Our Beliefs

1.1 THE SCRIPTURES

• A. We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God, that they are inerrant (free from error) and infallible (incapable of error) in the original writings; and that they are the chief and only authoritative rule of faith and practice for us as individuals and as a local church. (2 Timothy 3:15-17; Matthew 5:18; John 10:33-36; 2 Peter 1:19 -21.
• B. We teach the normal, literal, and grammatical interpretation of Scripture. (Genesis 1:5; 7:11-24; Jonah 1:17; Matthew 12:40; Colossians 1:16; 1 Timothy 2:13; Hebrews 4:4

1.2 THE GODHEAD

• A. We believe in One perfect, infinite, holy and eternal God, Creator of all things and eternally existing in three Persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4,5; Psalm 83:18; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 14:13-20; Acts 5:3,4)
• B. The Lord Jesus Christ, His Person and Work1.
  We believe in Jesus Christ, 100% God who became 100% man when He came to this earth. He was and is God’s one and only begotten Son. His was a virgin birth; He lived a sinless life and His sacrificial substitutionary death for all mankind’s sins is sufficient for eternal salvation, confirmed by His bodily resurrection – proving that He is who He said He was. (John 1:1,14,29; 3:16; Matthew 1:18-25; Galatians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:2, 3:5; Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 1:4)

  2.

  We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of the Father and that He is fulfilling for His people the ministry of Intercessor and Advocate. (Acts 1:9; 1 Timothy 6:16; Mark 16:19; Hebrews 12:2 ; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24; 1 John 2:1; John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)

  3.

  We believe in the bodily, personal, imminent return of Jesus Christ to meet His Bride, the Church, in the air, followed by a 7 year period called the tribulation after which, at His second coming, He will establish His one thousand year-long earthly Kingdom followed by the final judgment of unbelievers and the establishing of the eternal state. (Matthew 25:31-46; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-15; 21:1-7)
• C. The Holy Spirit
• 1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person possessing all the divine attributes of God the Father and His Son. He is God. (Acts 5:3,4; John 14:16-17; 2 Corinthians 3:17)
  2. The Holy Spirit convicts the unsaved of sin, righteousness and judgment and at the moment of salvation His ministry in this Age includes regenerating all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, permanently indwelling all believers, baptizing them into the Body of Christ, eternally sealing them until the day of redemption, and sovereignly giving to every believer at least one spiritual gift for the purpose of serving in the local church. Furthermore we believe He fills (controls) only yielded believers. (John 16:7-11; John 3:1-8; Titus 3:5; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13,14; 4:30; 1 Corinthians 12:11; 1 Peter 4:10)
  3. We believe His primary role in this Church Age is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 14:26; 16:13,14)

1.3 MAN

We believe that man was created in the image of God, as a special act and did not evolve, but when Adam sinned, the human race fell out of favor with God. Man inherited a sin nature, and thereby became alienated from God. Therefore, mankind is totally unable to remedy their lost condition apart from God’s grace. (Genesis 1:26,27; Romans 3:22,23; 5:10-19; Ephesians 2:1-3,12)

1.4 SALVATION

We believe in spiritual salvation which is by grace through faith in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. It is freely available to the whole human race, but is applied only to those who trust in the all-sufficient death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 1:12; Romans 3:24-26; 5:8,9; 6:1-6; 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:8,9)

1.5 THE ETERNAL SECURITY

OF BELIEVERS
We believe that Eternal Security is the believer’s inheritance through the work of Christ on the cross, Who provides a salvation in which the believer is and always shall be eternally kept. (John 5:24; 10:27-29; Romans 8:29-39; Jude 24-25)

1.6 SPIRITUALITY AND RESPONSIBILITY OF BELIEVERS

• A. We believe that spirituality is an absolute condition in the life of the believer wherein he is filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit, walking in love and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:2,18; 1 John 1:5-10)
• B. We believe that spirituality is distinct from maturity, that a believer becomes carnal through any act of metal, verbal, or overt sin and that spirituality (fellowship with Christ) is restored solely by personal confession of that sin to God the Father. (John 15:7,8; 1 Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:16; Romans 6:11-13; 1 John 1:5,9; 2:2; 1 Corinthians 11:30,31)
• C. We believe in righteous living and good works, not as a means of salvation, but as an evidence and fruit of real salvation. (John 15:1-8; Romans 12:1, 2; Ephesians 2:10; James 2:14-26)
• D. We believe that the primary goal of every believer after salvation is “to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ” to the end that his or her life is consistent with the Lord’s plan, thus bringing both blessing to the believer and honor to the Lord. (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:1, 5:1; Philippians 4:13-15; 1Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18)
• E. We believe, after the Rapture of the Church, we will all appear, privately and personally before the Lord Jesus Christ, who will evaluate our life of service to Him. In that day even the hidden motives of the hearts will be reviewed to test the quality our works to see what is worthy and therefore rewardable or unworthy and therefore has no spiritual value (loss of reward not salvation). (1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 4:1-5; 5:10; 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10; 3:11; 4:4,10)

1.7 THE CHURCH

• A. We believe in the Universal Church, which is now the Body of Christ and shall become the Bride of Christ. It includes all born-again believers of this Age whose purpose is to glorify God on the earth through worship, prayer, fellowship, teaching, being a witness for Christ by observing the ordinances of water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Table. (Matthew 28:19,20; Acts 8:36-39; 1 Corinthians 11:23,24; Ephesians 2:20; 4:11-16; 5:23-32.)
• B. We believe in the independence of the local church, which is directly accountable to her rightful Head, Jesus Christ. (Acts 6:1-5; 13:1-3; Romans 16:5; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:5; Revelation 2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14)

1.8 THE PERSONALITY OF SATAN

• A. We believe in the existence of angels, spirit beings created by God to render worship and service to Him. (Psalm 148:1-5; Job 38:4-7; Revelation 5:11,12; Hebrews 1:7; Luke 1:19,26)
  B. We believe in the personality of Satan who is the open and declared enemy of God and man, who rebelled against his Creator persuading one-third of all the angels to revolt against Him, throwing the world into chaos and calamity. (Revelation 12:4; Genesis 1 :2; 3:15; Isaiah 14: 12-14; Job 1:6, 7; Matthew 4:2-11)
  C. We believe Satan to be the unholy god of this age, the author of sin and evil, the ruler of this world and all fallen angels, and he along with his evil angels are destined to judgment in the Lake of Fire. (Matthew 25:41; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 6:10-12; 1 John 3:8; John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2)

1.9 THE RESURRECTION

We believe in the physical bodily resurrection of both the just and the unjust, and in the eternal conscious punishment of the lost and the eternal bliss of the saved. (John 5:28, 29; John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51 -53; 2 Corinthians 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:11-15; 22:11-14)