Bible
We believe the Scriptures, both the Old & New Testaments, are the inspired Word of God, without error in their original writings, and are our sole authority in all matters of faith and life. (Matthew 5:17-18, II Timothy 3:16-17, II Peter 1:20-21)
God
We believe there is but one living and true God, who is one in essence, while eternally existing in three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Though each person of the Godhead possesses the same nature, each functions differently but harmoniously in respect to God’s dealings with man. God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere present. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Psalm 139:1-24, Matthew 28:19, Mark 12:29, John 10:30, Acts 5:3-4, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, II Corinthians 13:14, Hebrews 1:1-3)
The Father
The first Person of the Trinity orders and directs all things according to His own purpose, pleasure and grace. He has decreed all things that come to pass for His own glory. He graciously involves Himself in the affairs of men, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
(Matthew 6:9, John 5:19-24, 14:10, Ephesians 1:3-6)
The Son
Jesus Christ is both the eternal Son of God and virgin-born Son of man. Fully God and fully man, He surrendered nothing of His deity during His earthly life. Having led a sinless life, He satisfied the Father’s justice concerning sin by His death. We believe in His bodily resurrection, His physical ascension, and His visible return to this earth to establish His earthly kingdom. We believe that he is now in heaven at the right hand of God, where He personally advocates and intercedes on behalf of all who have put their faith in Him. (John 1:14-18, 1 Corinthians 15, Hebrews 2:17-18, Romans 3:24-26, Revelation 20:11-15, Philippians 2:6-8, Colossians 2:9, Hebrews 1:3, 4:15, I John 2:1-2)
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father to bring glory to the Son and convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit indwells permanently and seals every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, comforter and guide, empowering each believer with selected spiritual gifts. (John 14:26, 16:7-11, 13; I Corinthians 6:19, 12:4-11, Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30).
Angels – Elect and Fallen
We believe that God created an innumerable company of sinless, spiritual beings, known as angels. Many of these beings, lead by one known as “Lucifer” (also known as Satan), sinned against God through rebellion. As a result, they were cast from heaven and are active today on earth in their opposition to the Church. Further, a majority of angels did not choose to rebel and are still before the throne of God where they are used as ministers, sent to the earth to be involved in the lives of believers. (Isaiah 14:12-17, Ezekiel 28:11-19, Ephesians 6:12, Hebrews 1:14, Revelation 12:7-9)
The Nature of Man
We believe that all people are directly created in the image of God to enjoy His fellowship and to fulfill God’s will on this earth. Man fell into sin by a voluntary act of personal disobedience to the will of God; consequently all are spiritually dead and subject to the certainty of both physical and spiritual death apart from Jesus Christ. The fall of man was a once-for-all historical fact. Its spiritually deadening effect spread to all people, each of whom is born with a sinful nature and sins habitually in thought, word and deed. (Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:7, Genesis 3:3-4, Psalms 51:5, Romans 1:18-32, 3:10-23, 5:12, Ephesians 2:1-3, Titus 1:15)
Salvation
We believe that salvation can only be obtained through God’s grace, not of our own good works. Only by repenting and personally receiving through faith the substitutional act of Jesus Christ dying for our sins can we obtain justification before God. All who receive Christ are forever secure in their salvation, it cannot be taken away. (John 1:12, 10:28, Acts 4:12, Romans 3:21-22, 6:23, 8:38, 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 7:25).
Church
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated believers are members. We also believe in the local church, consisting of a body of believers in Jesus Christ who choose to associate through worship, prayer, work and fellowship. The church’s twofold responsibility is the task of giving the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world and maturing them in Christ. (Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:11-16, Colossians 1:27-28, Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:41-47; Matthew 28:19).
Ordinances
We believe that our Lord Jesus committed two ordinances to those who believe in him: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that baptism is by immersion, thus serving not only as a public declaration of our faith in Christ, but a symbol of Christ’s (and by picture, our own) death and resurrection to new life. We believe that the Lord’s Supper commemorates our Savior’s death, and is open to all self-examined believers in Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:15-17, 28:19-20; Acts 2:41, Romans 6:1-4; I Corinthians 11:17-32, Colossians 2:12).
Christ’s Return
We believe in the personal, visible, premillennial, and imminent return of Christ to receive His bride (the universal Church) and to establish His righteous thousand year reign on earth. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessings of the saved and the everlasting punishment of the lost (Matthew 25:41-46, John 14:1-3, Acts 1:10-11, Mark 13:34-37, I Thessalonians 4:13-18, II Thessalonians 1:3-10, Revelation 19:11-20:15).
