The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, to be the verbally inspired Word of God, written by men in God’s control, inerrant and infallible in the original manuscripts, and the final authority in faith and life. We accept the grammatical-historical, literal system of interpretation of the Scriptures, and accept the historical record of the Bible as accurate and adequate (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21; Ps. 19:7-9).
The Godhead
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who are identical in essence, equal in power and glory, and possess precisely the same attributes and perfection (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14).
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God; that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might redeem sinful man. He accomplished this redemption by voluntarily giving Himself as a sinless, substitutionary sacrifice on the Cross, thereby satisfying God’s righteous judgment against sin. He gave proof that He accomplished that redemption by His bodily resurrection from the grave. He then ascended to the right hand of His Father, where He intercedes on behalf of those who trust Him (John 1:1-2, 14, 18; Luke 1:34, 35; Rom. 3:24-26, 4:25, 8:34).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Person who convicts the world of sin; that He alone brings new life to those who are spiritually dead; that He baptizes (or places) all believers into the one true Church, which is the Body of Christ; that He indwells them permanently, seals them unto the Day of Redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon them, and fills (controls) those who are yielding to Him (John 3:3-8, 16:7-11; 1 Cor. 12:13; John 14:16,17, Eph. 4:30; 1 Cor. 12:7-11; Eph.5:18).
The Condition of Man
We believe that Man was created in the image and likeness of God, in innocence and without sin. But, in Adam’s sin of disobedience to the revealed will and Word of God, man lost his innocence; incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death; became subject to the wrath of God; and became inherently corrupt and utterly incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace. With no recuperative powers to enable him to recover himself, man is hopelessly lost. Man’s salvation is thereby wholly of God’s grace through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gen. 1:26; 3:1-24; Rom. 3:10-18; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3).
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God’s grace given to all who God has elected to salvation. It includes all that God does in saving the elect from the penalty, power and presence of sin, and in restoring them to a right relationship with God. As such, it is solely the work of God from initiation to completion. It cannot be gained by good works, but it is a free gift for all who put their trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross. All who so trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are forgiven and saved from their sins, are declared righteous before God and are born into the family of God by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. God’s purpose for saving His elect is so that they bring glory to Him by their lives (Eph. 1:7; 2:8-9; John 1:12; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 1:6; Tit. 2:11-14).
Security and Assurance
We believe that all the redeemed once saved are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. It is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion for sinful living and carnality (John 10:27-29; Rom. 8:29-39; 1 John 5:13; Heb. 7:25).
Sanctification
We believe that God, in the Scriptures, has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness. This includes the salvation from the penalty of sin and, just as surely, the provision of sanctification (separation) from sin. Sanctification from sin affects both the positional and practical aspects. Positional sanctification as a work of the Holy Spirit is complete and is without further growth; however, practical sanctification, a result of the work of the Spirit in regeneration using the Word of God, provides the nourishment for growth in maturity in Christ. While practical sanctification is assured by the Word and the Spirit, it is yet imperfect in this life. There is some element of corruption in every part of the fallen nature which is the source for the war between the flesh and the Spirit. The maturing to obedience is possible for believers as they feed on the Word, submit to the Spirit of God and are in fellowship with other believers for service and accountability (John 17:17; 1 Cor. 1:30; Rom 6:19, 22; l Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 1:3).
The Church
We believe that the true Church, called in the Scripture the Body of Christ, is a spiritual organism. Every person who has trusted Jesus Christ for salvation in this present age has been baptized (placed) into this organism by the Holy Spirit. The local church, as established in the Scripture, is made up of redeemed individuals who have joined together for worship, instruction, fellowship and service (Eph. 1:22; 1 Cor. 12:13; Acts 2:42; 13:1-2; Heb. 10:23-25). The Holy Spirit prepared gifted men to serve as elders (pastors and overseers) and deacons who shepherd the body (Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:2), which is further edified by the encouragement, admonition, and assistance of the fellow believers (1 Thess. 5:11, 14), and maintained pure through the exercise of church discipline in a spirit of gentleness and love (Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5:4-5; Gal. 6:1; 1 Tim. 5:20).
Ordinances
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances to be observed by all believers until His return—baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).
The Second Coming of Christ
We believe in the personal, pre-tribulational coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church and His subsequent premillennial return to earth to establish His kingdom (1 Thess. 4:13-18; Zech. 14:4-l1; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-6).
The Eternal State
We believe that at death the souls of those who have trusted Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence and remain there in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at Christ’s coming for the Church, when body and soul will be reunited. We then shall be with Him forever in glory. We also believe that at death the souls of unbelievers remain in conscious misery until the final judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the Millennium when the soul and body will be reunited and cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be separated from God forever in conscious punishment (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:11-15).