We believe that the Bible, the 66 books of the Old Testament and New Testament, is the Word of God – fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts. It is our supreme authority and trustworthy guide for life and faith.

II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20,21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31,32; John 20:31; Isaiah 40:8; Luke 1:1-4; Luke 24:27; John 5:39-40; Matthew 4:4; Psalm 1; Psalm 19

We believe that there is one true, good, and living God who is of one substance, power, and eternal purpose yet eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is without division of nature, essence, or being. God the Trinity possesses all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness in and of Himself.

Genesis 1:1,26; 3:22; John 1:1,3; 5:26; Matthew 28:19; Romans 9:5; Ephesians 4:5-6; Colossians 2:9; John 8:57-58; Deuteronomy 6:4; Revelation 1:4-6

We believe in God the Father, an everlasting, infinite, perfect personal being who is the sovereign and rightful ruler of all that exists – perfect in all of his attributes. He created and upholds, directs, disposes, and governs all creatures, actions, and things by His wise and holy providence. He is sufficient in Himself, not standing in need of any creature that He has made, and He does all things to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and grace. The Father draws men to Himself through His Son, forgiving their sin and delivering from death those who come to Him through faith in Christ for salvation. The Father hears and answers prayer according to His wisdom, love, and providence. He will carry out all things in their proper time and order, consummating in His glory in all the earth.

Job 34:10; Psalm 139; Isaiah 55:10-11; Luke 10:21-22; Matthew 4:4; 7:11; 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Acts 17:24-28, 31; Revelation 1:4-6; Romans 1:7; 4:19-21; I Timothy 1:1,2; 2:5,6; I Peter 1:3; Deuteronomy 32:39; Genesis 50:20; Psalm 115:3; Proverbs 16; 21:1; Ecclesiastes 3; 7:13; Acts 5:39

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who is the image of the invisible God. While fully God, He became fully man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. (John 1:1–2, 14; Luke 1:35). He offered Himself as a substitutionary atoning sacrifice for sinners, becoming our Redeemer (Gal 3:13) through His physical death on the cross. Salvation is found in and through the shed blood of Christ alone. (2 Cor. 5:18-19; Heb 9:12)

He was raised from the dead on the third day (1 Cor. 15:5-6), ascended into heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He serves as our Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate to the Father (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:24; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1–2). He is coming again to judge the living and the dead (1 Peter 4:5; Romans 14:9; 2 Timothy 4:1). At His appearing, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. (Phil. 2:5-11)

Acts 1:11; I Corinthians 15:1-28; Hebrews 7:25; 9:28; I Peter 2:21-24; 3:18; Matthew 20:28; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9-10; I Timothy 3:16; Revelation 5:12-14; Colossians 1:13-20, 2:9-15; Titus 2:14; Psalm 110:1

We believe in the Holy Spirit, eternally one with the Father and Son, who convicts and convinces the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8-11). He is our abiding helper who effectually calls, sanctifies, empowers, baptizes, indwells, guides, teaches, seals, and equips all believers for service and witness. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit guides, governs, and protects the child of God from spiritual defeat and oppression (Ephesians 6:11-18).

John 14:16,17,26; 15:26-27; I Corinthians 12:13; I Corinthians 2:10-11; 3:16; 6:19; II Corinthians 3:6; Galatians 5:22-26; Titus 3:5; Romans 8:9,12-13; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Cor. 3:17-18; Heb 1:8

We believe the Holy Spirit empowers spiritual gifts as God wills to His children. These gifts are designed and distributed to equip the saints for worship and ministry to build up the body of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:8-11). The miracles and revelatory gifts dispensed to the apostles and prophets of the early church are still at God’s disposal today (Psalm 115:3). However, all practice must be governed by the guidelines of scripture, and in an orderly manner. (1 Cor. 14:39-40). In all things, we believe that God uses these spiritual gifts to display His glory.

1 Corinthians 12-14; Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Col. 3:15-17

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God. After being deceived by Satan, Adam and Eve sinned against God and ate of the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. After their Sin (known as The Fall), God pronounced a judgment on them of both a physical and spiritual death. As the root and representative of all mankind, this sin was imputed and conveyed to all generations. Since then, all humans from birth are totally sinful, rebellious against God’s commands, and utterly incapable of pleasing Him. Because of this spiritual death, apart from Christ, man is unable to remedy his relationship with God.

Genesis 1:26, 27; 3:1-24; Job 14:4; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19; Romans 3:10-18,23; 5: 6,12, 15-19; 7:14-20; 8:1-39; 11:32; I Corinthians 15:21-22; Ephesians 2:1–3,12; Colossians 1:21; Titus 1:15; James 1:14-15; 1 John 1:8,10

God Initiates

Salvation is the gracious purpose of God according to which He lovingly initiates justification, sanctification, and glorification of sinners. It is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness and grace. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son."

 1 John 4:10,19; Acts 13:48; Ephesians 1:2-4; 2:4-5, 8-9; II Thessalonians 2:13

Through Christ Alone

Justification occurs by and through Christ and because of His work on the cross and is apprehended through faith. No man is justified in the sight of God partly by Christ and partly by works. There is no other name or means by which we may be saved. Salvation comes through Christ alone.

Romans 3:20,28,30; 8:33; Galatians 5:4

No Boasting

Therefore, God’s saving grace precludes boasting and calls for humility. It rules out any attempt to earn acceptance with God. This saving grace of God comes by and through Christ alone, for the pleasure and glory of the Father, and not with regard to, or in cooperation with, any unforeseen works of faith or effort of man.

