THE SCRIPTURES. We believe: God has spoken to mankind in and through the Bible. It is without error in the original manuscripts, infallible, and that every word is inspired by God. As such, it is the exclusive and conclusive written revelation of God’s will to man. It is the ultimate source of wisdom and the supreme authority of all faith and practice. (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Jude 3)
GOD. We believe: The scriptures reveal One God, eternally existing, unchanging, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He concurrently manifests Himself in three distinct Persons– Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who are one in essence and power. There exists between the members of the Trinity perfect love and fulfillment; this communion has existed from eternity. God is not obligated to creation or mankind in any way unless He chooses to initiate an obligation. Therefore, God’s creation and care for the cosmos and for mankind is not out of incompleteness or despair, it is His gracious will to bestow love, life, and meaning on mankind. He is in complete control of all creation [sovereign] and as such He can and does intervene in the affairs of mankind as He chooses, although He often chooses to allow events to unfold according to natural law. He has given to mankind the incredible gift of free will, so than we may freely choose our response to His Self-disclosure. We are held morally accountable for our response to His natural and moral law. There is no contradiction between the sovereignty of God and the free will of man, though, just as with the doctrine of the Trinity, our finite understanding limits our ability to comprehend these profound spiritual truths. (Gen. 1:1, Matt. 28:19, Mark 1:10-11,
2 Cor. 13:14, Jer. 18:1-10, Rom 9: 14-24, 1 Pet 2:9, Gen. 2:16-17, Deut. 30:19, Ezek. 33:11, Lk 7:30, 13:34, 2 Pet. 3:9).
THE PERSON AND WORK OF GOD THE SON. We believe: The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is fully God and fully man, one person in two natures. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, suffered and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, rose bodily from the grave, ascended into heaven at the right hand of the Father, where He serves as our High Priest and Mediator. His substitutionary death on the cross for our sins is all-sufficient, the one and only means of salvation. (Matt. 1:18, John 1:14, Matt. 20:28, John 14:6, I Peter 1:18, 1 Cor. 15:20, Acts 1:11, & 1 Thes. 4:16-17, 1 Tim 2:5).
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. We believe: The Holy Spirit is a Person, possessing all the distinctive Divine attributes. He is the Administrator of the things of God – convincing, revealing truth, and restraining evil. As promised by Jesus, the Holy Spirit fully indwells every believer at the moment of salvation, energizing them in matters of prayer and service. He imparts spiritual gifts to believers uniquely, based on His Divine prerogative. (John 7:37-39, Rom 12: 3-8, 2 Thes. 2:7)
MAN AND CREATION. We believe: The creation account in the book of Genesis accurately describes God’s creative actions, including the creation of the cosmos “ex nihilo.” God both made and sustains the universe, thus all mankind partakes of His common grace. God made man in His own image. Man came into the world by direct creation of God and neither by evolution nor any other natural process. The Scriptures record of the fall of man through willful disobedience to God. Man, both by nature and by choice, is “dead in trespasses and sins.” However, God loves mankind and sent his Son to die for our sins. In fact, we are the Father’s gift to the Son and the Father knows how to give good gifts. (Gen. 1:26, 9:6; John 1: 1-3, Luke 7:30, Rom. 5:12; Psalm 51:5, Psalm 105, Matt. 5:45; 7:11; John 17: 11, 20-21).
SALVATION. We believe: Salvation is by Grace through Faith, wholly apart from human merit or effort. Every individual is a sinner by birth and by choice and, therefore, must exercise personal faith in the redeeming work of Christ on the cross in order to be saved. Once a person commits their life to Jesus Christ, exercising repentance and saving faith, that person is saved for all eternity, “passed from death unto life” and “shall not come into condemnation,” although continued willful disobedience can lead to Divine discipline. (Eph. 2:8, 9, Titus 3:5, Psalm 51:5, Rom. 3:23, 10:9-10, John 5:24, 1 Cor. 3:15).
