Statement of Faith

The Scriptures
We believe that the Bible, consisting of both Old and New Testaments, is verbally, plenarily inspired as a result of the superintendence of the Holy Spirit, that it is inerrant in the original manuscripts, and that it is the final authority for faith and practice. We believe that these inspired Scriptures are complete and include only the 66 books in the traditional Protestant canon. We believe that God has blessed his people with a number of good translations which accurately present his message in understandable language. We further believe that no new revelation is being given by God in the present dispensation in any form.

2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21

God
We believe that there is one God, the Creator of all things--holy and eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. This is the historic, orthodox doctrine referred to as the trinity.

Deuteronomy 6:4; Luke 3:21-22; 2 Corinthians 13:14

Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal second person of the godhead, God the Son, fully and equally divine as the Father and Spirit. He was begotten of the Holy Spirit and was born of Mary who was a virgin. He is fully human yet at the same time undiminished deity in one person forever. He is the only sufficient mediator between God and humanity. We believe in the vicarious death of the Lord Jesus Christ for our sins, in his physical, bodily resurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven, and his future return to establish his kingdom.

Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-18; John 20; Acts 1:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Revelation 19-21

The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the eternal, third person of the godhead, fully and equally divine as the Father and the Son. He was actively involved in the creation of the universe and is active in both the salvation and the sanctification of the believer today.

Genesis 1:1-2; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:1-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Titus 3:5-7

Humanity and Sin
We believe that human beings were created in the image of God. The first man, Adam, as a representative of the entire human race, sinned and thereby incurred spiritual death. Therefore, all people born since that time are in Adam and therefore are totally depraved as sinners by nature. We believe that everyone rightly bears the guilt and responsibility for his sinfulness, alienation from God, and righteous condemnation.
Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 3; John 5:24; Romans 3:9-20; Romans 5:12-21; Romans 8:6-7; Ephesians 2:1-10; Colossians 3:9-10; James 3:9

Salvation
We believe that all who believe in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Those who believe and are saved are those who are the elect of God, unconditionally chosen in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world. Although it is beyond our complete comprehension, God's sovereignty does not violate the individual's responsibility to believe, so that all are genuinely invited to believe and be saved.

We believe in the eternal security of the believer since our salvation is based on God's character and works, not on our own effort. God loves to the uttermost, intends to keep the believer in spite of everything and to present us faultless before himself. Christ makes intercession for the believer and the Spirit seals the believer until the day of redemption. God promises in his Word that nothing will be able to separate us from Christ.

John 3:16; John 10:11-18, 27-30; Romans 4:1-5, 16-25; Romans 5:6-11; Romans 8:28-39; Galatians 2:15-16; Ephesians 1:4-14; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 7:23-28; Jude 24

The Church
We believe that the Church which is Christ's body (also known as the universal or invisible church) consists of all true Christians from the Day of Pentecost until the Rapture. This church is manifested temporally in local assemblies of believers around the world.

We believe that a local New Testament church is an organized, self-governing body of baptized believers practicing the scriptural ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Table, engaging in corporate worship and the edification of its members, and active in fulfilling the Great Commission.

We believe that biblical baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to give public testimony of his personal faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. We believe that baptism is to be performed under the authority of a local New Testament church and that it is a prerequisite to the privilege of church membership. We believe that the Lord's Table (also known as communion or the Lord's Supper) is only for believers and is the commemoration of his death and the new covenant relationship which it provides until he comes. It should always be preceded by solemn self-examination.

We believe that the two biblical offices of the local church are pastor and deacon. (The New Testament terminology of pastor, bishop, and elder all refer to the same individual.) Both offices are biblically restricted to men who meet the biblical qualifications described in 1 Timothy and Titus, and may be singular or plural as the need of the church suggests and qualified individuals are available to serve.

We believe that God has equipped every believer with the ability to minister in a unique way in the body of Christ. These spiritual gifts (which include such abilities as teaching, exhorting, serving, and showing mercy) are given at the time of salvation. We believe that some unique gifts which God used during the infancy of the church are no longer given to believers. These temporarily-given gifts include tongues, the interpretation of tongues, prophecy, and the gift of miraculous healing.

Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:41; Acts 6:1-6; Acts 8:36-39; Acts 20:17, 28; Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 1:22-23; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; Colossians 2:12; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9; 1 Peter 3:21; 1 Peter 5:1-4

Future Events
We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost, the saved to the resurrection of life and the lost to the resurrection of damnation. We believe in the premillennial return of Jesus Christ, an event which can occur at any moment. At that time both Christians who have died and living Christians will receive glorified bodies and will be caught up (raptured) to meet the Lord in the air before the beginning of the tribulation (the 70th week of Daniel). We believe that this 7 year period of tribulation will be culminated by the revelation of Jesus Christ in power and great glory to sit upon the throne of David and to establish an earthly reign of 1,000 years, followed by the eternal kingdom. We believe that hell is a place of real, conscious, eternal punishment prepared for the devil and his angels, but which will also be the eternal destiny of the unsaved.

Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 11:1-9; Jeremiah 31; Daniel 9:25-27; Matthew 13:40-43; Matthew 24:27-31; Mark 9:42-48; Luke 1:30-33; Luke 16:19-31; John 5:24-30; Acts 2:29-36; 1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 1:20-24; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:1-6