The Bible
We believe the Bible, that collection of sixty-six books from Genesis to Revelation, is the Word of God. Every word of the original manuscripts is inerrant, infallible, and verbally inspired by God. The Bible is the only rule for faith and practice. All human conduct, creeds and opinions must be accountable to its absolute standard. Christians are accountable for living according to its precepts.
Psalm 119.160, Romans 15.4, John 12.48, 2 Timothy 3.16-17, 1 Peter 1.23-25, 2 Peter 1.19-21
We believe the Bible teaches its own proper interpretation, which is that literal, grammatical, historical approach defined as dispensationalism, which sees the divine mysteries unfolded over the ages for the guidance of God’s people in all times, but especially for the full understanding of the church in the Church Age.
1 Corinthians 10.32, Galatians 3.16, Ephesians 1.9-10, 2 Timothy 2.15, Hebrews 1.1-3
God
We believe in only one true God, the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth, an eternal Spirit existing in three distinct uncreated Persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—yet One in essence and equal in every divine perfection and attribute.
Deuteronomy 6.4, Matthew 3.13-17, 28.19-20, John 10.30, Ephesians 2.18, 1 Corinthians 8.6, 2 Corinthians 13.14
The Father
God the Father is utterly holy, just, and righteous, full of power, wisdom, and love. We believe that He is concerned in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He has provided salvation for all men in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Psalm 83.18, Isaiah 44.6, 1 Timothy 1.17, Romans 11.33, 1 John 5.14-15
Jesus Christ
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son Who was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is truly God and truly Man, one Person with two natures, divine and human, who never sinned while yet dwelling among men as a man, displaying his humanity in his body and his deity in his mighty works.
Matthew 1.18-25, John 1.1-3, 14, John 10.25, 37-38, John 11.35, John 14.10-11, John 20.30-31, 2 Corinthians 5.21
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ died as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all men; that God raised the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ from the grave; that He bodily ascended to Heaven; where he presently intercedes as High Priest for us; and that He will bodily return for the saints at the end of the age, inaugurating the events of the last days.
Matthew 28.1-10, Acts 1.9, Romans 3.21-26, Galatians 4.4-5, 1 Corinthians 15.3-4, 1 Corinthians 15.51-53, 2 Corinthians 5.21, 1 Thessalonians 4.14-17, Hebrews 2.9, Hebrews 7.25-28, 1 John 2.2
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the eternal deity and personhood of the Holy Spirit who is equal with God the Father and God the Son, of the same essence, but not a distinct being — three persons, one being.
We believe the Spirit works in the restraining of evil in the world to the measure of the divine will; the conviction of the world regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment; the calling and regeneration of all believers; the permanent indwelling of believers through the baptism of the Spirit at the point of salvation; the continued filling for victory over sin and enabling Christian service of all among the saved who are truly yielded to Him; and the production of His fruit and giving His gifts to believers.
John 3.6, 16.7-11, Ephesians 4.30, John 14.16-17, John 14.26, John 16.7-14, Romans 8.9, Romans 8.13-14, Romans 8.16, Romans 8.26-27, 1 Corinthians 12.4-11, Galatians 5.22- 23, Ephesians 1.13-14, Ephesians 5.18, Colossians 1.10-12, 2 Thessalonians 2.7
We believe some gifts of the Holy Spirit are temporary and that the miraculous sign-gifts were a phenomenon of the apostolic age, lending authority and credence to the apostles and their message. They were foundational and transitional. These gifts ceased with the completion of the Scriptures and the divine certification of the church. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the filling or baptism of the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12.30, 1 Corinthians 13.8-12, Ephesians 2.19-20, Hebrews 2.1-4
Creation
We believe that God created all that exists, forming the physical universe over a period of six twenty-four-hour days. The Creation account in the Bible is no allegory or figure of speech, but a true outline of God’s activity in creation. God directly created all forms of life as fully functional unevolved organisms, designing all to reproduce after its “kind” and allowing no reproduction across “kinds” by God’s established law. The creation record is factual, historical, and clear; thus all theories of origins or development that involve evolution or long ages in any form are false. God sustains and orders all creation through his power and under his providential care.