SATAN.We believe: Satan exists as an evil, personal being. He is the avowed enemy of God and mankind - a subordinate, created angelic being who attempted equality with God and was cast out of heaven for his sin. His ultimate eternal destiny is to be judged by Jesus Christ and cast into the lake of fire. (Is. 14:12-15, Matt. 13:39, John 8:44, Eph. 2:2, Rev. 20:10).
HEAVEN AND HELL. We believe: There is a heaven of eternal joy for all whose names are found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and that admission therein is based solely on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is eternal separation and conscious suffering in the lake of fire for all who reject the free gift of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and whose names are thus not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Jesus Christ is the judge and final authority on the eternal destiny of every person ever born. (John 5:22, John 5:28, Rev. 21:1-8).
THE LOCAL CHURCH. We believe: The local church is a voluntary association of baptized believers, equal in rank and privileges, subject to the authority of the Word of God, independent of any external ecclesiastical control whatsoever. The local church, though autonomous, is an inseparable part of the universal church - intimately and metaphorically described in Scripture as the bride of Christ. It is the privilege and duty of every believer to worship, fellowship, support, serve, and promote unity in a local church. (1 Cor. 12:12-27, Heb. 10:25)
CHURCH ORDINANCES. We believe: God’s Word commands every believer (and only believers) to be baptized, and that the only scriptural method is by immersion. We believe the Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper should be observed as Christ said, “in remembrance of His broken body and shed blood” for us, and that the supper has no sacramental virtue. The Lord’s Supper is open to all believers, but should not be taken in an “unworthy manner.” (Matt. 3:16, Matt. 28:19, John 3:22, Acts 8:36-38, 1 Cor. 11:23-33)
EVANGELIZATION AND MISSIONS. We believe: It is the solemn obligation of every believer to become a disciple of Christ and to make disciples for Christ. Every believer is to do to do his utmost to carry out the Savior’s command to be His witness and to present the Gospel to the whole world. Thus, it is also our responsibility and privilege to support those who labor in foreign missions both financially and prayerfully. (Matt. 28:19, Acts 1:8).
CHRIST’S RETURN. We believe: The next major prophetic event is the personal, physical, pre-millennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ at a time known only to God. This is the blessed hope of the universal church and the ultimate triumph of mercy and justice. (1 Thes. 4:16-18)
GOD. We believe: The scriptures reveal One God, eternally existing, unchanging, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He concurrently manifests Himself in three distinct Persons– Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who are one in essence and power. There exists between the members of the Trinity perfect love and fulfillment; this communion has existed from eternity. God is not obligated to creation or mankind in any way unless He chooses to initiate an obligation. Therefore, God’s creation and care for the cosmos and for mankind is not out of incompleteness or despair, it is His gracious will to bestow love, life, and meaning on mankind. He is in complete control of all creation [sovereign] and as such He can and does intervene in the affairs of mankind as He chooses, although He often chooses to allow events to unfold according to natural law. He has given to mankind the incredible gift of free will, so than we may freely choose our response to His Self-disclosure. We are held morally accountable for our response to His natural and moral law. There is no contradiction between the sovereignty of God and the free will of man, though, just as with the doctrine of the Trinity, our finite understanding limits our ability to comprehend these profound spiritual truths. (Gen. 1:1, Matt. 28:19, Mark 1:10-11,
2 Cor. 13:14, Jer. 18:1-10, Rom 9: 14-24, 1 Pet 2:9, Gen. 2:16-17, Deut. 30:19, Ezek. 33:11, Lk 7:30, 13:34, 2 Pet. 3:9).
THE PERSON AND WORK OF GOD THE SON. We believe: The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is fully God and fully man, one person in two natures. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, suffered and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, rose bodily from the grave, ascended into heaven at the right hand of the Father, where He serves as our High Priest and Mediator. His substitutionary death on the cross for our sins is all-sufficient, the one and only means of salvation. (Matt. 1:18, John 1:14, Matt. 20:28, John 14:6, I Peter 1:18, 1 Cor. 15:20, Acts 1:11, & 1 Thes. 4:16-17, 1 Tim 2:5).
