WHAT WE BELIEVE

We believe in THE HOLY SCRIPTURE: that was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man.  It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction.  It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture for error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.  It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. revelation.

We believe in THE ONE TRUE GOD:  who is intelligent, sovereign, spiritual and personal Being:  perfect, infinite and eternal in HIS being, holiness and love, wisdom and power, absolutely separate from and above the world as its CREATOR, yet present everywhere in the world as the Upholder of all things.  He is revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons but without division of nature, essence or being, and each having a distinct ministry in God’s relation to His creation and people.

We believe in THE LORD JESUS CHRIST:  who is the second Person of the Triune God, the eternal Word and Only Begotten Son; that without any change in His divine person, He became miracle of the Virgin Birth, thus to continue forever as both true God and true Man, one Person with two natures; that as a Man, He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin; that as the perfect Lamb of God, He gave Himself in death upon the cross, bearing there the sin of the world, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead; that He rose from the grave in a glorified body; that as our High Priest, He ascended into Heaven, there to appear before the face of God as our Advocate and Intercessor.

We believe in THE HOLY SPIRIT:  that God the Holy spirit is the third person set forth is the Divine Trinity: that He is almighty, merciful and just; that He is holy, righteous, and true; that He is eternally existent, glorious in nature, possessing the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence; that He restrains the world, the flesh and the devil; that He witnesses to the Truth, convicts the lost, extols the Christ, and testifies to the righteous judgments of God; that He, in harmony with His divine office, comforts, teaches, testifies, preaches, guides; regenerates, empowers, sanctifies, and anoints, thus exercising the quickening role in the works of saving the lost and the supervising role in the life of the saved.

We believe ALL MEN ARE BY NATURE AND CHOICE SINFUL AND LOST:  that man was the direct creation of God, made in His image and likeness; that by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man became a sinful creature, the father of a fallen race which is universally sinful in both nature and practice, thus alienated from the life and family of God, under the righteous judgment and wrath of God, and has within himself no possible means of salvation.

We believe in SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH:  that salvation is the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any virtue or work of man, but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all true believers have as a present possession the gift of eternal life, a perfect righteousness, sonship in the family of God deliverance and security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine guarantee that they shall never perish; that this salvation affects the whole man; that apart from Christ, there is no possible salvation.

We believe in RIGHTEOUS LIVING AND GODLY WORKS:  not as a means of salvation in any sense, but as its proper evidence and fruit; and therefore, as Christians, we should obey the Word of our Lord, seek the things which are above, walk as He walked, accept as our solemn responsibility, the duty and privileges of bearing the Gospel to a lost world; remembering that a victorious and fruitful Christian’s life is possible only for those who, in gratitude for the infinite and undeserved mercies of God, have presented themselves wholly to Christ.

We believe in the EXISTENCE OF SATAN:  who originally was created to a holy and perfect being, but through pride and wicked ambition, rebelled against GOD, thus becoming utterly depraved in character, the great adversary of GOD and His people, leader of all other evil angels and wicked spirits, the deceiver and god of this present world; that his powers are vast, but strictly limited by the permissive will of GOD who overrules all his wicked devices for good; that he was defeated and judged at the cross, and therefore, his final doom is certain; that we are able to resist and overcome him only in the armor of GOD, by the blood of the Lamb and through the power of the HOLY SPIRIT.

We believe in THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST: that His coming in the air to rapture His Church, which is our blessed Hope, is always imminent; that when He has first by resurrection of the dead and translation of the living, removed from the earth his waiting Church, He will then pour out the religious judgments of God upon the unbelieving world and afterwards descend with His Church and establish His glorious and literal kingdom over all the nations for a thousand years.

We believe in FUTURE LIFE, BODILY RESURRECTION AND ETERNAL JUDGMENT:  that the spirits of the saved at death go immediately to be with Christ in Heaven, that their works shall be brought before the Judgment Seat of Christ for the determination of rewards which will take place at the same time when Christ comes for his own; that the spirits of the unsaved at death descend immediately into Hades where they are kept under punishment until the final day of judgment, at which time their bodies shall be raised from the grave, that they shall be judged and cast into Hell, the place of final and everlasting judgment.

We believe in THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE with each having definite and distinct spheres of responsibility.

We believe in THE PRIESTHOOD of ALL BELIEVERS: that Christ is our Great High Priest and through Him every born again person has direct access into God’s presence without the need of a human priest; that the believer has the right and responsibility to personally study and interpret the Scripture guided by the Holy Spirit.

 We believe in THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST: that He alone is Head of the Body of Christ, into which all true believers are immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit; that all members of this one spiritual body should assemble and identify themselves in local churches.

We believe in THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LOCAL CHURCH:  that a New Testament church is a local assembly of born again baptized believers united in organization to practice New Testament ordinances, to meet together for worship, prayer, fellowship, teaching and a united testimony, and actively engage in carrying out the Great Commission.

We believe in THE INDEPENDENCE AND AUTONOMY OF THE LOCAL CHURCH:  that each New Testament church is free to govern itself without ecclesiastical interference, and should cooperate with other New Testament churches as the Holy Spirit leads; that it is responsible to follow the pattern of the New Testament church and is directly accountable to God.

We believe THE ORDINANCES GIVEN TO THE LOCAL CHURCH ARE, BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER: that Baptism is by immersion of believers, thus portraying the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that the Lord’s Supper is the partaking of the bread and cup by the believer as a continuing memorial of the broken body and shed blood of Christ.