Our Statement of Faith
Scripture—– We believe that the Scriptures if the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired word of God, inerrant in the original writing, the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct, is totally infallible, and is able to make wise the doctrine of Salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (1 Thes 2:13, 2 Tim. 3:15-17 2 Pe 1:20-21)
Creation— We believe in the Biblical account of the creation of the universe in (Gen. 1:1), that the earth was destroyed and then restored in six literal days (Gen 1:2-31). That everything that was made, that is made, was made by God (John 1:1-3).
The Godhead—– We believe there is only one living, sovereign, and true God. We believe He is intelligent, spiritual, the Creator, the Redeemer, the Sustainer and Ruler of all. He is infinitely perfect in all of His attributes and exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all are Coequal in power, glory, essence and being. (Deut. 6:4, Matt 28:19, Luke 3:22, 2 Cor 13:14).
The State of Man—– We believe that man was created in the image of God, in innocence, without sin, and in fellowship with God. But by Adams own volition, he disobeyed God’s command and fell from his perfect state. All men fell in Adam, being sinners by imputation and nature, and in effect are justly condemned to eternal damnation without excuse, of which man is not capable of redeeming himself. (Gen 1:26, 3:1-24, Rom 3:10-18, 5:12,19, Eph 2:1-3).
Concerning Christ—–- We believe Christ Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit, he became man without ceasing to be God, lived a sinless life, died a voluntary substitutionary death, and became the propitiation for mankind’s sins to redeem us from condemnation. To prove our redemption, He was raised bodily from the grave, ascended to the right hand of His Father, and makes intercession on behalf of those who believe on Him. (Jn. 1:14,18; Lk. 1:34,35; 24:36-47; Rom 2:12-13; 3:24-26; 8:34; Heb. 4:14-16; 2 Cor. 5:21).
The Holy Spirit—– We believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, that He convicts the world of their sin, brings new life to those that believe on Christ through baptism into one church (the Body of Christ), indwells in them permanently , seals them until the day of redemption, gives spiritual gifts to them, and fills those who submit themselves to empower them for Christian life and service. (Jn 3:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:7-11; 1 Pe 4:10; Eph. 3:16; 5:18; Gal 5:22,23).
Salvation—–- We believe that salvation is a grace gift given by God to all who believe on the Son. It cannot be gained by good works, because it is solely the work of God and completely non-meritorious. All those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are forgiven of their sins and brought back into right standing with God the Father through the imputation of His Righteousness at the point of salvation through the Holy Spirit. ( Rom. 1:16; 10:17; Acts 16:14b; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-9; Jn. 1:12-13; Rom. 9:16; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil. 1:6; Titus 2:11-14; 3:5-7; 1 Pe. 1:18-19; Jn. 5:40; 6:44; 3:36; 5:24; 1 Jn 5:1.)
The Church—– We believe in one Church called the Body of Christ, to which all believers (every person who has believed on the name of Jesus Christ) belong, and that at the charge of Jesus all members of the church have the duty to proclaim the Gospel of Salvation to the world, being called reconcilers. We believe Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances to be observed by all believers until his return; water baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
The Second Coming of Christ—— We believe in the imminent, personal, pre-tribulation coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church and His subsequent pre-millennial return to earth with His saints to establish His Millennial Kingdom upon the earth. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the eternal punishment of the unbelievers, and the eternal bliss of the saints. ( 1 Thes. 1:10; 4:13-18; Rev. 3:10; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-6; Lk. 16:19-26; Phil 1:21-23; Jn. 5:28-29; 2 Thes. 1:7-9; Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:11-15).
About the Christian Life — It is the believer’s highest privilege to live for Christ in this world. Christ indwells us by His Holy Spirit, giving us His power and enabling us to be all that God requires. The Christian life is a constant struggle between the flesh and the spirit, but we possess supernatural armor to protect us in this spiritual warfare. It is a life of faith and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and separation from the ways of the world. As long as we live in obedience to the commands of God, we will experience spiritual growth and become more and more conformed to the image of Christ. As we live by the promises of God, we will abound in fruitfulness and the fruit of the Spirit will be manifested in the way we live and witness to others. We believe that witnessing and sharing our faith is a normal and necessary expression of the Christian life. The Christian should always be careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising his or her loyalty to Christ and His truth.
About the Local Church — The church was purchased with Christ’s own blood and is God’s instrument in the present age. All Christians should belong to and be active in a local New Testament church, the church being a body of scripturally baptized believers in whom Jesus Christ lives and over whom He lords. The church body is to live under the direction and discipline of the Word of God, united in the Holy Spirit for the purpose of evangelizing the lost, edifying the saints, and glorifying the Lord. We believe in the separation of church and state and the priesthood of the believer. Christ is the head of the church with the pastor serving as the spiritual leader (under-shepherd) of the body.
About Water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper — We believe baptism by immersion is the only scriptural mode. Baptism does not save a person, but it is an act of obedience to the command of Christ. It symbolizes the believer’s faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and is a testimony to the world of the believer’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Baptism identifies a believer with Jesus Christ and the people of God.
We believe that Baptism is a form of public identification of cognitive internal commitment to Christ. Baptism does not save it only makes public what was done privately (Romans 10:9,10,13,17; 6:1-14), and as stated above it illustrates the death and resurrection of Christ and the essential resurrection of newness of life (Romans 6:4; Acts 8:26-39).
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a privilege accorded to all believers, in commemoration of our Lord’s death until He comes. (I Corinthians 11:23-28)
We believe that the purpose of the Lord’s Supper is to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to develop unity in the body, and stimulate loving relationships among believers (I Corinthians 11:27-32). We would not like this to become a ritual but a worship that occurs in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).
About Giving — Christians should give as directed by the Holy Spirit. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute their means cheerfully, regularly, proportionately, and liberally as an act of dedication to Jesus Christ and in order to fulfill the Great Commission. (2 Cor 8:1-9, 2 Cor. 9:6-12) LAW OBLIGATES BUT LOVE MOTIVATES!!!!!
About World Evangelism — It is the duty and privilege of every believer to do all that is possible to make the gospel available to as many people as possible. Missionary effort begins at home, and then spreads to the community, the city, the state, the nation, and the world. It is the personal duty of every child of God to constantly seek to win the lost to Christ. It is the corporate duty of the church to direct its energies to getting the gospel to the entire world in fulfillment of the Great Commission.