Our Beliefs
We believe that we are to "behave [ourselves] in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." We furthermore believe that "God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (1 Timothy 3:15,16).
Our Doctrinal Statement
- The Holy Scriptures.
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed (II Tim. 3:16,17; II Peter 1:21; Matt. 5:18; John 16:12,13). - The Godhead.
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; II Cor. 13:14). - The Person and Work of Christ.
a. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1,2,14; Luke 1:35).
b. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24,25; I Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5).
c. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9,10; Heb. 9:24: Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34; I John 2:1,2). - The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.
a. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling, and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; II Cor. 3:6; I Cor. 12:12-14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13,14).
b. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth; and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (John 16:13; I John 2:20,27; Eph. 5:18). - The Total Depravity of Man.
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved, in that sin has entered into every part of his being; and that while the natural man may show limited evidence of good works, he is, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:26,27; Rom. 3:22,23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3,12). - Sexual Perversion.
We believe that the God who created male and female in the human family also established the sexual union of the man and the woman, but only in the marriage relationship. Sex outside of marriage is clearly forbidden, and all sexual relationships between man and man (homosexuality), or between woman and woman (lesbianism), or between humans and animals (bestiality) is a vile perversion of the creative order, and will result in subjection to the wrath of Almighty God (Gen. 2:21-24; 19:1-38; Ex. 20:14; 22:19; Lev. 18:22; Rom. 1:26,27). - Salvation.
We believe that salvation is the gift of God to repentant man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 2:8-10; John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; I Peter 1:18,19; II Cor. 7:10). - The Security and Assurance of Believers.
a. We believe that all of the redeemed, that is, those who are born again, are kept by God's power, and are secure in Christ for eternity (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38, 39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Peter 1:5).
b. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word; which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13, 14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15). - The Two Natures of the Believer.
We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provisions made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit; and that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural (Rom. 6:13; 8:12,13; Gal. 5:16-25; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:10; I Peter 1:14-16; I John 3:5-9). - The Relation of the Sexes.
God created man in His own image, and human beings are, by creative act, male and female. God has so ordained the family that the male is designated as the head, and the woman is in submission to her husband. Men and women are different by nature and by creative design, and their differences do not indicate superiority or inferiority of either, but rather, they are evidence of an all-wise Creator (Gen. 1:27; 2:18-22; 3:16; I Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:22-24). - Separation.
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and that separation from all religious apostasy, and all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded by God (II Tim. 3:1-5; Rom. 12:1,2; Rom. 14:13; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11; II Cor. 6:14-7:1). - Missions.
We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scriptures, and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:19-20). - The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts.
a. We believe that God is sovereign in bestowment of all His gifts; and, that the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today; and that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established (I Cor. 12:4-11; II Cor. 12:12; Eph. 4:7-12).
b. We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; I John 5:14,15; James 5:14,15). - The Church.
a. We believe that the Church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age (Eph. 1:22,23; 5:25-27; I Cor. 12:12,14; II Cor. 11:2).
b. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17; I Tim. 3:1,13; Titus 1:5-11).
c. We believe that water baptism of believers and the Lord's Supper are the ordinances to be observed by the Church, but that neither of these is essential to salvation (Acts 16:31; Matt. 28:19; I Cor. 11:23-26). - Dispensationalism.
We believe in the dispensational view of Bible interpretation, but reject the extreme teachings known as "Hyper-Dispensationalism" such as that teaching which opposes both the Lord's table and water baptism as Scriptural means of testimony for the Church in this age (Matt. 28:19,20; Acts 2:41,42; 18:8; I Cor. 11:23-26). - The Personality of Satan.
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin, and the cause of the fall; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man, and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6,7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10). - The Second Advent of Christ.
We believe in the "Blessed Hope," the personal, imminent, and premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to earth, with His saints, to establish His Millennial Kingdom (I Thess. 4:13-18; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1- 6; I Thess. 1:10; 5:9; Rev. 3:10). - The Eternal State.
a. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28,29; John 11:25,26; Rev. 20:5,6,12,13).
b. We believe that, at death, the souls of the redeemed are absent from the body and present with the Lord, where, in conscious bliss, they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Rev. 20:4-6; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I Thess. 4:16,17).
c. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the Second Resurrection. - Fellowship Covenant.
In subscribing to these articles of faith, we by no means set aside or undervalue any of the scriptures, the Old and New Testaments; but we deem the knowledge, belief, and acceptance of the Truth as set forth in our Doctrinal Statement to be essential to sound faith and faithful practice.