What We Believe (Statement of Faith)
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God (Luke 24:44; John14:26). We believe in its verbal, plenary inspiration (1 Corinthians 2:13; Proverbs 30:5; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). We believe it is inerrant as originally given and infallible (Psalm 12:6; Matthew 5:18; John 17:17). We believe that God’s Word is preserved and will never be destroyed (Psalm 12:6-7; Matthew 24:35). We believe that it is the final authority for faith, doctrine, and life (Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17); and that the King James Version and the New King James Version are preferable for reading, studying, and proclaiming.
We believe in one God, who is infinitely perfect, existing in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory and having the same attributes and perfections (1 Corinthians 8:4; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19). We believe that God is a spirit, and that He is the creator of the universe; and is, therefore, sovereign over it (John 4:24; Genesis 1:1; Ephesians 1:9-11). We believe God is a person possessing a mind, emotion, and will (Exodus 3:14; Exodus 6:6-8; Jeremiah 10:10-16).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God (Hebrews 1:1-2; John 1:1). We believe that He became a man when He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (John 1:14; Luke 1:31-35; Isaiah 7:14). We believe He is perfectly God and perfectly man (Luke 2:52; John 1:14; Hebrews 1:1-2; Titus 2:13). We believe He lived a sinless life, He died, was buried, and he rose again the third day (Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Peter 2:21-22; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We believe He ascended into heaven and will return to earth one day to establish His kingdom (Acts 1:3,9; Mark 16:19; Acts 1:11; Daniel 2:44; Revelation 20:4-6).
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (Matthew 28:19, Acts 5:3-4; John 16:7-8). We believe that the Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father, and that He indwells the believer at the moment of salvation, and that He is the guarantee of our possession of eternal life (Acts 1:4-5; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Corinthians 12:13). We believe it is the privilege and duty of all believers to be filled with the Spirit; endowed and endued with His gifts and graces; and to thus be empowered for a godly and sanctified life and service (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:14-11). We believe that the gifts of knowledge, prophecy, and tongues have ceased (1 Corinthians 13:8-10).
We believe man was originally created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). We believe that man was created with a help meet for him, thus the establishment of marriage: one man to one woman (Genesis 2:18, 24). We believe that he fell through disobedience and thereby incurred both physical and spiritual death which is separation from God. Consequently, all men are born with a sinful nature, alienated from God and can be saved only through the vicarious atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ (Genesis 2:16-17; Genesis 3:8; Genesis 3:23; Romans 5:12; Psalm 51:5). We believe that man’s purpose is to have dominion over the animals, to subdue the earth, and ultimately give glory to God (Genesis 1:28; Revelation 4:11). We believe in the eternal salvation of all who believe in Him and the eternal punishment of all who reject Him (Ecclesiastes 12:7; Matthew25:46).
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)
We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)
We believe that salvation, initiated by God in His sovereignty, is carried out by God in his grace upon the belief of an individual in the finished work of Jesus Christ (Jonah 2:9; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8; Galatians 2:21; Acts 16:31). We believe that salvation is appropriated by faith alone apart from any and all works (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). We believe that repentance is necessary to true faith and is thereby necessary for salvation (Acts 3:9; 2 Peter 3:9). We believe that man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God (Romans 5:1-2; John 14:6). We believe that at the moment of salvation the believer is regenerated in that he is a new creature and sanctified in that he is set apart from the world unto God (Ephesians 2:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 10:10). We believe that at the moment of salvation the believer is born again of the Holy Spirit making him a child of God; and that he receives the gift of eternal life, and is thereby eternally secure (John 3:6; John 1:12; 1 John 5:13; Philippians 1:6).
We believe that the church is the body of Christ made up of all the saints (Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13). We believe that the local church is the assembly of the local body of baptized believers (Acts 2:41; Revelation 2-3). We believe that the church was originated at Pentecost and will one day be united bodily with its bridegroom Jesus Christ being conformed to His image (Matthew 16:18; Acts 5:11; 1 John 3:2; Romans 8:29). We believe that the church has a three-fold purpose: the glorification of God, the edification of the saints, and the evangelization of the world (Ephesians 3:21; Ephesians 4:11-12; Matthew 28:19-20). We believe that the church is commanded by Christ to perform two ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41; 1 Corinthians 11:2, 26). We believe that both baptism and the Lord’s supper picture the Lord Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection thereby identifying the believer with Jesus Christ and other believers (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41).
We believe that prayer for the sick and anointing with oil is a symbol picturing the power of the Holy Spirit to heal, not the gift of healing. It is God that heals through the faithful prayers of righteous men (James 5:14-16).
We believe that the rapture of the church is the next event on the biblical calendar of events (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Revelation 3:10). We believe that the Judgment seat of Christ will follow the rapture (Luke 14:14; Revelation 22:12). We believe that the Tribulation will be a seven year period of time in which the earth will be judged (Matthew 24:21; Daniel 9:27). We believe that Christ will return to this earth with His saints after the Tribulation to establish his kingdom and reign during what is called the millennium (Matthew 24:29-30; Revelation 20:4). We believe that after this one-thousand year period God will judge the unsaved at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-13; John 5:28-29).
We believe that the saved person will immediately after death go to be with Christ in heaven, while his body will return to the dust (2 Corinthians 5:8; Genesis 3:19). We believe that the unsaved person will immediately go to hell while his body will return to the dust (Luke 16:22-23; 2 Peter 2:2-4). We believe that the body of every person will be resurrected either to eternal life or eternal death (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29).