What We Believe

We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction; that it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error in the original manuscripts, of which we have trustworthy translations. The Scriptures reveal the principles by which God will judge us; and therefore the Bible is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried.

Deuteronomy 29:29; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 19:7, 119:1-172; Proverbs 30:5-6; Matthew 4:4, 5:18; John 10:35b, 14:26, 15:26-27, 16:13-14, 17:17; Romans 3:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:21

We believe God the Father is a personal spirit whom for His glory and by His word created the world out of nothing. He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, including the future free choices of all humans and other moral beings; concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of humanity; hears and answers prayer; and, by His unfathomable grace, gave His Son, Jesus Christ, for mankind’s redemption.

Matthew 23:9; Luke 10:21-22; John 3:16, 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:1-2, 2:5-6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:5-6

We believe Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is the eternal Word made flesh. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary. We believe in His sinless life, miracles, and teachings. He is fully God and fully man. He is the only Savior for the sins of the world, having shed His blood and suffered God’s wrath upon Calvary’s cross. By His death in our place, He revealed divine love and upheld divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God. Having redeemed us from sin, on the third day He rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death. Forty days later, after appearing alive to more than 500 people, He ascended into heaven where, at God’s right hand, He intercedes for His people. He will visibly return to earth. He is the Head of the church.

Isaiah 53:10-12; Matthew 1:18-25, 20:28; Luke 1:26-38, 10.16; John 1:1,14, 3:18, 10:30, 14:6, 20:30-31; Acts 1:1-11, 4:12; Romans 5:6-8, 6:9-10, 8:34, 9:5; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Timothy 2:5, 3:16; Hebrews 1:1-3, 4:15, 7:25, 9:28; 1 Peter 2:21-23; 1 John 2:23, 5:12

We believe the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He breathed out the Scriptures by inspiring the prophets and apostles. The Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in Mary’s womb, empowered Him throughout His earthly ministry, and raised Him from the dead. The Holy Spirit brings about the new birth and unites believers to Jesus Christ through proclamation of the gospel, compelling them to repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord. The Holy Spirit then dwells within them, cultivates godly character, bestows gifts by which they are to serve God and one another, seals them unto the day of redemption, comforts them in this present age, and leads them into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s word.

Ezekiel 36:26-27; Matthew 1:20, 12:28; Mark 1:10-12; Luke 1:35, 4:1,14,18, 5:17; John 14:16-17,26, 15:26-27, 16:9-14; Acts 1:8, 2:4,22, 5:12; Romans 8:9,11,14-17,26; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, 3:16, 6:19, 12:1-11; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Timothy 3:16; Titus 3:5-6; 2 Peter 1:21

We believe God created man and woman in His own image, as the crown of creation, that they might have fellowship with Him. We believe that all human life is sacred and of inestimable worth in all its instances, 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.

Christ having ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, all of whom will one day be gathered around His throne praising Him forever, we believe prejudice based on ethnicity or any other intrinsic human characteristic is opposed to the gospel. We believe in celebrating the diversity of the people of God.

God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female, two distinct, complementary sexes, and has commanded that sexual intimacy shall occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. As revealed in Scripture, marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, uniquely reflecting Christ’s relationship with His church.

We believe the Bible reveals a high calling for those who are Christians and yet remain unmarried. Spiritual maturity, usefulness, and giftedness are in no way dependent upon marriage, and those who remain celibate, in wholehearted dependence on Him, are an invaluable resource for the advancement of God’s kingdom.

Genesis 1:26-27, 2:18-25, 9:6; Job 10:8-11; Psalm 51:5, 139:13-16; Isaiah 46:4; Mark 7:20-23; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11,18,
7:1-2,8-9; Ephesians 2:11-22, 5:22-33; Hebrews 13:4; Revelation 5:9-10, 7:9-10

We believe God created the first man and woman free from sin, but, through the temptation of Satan, they willfully transgressed the command of God and so fell from their original state of holiness and righteousness, thereby earning God’s wrath, dying spiritually and eventually physically, and coming under the dominion of sin and Satan. As a result, their posterity – all human beings – have inherited a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and His law, are sinners by choice, and are justly under condemnation to eternal damnation without defense or excuse.

Genesis 1:26-31, 2:16-17, 3:1-24, 6:5,12, 8:21; Psalm 51:5; Proverbs 14:12; Isaiah 53:6; Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:20-23; John 5:24-29; Romans 1:18-32, 3:9-20, 5:12-19, 6:20-23, 7:13, 8:6-8; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,18, 7:1-5; Ephesians 2:1-3; James 1:14-15; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8

We believe the salvation of sinners is wholly by grace, through faith in the one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who by appointment of the Father, freely took on our nature, yet was without sin, having personally and perfectly obeyed all of God’s commands. By His voluntary, substitutionary, and sacrificial death on the cross, He made a full atonement for the sins of all who submit to Him as Lord. Having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in heaven. Uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate, and all-sufficient Savior.