Genesis 1.1-2.3, Genesis 6.17-20, Genesis 7.13-16, Exodus 20.8-11, Romans 1.20, Colossians 1.16-17
Man
We believe that God created man on day six of the creation week, directly and not by any kind of evolutionary process. God created man in His image, and in a state of sinlessness, as both a physical and spiritual being. We believe that man freely chose to transgress the will of God, and thereby incurred sin, condemnation, physical and spiritual death on all men so that man is a sinner by nature and by choice, completely depraved, destitute of any moral good, and utterly unable to merit God’s favor or contribute to his salvation. The fall of man not only doomed man but marred creation, bringing in death and disorder which will continue until Jesus returns and restores creation.
Genesis 1.26-30, Genesis 2.4-25, Genesis 3.1-19, Jeremiah 17.9, Romans 3.10-19, Romans 5.12-19, Romans 8.18-25, Ephesians 2.1-3, Ephesians 4.24, Titus 3.5, James 3.9.
We believe that God created man as male and female, and instituted marriage as the basic building block of human society at creation. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman, and that God intends men and women to make a life-long covenant with one another in marriage. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a biblical marriage. We believe that gender or sex is an attribute of the person as created by God and is unchangeable by any man. We believe that human life begins at conception, that God sees the child in the womb as a valid human life, worthy of protection.
Genesis 1.26-30, 2.22-25, 19.5, 13; Leviticus 18.1-30; Matthew 19.4-6, Mark 10-6-9, Romans 1.26-29, 7.2, 1 Corinthians 5.1, 6.9, 7.10; Ephesians 5.22-33; 1 Thessalonians 4.3-8; Hebrews 13.4; Exodus 21.22-25; Psalm 139.15-16; Isaiah 49.5; Jeremiah 1.5; Luke 1.15.
Salvation
We believe that sin entered the world at the fall of Adam; that it eternally separates men from God; that it condemns every man to Hell; that its mark is upon every man and that man cannot escape its consequences by any effort of his own. We believe that salvation is a gift of God freely provided by the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ for the sins of all men. We believe that the individual obtains salvation by personal faith in the saving power of Jesus’ blood. We believe that in salvation the believer is called, regenerated, baptized by the Spirit into union with Christ, justified, (including the forgiveness of sin and restoration to favor with God through the merit or righteousness of Christ), adopted, sanctified, and glorified. We believe that saving faith manifests itself in godly sorrow and shame for sin and turning away from the life of the flesh to a godly walk. We believe that any man who will receive Jesus Christ by faith obtains salvation and will live with God forever while those who reject Him are condemned already to eternal damnation. We believe that God keeps his saints by his power and that they are secure in Christ forever.
Isaiah 53.4-6, Ezekiel 18.19-20, Matthew 25.46, John 1.12, John 3.16, John 6.39, Acts 3.19, Acts 20.21, Romans 1.18, 20, Romans 3.10-26, Romans 5.12, Romans 6.3-5, 2 Corinthians 5.17, 2 Corinthians 5.21, Galatians 4.4-5, Ephesians 1.7, Ephesians 2.8-20, 1 Peter 1.18-19, 1 John 2.2
The Church
We believe in the Church – a living, spiritual body of which Christ is the Head, and of which all regenerated people in this age are a part. We believe the Church is a body peculiar to the age of grace and entirely distinct from national Israel. We believe a local church is a congregation of baptized believers, each holding a credible confession of faith; faithfully observing the ordinances of Christ and associated for worship, the work of the ministry, evangelism, observance of the ordinances (baptism and the Lord’s supper), and fellowship.
