What We Believe

I. Scripture
We believe that the Holy Bible, as originally written, was verbally inspired and the product of Spirit-controlled men, and therefore, has truth without any admixture of error for its matter. We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions, shall be tried. (II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:19-21.)

II. True God
We believe there is one, and only one, living and true God; and 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 God head there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (John 14:16, 17; Matthew 28:18; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35.)

III. Jesus Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be 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. (Matthew 1:23; John 1:1,2; Luke:1:35; Hebrews 1:1-3; Titus 2:14; Isaiah 7:14; John 1:14.)

We believe in His bodily resurrection from the grave; His ascension to the right hand of God where He ever liveth to make intercession for believers, and His personal, premillennial, visible, bodily return to the earth at the end of the age.

IV. Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, 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, endures, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer, indwelling every true child of God. (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; Romans 8:16; Romans 8:26,27.)

V. Devil or Satan
We believe in the personality of Satan, that he is the unholy god of this age, and the author of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. (Matthew 4:1-34; II Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10.)

VI. Creation
We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, including all life, “each after its own kind”, by direct act, according to the Genesis account; and not by the process of evolution. We also believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God. (Genesis, chapters 1 and 2; Colossians 1:16,17; John 1:3.)

VII. Fall of Man
We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression, fell from his sinless and happy state in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not only by constraint, but of choice; and, therefore, under just condemnation without defense or excuse. (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 1:18-20; Romans 5:10-19; Romans 1:13; Romans 1:32.)

VIII. Atonement for Sin
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who, by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin, honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death, made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His atonement 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 sin 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. (Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24; John 3:16; Matthew 18:11; Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 2:14-16; Isaiah 53:4-7; Romans 3:25; I John 4:10; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 3:18; I Peter 2:24; I Corinthians 15:3,4.)

IX. Grace in the New Creation
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 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 and faith and newness of life. (John 3:3; II Corinthians 5:17; I John 5:1; John 3:6,7; Acts 16:33,36; II Peter 1:4; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1; II Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 2:13; John 3:8.)

X. Justification
We believe that the great gospel blessing which Christ secured to such as believe in Him is justification:

(a) That justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life, on principles of righteousness.

(b) That it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done; but solely through faith in the Redeemer's blood, His righteousness imputed to us. (Acts 13:39; Isaiah 53:11; Zechariah 13:1; Romans 8:1; Romans 5:9; Romans 5:1.)

XI. Faith and Salvation
We believe that personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation. (Acts 16:31.)

XII. The Security of the Saints
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that such only as through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God, are truly righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under the curse; and this distinction holds among men both in and after death, in the everlasting joy and peace of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost. (Malachi 3:18; Genesis 18:23; Romans 6:17,18; I John 5:19; Romans 7:6; Romans 6:23; Proverbs 14:32; Luke 6:25; Matthew 25:34-41; John 8:21.)

XIII. Marriage and the Home
We believe that the home was the first institution God provided for man (Genesis 2:12-24), and that marriage is a sacred relationship between one man and one woman and honorable for all (Hebrew 13:4; I Corinthians 7:2). Marriage is used as an emblem of the union of Christ and His church (Ephesians 5:21-23). “What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder (Mark 10:9)”.

XIV. The Church
(a) UNIVERSAL CHURCH - We believe that the true Spiritual church is a New Testament organism; unknown to the Old Testament prophets; established by Jesus Christ, who is its sole Head; revealed, empowered and perpetuated by the Holy Spirit; His Body for service; and His “Bride” for glory. It began with Pentecost, after the ascension of Christ and will be consummated at the coming of Christ in the Rapture. (Ephesians 3:2-6; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:22,23; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1,2; I Corinthians 12:12-28.)

(b) LOCAL CHURCH - We believe that a local church is a 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 and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures. We believe that 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 interferences 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 the 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; on all matters of membership of policy, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the will of the local church is final. (Acts 2:41,42; I Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22,23; Ephesians 4:11; Acts 20:7,28; I Timothy 3:15; Acts 1:8; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:23,24; Acts 15:4-28; Matthew 18:15-17.)

XV. Ordinances
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show a solemn and beautiful emblem of our faith in the crucified, buried, risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; and that it is a prerequisite for church membership. We believe that the Lord's Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination. (Acts 8:26-39; John 3:23; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 3:16; Colossians 2:12; Matthew 28:19; I Corinthians
23:28; Luke 22:14-20.)

XVI. Civil Government
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good order of human society; that the magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed; except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ; who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Romans 13:1-7; I Timothy 2:1,1; Acts 5:29; Revelation 19:16.)

XVII. Last Things
(a) THE SECOND ADVENT OF CHRIST - We believe in the “Blessed Hope”, the personal, imminent, pre-tribulation and pre-millennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones and in His return to earth after the tribulation with His saints to establish the Millennial Kingdom. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 1:6-12; Revelation 20:1-6.)

(b) THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST - We believe that every saved person will appear before the “Judgment Seat” to be judged by the Lord in regard to faithful service. (I Corinthians 3:11-15; II Corinthians 5:10.)

(c) THE ETERNAL STATE - We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men; the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. The souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be forever glorified with the Lord. The souls of the unbelievers after death remain in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when, with spirit, soul and body reunited, they shall appear before the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. (Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28,29; Philippians 1:23; II Corinthians 5:8,10; Revelation 20:1-6; Revelation 20:12-15.)

(d) THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM - We believe that the Millennial Kingdom on earth will be ruled from the throne of David. (Luke 1:32; Acts 2:29,30; Isaiah 9:6,7.)

XVIII. Gifts of the Spirit
(a) We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of all His gifts and that the gifts of evangelists, pastors and teachers are Gods provision for the edification of the saints today (Ephesians 4:7-12).

(b) The working of sign miracles and speaking in tongues gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed, and its authority became established (Hebrews 2:3,4; I Corinthians 13:8-11).

(c) The casting out of demons, prophesying, and doing wonderful works are unreliable as signs by themselves, being accomplished even by the ungodly (Matthew 7:21-23).