STATEMENT OF FAITH

1)The Holy Trinity: We believe in one living and true God, eternal and of infinite power, wisdom, goodness, and righteousness.  He is a faithful God who is the Creator and Preserver of all things. (Ge 1:1, 26, Dt 6:4, Isa 40:28-29, Jer 10:10, Jn 1:1-2, Ac 17:24-25, Col 1:16-17, I Ti 1:17)  In the unity of this Godhead there are three persons of one substance with identical qualities and attributes:  the Father (God), the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. (Mt 3:16-17, 28:19, Jn 4:24, Php 2:5-6)

2) The Father God: We believe the Father is the source of all that exists, whether by matter or by spirit.  He created everything by divine will, out of nothing, and without the aid of evolution, in six literal days.  With the Son and the Holy Spirit, He made mankind in His image. (Ge 1:1-31, Eph 3:9)  By intention, He relates to mankind as Father. (Ps 68:5, Isa 64:8, Ro 8:15, I Pe 1:17)  We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of mankind, that He hears and answers prayer, (Mt 7:11) and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Jn 3:17)

3) The Son of God: We believe in the divine nature of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, (Mt 11:27, Jn 1:1-3, I Jn 4:14) who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin, Mary. (Mt 1:20, 23, Lk 1:27, 31, 35) Christ was both fully man and fully God. (Jn 1:14, Php 2:5-8, Heb 2:17)  He walked the earth, suffered at the hands of men, was crucified, died and was buried as a sacrifice for the sins of men and women everywhere. (Mk 10:45, 15, Gal 2:20, Eph 5:2, Heb 7:27, I Jn 2:2)  The purpose was to restore our relationship to God, which was broken by sin (disobedience). (Jn 3:16-17, 14:6, Ac 4:12, Ro 3:24-25, 5:10, 18, II Co 5:18-19, Gal 1:4, Eph 1:7, I Ti 1:15, I Pe 2:24)  Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven in full victory over Satan and sin. (Mt 28:5-7, Mk 16:6-7, Lk 24:4-8, 23, Jn 20:26-29, Ac 1:2-3, 2:24-31, 10:40, I Co 15:3-8, Col 1:18)  He now intercedes for the body of believers to God the Father. (Ro 8:34, Heb 9:24)  He sits at the Father’s right hand until He returns to judge all humanity at the last day. (Mt 16:27, Jn 1:18, 5:22, II Co 5:10)

4) The Holy Spirit: We believe in the Holy Spirit as the person of the Holy Trinity who lives within us, giving us the power to live a holy life. (Ge 1:1-2, Mt 28:19, Jn 4:24, Ro 8:9, 27, II Co 3:17-18, Gal 4:6, Eph 5:18)  He is the Administrator of grace to all mankind, and is particularly the effective Agent in convicting the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. (Jn 16:8-11, Ac 5:3-4)  He is the Divine Counselor who guides all believers to the Truth. (Jn 14:16-17, 15:26, 16:5-7, 13-15)

5) The Sufficiency and Full Authority of Scripture: We believe that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments combined constitute the Holy Bible; no books may be added or deleted.  The Holy Bible is the inspired and inerrant (that is, without error or failure of basic contents and meaning in the original manuscripts) written Word of God. (Ps 19:7, I Th 2:13, II Pe 1:20-21)  The Holy Bible contains all the necessary truth to lead men and women into salvation. (Jn 17:17, II Ti 3:15-16, I Pe 1:23)  Ultimately, we believe whatever the Bible teaches on any subject. (Ro 15:4)  It is the final authority in all matters pertaining to conduct and doctrine. (Mt 5:18, Ac 17:2, 11, He 4:12)  Whatever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man. (II Ti 3:17)

6) Mankind: We believe that God directly and immediately created man in His image and likeness.  Mankind was created free of sin, with a rational nature, intelligence, free will, self-determination, and moral responsibility to God. (Ge 2:7, 15-25, Jas 3:9)  We teach that God’s purpose for creating mankind was that mankind should glorify God, enjoy God’s fellowship, and live his life in the will of God. (Isa 43:7, Col 1:16, Rev 4:11)  As a result of Adam’s sin of disobedience to God, mankind lost its innocence; incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death; became subject to the wrath of God; and became inherently corrupt and incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace.  Mankind has no recuperative powers to enable him to recover himself, and is hopelessly lost.  Mankind’s salvation is thereby wholly of God’s prevenient grace, available to all, through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ge 2:16-17, 3:1-19, Jn 3:36, Ro 3:23, I Co 2:14, Eph 2:1-3, I Ti 2:13-14, I Jn 1:18)

