We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired of God and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life.
1 Corinthians 2:13, 2 Peter 3:15-16, 2 Timothy 3:14-17, 2 Samuel 23:2, 2 Peter 1:20-21 and Matthew 5:18; 24:35
We believe there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, perfect in all His attributes, one in essence but eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Exodus 20:2-3, Deuteronomy 6:4, Psalm 89:6, Genesis 1:26, Psalm 2:6-9, Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19,
2 Corinthians 13:14, Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1
A. The Father:
As Creator, God is the Father of all things. He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and he is the Father of those who have become His children through faith in Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 64:8, Matthew 6:9, Romans 8:15, John 1:12; 8:38-44
B. The Son:
Jesus Christ is the express image of the invisible God, which is to say, He is God. He became man, yet was sinless, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary; He died on the cross as a substitution sacrifice for the sin of the world; He arose from the dead in the body in which He was crucified; He ascended into heaven in that body glorified; where He is now, our interceding High Priest; He will come again personally, premillennial, to establish His kingdom on this earth.
Colossians 1:15-20, Philippians 2:5-8, Matthew 1:18-25, 1 Peter 2:24-25, Luke 24, Hebrews 4:14-16, Acts 1:9-11, Matthew 25:31-46, I Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 and Revelation 3:10; 11:15-17; 20:4-6
C. The Holy Spirit:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, co-equal with God the Father and God the Son, and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until god’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; the He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that he is the agent in the New Birth; that He indwells, seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, comforts and helps the believer.
Genesis 1:1-3, Mark 1:8, Acts 1:8, John 14:16, 17, 26, Luke 24:49 and John 3:5-6
We accept the Genesis account of the creation and believe that man came by the direct creation of God.
Genesis 1-2, Colossians 1:16-17 and John 1:3
In the beginning God created out of nothing the world and all the things therein, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom and goodness. By His sovereign power, He continues to sustain His creation. By His providence, He is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes.
We believe that man was originally created in the image and after the likeness of God, and that he fell through sin, and, as a consequence of his sin, lost his spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses and sins, and that he became subject to the power of the devil. We also believe that this spiritual death, or total depravity of human nature, has been transmitted to the entire human race, the Man Christ Jesus alone the exception; and hence that every child of Adam is born into the world with a nature which not only possesses no spark of divine life, but is essentially and unchangeably bad apart from divine grace. We also believe that the consequence of sin, without the divine intervention of Jesus Christ, is a post earth eternity in Hell. We accept the Bible’s verdict of sin; hopeless separation from God without the intervention of the Savior.
Psalm 14:2-3, Jeremiah 17:9, John 3:6, John 5:40, Romans 3:10-19, Psalm 51:5, Romans 8:6-8, Ephesians 2:1-3,
1John 3:8, Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2:16-17, Genesis 3:1-7, Genesis 6:5, Luke 16:22-28, Matthew 10:28, 2 Peter 2:4-12, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12 and Jude 7
We believe that salvation is God’s solution to sin and its eternal consequences. It is totally of God, by grace, through the blood of Christ, and not the basis of human merit and works. We believe that salvation’s various aspects and elements are comprehended under the following doctrines.
Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 1:2; 3:5-6
A. Regeneration:
We believe that regeneration is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit resulting in the new birth. This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit by which the divine nature and divine life are communicated. It is instantaneous and is accomplished solely by the power of the Holy Spirit through the instrument of the Word of God, so as to secure voluntary obedience to the gospel. Regeneration will be manifested by repentance, faith and newness of life, including submission and obedience to Christ.
John 3:3-6, 16, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Peter 1:23, 2 Peter 1:4, 1 Corinthians 12:13 and 1 John 5:1
B. Election:
We believe that election is the act of God by which before the foundation of the world He chose in Christ those whom He graciously regenerates, saves, and sanctifies. It is perfectly consistent with the responsibility of man, because it comprehends all the means in connection with the end. Election should not be looked upon as based merely on abstract sovereignty: God is truly sovereign, but He exercises this sovereignty in harmony with His other attributes, especially His justice, holiness, and wisdom. In our efforts to define His sovereignty, we must never exalt the will of God apart from His character as revealed in Christ.
Mark 13:27, John 1:13, 6:44, Acts 13:48, Romans 9:11-16, Ephesians 1:1-14, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Timothy 1:9,
1 Peter 1:1-2 and Matthew 24:22, 31
C. Justification (Pardoned and Restored to Favor):
We believe that justification includes the pardon of sin and the gift of eternal life to all who trust in and submit to (believe) Christ; that it is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done; but solely through faith the Redeemer’s blood was shed for us on the cross; that it involves the imputation of God’s righteousness to us.
