We believe that Jesus is the begotten Son of God, was born of a virgin, is wholly God and wholly man, lived a sinless life, died as a substitutional sacrifice for the sins of mankind, was buried, arose from the grave and ascended into heaven. (John 1:14; 3:16; Matthew 4; Luke 4; Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
We believe in the literal, bodily return of Jesus Christ to earth. (Revelation 19)
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God without any error, the sole authority for life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
We believe that man is a special creation of God, made in His image. (Genesis 1:26-27)
We believe that mankind fell through the sin of the first man, Adam, and that all men are sinners in need of salvation. (Genesis 3:15; Romans 5:12-15)
We believe that salvation is a gift of grace from God, received through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:23; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 1:12)
We believe that every person who truly is saved is eternally secure in the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 10:28-30; Ephesians 1:13-14; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10,14)
We believe that those persons who die without faith in Jesus Christ spend eternity in Hell and those person who die with their sins forgiven, through faith in Christ, spend eternity in Heaven. (John 3:16; Revelation 20:14-15)
We believe that water baptism is in obedience to the command of Christ and is by immersion after salvation. (Romans 6:3-10)
We believe that the local church is the local body of baptized believers with the Lord Jesus Christ as the head. (Ephesians 1:22-23)
We believe that each believer has direct access to God through the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible, God’s Word. (1 Timothy 2:5-6; Hebrews 10:19-26)
We believe in the separation of church and state, but not in the separation of God and government. (1 Peter 2:13-17)
ARTICLES OF FAITH
Of the Scriptures
We believe in the authority and sufficiency of the Holy Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments as originally written; that it was verbally and plenarily inspired and is the product of Spirit-controlled men, and therefore is infallible and inerrant in all matters of which it speaks.
We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creed and opinions shall be tried.
2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:19-21
The True God
We believe there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite Spirit, the Maker and supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
Exodus 20:2,3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11
The Son
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the second person of the trinity, became man without ceasing to God, having been supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. He possesses all the divine attributes and He is coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father
Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1,2,14; Luke 1:35; Hebrews 1:1-3,8; Titus 2:14; Isaiah 7:14; John 10:30; 14:9.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and in His ascension into Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest interceding for us.
Matthew 28:6,7; Luke 24:2-6,39,51; John 20:27; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Mark 16:6; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 3:21; Hebrews 7:25 8:6; 12:2; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1; Hebrews 2:17; 5:9,10
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the Agent in the new birth; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. We believe that the sign/revelatory gifts of the Holy Spirit have fulfilled their purpose and are not applicable to the work of the Holy Spirit today.
John 14:16,17; Matthew 28:19; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35; Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5-6; Ephesians 1:13,14; Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Acts 11:16; Luke 24:49; Romans 8:14,16,26,27
The Devil, or Satan
We believe in the reality and personality of Satan, the Devil; and that he was created by God as an angel but through pride and rebellion became the enemy of his Creator; that he became the unholy god of this age and the ruler of all the powers of darkness and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire.
Matthew 4:1-11; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10
Creation
We believer the Biblical account of the creation of the physical universe, angels, and man; that this account is neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate creative acts of God without any evolutionary process; that man was created by a direct work of God and not from previously existing forms of life; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race.
Genesis 1: 2; Colossians 1:16,17; John 1:3
The Fall of Man
We believe that man was created in innocence (in the image and likeness of God) under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression Adam fell from his sinless and happy state, and all men sinned in him, in consequence of which all men are totally depraved, are partakers of Adam’s fallen nature, and are sinners by nature and by conduct, and therefore are under just condemnation without defense or excuse.
Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; 5:12,19; 1:18,32
Salvation
We believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who, by the appointment of the Father, voluntarily took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, and honored the divine law by His personal obedience, thus qualifying Himself to be our Savior; that by the shedding of His blood in His death He fully satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God regarding sin; that His sacrifice consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that having risen from the dead He is now enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate and an all-sufficient Savior.
We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation. Repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit and is an integral part of saving faith.
Jonah 2:9; Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24,25; John 3:16; Matthew 18:11; Philippians 2:7,8; Hebrews 2:14-17; Isaiah 53:4-7; 1 John 4:10; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24
Grace and the New Birth
We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about by our sovereign God in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance, faith and newness of life.
John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 5:1; Acts 16:20-33; 2 Peter 1:4; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1,5; Colossians 2:13; John 3:8
Justification
We believe that justification is that judicial act of God whereby He declares the believer righteous upon the basis of the imputed righteousness of Christ; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any work of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s shed blood.
Romans 3:24; 4:5; 5:1,9; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God accomplished in a threefold manner; first, an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Savior; second, a continuing process in the saint as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the life; third, the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord’s return.