We believe that its officers are male pastors and deacons, whose qualifications the Scriptures clearly define. We believe that the local church is an autonomous body having the God-ordained right of self-government through congregational polity, free from the interference of any religious hierarchy, solely responsible to preserve its own internal integrity, maintain pure doctrine and practice, elect its own officers, ordain men to the ministry, settle its own internal affairs, and determine the method and extent of its cooperation with other churches. We believe in the authority of secular government regarding external matters (such as building codes, property laws, civic behaviour, and such like) but hold the church separate from the state regarding internal matters (such as doctrine, teaching, electing officers, and other ministries of the church).
Matthew 16.16-18, Matthew 18.15-17, Matthew 28.18-20, Acts 1.8, Acts 2.42-47, Acts 6.1-6, Acts 14.27, 1 Corinthians 1.2, 1 Corinthians 5.4-5, 1 Corinthians 12.12-18, Ephesians 1.22-23, Ephesians 4.11-13, Colossians 1.18, 1 Timothy 3.1-13, 1 Timothy 3.15, Jude 3
The Ordinances
We believe there are two ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, properly called “believer’s baptism.” It symbolically displays our identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, and the resultant responsibility to “walk in the newness of life.” Baptism is a prerequisite to church membership.
The Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of the Lord’s death until He comes, is a reminder of our continual fellowship with Him. The participants should prepare for communion with careful self-examination.
Matthew 28.19-20, Acts 8.36-39, Romans 6.3-5, 1 Corinthians 11.23-32
Mission
We believe that the primary mission of the Church and each individual believer is the evangelization of the lost through every means possible, including personal efforts and the support of others through financial support and prayers. The church fulfills its mission by preaching the gospel and making disciples by baptizing them and teaching them in order to build up the church in the image of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28.19-20, Acts 1.8, Ephesians 4.11-16, 2 Timothy 4.2
The Church and Government
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment, for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honoured, and obeyed, except only 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.
Acts 4.19-20, 5.29, Romans 13.1-7, 1 Peter 2.13-17
Separation
We believe that the Bible calls us to stand separate and unspotted from the world, false teachers, and disobedient brethren. Separation from the world means the separation of the individual believer from all worldly practices dishonoring the Saviour. Separation from false teachers means the separation of the local church from any connection with those who deny the verities of the Christian faith. Separation from disobedient brethren means separation of the local church from cooperation with true believers who nevertheless compromise the doctrine and practice of Scripture by walking in fellowship with unbelief and inclusivism. Our purpose is to maintain the purity of Christ’s testimony, the edification and protection of fellow-believers, and the correction and help of those brethren who are in error.
Matthew 18.15-17, Romans 12.1-2, 1 Corinthians 5.1-11, 2 Corinthians 6.14-18, Galatians 1.8-9, 2 Thessalonians 3.6, 1 Timothy 1.18-20, 2 Timothy 3.1-5, 1 John 2.15-17, 2 John 9-11
Last Things
We believe in the imminent rapture of the church to Heaven followed by a seven-year period of tribulation upon all the Earth. We believe that at the end of this period of tribulation Jesus Christ will return to the earth in power and glory with His Church to establish the promised Davidic Kingdom upon the earth. We believe that Jesus will reign for one thousand years, during which time peace and righteousness will cover the earth, God will bind Satan, and will establish the nation Israel in her own land. We believe that at the end of this glorious reign, Satan will lead a rebellion against Christ, that Christ will defeat him, and that God will forever banish him to the Lake of Fire.
We believe that God will judge the wicked dead at the Great White Throne and will condemn them to everlasting conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire. We believe that God will welcome the righteous into eternal conscious blessedness in the presence of the Lord
Ezekiel 39.25-29, Daniel 9.24-27, Matthew 24.21, John 14.3, Romans 5.9, 1 Corinthians 15.51-53, 1 Thessalonians 4.14-17, 1 Thessalonians 5.9, Titus 2.13-14, Revelation 3.10, Revelation 19.11-16, Revelation 20.1-15, Revelation 21.1-8
Tit 2.13-14 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.