THE BIBLE
We
believe that the Bible is the written Word of God, that it is divinely inspired
and inerrant throughout, infallible and God-breathed, that it is the supreme
authority in all matters of which it speaks, that it is totally sufficient and
must therefore not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition,
extra-biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom (II Timothy 3:6, 17, II Peter
1:19-21, Matthew 5:18, John 17:17).
GOD
We believe in one triune God, existing
in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit;
co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, Who
posses the same attributes and perfections yet carry out distinct roles
(Deuteronomy 6:4, II Corinthians 13:14, I Peter 1:2, Matthew 28:19).
- We believe that God the Father is the absolute omnipotent ruler of
the universe, sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption, a perfect
Spirit in Whom is perfect holiness, and infinite wisdom (Psalm 99:6; 103:19,
139:7-12, 147:5, Isaiah 44:24, Malachi 3:6, Matthew 7:7-8, John 4:24, I John
4:8, Romans 11:36).
- We believe that Jesus Christ is the divine (John
1:1, 10:30, 38, Colossians 2:9), eternal (John 1:2), Son of God (Matthew 3:17,
8:29, 11:27, 16:16, 17:5, Mark 1:1, I John 5:9-12), that He was miraculously
conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew
1:18-23, Luke 11:34-35, Galatians 4:4), that He perfectly revealed and
accomplished the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and necessities
of human nature (Philippians 2:5-8); that He identified Himself completely with
mankind (John 1:14, Romans 1:3-4) yet was and remains without sin (I Peter
2:21-23, Hebrews 4:15), that He literally and vicariously died, was buried and
raised from the dead (Romans 6:4, 9, I Corinthians 15:4, 20, I Thessalonians
1:10), and that He ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9), and is now exalted at the
right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of
Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 9:24, I John
2:1-2).
- We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine
Person, that He convicts the world of sin (John 16:8-11), helps (John 14:16-17,
26) and baptizes all believers into the body of Christ (I Corinthians
12:12-14). We believe that He is the
divine Teacher (John 14:26, I John 2:27) who guides believers into truth (John
16:13), and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled and
controlled by the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18, I John 2:20).
MANKIND
We believe in the unique creation of Adam, as one man, and Eve, as one woman (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:20-23) and that they were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27, James 3:9), innocent under the law of their Maker (Genesis 2:25), but by voluntary transgression fell from their sinless, perfect state (Genesis 3:1-7), that this fall is the basis for the necessity of redemption of mankind (I Corinthians 15:21-22) and therefore all of mankind are sinners, inherently from Adam and individually (by choice), and are therefore subject to God's wrath and condemnation (Romans 3:23, 5:17-19).
SALVATION
We
believe that salvation is wholly of God's grace and not by man's works
(Ephesians 2:8-9), and is received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
and none other (Acts 4:12), whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the
forgiveness of our sins. We believe that
man must repent of his sins (Luke 13:2-5, Acts 3:19, 20:21, 26:20) and accept
Christ as his Lord and Savior to receive eternal life (Romans 10:9-10). When he does this, he is secure in Christ
forever (John 10:28-29, Romans 8:38-39, Hebrews 7:25); he becomes a child of
God; he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit; and has power over sin. We do not believe, however, that his old
nature of sin is completely eradicated, but that he has the provisions for
victory since he has received his new nature when he accepted Christ as Savior
(I Corinthians 1:4-8) see also (John 1:12, 5:24, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 10:10,
Romans 3:24-25, 5:9, 8:1, I Peter 1:18-19).
THE CHURCH
- Invisible: We believe that the true
Church is the invisible, living, spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and
all regenerated persons are members (I Corinthians 12:4-31, Ephesians 5:21-33,
Colossians 1:18).
- Visible: We believe that the local
church is a congregation of believers, governed by the Word of God, baptized
and associated by a covenant of faith and fellowship, organized to be built up
in the faith (Ephesians 3:11-16), by instruction in the Word of God (II Timothy
2:2, 15, 3:16-17), by fellowship (Acts 2:47, I John 1:3), by keeping the ordinances
(Luke 22:19, Acts 2:38-42) and by faithful witnessing, through personal
holiness and the proclamation of Christ to all men (Matthew 28:19, I Peter
3:15, Acts 1:8, 2:42).
THE SACRAMENTS
The two sacraments of the church are those which
have been practiced by the church in every age. We regularly practice these as
a way of celebrating the transforming realities of the gospel. They are called
sacraments because they serve as visible presentations of invisible spiritual
realities.
- Baptism:
We believe that baptism is for those who have accepted Christ as Savior and who
want to give public testimony of this fact and that they also want to follow
Him. It is a symbol of Christ's death,
burial, and resurrection, and therefore of our passing from death to life. While baptism is not essential for salvation,
we believe it is the expressed will of the Lord, by example (Matthew 3:13-17)
and by command (Matthew 28:19). We
believe that baptism by immersion gives us the best picture of being buried
with Christ and risen with Him unto life (Matthew 3:13-17, Matthew 28:29, John
5:24, Acts 2:41, 8:36-39, 9:18, 18:8, Ephesians 4:5, I Peter 3:21-22).
- The Lord's Supper: We
believe that the Lord's Supper is an observance commemorating the death of our
Lord on Calvary; that it emphasizes the present relationship of the believer
with Christ; that it is a proclamation of the fact of Christ's return; that the
bread and the fruit of the vine are symbols of Christ's offered body and shed
blood for the remission of sins; that the partaking is for those who know
Christ as Savior; and that self-examination should precede its observance
(Matthew 26:21-30, I Corinthians 11:17-34).
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that God is sovereign in the
bestowment of all His gifts (I Corinthians 12:11; Hebrews 2:4). Every believer has received at least one
spiritual gift (I Peter 4:10,11).
Spiritual gifts are given to the Church, not for self-edification, but
for the building up of the body (I Corinthians 12). No one gift is to be exalted above
another. They have been graciously given
for the common good (Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:7; Ephesians 4:8-16).
ETERNAL DESTINY
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the
saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to eternal judgment and everlasting
punishment (Matthew 25:46, John 5:28, 29, John 11:25, 26, Revelation 20:5-6,
12-13).
- Heaven: We believe that the souls of
the redeemed are, at death, "absent from the body and present with the
Lord" (II Corinthians 5:8), where in conscious bliss they await the first
resurrection (Revelation 20:4-6), when the body, soul, and spirit are reunited
to be glorified and to remain forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43, Philippians
1:23, 3:21, I Thessalonians 4:16, 17).
- Hell: We believe that rejecting
Christ as Savior sentences a man to a just, eternal, conscious, literal misery
- awaiting the resurrection of his body when he will be cast into the lake of
fire, having been judged at the great white throne of judgment (Revelation
20:11-15). This final state is also one
of literal, everlasting, and conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; Matthew
25:41-46, II Thessalonians 1:7-9, Jude 6-7, Mark 9:43-48).
THE RETURN OF CHRIST
We believe that at the close of this
church age the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven to receive His own unto
Himself; that at that time, the dead in Christ shall be raised, and living
believers will be changed (I Thessalonians 4:16-17, I Corinthians 15:50-54).
