14:1-3, Acts 1:11

 

E. God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the person and deity of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit convicts men of sin, regenerates, indwells, baptizes, seals, and sets believers apart to a holy life.  We believe that on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was sent to begin a new work, the Church.  He accomplishes this by permanently indwelling each believer at the moment of salvation and endowing them with spiritual gift(s) for the building up of the Church.  We believe certain supernatural gifts of the Spirit were given to the early church for signs to confirm the gospel message and apostolic authority:  these are the gifts of prophecy, tongues (foreign languages given to evangelize Acts 2:4-12), and knowledge.  These were temporary gifts and ceased as the New Testament was completed and its authority established.  Heb 2:3-4, John 14:16-17, Acts 5:30-32, Rom 8:14, I Cor 3:16, Eph 1:13, Eph 4:30, I Pet 1:2, Rom 12:4-8,  Rom 12:1-11

 

F. The Church
We believe in the Church, the bride of Christ, and that it is the body of which Christ is the head, and that all who are united by faith to Christ are members of the same.  Having been baptized by one spirit into one body which is Christ’s and having thus become members one of another, it is our solemn and covenant duty to fellowship with one another with a pure and fervent heart.  Matt 16:18, Eph 1:22-23

 

G. The Ordinances
We believe in the holy ordinances of communion and of water baptism by immersion.  We believe these ordinances are not essential to salvation but should be observed by all true believers in obedience to God.  Matt 28:19, Acts 8:34-39, I Cor 11:23-36

 

H. Satan
We believe in the reality and personality of Satan, the Christian’s adversary, a created being, who was originally the anointed cherub, but who sinned, losing his estate and thus became the father of lies and that his destiny is the lake of fire.  I Pet 5:8, Is 14:12-15, Ezek 28:12-19, Rev 20:10

 

I. Man and the Fall
We believe that man was originally created in the image of God, and that he fell through sin.  As a consequence of this he became dead in trespasses and sin and became subject to the power of Satan.  We also believe that this spiritual death and total depravity of human nature has been transmitted to the entire human race.  Therefore every child of Adam is born into the world with a sin nature and is hopelessly lost apart from divine grace.  Gen 1:26, Gen 2:17, Gen 6:5, Ps 14:1-3, Ps 51:5, Jer 17:9, John 3:6, John 5:40, Rom 3:10-19, Rom 8:6-7, Eph 1-3, I Tim 5:6, I John 3:8          

 

J. Salvation
We believe that the salvation of man, who is sinful and lost, is instantaneous and accomplished solely by the power of the Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of the word of God when the repentant sinner, enabled by the Holy Spirit, responds in faith.  This salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, the merit of His shed blood, and not on the basis of human merit or works.  All of the redeemed are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ from the moment of conversion and throughout all eternity.  Matt 26:28, Rom 5:6-9, Gal 3:13, Titus 3:5, I Pet 1:18-19

 

K. Assurance
We believe that believers can enjoy the assurance of their salvation (I John 5:13); full security in Christ forever (I John 3:36, John 5:24): the inheritance of incorruptible things (I Pet 1:4); redemption (Gal 3:13); justification (Rom 5:1); adoption (Gal 4:5-7); reconciliation (II Cor 5:18-19); sanctification (I Cor 1:30); and glorification (Phil 3:20-21); and that they are partakers of the divine nature (II Pet 1:4).

 

L. Resurrection
We believe in the resurrection of the dead.  The righteous dead shall be raised at the appearance of Christ at the rapture of the church and the revelation of Christ at His second coming; but the wicked dead shall not be raised until after the millennium and then face the judgment of God at the Great White Throne.  Dan 12:2, I Thess 4:13-18, Rev 4:13-18, Rev 20:11-15

 

M. The Second Coming
We believe in the imminent personal return of Christ in the air for His saints at the rapture of the church.  The church saints include both living believers who are translated and the righteous dead who are resurrected.  This will end the church age on earth just prior to the seven year tribulation period. We believe in the personal, pre-millennial return of Christ to the earth with His saints.  He will return in power and great glory.  He will then judge the nations and inaugurate His millennial Kingdom on earth.  Dan 9:25-27, I Thess 4:13-18, I Cor 15:51-54, Matt 25:31-46, Rev 19:8-16

 

N. The Eternal State
We believe that at death the spirits and souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the glorified body when Christ comes for His own, whereupon soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in glory.  The spirits and souls of the unbelieving remain after death conscious of condemnation and in misery until the final judgment at the Great White Throne at the close of the millennium, when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.  Luke 16:19-26, Luke 23:42, II Cor 5:8, Phil 1:23, II Thess 1:7-9, Jude 6-7, Rev 20:11-15