A. The Scriptures

We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as originally written were God-breathed.  We believe God, Who is Truth, comm-unicated through Spirit-controlled men (Mark 12:36), so that the Scriptures are without error and therefore authoritative in all they teach and in all matters they touch. We believe the Bible is the supreme revelation of God’s will for man and constitutes the only infallible guide and standard for faith and life. (Matthew 5:18; 15:4, 5, 6; John 10:34-35; Acts 1:16, Romans 3:1-4, Galatians 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Revelation 22:18, 19.

Inspiration applies only to the original manuscripts of God’s Word, which are no longer in existence today. However, God promised to preserve His Word and has done exactly that through the many ancient copies and careful translations into different languages (Mt. 5:17-18; Jn. 10:35). 

Interpretation

We believe in a Plain/Normal, Historical/Grammatical, and Contextual hermeneutic of Scripture.

B. Theology

We believe in the existence of God, as assumed and stated in the Scriptures. God does not need to be proven because he is reality, not a theory. The existence of God stands alone. He does not require the acknowledgement of man to verify his existence. God is truth, eternally existent.  God is revealed through his word, in it we see He created man in His image (Gen. 1:27), and He sent angels, Christ and the Holy Spirit for the purpose of reaching out to mankind. God, through His avenues of revelation ( general- creation, specific- the Bible) has expressed His glory (Ps. 19:1), His power (Ps. 19:1), His supremacy (Rom. 1:20), His divine nature (Rom. 1:20), His providence (Acts 14:17), His goodness (Matt. 5:45), His intelligence (Acts 17:29), His living existence (Acts 17:28).

C. The Trinity

We believe there is one, and only one, true and living God; that there is indivisible unity in the Godhead yet existing in three separate persons- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit- equal in every divine perfection, of the same essence and executing distinct, but harmonious offices in the great works of both creation and redemption.  Matthew 3:16-17; 28:29; John 6:27; 14:10,16-18,26; Acts 5:3-4; 1Corintians 1:9-14; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:6; Hebrews 1:8; Mark 16:15

D. God the Father

We believe God the Father, is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in all of his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. He is the Creator, Sustainer and Ruler of the universe, Giver of all life in sovereign authority over all His created beings, the Keeper over the nation of Israel and the Father and disciplinarian of His chosen in Jesus Christ.  Psalms 139:7-10; Isaiah 46:9; John 4:24; Romans 11:33-36; Revelation 19:6.

E. The Lord Jesus Christ

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary as no other man was ever nor can ever be born of a woman. He is very God of very God, being “God manifest in the flesh”. He lived a life of absolute sinlessness and in His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins, dying not as a martyr, but as a voluntary substitute in the sinner’s place. He rose bodily from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven where he now sits at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest, interceding and preparing a place for us.  He shall appear in the air to rapture His saints, and after seven years, shall come again with the saints to set on the throne of David and establish His millennial kingdom. Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-3, 14-17; 14:3; 20:27; Acts 15:16; 1Corinthians 15:4; 1Thessalonians 4:16; 2Thessalonians 2:6-8; Hebrews 7:25; 8:6; 12:2; 1Peter 2:22; 3; 18; 1John 2:1; Revelation 3:21.

F. The Holy Spirit

 We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person possessing all the attributes of personality and of deity. He is equal with the Father and the Son and is of the same nature. His relation to the unbelieving world is that he convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment.  He is the agent of the new birth and His work among believers includes His sealing, indwelling, filling, guiding, and teaching them the ways of righteousness. We believe there is a distinction between the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and His ministry in the New Testament. There is a new and unique work of the Holy Spirit in relation to the Body of Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit endues believers with service gifts. We do not believe the sign gifts such as prophecy, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues; miracles and healings done by man apply today. John 7:39; 14:16,17,26; Acts 1:5; Romans 12:3-8; 1Corinthians 12:8-13, 28-31, 13:8-12; Ephesians 1:13,14, 4:7-11; Hebrews 9:14; Revelation 22:18,19.

G. Creation

We believe the Genesis account of creation as being neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate creative acts of the Trinity without any evolutionary process. We  hold that it was a literal 24 hour per day, six day process.  Genesis 1-2; Psalm 33:9; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2.

H. Man

We believe the Scriptures teach that man was created by a direct act of God, in the image of God, and not from any previously existing form of life. All men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race. By voluntary transgression man fell from his sinless state, in consequence of which all men are now sinners by nature and by choice, utterly devoid of the holiness required by God’s law, positively inclined to evil, and therefore under just condemnation to eternal judgment and everlasting existence separated from God without defense or excuse. Genesis 1:27; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23, 5:12-19.