Isaiah 53:3-11; Matthew 20:28; John 1:1-14, 3:16-17,36; Acts 2:22-39, 15:11; Romans 3:21-26, 4:23-25; 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:4-7, 4:4-5; Ephesians 2:4-5; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9, 3:1-4; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 1:8, 2:9,18, 4:14-15, 7:25-26, 9:13-15; 1 John 4:10

We believe that to be saved, sinners must be regenerated – born again. Regeneration is a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit whereby a change of heart occurs in a person bringing about spiritual life in the place of spiritual death. The result of regeneration is a new life marked by repentance and faith.

Jeremiah 24:7; Ezekiel 11:19-20, 36:26-27; John 1:12-13, 3:3-8; 6:63-65; Acts 16:14; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1-10; Colossians 2:13; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 5:1

We believe salvation requires genuine repentance and faith, which follow upon God’s drawing of sinners through the gospel. Repentance occurs when, by the Holy Spirit, a person is made sensible of the manifold evil of his sin, detests and forsakes it, humbles himself with godly sorrow and self-abhorrence, and endeavors to walk before God so as to please Him in all things. Saving faith is the belief, on God’s authority, of whatever is revealed in His word concerning Christ and accepting and resting upon Him alone for justification and eternal life. It is accompanied by all other saving graces and leads to a life of holiness.

Proverbs 28:13; Matthew 3:8-10; Mark 1:15; John 3:16,36, 5:24, 6:40; Acts 2:37-38, 3:19-20, 11:18, 13:38-39, 17:30, 20:21; Romans 2:4-5, 3:21-28, 4:1-5,17-25, 8:1, 10:3-4,14,17; 2 Corinthians 5:21, 7:10-11; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 1:29, 3:9; Hebrews 11:6; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 2:24

We believe that sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of His holiness; that it is a progressive work; that it is begun in regeneration; and that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual use of the appointed means, – especially, the word of God, self-examination, confession, self-control, watchfulness, worship, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines.

Leviticus 11:44a; Proverbs 4:18; Matthew 26:41; Luke 11:35; John 17:17-19; Romans 8:5, 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 1:30, 6:11; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 7:1, 13:5; Ephesians 1:4, 4:11-16,30, 6:10-18; Philippians 1:9-11. 2:12-13, 3:12-16; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, 5:23; 2 Timothy 2:19-21; Hebrews 2:11, 6:1, 7:1, 10:10, 12:1-14; 1 Peter 1:15-16, 2:11-12; 2 Peter 1:5-8; 1 John 2:29

We believe those whom God has accepted in Christ and sanctified by His Spirit will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace but shall certainly persevere to the end. They may fall, through neglect and temptation, into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the church and temporal judgments on themselves. Yet they will be renewed again to repentance and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

Jeremiah 32:40; John 5:24, 6:37, 10:27-29; Romans 8:28-39; Ephesians 1:3-14, 4:30; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12, 4:18; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 John 2:19 3:9, 5:18

We believe in the universal, invisible church, a living spiritual body of which the Lord Jesus Christ is the head and all regenerated persons, past, present, and future, are members. We believe that a local, visible church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His word; its scriptural officers being elders (pastors, overseers) and deacons.

Matthew 18:15-20, 28:18-20; John 10:16; Acts 2:41-47, 5:11, 8:1, 11:21-23, 14:23, 15:22, 20:17,28; Romans 16:17-20; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3, 4:17, 5:1-13, 11:17-29, 14:12,40; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5; Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22, 4:11-16, 5:19-21,23; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18, 3:16; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 3:13, 10:24-25, 13:17; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1-5

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is obligatory upon every believer, wherein a person is immersed in water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of their fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ and of remission of sins.

The Lord’s Supper is in no sense a sacrifice, but was instituted by Christ to commemorate His death, to confirm the faith and other graces of Christians, and to be a pledge and renewal of their communion with Him and with each other. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 26:26-29, 28:18-20; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:23-30, 12:13

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to hell, the place of everlasting conscious punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and dwell forever in heaven with the Lord.

Psalm 1:5-6, 23.6; Isaiah 2:4; Matthew 16:27, 18:8-9, 19:28, 24:37-51, 25:31-46; Mark 8:38, 9:43-48; Luke 12:40, 16:19-26, 17:22-37, 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11, 17:31; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 4:5, 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 1:5, 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, 5:1-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, 2.1-14; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7-13.; 1 John 2:28, 3:2; Jude 14-15; Revelation 1:17-18, 3:11, 14:9-11, 19:1-22:13