Hebrews 10:10-14; 3:1; John 17:17; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 5:25-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:3,4; 5:23,24; 1 John 3:2; Jude 24,25; Revelation 22:11
The Security of the Saints
We believe that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6; John 10:28,29; Romans 8:35-39; Jude 1
The Church
We believe that a local church is an organized congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its officers are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures. We believe the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only Superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; that on all matters of membership, of polity, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the will of the local church is final.
1 Corinthians 11:2; Acts 29:17-28; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Acts 2:41,42
We believe in the unity of all New Testament believers in the Church which is the Body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:12,13; Ephesians 1:22,23; 3:1-6; 4:11; 5:23; Colossians 1:18; Acts 15:13-18
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
We believe that Christian baptism is the single immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our identification with the crucified, buried and risen Savior, through Whom we died to sin and rose to a new life; that baptism is to be performed under the authority of the local church; and that it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He come, and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination. We believe that the Biblical order of the ordinances is baptism first and then the Lord’s Supper, and that participants in the Lord’s Supper should be immersed believers.
Acts 8:36,38,39; John 3:23; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 3:16; Colossians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41,42
Separation
We believe in obedience to the Biblical commands to separate ourselves unto God from worldliness and ecclesiastical apostasy.
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:9,10; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11
Civil Government
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed; except in those things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ Who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming King of kings.
Romans 13:1-7; 2 Samuel 23:3; Exodus 18:21,22; Acts 23:5; Matthew 22:21; Acts 5:29; 4:19,20; Daniel 3:17-18
Israel
We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people, that she is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ, and that she will be regathered in the Holy Land and, after the completion of the church, will be saved as a nation at the second advent of Christ.
Genesis 13:14-17; Romans 11:1-32; Ezekiel 37
Rapture and Subsequent Events
We believe in the premillennial return of Christ, an event which can occur at any moment, and that at that moment the dead in Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies, and the living in Christ shall be given glorified bodies without tasting death, and all shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the seven years of the Tribulation.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44,51-54; Philippians 3:20,21; Revelation 3:10
We believe that the Tribulation, which follows the Rapture of the Church, will be culminated by the revelation of Christ in power and great glory to sit upon the throne of David and to establish the millennial kingdom.
Daniel 9:25-27; Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 1:30-33; Isaiah 9:6,7; 11:1-9; Acts 2:29,30; Revelation 20:1-4,6
The Righteous and the Wicked
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only those who are justified by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of our God are truly righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked and under the curse; and this distinction holds among men both in and after death, in the everlasting felicity of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost in the lake of fire.
Malachi 3:18; Genesis 18:23; Romans 6:17,18; 1 John 5:19; Romans 7:6; 6:23; Proverbs 14:32; Luke 16:25; Matthew 25:34-41; John 8:21; Revelation 20:14,15
SALVATION
“I don’t believe in anything”
“Death is simply annihilation”
“Heaven sounds like a nice place, but the concept is just for kids, not for adults. Like the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus. It’s not a real place.”
“I know that when I die, God will let me into His heaven.”
“I don’t believe in the Bible, I have a Bible of my own, that of the Mormons, or that of Islam.”
- People didn’t believe the tsunami was coming onshore, but it did.
- People didn’t believe our country would ever suffer a terrorist attack, but it did.
- People don’t believe they will ever get in a car accident, but they do.
- People don’t believe a tornado or a hurricane will ever hit them, but it does.
- Not believing, never makes the real truth go away.
- Why is it that people won’t take a risk on their family being without insurance, but they are willing to risk eternity? Do you have any idea how long eternity is?
The authors of all other supposed Scriptures are dead. The author of the Bible is alive. The Bible is true whether or not you believe it is true. The truth always comes to the surface, eventually. The Bible has two things to say about you.
- You are a sinner. Sinning means to have missed the mark. The lies, lust, and dishonesty we do cause us to miss the mark. Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Maybe you’re a good person. “All” means “all”.
- Sin pays. You won’t like the paycheck. Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death.” One thing about death: it is very permanent. This death is worse than the death you may be thinking of.
The Bible has two good things to say to you.
- Christ died for you. Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The Bible says Jesus took the penalty we deserved for sin, placed it upon Himself, and died in our place. 3 days later Christ came back to life to prove that sin and death had been overcome. His claims to be God were true.
- You can be saved by faith in Christ. Ephesians 2:8,9: “For by grace [undeserved favor] you have been saved [delivered from the penalty of sin] through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” All the good things you do won’t free you from the penalty of your sin, only Christ can do that. When you turn on a light, you expect it to light up. You trust it will turn on. You must trust in Jesus Christ alone, and God will give you the gift of eternal life.
Is there anything keeping you from trusting in Christ right now? If you’d like help understanding this, please contact us right away. Someone will be glad to show you from the Bible how you can know for sure your sins are forgiven.