Statement of Faith

1.Scriptures – We believe that the very words of the Holy Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, are the complete and inspired Word of God. They are without error in their original writings and they are the absolute truth and final authority in all matters of faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Revelation 22:18-19; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
 
2.God – We believe that there is only one living and true God; an infinite, eternal, intelligent spirit who is perfect and holy, all-powerful, all-present, and all-knowing. He is to be given all honor, trust, and love. We believe in the unity of the God-head and that He eternally exists in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19; Exodus 3:14; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
 
3.Christ – We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, that He is both completely God and fully man; that He existed before time with the Father; that in His human form, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless and perfect life and died in our place on the cross for our sins. He rose physically from the grave, and He ascended to the Father's right hand where He intervenes on the behalf of all believers as their High Priest and advocate. His return is could happen any moment, and will be before the tribulation. His second coming will follow the tribulation and He will reign for literally, 1,000 years in His coming earthly kingdom. (John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3; John 1:14, Matthew 1:23; 1 Peter 1:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Ephesians 1:20; 1 John 2:2; Philippians 3:20)
 
4.Humanity – We believe that humanity was directly created by God, both male and female, in the image of God, apart from any process of evolution. The first man, Adam, disobeyed God and since then all of humanity has been born in sin; and deserve physical and spiritual death, in separation from God, in a real place called hell. All human beings are born with a totally depraved, sinful nature and are by that nature and choice the children of wrath under God's just condemnation without excuse until they individually turn from their sin and receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:22 Romans 3:10-11; Ephesians 2:2-3; John 3:18)
 
5.Salvation and Redemption – We believe salvation is a gracious, free gift of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; who died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again physically from the dead. We believe that all who believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ are freely declared righteous by God; not by any means at all by a righteous, moral goodness or work on their part for salvation, but only upon the grounds of His shed blood. We believe in the eternal security of salvation for all believers, who were sovereignly chosen by God before the foundation of the world, apart from any foreseen goodness on their part, for salvation through faith in Christ. Those who are truly saved display their salvation by a changed and committed life in obedience to Christ.
(Ephesians 2:8-10, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 1:16; 3:24; Titus 3.5, Revelation 1:5: John 6.37, Ephesians 1:4-5; 1 Peter 1:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 John 3:9-10: 2 Timothy 1:9)
 
6.New Life – We believe that the scriptures teach that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus. It is instant and not a process. In the new birth the one who is dead in sin, is given spiritual life and receives eternal life as the free gift of God. The new birth is brought about in a method beyond our comprehension, not by culture, not by character, not by the power of man, but completely and exclusively by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with the Word of God. The evidence of this new life is seen by a demonstration of faith and repentance, a changed life, and voluntary obedience to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (John 3:5-6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 3:7-9)
 
7.Justification – We believe that justification is the judicial act of God whereby those who put their faith in Christ as their personal Savior are declared to be righteous. It consists of all our sins being credited to and paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary and His righteousness being freely credited to us. It brings us into a state of reconciliation with God, and secures us with every joy from God both here and in eternity. (Romans 5:1; 3:23-25; 4:24-25, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:3-13)
 
8.Spiritual Growth – We believe that sanctification is a three part work of God whereby the sinner is being set apart to God, from sin. First in the new birth, the sinner is set apart once for all to God, and is declared to be holy and righteous by God, through Jesus Christ. Secondly, the believer is progressively set apart from sin and made more like Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit and the believer together applying the Word of God in his life. Finally, at the coming of Christ the believer will be made perfectly conformed to the image of Christ, set free from all sin, and given a resurrected body like Christ’s glorified body. (1 Corinthians 1:2; 12:13; 1 John 3:1-3; Romans 6:13; 8:28-30; Philippians 3:21; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1Thessalonians 5:23; 1 Peter 1:16)
 
9.Evangelism and Discipleship – We believe that it is the responsibility of every believer to give the gospel to the whole world. The gospel message of salvation is to be genuinely offered to each person, and that on the condition of his repentance to God and faith in Jesus Christ, he will be saved. Methods of witnessing and/or invitations to the lost are appropriate as long as they do not violate the principles of the Word of God and give honor to God. Methods of evangelism which violate principles of Scripture are false and are to be avoided. Evangelism is to include the discipleship of those who profess to be saved. (Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:47-48; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:13-15; Acts 17:30; Acts 20:21; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 6:1-11; Colossians 3:17)
 
10.Priesthood of Every Believer – We believe that every believer is a minster for God and can pray directly to God through the Lord Jesus Christ, and that every believer has the right and responsibility to read and understand the Scriptures for himself before God. (Revelation 1:6; Hebrews 4:16; 1 John 2.27; 5:14-15)
 
11.The Holy Spirit – We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity; that He restrains Satan in the world. He convicts sinners of sin, immorality, and coming judgment. He draws people to Christ, gives new life, lives within, secures salvation, guides, empowers, teaches, sets apart, and helps every believer. His purpose is to draw attention to and exalt Jesus Christ. We believe that He baptizes or places every believer into the universal church, the body of Christ, when they are born again; and that He gives every believer spiritual gifts to equip him for service in the local church. We believe that the sign gifts such as prophecy, healing, and speaking in tongues ceased with the completion of the Scriptures and with the end of the apostles. (Acts 1:8; 4:4,9; 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7; John 15:26; 16:7-11; John 3:5-6; 1 Corinthians 6: 19; 12: 7, 13; 13: 8-10; 2 Corinthians 12: 12; Ephesians 1:13; Romans 8:4; 1 John 2:27; 1 Peter 1:2)
 
