WHAT WE BELIEVE

1. ABOUT GOD'S WORD

We believe that the Bible is the complete, written Word of God, sixty-six books in the Old and New Testaments, that each and every word in the original manuscripts was inspired by God, and therefore completely without error (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

2. ABOUT GOD

We believe that the Godhead or Trinity eternally exists in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Who are One God deserving precisely the same homage, confidence and obedience (Gen. 1:1; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 4:24, 10:30; 2 Cor. 13:14).

3. ABOUT JESUS CHRIST

We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, manifested in the flesh by virgin birth. He lived a sinless life, died for our sins, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into Heaven, is preparing a place for us as our High Priest and is coming again for His Church (John 1:1-14, 29; Matt 1:18-23; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 3:18; 1 Cor. 15:3-19; Acts 1:9-11; John 14:1-6).

4. ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit is God, a divine, eternal Person, having an intellect, emotions and a will of His own (Acts 5:3-4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Heb. 3:7; John 15:26, 16:13-14; 1 Cor. 12:11; Eph. 4:30; 1 Cor. 2:11). We believe the present ministry of the Holy Spirit is restraining sin in the world by convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He also, in the present age, regenerates believers in Christ, baptizes them into the Church, the Body of Christ, permanently brings the presence of God into the Christian’s life, assures that they are possessed by God and preserved until the day of redemption, imparts spiritual gifts to each one and controls those yielded to Him (John 3:8, 14:16, 15:26-27, 16:7-15; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:9, 12:4-11, 13; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30, 5:18).

5. ABOUT MAN

We believe that all people were created in God’s own image and likeness. In Adam all humanity fell into sin with the result that all of us are sinners, resulting in spiritual and physical death and all of us are now sinful by nature and practice, unable to save ourselves from sin (Gen. 1:26-28, 2:7, 3:1-24; Rom. 3:9-25, 5:12-14; Eph. 2:3).

6. ABOUT SALVATION

We believe that salvation is the free gift of God, brought to us by His grace and received by faith alone in Christ, Who died for our sins and rose again. Salvation is apart from any sacraments, good works or human merit (John 3:16; Acts 4:12, 13:38-39, 16:31; Rom. 4:4-5, 5:1; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Eph. 2:8-9).

7. ABOUT SANCTIFICATION (“SET APART”)

We believe that every believer is promised positional, progressive and ultimate sanctification (John 17:14-17; 1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 5:26-27; 1 Thess. 4:3-4; Heb 10:10, 14; 1 John 3:2).

8. ABOUT ASSURANCE

We believe that all who have put their faith in Christ can have assurance of salvation and are eternally secure in Christ (John 6:37, 10:27-29, 17:12; Rom. 5:1, 8:38-39; Eph. 4:30; 2 Tim. 1:12; 1 John 5:13).

9. ABOUT THE CHURCH

We believe that all believers are members of the Body of Christ, the Church, which Christ is building. This Body is present on earth in local churches where believers should assemble for teaching, fellowship, prayer and ministry. This local church observes the symbolic practices of believer baptism in the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and the Bread and the Cup (Matt. 16:18, 28:19-20; John 13:1-17; 1 Cor. 11:23-24; Eph. 3:4-6, 5:25-32).

10. ABOUT ANGELS

We believe that angels were originally created as holy creatures, but now exist as fallen and unfallen. Satan is a fallen angel (Job 38:6-7; Psalm 148:2-4; Matt. 25-41; Eph 6:11-12; Col 1:16; 1 Tim 3:6, 5:21; Jude 6).

11. ABOUT FUTURE LIFE

We believe that the believer, upon physical death, is immediately with the Lord. We believe in the blessed hope of the imminent return of the Lord for His Church. We believe the biblical description of an eternal state of punishment for the unsaved and the eternal state of blessing for the saved (Matt. 25:31-46; John 14:1-3; Phil. 1:21; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 20:11-15, 22:20).

12. ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

We believe that every believer is to live a life of righteousness and good works, exhibit the fruit and fullness of the Spirit and fulfill the Great Commission in making disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 6:1-8: Gal. 5:16-23; Eph. 2:8-10, 5:16-23, 6:4; 1 Pet. 4:10-11).

13. ABOUT MARRIAGE

We believe that God ordained marriage as a voluntary union of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:21-24, Matthew 19:4-6, Mark 10:6-9, Ephesians 5:31). We resolve that as a matter of belief, doctrine, and religious practice, our church reserves the term "marriage" for the covenant relationship between one man and one woman. We resolve that pastors, leaders, and staff of our church will only be allowed to arrange for or officiate at the solemnization or celebration of marriage when it conforms to what we consider to be God's plan for marriage.