What we believe...
On The Scriptures: We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and
New Testaments to be the Bible, “as it is in truth, the Word of
God…” (I Thessalonians 2:13). We believe in verbal, plenary
inspiration in the original writings, and God’s preservation of His
pure words to every generation (II Timothy 3:16, Psalms 12:6-8).
We believe that the Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed. The Masoretic Text of the Old Testament and the
Received Text of the New Testament (Textus Receptus) are those
texts of the original languages we accept and use; the King
James Version of the Bible is the only English version we accept
and use. The Bible is our sole and final authority for faith and
practice.
On the Godhead: We believe in one Triune God, eternally 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 (Deuteronomy 6:4; II Corinthians
13:14). We believe that God created the entire universe in six
literal, twenty-four-hour days (Genesis 1:1-27).
On the Person and Work of Christ: We believe that 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 (John 1:1-2, 14; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; 7:14;
Philippians 2:5-8; Galatians 4:4-5). We believe that the Lord
Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His finished
work on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary
sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal,
physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25; I Peter
2:24; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5). We believe that the Lord
Jesus Christ was raised bodily and that He ascended to Heaven,
and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High
Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and
Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24, 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John
2:1-2)
On the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit: We believe that the
Holy Spirit is the Person who reproves the world of sin, of
righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural
Agent in regeneration, indwelling all believers and sealing them
unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; II Corinthians 3:6;
Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14). We believe that the sign gifts
of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of
healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues
was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling
of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from
sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the
resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayer
of believers for physical healing. (II Corinthians 12:12; I
Corinthians 13:8; Hebrews 2:3-4; Mark 16:17-20; I Corinthians
1:22, 14:21-22).
On Satan: We believe in the reality of the person of Satan and
that he and the fallen angels wage a spiritual warfare against the
plan and purposes of God (John 13:2; Acts 5:3; Ephesians
6:11-12). We believe that Satan is a created angelic being who
rebelled and who tempted man to join him in rebellion against
God (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Genesis 3:1-5). We
believe his power is supernatural, yet limited; and that he cannot
act without the permission of God (Job 1:6-12; I John 4:4).
Satan’s eternal end is everlasting torment in the Lake of Fire
(Revelation 20:10).
On Man: We believe that man was created in the image and
likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a
sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and therefore man
is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his
lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; Ephesians
2:1-3, 12). The sacredness of human personality is evident in that
God created man in His own image and is mindful of him, and in
that Christ died for man; therefore every individual possesses
dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. (Psalm 8:4-9;
Colossians 3:9-11).
On Salvation: We believe that the clear message of salvation is
“repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”
(Acts 20:21). We believe that salvation is “by grace” plus nothing
minus nothing. We believe that Jesus Christ died for every man,
and that each individual chooses to accept or reject the grace of
God (Hebrews 2:9; I John 2:2). We believe that men are justified
by faith alone and are accounted righteous before God only
through the merit of Christ . (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; I Peter
1:18-19). We believe that all the redeemed, once saved are kept
by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We believe
that eternal life is the present possession of every believer (John
6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter
1:4-5; Jude 1, 2).
On the Church: We believe that the New Testament church is a
local assembly of baptized believers who have voluntarily joined
themselves together to carry out the Great Commission. The Lord
is doing His work in this world through local churches. The
establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught
and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17,
28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11). We believe in the
autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or
control. Christ is the only head of the church (Acts 13:1-4,
15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; I
Peter 5:1-4). We recognize the ordinances of baptism by
immersion in water and the Lord’s Supper as a Scriptural means
of testimony for local churches in this age (Matthew. 28:19-20;
Acts 2:41-42, 18:18; I Corinthians 11:23-26).
On Seperation: We believe that all the saved should live in such a
manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and,
that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful
pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (II
Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1, 2, 14:13; I John 2:15-17; II John
9-11; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1).
On the Return of Christ: We believe the “Blessed Hope” of our
Lord’s return is literal, personal, visible, imminent, premillennial,
and pretribulational. Believers will be caught up to be with the
Lord prior to the seven years of tribulation, and at the end of the
tribulation Christ will return with His saints to establish His
thousand-year reign on the earth (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus
2:13; I Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 3:10; Zechariah 14:4-11;
Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6; Psalm 89:3-4).
On Our Eternal State: We believe in the bodily resurrection of all
men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and
everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28, 29, 11:25-26;
Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13). We believe that 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 glorified forever with
the Lord (Luke 23:43; Revelation 20:4-6; II Corinthians 5:8;
Philippians 1:23, 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17). We believe that
the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery
until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited
they shall appear at 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
25:41-46; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48;
Revelation 20:11-15).
On Human Sexuality: We believe that God has commanded that
no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a
marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form
of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest,
fornication, adultery, transgenderism, and pornography are sinful
perversions of God’s gift of sex and are offensive to God (Matt.
15:18-20; 1 Cor. 6:9-10). We further believe that God wonderfully
and immutably creates each person as male or female. These
two-distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image
and nature of God, and the rejection of one’s biological gender is
a rejection of the image of God within that person. (Genesis
1:26-27) We therefore believe that God disapproves of and
forbids any attempt to alter one’s birth gender chemically or by
surgery or appearance. (Gen 2:24, 19:5, 13, 26:8-9, Lev 18:1-30;
Rom 1:26-29; I Cor 5:1, 6:9; I Thess 4:1-8; Heb 13:4) We believe
that God offers forgiveness to all who place their faith in Jesus
Christ and His redemptive work on the cross for salvation (Acts
3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11). We further believe God
mercifully offers forgiveness and restoration to a believing
Christian who willingly confesses and forsakes such sin.
(Proverbs 28:13; Proverbs 28:13.) We believe that every person
must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity
(Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or
attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and
are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of the ministry.
On Marriage: We believe the term “marriage” has only one
meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single,
exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Gen. 2:18-25). We
believe that marriage between one man and one woman, for life,
uniquely reflects Christ’s relationship with His Church (Eph.
5:21-33). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur
only between a man and a woman who are married to each other
(1 Cor. 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb. 13:4). We believe that God has
commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside
of a marriage between a man and a woman. Marriage ceremonies
performed in any facility owned, leased, or rented by this church
will only be those ceremonies sanctioned by God, joining one
man with one woman as that gender was determined at birth. We
further believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to
last until one of the spouses dies. Therefore, we never promote
divorce as a solution to marital problems. We also believe God’s
forgiveness includes all sins, including those who violate God’s
permanence of marriage. Even though such forgiven people can
be used of the Lord and serve in many areas of the church, we do
believe the Scriptures prohibit them from being considered for the
offices of pastor or deacon. (Gen 2:24; Mal 2:14-17; Matt 19:3-12;
Rom 7:1-3; I Cor 7:10; Eph 5:22-23; I Tim 3:2,12; Tit 1:6)
On Life: We believe that all human life is sacred and created by
God in His image. We believe that human life begins at
conception and that the unborn child is a living human being.
Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including
pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged,
and every other stage or condition from conception through
natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and
value all human life. We believe that the unjustified, unexcused
taking of human life such as abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide
is murder. (Job 3:16; Psalms 51:1-5, 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24;
49:1,5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44