WHAT WE BELIEVE
WHAT WE BELIEVE
WE BELIEVE IN THE WORD OF GOD
We believe that the Holy Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of both the Old and New Testaments, is God’s revelation unto man, was written without error in the original manuscripts by men divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is, therefore the sole authority in all matters of faith and practice, and is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried (II Tim 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:21)
WE BELIEVE IN THE TRUE GOD
We believe that there is one, and only one living true God, creator of all things and infinite in wisdom, perfect Spirit and Personal Being, inexpressibly glorious in holiness, eternally existing in three Persons—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—equal in every Divine perfection, yet but one God. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer. (Deut 6:4; John 1:1-3; Matt 28:19; I Cor. 8:6)
WE BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, sinless in His life, making atonement for the sin of the world by His death on the cross. We believe in His bodily resurrection, His ascension into heaven, His high priestly intercession for His people and His personal, visible, pretribulational, premillenial return to the world according to His promise. (Colossians 1:15; Matt 1:18-25; I Peter 2:24, 25; Hebrews 4:14-16; Rev. 20:4-6; I Cor. 15:51; I Thess. 4:16-18.)
WE BELIEVE IN HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Person and work of the Holy Spirit who came forth from God to convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; that regenerates and indwells those who in genuine heart trust, repent of their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that His desire is to comfort, direct, make prayer for, empower for service, and effect personal holiness in and through the life of the believer (John 16:8-11; I Peter 1:12; Romans 8:26; John 14:26; I Corinthians 2:13.)
WE BELIEVE IN THE FALL OF MEN
We believe that man was created in a state of holiness, in the image of God, his creator, but through willful disobedience fell into sin, thereby incurring the curse of God and subjecting the entire human race to a sinful condition, by nature spiritually dead. Failure to accept God’s offer of redemption subjects the sinner to the consequence of this state, which is eternal separation from God in hell. (Genesis 1:26,27; Romans 3:10, 23; John 3:16, 18; Romans 5:12; John 5:24; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:14,15.)
WE BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, that heaven is the everlasting abode of the saved, a place of everlasting blessedness; and that hell is the everlasting abode of the unsaved, a place of everlasting conscious punishment. (I Cor. 15:44-46; Rev. 20:5, 6; 20:13-15.)
WE BELIEVE IN SALVATION
We believe that a soul is saved when Christ is received as Personal Saviour and Lord, as a result of which the Holy Spirit imparts eternal life; that the redeemed one is thereby regenerated (born again,) and becomes a partaker of the divine nature, having received a holy disposition inwrought by the power of God in connection with divine truth, in manner above our comprehension, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel and that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith an newness of life. Such a one is justified by God, having entered into a state of righteousness imputed to the individual on the basis of the shed blood and finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, which is solely by grace apart from works, and is thereby preserved by the power of God through faith unto the fulfillment of the work of redemption, which is the everlasting enjoyment of Heaven in the presence of God. The believer, having experienced salvation, is admonished by God to walk in holiness as God is holy. (John 3:7; Eph. 2:8-10; Romans 5:1; II Cor. 5:1; Acts 4:12.)
WE BELIEVE IN THE CHURCH
We believe in the Church, a living spiritual organism of which Christ is Founder and Head, of which all regenerated people are members. We believe the local New Testament Church is a company of baptized, i.e. immersed, believers in Jesus Christ buried with Him in water baptism, i.e. immersed, united for worship, work, and fellowship. To these local churches were committed two ordinances for observation, Water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Christ has committed to the church the ministry of reconciling the lost and dying world unto God. We believe that all human betterment and social improvements are the inevitable by-products of such a gospel. We further believe that each church is independent and autonomous and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling it duties free from dictation and patronage of the other (Acts 2:41, 47; II Cor. 5:19; Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 8:1; I Peter 5:3; I Corinthians 5:3, 4.)
WE BELIEVE IN SEPARATION
We believe in obedience to the biblical commands to separate ourselves unto God from worldliness and religious association with any group that denies the fundamental doctrines of the faith (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 1 Timothey 6:3-5; Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11)
WE BELIEVE IN CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that civil government is the divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed; except in those things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming King of Kings (Rom. 13:1-7; 2 Sam. 23:3; Ex. 18:21-22; Acts 23:5; Matt. 22:21; Acts 5:29, 4:19-20; Dan. 3:17-18)
WE BELIEVE IN MARRIAGE AND HUMAN SEXUALITY
We believe that marriage has only one meaning and that is marriange sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture.
We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of the marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, or any attempt to change one's sex, or disagreement with one's biological sex, in sinful and offensive to God.
We believe that in order to preserve the function and intergrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, should abide by and agree to this statement on Marriage and Human Sexuality and conduct themselves accordingly.
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. 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 church.
WE BELIEVE IN BIBLICAL AUTHORITY
This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, as the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of church doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our pastor and deacon committee together (with congregational approval) are the church's final interpretive authority on the Bible's meaning and application.