Matthew 22:14; John 6:44; 14:6; Romans 8:30; 9:11; Ephesians 1:4-12, 17-19; 2:1-5; 8-9; II Thessalonians 2:13-14; II Timothy 1:9-10; Titus 3:4-5; Acts 26:18; Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26

The Work of Christ

Through living a perfect life and dying in our place, the just for the unjust, Christ absorbed and became sin on our behalf, receiving our due punishment of death, and thereby satisfying the wrath of God against us. It is by this atoning death that all who trust in Him are forgiven of sin and declared righteous, justified, before God.

We further believe that the work of Christ on the cross for sin impels a universal offering of the gospel to all persons, so that to every person it may be truly said, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him might not perish, but have eternal life.”

1 Peter 2:24; 3:18; Romans 3:23-26; 5:6, 9, 18-19; 8:1,34; 14:9; I Corinthians 15:3; II Corinthians 5:14 21; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:7; 2:3-6; Philippians 3:9; Colossians 1:14; I Thessalonians 1:10; Matthew 28:19; John 3:16; 4:14; 6:37; 10:27; Revelation 22:17

Human Responsibility

Human beings are accountable for their response to the gospel – the forgiveness, pardon, and reconciliation offered to them in the Lord Jesus Christ. When an individual places their faith in Christ, the person is justified by God and adopted into His family (Philippians 2:13).

Eternal Security

We believe that those who are redeemed and come to saving faith will remain in Him. Believers may fall into sin through neglect, spiritual weakness, and temptation, whereby they grieve the Holy Spirit and bring reproach on the cause of Christ. Even so, they will be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, sanctified by His spirit, and will never fall away. They did not earn their salvation by their efforts and they cannot lose it for the same reason.

Philippians 1:6; John 10: 28-29; 17:11, 24; Psalms 32:3-5; 89:31-33; Jeremiah 31:3; 1 John 3:9; Matthew 7:22-23; II Timothy 2: 19; Hebrews 10:10, 14; Hebrews 13:20-21; Hebrews 6:17-18; 7:25; 9:12-15; Romans 5:2,5; 8:33-39; II Thessalonians 3:3; I John 3:18-19

The Church Universal

The Church consists of all who have been saved by God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This includes all the redeemed of the ages, and in eternity will consist of believers from among every tribe, tongue, and nation. The primary purpose of the Church is to worship God and glorify Him by building up believers and effectively declaring the gospel to the world. Christ is the King, High Priest, and Holy Prophet of the church.

 Acts 3:22-23; Hebrews 4:14; 8:1

The Local Church

The local church congregation is a gathering of believers who are associated by the New Covenant of Jesus Christ in the faith and fellowship of the Spirit; observe the ordinances / sacraments of Christ; are governed by His Word; practice the preaching and teaching of Scripture; exercise spiritual discipline for the purpose of restoration; are led by proper scriptural leadership (see below); and exercise the spiritual gifts given among them by the Holy Spirit.

Church Leadership

God has granted the church proper leaders who are to be submitted to the authority of Christ and His headship over the church. These leaders / officers of the church are Elders and Deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and responsibilities are laid forth in the apostle Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus. Likewise, as leaders are submitted to Christ, God has granted that men and women of the church would submit themselves to these God-ordained leaders. We believe in the autonomy of the local church, submitted both to Christ and Godly outside counsel, but free of any external authority and control.

Matthew 28:19-20; Matthew 16:15-19; Acts 2:41-42, 47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:17-32; I Corinthians 3:16; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12:1-31; Colossians 1:18; I Timothy 3:1-15; 4:14; Titus 1:5-9; I Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3; Acts 1:8; Hebrews 13:17

Baptism

Christian baptism is the immersion into water of someone who has placed faith in Christ. Although important, it is merely a symbol; an act of outward obedience to Christ symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior; death to sin; burial of the old life; and resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to a believer’s faith in an ultimate bodily resurrection to eternal life with Christ in His Kingdom, and signifies public entrance into the covenant community of believers.

Communion

The Lord's Supper is an act of worship and obedience whereby believers, through partaking of the bread which symbolizes His body, and the fruit of the vine which symbolizes His shed blood, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are significant expressions of salvation, worship, and submission to God for the believer and for the church community.

Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12

Heaven and Hell

We believe that Heaven is a real place of eternal blessedness prepared by God for those who have been saved by grace through the shed blood of Christ. We also believe that Hell is a real place of eternal suffering where God’s wrath will be dispensed for eternity on those who do not place faith in Christ.

John 14:1-6; Revelation 7:13-17; 20:11-15; 21:22-27; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Luke 16:19-31

The Return of the King

We believe in the future personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal punishment of the unbeliever, and the eternal gladness of the redeemed.

Matthew 16:26-27; Mark 14:61-62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; I Cor. 15; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6,11-15

The Bible teaches that marriage is a covenant between one man and one woman, in a single exclusive union, by which their status changes from two individuals to one flesh as God joins them together. This covenant creates a new family such that their lifelong primary human loyalty is now to one another before anyone else. It is an earthly covenant between one man and one woman that God created and sanctioned to image the unbreakable heavenly covenant between Christ and His Church, therefore intended not to be broken by anything but death. From Genesis to Revelation, the authority of Scripture witnesses to the nature of biblical marriage as uniquely bound to the complementarity of man and woman.

Regarding gender, God fearfully and wonderfully created each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Regarding sex, God created sex as a gift to be enjoyed within the covenant of marriage. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of this marriage covenant. We believe that the exercise of sexual expression outside the biblical definition of marriage in any manner is contradictory to God’s design for sexuality and marriage.

Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:15-25; Psalm 139; Matthew 5:27-32; Matthew 19:3- 12; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Ephesians 5:21-33; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Timothy 1:10