Romans 4:1-8, Titus 3:5-7 and Romans 4:25- 5:2
D. Sanctification (Set Apart):
We believe that sanctification has a two-fold meaning: that of setting apart persons specifically for God, and that the believer at the time of his regeneration is so set apart by God the Father; that of the progressive work of the Holy Spirit whereby the believer, obedient to the Word of God, experiences the power of the indwelling Christ for holiness of life and victory.
1 Corinthians 1:30, Hebrews 10:10, 14, John 17:16-19, Colossians 1:26-28, 2 Corinthians 3:18 and
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Our position rests on the following declarations:
Separated unto our Lord Jesus Christ:
Leviticus 19:2, John 15:1-8, Hebrews 12:2 and I Thessalonians 1:9
Separated from sins and worldliness:
Ephesians 4:22-32; 5:11, John 17:14 and James 4:1-4
E. Security:
We believe that all who are truly born again will be eternally kept and fully saved, that Christ Himself has secured a place for them with Him in heaven.
John 10:27-29, Romans 8:33-39, Philippians 1:6, Hebrews 7:25, Jude 24-25, Luke 10:20, John 14:2, 1 Peter 1:3-5 and Revelation 21:27
A. The Local Church:
We believe that the New Testament ideal of a local church is a congregation of baptized believers, associated 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 work. We believe the true mission of the church is to bear a faithful witness for Christ to all men as its members have opportunity. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government, free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations. The one and only Superintendent is Christ, through the Holy Spirit; however, it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other for the preservation and propagation of the faith, but each local church is the sole judge of the membership method of its cooperation, and on all matters of membership, policy, discipline, benevolence, and government in general, the will of the local church is final.
2 Corinthians 5:20, Zechariah 9:16, Acts 6:7, Ephesians 1:22-23, Revelation 21:21 and Corinthians 12:14-27
B. The Ordinances:
We believe that the preferred method of Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem of our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and our union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration and proclamation of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination.
Acts 2:41; 8:36-39, Romans 6:3-5, 1 Corinthians 11:23-34, Colossians 2:12 and John 3:23
C. The Body:
We believe that the church, which is the Body of Christ, consists of all believers during the period between Pentecost and the Rapture. It is a living, growing organism, which was, by the baptism in the Spirit, constituted the Body of Christ; and when it has reached its predetermined dimensions, it will be caught up to be joined to its Head, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 16:18 and Ephesians 1:19-23; 2:14-22; 4:4, 8-13
A. Their Creation:
We believe that angels are created beings and therefore are not to be worshipped, although they are a higher order of creation than man, created to serve God and to worship Him.
Hebrews 1:6-7, 14; 2:6-7, Luke 2:9-14, Colossians 1:16, Revelation 5:11-12, Psalm 148:2-5 and Matthew 24:31
B. Satan:
We believe in the existence of Satan; that he was created by God as the holy being and perfect, but through pride rebelled against God and became the great adversary of God and His people; that he is the leader of all evil spirits, the deceiver and god of this present world, father of lies, and the accuser o the brethren; that his powers are vast but strictly limited by the will of God. He was defeated and judged at the cross and therefore his final doom is certain; that a Christian can have personal victory over Satan through his spiritual position in Christ, the whole armor of God, the blood of the Lamb and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 14:12-17, Ezekiel 28:11-19, Genesis 3:1-15, Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 25:41, Romans 16:20, Revelation 20:10 and John 12:31
We believe that civil government is a divine appointment, for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously 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 Prince of the kings of the earth.
Romans 13:1-22, Samuel 23:3-4, Exodus 18:21-22, Acts 4:19-20, Acts 5:17-20, Acts 23:5, Matthew 22:21,
Daniel 3:17-18 and Exodus 23:28
Though Christians may differ in their understanding of the nature and order of the events surrounding Christ’s Second Coming, all believers agree that Christ is literally coming again. Following is a list of the major events connected with Christ’s return, taught and discussed in this local church.
The Second Coming of Christ
We believe in the Second Coming of Christ: that His return will be personal, visible, glorious, that the exact time is unrevealed but imminent; that when He comes, He will first, by resurrection of the dead in Christ and translation of the living Christians, remove the true Church from the earth, then pour out His righteous judgments upon the unbelieving world, and afterwards descend with His Church and establish His glorious and literal kingdom upon the earth for a thousand years.
1 Corinthians 15:50-54, Daniel 9:24-27, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, Acts 1:10-11, Matthew 24:29-31, John 5:22,
Luke 1:31-33, Revelation 20:1-7, Revelation 20:11-15, Romans 14:10-12, Isaiah 65:7 and Revelation 21, 22