Our Beliefs
The Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Bible, as it is in truth, the Word of God... (1 Thessalonians 2:13). We believe in verbal, plenary inspiration in the original writings, and God's preservation of His pure words to every generation (2 Timothy 3:16; Psalms 12:6-7; 119:89; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:25). The Masoretic Text of the Old Testament and the Received Text of the New Testament (Textus Receptus) are those texts of the original languages we accept and use. The King James (KJV) Bible is the preserved of God for the English speaking people, and the KJV Bible is the only English version we accept and use. The Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice.
The Godhead
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 3:13-17; 28:19; 1 John 5:7).
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1-2, 14; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; 7:14; Philippians 2:5-8; Galatians 4:4-5).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His finished work on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:19 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, Advocate, and Mediator (Acts 1:9; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2; 1 Timothy 2:5).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Person who …will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:18); and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Romans 8:9, 16; Ephesians 1:13-14).
We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayer of believers for physical healing (2 Corinthians 12:12; 1 Corinthians 13:8; Hebrews 2:3-4; Mark 16:17-20; 1 Corinthians 1:22; 14:21-22; James 5:14-15).
Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 14:2-3; Romans 3:22-23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12).
The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image and is mindful of him, and in that Christ died for man; therefore every individual possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love (Psalm 8:4-9; Colossians 3:9-11).
The Way of Salvation
We believe that the clear message of salvation is …repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). We believe that salvation is "by grace" plus nothing minus nothing. We believe that men are justified by faith alone and are accounted righteous before God only through the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We believe that eternal life is the present possession of every believer (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:4-5; Jude 1-2).
The Church
We believe that the Church, which is the body and the bride of Christ, is a called out assembly of born-again believers which began with Christ and his apostles, and will be caught up with Christ at the rapture (5:20-27; 1 Corin-thians 12:12-14; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 16:5; 20:28; Revelation 2:29).
We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control (1 Corinthians 3:16; Romans 14:4a).
The Ordinances of the Church
There are two church ordinances: baptism by immersion in water and the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:1-2; Matthew 28:18-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; 11:1-2).
Biblical Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (2 Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1).
The Return of Christ
We believe the …blessed hope… (Titus 2:13) of our Lord's return is literal, personal, visible, imminent, premillennial, and pretribulational. (1 Thessa-lonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:10).
Our Eternal State
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29;Revelation 20:4-6, 12-15).
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:7-8; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thes-salonians 4:16-17).
We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:32-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:10-15).
The Family We believe God ordained the family as the foundational institution of society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage and by blood or adoption (Genesis 1:26-28; Joshua 24:15c).
We believe marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. Marriage is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to Biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race (Mark 10:6-9; Romans 1:24-32).
We believe a husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. The husband has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. We believe a wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the leadership of Christ. The wife has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as the helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation (Ephesians 5:33; 1 Timothy 5:8; Colossians 3:18-21).
We believe children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. We believe parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for a marriage. We believe parents are to diligently teach their children spiritual and moral values, to lead them through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, and to make choices based upon Biblical truth. We believe children are to honor and obey their parents (Exodus 20:12; Proverbs 1:8; 29:15; Deuteronomy 6:5-7; Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:20-21)