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. We believe: The Holy Spirit is a Person, possessing all the distinctive Divine attributes. He is the Administrator of the things of God – convincing, revealing truth, and restraining evil. As promised by Jesus, the Holy Spirit fully indwells every believer at the moment of salvation, energizing them in matters of prayer and service. He imparts spiritual gifts to believers uniquely, based on His Divine prerogative. (John 7:37-39, Rom 12: 3-8, 2 Thes. 2:7)
MAN AND CREATION. We believe: The creation account in the book of Genesis accurately describes God’s creative actions, including the creation of the cosmos “ex nihilo.” God both made and sustains the universe, thus all mankind partakes of His common grace. God made man in His own image. Man came into the world by direct creation of God and neither by evolution nor any other natural process. The Scriptures record of the fall of man through willful disobedience to God. Man, both by nature and by choice, is “dead in trespasses and sins.” However, God loves mankind and sent his Son to die for our sins. In fact, we are the Father’s gift to the Son and the Father knows how to give good gifts. (Gen. 1:26, 9:6; John 1: 1-3, Luke 7:30, Rom. 5:12; Psalm 51:5, Psalm 105, Matt. 5:45; 7:11; John 17: 11, 20-21).
SALVATION. We believe: Salvation is by Grace through Faith, wholly apart from human merit or effort. Every individual is a sinner by birth and by choice and, therefore, must exercise personal faith in the redeeming work of Christ on the cross in order to be saved. Once a person commits their life to Jesus Christ, exercising repentance and saving faith, that person is saved for all eternity, “passed from death unto life” and “shall not come into condemnation,” although continued willful disobedience can lead to Divine discipline. (Eph. 2:8, 9, Titus 3:5, Psalm 51:5, Rom. 3:23, 10:9-10, John 5:24, 1 Cor. 3:15).
SATAN.We believe: Satan exists as an evil, personal being. He is the avowed enemy of God and mankind - a subordinate, created angelic being who attempted equality with God and was cast out of heaven for his sin. His ultimate eternal destiny is to be judged by Jesus Christ and cast into the lake of fire. (Is. 14:12-15, Matt. 13:39, John 8:44, Eph. 2:2, Rev. 20:10).
HEAVEN AND HELL. We believe: There is a heaven of eternal joy for all whose names are found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and that admission therein is based solely on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is eternal separation and conscious suffering in the lake of fire for all who reject the free gift of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and whose names are thus not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Jesus Christ is the judge and final authority on the eternal destiny of every person ever born. (John 5:22, John 5:28, Rev. 21:1-8).
THE LOCAL CHURCH. We believe: The local church is a voluntary association of baptized believers, equal in rank and privileges, subject to the authority of the Word of God, independent of any external ecclesiastical control whatsoever. The local church, though autonomous, is an inseparable part of the universal church - intimately and metaphorically described in Scripture as the bride of Christ. It is the privilege and duty of every believer to worship, fellowship, support, serve, and promote unity in a local church. (1 Cor. 12:12-27, Heb. 10:25)
CHURCH ORDINANCES. We believe: God’s Word commands every believer (and only believers) to be baptized, and that the only scriptural method is by immersion. We believe the Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper should be observed as Christ said, “in remembrance of His broken body and shed blood” for us, and that the supper has no sacramental virtue. The Lord’s Supper is open to all believers, but should not be taken in an “unworthy manner.” (Matt. 3:16, Matt. 28:19, John 3:22, Acts 8:36-38, 1 Cor. 11:23-33)
EVANGELIZATION AND MISSIONS. We believe: It is the solemn obligation of every believer to become a disciple of Christ and to make disciples for Christ. Every believer is to do to do his utmost to carry out the Savior’s command to be His witness and to present the Gospel to the whole world. Thus, it is also our responsibility and privilege to support those who labor in foreign missions both financially and prayerfully. (Matt. 28:19, Acts 1:8).
CHRIST’S RETURN. We believe: The next major prophetic event is the personal, physical, pre-millennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ at a time known only to God. This is the blessed hope of the universal church and the ultimate triumph of mercy and justice. (1 Thes. 4:16-18)