I. Salvation

We believe Christ died for the whole world and that Salvation of sinners is divinely initiated, wholly of grace, and accomplished only through the mediatory work of the Son of God. It is wholly apart from works and is upon the sole condition of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and never without genuine repentance. In order to be saved the sinner must be born again, personally receiving Christ as Savior being regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit, through faith in God’s Word and become recipient of the new nature. The great gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is justification, that judicial act of God accompanied by the pardon of sin and the imputation of divine righteousness, not because of any works of righteousness on our part, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood. The believer who has exercised personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is completely justified and in possession of eternal life which is eternally secure. John 1:11-12; 3:3-16; 10:28-29; Acts 13:39; Romans 2:4; 2Corinthians 7:9,10; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1Timothy 2:5-6; Hebrews 4:2; 1Peter 1:18-23; 2Peter 1:4, 2:1.

J. The Church

We believe the scriptures teach that the church of Jesus Christ began at Pentecost and will be completed at the rapture. It must be considered in two aspects; the local church and the “church which is his body.”

The Universal Church

The Universal Church, the body of Christ is made up of all born again believers from the day of pentacost until the rapture regardless of denominational affiliation. This includes all those who are saved both living and dead.  This body is distinct from Israel yet made up of both Jew and Gentile. Unto the universal church was given the last commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, therefore there is no local body who is not obligated to work toward fulfilling the great commission. Mark 16:15, Matt 28:19-20 Acts 10 Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him

The Local Church

The local church is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by a covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by his laws and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word.

Scriptural offices of the Church;

Pastors and deacons, whose qualifications and duties are defined in the epistles to Timothy and Titus.

1. Sole authority of the Scriptures for faith and practice

2. Autonomy of the local church.

3. Believers baptism by immersion

4. Two officers pastor and deacon

5. Two Symbolic ordinances; baptism and the Lord’s supper

6. Individual priesthood of the believer

7. Separation of church and state.

The “church which is his body” is the entire company of believers in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile,

Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4, 41, 42; 10:44, 45; 11:15, 16; 1Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:22, 23; Titus 1; Hebrews 12:23.

K. Baptism and Communion

 We believe the Scriptures teach that Christian baptism is the single immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem his identification with the crucified, buried, risen Savior, thus illustrating the believer’s death to sin and his resurrection to a new life. It is a prerequisite to membership and privileges in a local church. We believe that communion is the commemoration of His death until He comes and should be preceded by solemn self-examination and confession of know sin. The ordinances of baptism and communion must be observed under the authority of the local church. Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; 1Corinthians 11:23-28.

L. Coming Events

The Rapture of the Church

We believe in the “Blessed Hope”, the personal, imminent, pretribulational, and premillennial appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ to rapture His redeemed ones. 1Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2; Titus 2:13; 1 John 3:2.

The Judgment Seat of Christ

We believe that every saved person of the Church Age will appear before the “Judgment Seat” to be judged by the Lord in regard to his service and receive rewards according to his works. Matthew 6:2; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10.

The Millennial Kingdom

We believe that Christ will return to earth after the tribulation with his saints to establish the Millennial Kingdom which literally will be on earth and will be ruled by Christ from the throne of David. Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32; Acts 2:29-30; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-12; Revelation 20:1-6, 12-14.

The Eternal State

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment in the Lake of Fire. The souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the Body and present with the Lord where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul and new body are reunited to be forever glorified with the Lord. The souls of the unbelievers after death remain in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when the spirit, soul and body reunited shall appear before the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast in the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:19-26; John 5:28-29; 2 Corinthians 5:8-10; Philippians 1:23.

M. Angels

We believe in the personal existence of angels who were created by God to bring honor and glory to His name and to serve Him. Those angels who kept their first estate minister for them who are the heirs of salvation. There were angels among those who fell with Satan, the ones who kept not their first estate, who are presently functioning in Satan’s counterfeit system as rulers of darkness, to be resisted by the believer through the armor provided by God. Isaiah 6; Matthew 17:18; Ephesians 6:11, 12; Colossians 1:16; 1 Timothy 4:1-2; Hebrews 1:4; 1 Peter 1:12; Jude 6.

N. Satan

We believe the Scriptures teach that there is a personal devil, a created angel who through pride became the enemy of his Creator, who is “the god of this age” and “the prince of the air”, who is full of subtlety, who seeks continually to frustrate the purposes of God and to ensnare the sons of men, and who was conquered by Christ on the cross and condemned to everlasting punishment in the Lake of Fire. Isaiah 14:12-15; Luke 10:18;  2 Corinthians 4:4; 11: 13-15; Ephesians 2:2 Hebrews 2:14, Revelation 12:9.