Our Beliefs
God's Plan For Salvation
Bad News
1. Admit you are a sinner - "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
2. The penalty for sin is death - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
Good News
1. Christ died for you - "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
2. You can be saved through faith - "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of
God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
3. Trust in Christ alone - "Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved," Acts 16:31
Statement of Faith
The Church
We believe that a New Testament church is a local assembly of born again baptized believers united in organization to practice the New Testament
ordinances of Baptism and Communion; to meet together for worship, prayer, fellowship, and the teaching of the Word of God; to edify the Body by developing and using each's spiritual gifts; and to actively engage in carrying out the Great Commission to reach the unsaved. Each church is independent and autonomous.
Matthew 16:13-19; Ephesians 4:11-13; Matthew 28:18-20
Second Coming of Christ
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His Kingdom.
He will first come to call all the saints to Heaven, then pour out the righteous judgments upon the unbelieving world. He will then descend to establish His Kingdom.
John 14:1-3; Revelation 20:1-6; I Corinthians 15:52
Human Destiny
For all mankind there is a life to come, a resurrection of the body, and a future judgment. At physical death, the believer enters immediately into eternal conscious fellowship with the Lord; and the non-believer enters immediately into eternal conscious separation from the Lord.
The unbelievers will be judged for their rejection of God, and the believers will be judged according to the quantity and quality of works done; there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
I Corinthians 15:51-58; I Thessalonians 4:13-18
The Christian Life
The essential accompaniment of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience. The Christian's goal in conduct should be to glorify God among men; his conduct should be blameless before the world. This conduct is not a means of salvation, but is a proper evidence and fruit of salvation. This life is possible as a Christian submits his life to the control of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:8-10; James 2:14-26
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured in part, or in whole, by any virtue or work of man. It is received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When God has begun a saving work in the heart of any person, He gives assurance in His Word that He will continue performing it until the day of its completion.
Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16; Romans 5:6-11
The Fall of Man
We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker, but voluntarily fell from his sinless and happy state. Consequently, all mankind are now sinners by choice and are therefore, without defense or excuse.
Genesis 3:1-6, 24; Romans 5:12; Romans 3:9-20
Creation
We believe in the Genesis account of creation, and that it is to be accepted literally. God created out of nothing the universe, and all that is in it, including man, who was created directly in God's own image.
Genesis 1:1; Acts 4:24; Colossians 1:16-17
Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to convict men of sin, of judgment, and of righteousness. He is the agent of
the New Birth and at the point of salvation, permanently indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength, and wisdom. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying Scripture. His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ-like character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father.
John 14:16-17; Romans 8:9-11; Galatians 5:22-23
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity who was born by a miraculous conception of the Holy Spirit and a virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all by dying on the cross as their substitute.
He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He, the only Mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own. He will one day return to the earth personally and visibly, to take the saints to Heaven for eternity.
Romans 8:1-3; Colossians 1:13-22; John 1:1-18
The Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, strength, power, and love.
Ephesians 4:6
God
We believe that there is one true God, eternally existing in three persons -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each Person of the trinity is equal and each has a distinct ministry in relation to God's creation and purpose.
Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 43:3; I John 5:7
The Bible
The sole basis of our authority is the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Verbal inspiration refers to every word being God's, and plenary inspiration means that all of Scripture is equally inspired. Scripture, therefore, speaks with the full authority of God while reflecting the backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold the Scriptures to be infallible and inerrant. They have full and final supreme authority on all matters of faith and conduct, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.
II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:19-21