7) Salvation: We believe that Jesus Christ, Son of God, was given by God as a sacrifice, to atone for the sins of mankind.  Christ died on the cross to mend the broken relationship, which was caused by man’s sin of disobedience.  It is through the shedding of His precious blood on the cross that we find forgiveness of our sins. (Lk 5:32, 24:47, Jn 1:12-13,29, 3:16, Ac 2:38-39, 17:30, Ro 2:4, 10:8-10, I Co 5:7, Eph 2:8-10, 5:2, II Th 2:13, II Ti 2:25, Heb 9:22, I Pe 1:18-19, 2:24)  Salvation is the free gift of God, offered to all mankind by the prevenient grace of God and received by mankind through repentance, personal choice, and faith in Jesus Christ.  The ability comes from God, but the act is the individual’s.  We believe that when one repents of personal sin and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, that at the same moment that person is justified, (Ac 13:38-39, Ro 1:17, 3:28, 4:2-5, 5:1-2, Ga 3:6-14) regenerated, (Jn 3:3,5-8, II Co 5:17, Eph 2:19, Col 3:10, Tit 3:5, I Pe 1:3-4) and adopted (Ro 8:15, Ga 3:26, 4:5-7) into the family of God, and assured of personal salvation through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. (Ro 8:16-17, Ga 4:6)

8) Good Works: We believe that even though mankind cannot receive salvation by good works, their good works are still pleasing to God, and they are the fruit of faith in God, and Jesus as Lord of the believer’s life. (Mt 5:16, 7:16-20, Ro 3:20, Ga 2:16, Jas 2:18-22)

10) Sanctification: We believe that sanctification is the work of God and power of the Holy Spirit acting as a catalyst in the life of the believer in order to produce a growing commitment, dedication and purity of heart before God. (Dt 30:6, I Co 6:11, I Th 4:37)  Sanctification begins when a person is saved, continues throughout life and is the will of God for all believers. (Eph 4:13, I Pe 2:2)  We are sanctified progressively by the Word of God as the desire to live for self decreases, and the desire to live totally for the glory of God increases. (Jn 3:30, 17:17)  It is the desire and goal of every Christian to be holy as God is holy. (I Co 1:2, Eph 4:24, I Pe 1:15-16, II Pe 3:11)

11) Gifts of the Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit has given spiritual gifts to all believers for the purpose of building up the body of Christ and enabling the believer to bring glory to God.  These gifts are to be exercised in love and to emphasize the need for unity in the body.  The Holy Spirit Himself is to be desired more than any gift the Spirit might give. (I Co 12:4, 18, 21-25 specifically, and 12:1-14:40 generally, Eph 4:11-16)

12) The Second Coming of Christ: We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ to receive His believers into a literal heaven and to eternal life. (Jn 14:1-3, I Th 4:13-18, Rev 22:1-5)  The time of His return is unknown, but may be at any moment. (Jas 5:7-8, Rev 22:12, 20)  We also believe that all will be judged by God in His perfect judgment, (Ecc 12:14, Ro 2:16, 14:10-12, II Co 5:10, Rev 20:11-13) and those who have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior, and are unrepentant, will be doomed to a literal hell and to eternal punishment and separation from God. (Mt 25:31-46, Lk 16:19-31, Rev 20:10, 14-15)

13) Sacraments: We believe that God ordained two sacraments: Water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  By them, He works within us to quicken, strengthen, and confirm our faith.  These sacraments are in no way to be regarded as a means of salvation, but as a token of our profession of Christian faith, and of God’s gracious ministry toward us.

We believe that Water Baptism is a sacrament of the Church, commanded by our Lord and administered to all believers.  It signifies that the believer has repented from sin, accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and is a means of declaring one’s faith in Him as a crucified, buried, and risen Savior.  Baptism is an outward symbolic act signifying salvation and cleansing of sin. (Mt 3:13-17, Mk 16:16, Ro 6:3-5, Col 2:11-13)

We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a sacrament of the Church, received in remembrance of Christ’s death for our sins; the bread representing His body and the wine His blood.  It is a reminder of God’s love and grace toward us, of our hope in His victorious return and a sign of the love that Christians have for each other. (Mt 26:26-28, Mk 14:22-24, I Co 10:16, 11:23-30)

14) Marriage: We believe that every person is created in the image of God. (Ge 1:27-28)  That woman was created as a result of God’s desire that man should have a suitable companion. (Ge 2:18, 20, 23-24)  God’s word makes use of the marriage relationship as the supreme metaphor for His relationship with his covenant people and for revealing the truth that that relationship is of one God with one people. (Isa 62:5, Jer 3:14, Hos 2, Eph 5:23-32, Rev 19:7-8)  Therefore, God’s plan for human sexuality is that it is to be expressed only in a monogamous, lifelong relationship between one man and one woman within the framework of marriage. (Mt 19:4-6, Mk 10:7-9, Jn 2:1-2, I Co 9:5)  This is the only relationship, which is divinely designed for the birth and rearing of children, and is a covenant union made in the sight of God, taking priority over every other human relationship. (Mal 2:14, Heb 13:4)