12.The Local Church and the Ordinances – We believe in the local church as a group of baptized believers, which is self-governing, and fellowships with other churches of like faith. It is the responsibility of the local church to observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper, to spread the gospel throughout its community and the world, to strengthen itself, and to discipline its members. It’s leaders are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications, authority, and responsibilities are clearly defined in the Scriptures. We believe that the method of believer's baptism is single immersion; that it is a picture by the believer of his union with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection; and that it is a public testimony of his salvation and desire to walk in newness of life. We believe that the ordinance of the Lord's Supper is a memorial service of Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary, until He comes again; that it should be preceded by genuine self-examination. (1 Timothy 3:1,8,15; 1 Corinthians 1:2,13; 4:17;11:2; Romans 6:4; Romans 16:1,5,23; Acts 2:41-42; Philippians 1:1; Matthew 18:15-18; 28:18-20; Titus 1:5-7)
 
13.Angels and Satan – We believe that angels are personal, spirit beings created by God. In their original state they were created perfect and holy. Satan was, “the anointed cherub who covers,” who through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a multitude of angels. We believe that he is now the evil prince of the power of the air, and the unholy god of this world. He is man's great tempter, the enemy of God and Christ, the accuser of the brethren, and the author of all false religion, and the leader of all the powers of darkness. He is limited in his activity by the wisdom and power of God and he is destined to final defeat and eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire; a place prepared for him and his angels. (Hebrews 1:14; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:14; Revelation 12:4,9-10; 20:3; Ephesians 2:2; John 8:44; Job 1:10; Matthew 25:41)
 
14.Israel and the Church – We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God's covenant people, now dispersed because of her rejection of Christ, later to be re-gathered in the holy land, and saved as a nation at the second coming of Christ. We believe in a distinction between the nation of Israel as God's earthly covenant people and the Church as the body of Christ. We believe that God is now dealing with the world in the church age, which began on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 and will end with the imminent return of Christ at the rapture when all church age believers will be gathered together with Christ in the air. Following this God will again deal directly with the nation of Israel in the 70th week of Daniel, a seven-year period called “The Great Tribulation” and will be followed by the second coming of Christ and a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth as the king of Israel. God will then create a new heaven and a new earth free from all sin where the saved of all ages will live forever with God. (Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-17; Romans 11; Ezekiel 37; Ephesians 3:3-10; 1 Corinthians 10:32; Ephesians 1:22-23; Acts 2:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1-9; Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 24:21; Revelation 1:19; 3:10; 4:1; 19:11-16; 20:1-4; 21:1-5)
 
15.Judgment and Resurrection – We believe in the physical resurrection of those saved to eternal life with Jesus Christ, and the judgment of believer's works at the Judgment Seat of Christ to determine their rewards for faithful service. We believe in the physical resurrection of the lost following the 1,000 year reign of Christ. They will then be judged at the Great White Throne judgment for their evil works before they are cast into Hell, which is called the Lake of Fire. We believe in the everlasting conscious joy of the saved, and their eternal presence with God, and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost, and their eternal separation from God. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; John 5:25-29; 17:3; Revelation 14:11; 20:6,11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 8:38-39; 14:10; Luke 16:22-26; Matthew 25:46; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)
16.Separation – We believe in obedience to the biblical commands to separate entirely from worldliness (secular values), and ecclesiastical apostasy. We believe in using the Bible as the only source of faith and practice (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; Ephesians 5:14; Revelation 18:4; Romans 16:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 1 Peter 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 John 9-11)
 
17.Civil Government – We believe that God appoints civil government for the interest and good order of human society. Those in authority are to be prayed for, honored, and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming King of Kings. (Romans 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; Matthew 22:21: Acts 4:19; 5:29; Genesis 9:5,6)
 
18.Marriage and the Family – We believe in the sacredness and once for a lifetime nature of marriage; that marriage is between a natural born man and woman. We believe in building strong marriages and families. As Christians we marry and live without any idea of divorce affecting the marriage; that counsel given to those affected by divorce will point them to seek reconciliation with their spouse, and if they cannot be reconciled they will be encouraged to honor and serve the Lord in an unmarried state. We recognize that scripture does allow for very rare cases of divorce: unrepentant and rebellious immorality of a spouse, and desertion by an unbelieving spouse; and the one clear allowance for remarriage, the death of a spouse.
Divorce and remarriage will not be considered a hindrance to membership in this church, as long as they meet the membership qualifications. Nor will it keep people from serving in any area of the church (with the exception of pastor or deacon) as long as the leadership considers those spiritually mature and in agreement with this position. All proposed remarriages to be conducted on the church property will be voted on, by its members, on a case-by-case basis of a two-thirds majority vote. Individuals being considered will need to defer to the decision of the church. Any pastoral or deacon candidate must be in agreement with this position on marriage and the family. (Genesis 2:21-25; Deuteronomy 24:1-4; Joshua 24:15b; Malachi 2:16; Matthew 5:31-32; 19:3-10; 1 Corinthians 7:8-16; 27; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:1-7; Hebrews 13:4)
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