Statement Of Faith

The Holy Scriptures

The Old and New Testament Scriptures are the inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed and are the final authority for faith and life. (Lk 11:28; 1 Thess 2:13; 1 Pet 1:23; Heb 4:12)

The Godhead

The Godhead is made up of one triune God, eternally existing and revealing Himself to humanity in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, having distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 14:10, 26; 2 Cor. 13:14)

God the Father

God the Father is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. (Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7)

The Person and Work of Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men, which he accomplished through His substitutionary death on the cross and physical resurrection from the dead. Having ascended to Heaven He is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of representative, intercessor, and advocate. (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; Acts 1:9-10; Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; Rom. 8:34; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Eph. 1:7; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 9:24; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 John 2:1-2)

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption, and giving them gifts for ministry and mutual encouragement. (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:11-12)

The Total Depravity of Man

Man was created in the image and likeness of God; but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)

Salvation

Salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by repentance of sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. This response is to be followed by water baptism and reception of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are forgivable. (John 1:12; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:15; 10:44-48; 19:5-6; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 3:21; 1 John 1:9)

Eternal Security

Once a person is saved, they are kept by God’s power and remain secure in Christ forever. Yet if that believer chooses to reject their faith in Jesus and live a lifestyle of sinful disobedience, and if they do not repent and turn back to Christ, they are guilty of not continuing in the faith, not enduring to the end, and not making their calling and election sure. Hence, they do not receiving final salvation and do not inherit the kingdom of God, having their name blotted out of the book of life – becoming worse off than they were before. (Matt. 10:22; John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 11:22; 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; Col. 1:23; Heb 6:4-6; 1 Pet. 1:4-5; 2 Pet. 1:10-11; 2:20-21; Jude 21; Rev 3:5)

The Church

The universal church is made up of born-again believers identified both as the body and bride of Christ, finding corporate expression in the local church where believers gather for worship, teaching, fellowship, mutual encouragement, and shared mission. (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Gal 6:10; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27; 1 Tim 4:15; Heb 10:24-25)

We recognize water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural sacraments of obedience for the church. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 8:36-38; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)

The Second Coming of Christ

At the end of the age there will be a personal, imminent return of Christ, who will rapture His church at some point in the middle or at the end of the seven-year tribulation period, when Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom, which was promised to the nation of Israel. (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; 1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)

The Eternal State

There will be a bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; 1 Cor. 15:52-54; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)

Creation

The Genesis account of creation is a literal, historical account of God’s creation of the universe. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11)

Human Sexuality

God has commanded that no sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman. Any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. 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)

The only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman for life. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)

Abortion

Human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

Missions

God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the gospel and make disciples of all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)