“Mending, Maturing and Mobilizing Members Into Ministry”
Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Soli Deo Gloria
(Grace Alone) (Faith Alone) (Scripture Alone) (Christ Alone)
(To God Alone The Glory)
The Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant* in their original writings, infallible and God breathed. 2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:19-21
* (Though most commentaries and dictionaries make little or no distinction between inerrancy and infallibility, here is my working definition/distinction:
Inerrancy points to the “composition” of the Scriptures
Infallibility points to the “character” of the Scriptures)
The True God
We believe in one triune God, eternally existing simultaneously,* in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Identical in nature/essence, equal in power and glory, the same in attributes and perfections.
Exodus 20:2, 3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelations 4:11; 1 John 5:7
* (Statement against Modalism)
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ (the second person of the Godhead), 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 man. John 1:1-2 ,14; Luke 1:35
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death ON THE CROSS*** as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice and our justification is made sure by His literal physical resurrection from the dead. Rom.3:24; I Pet. 2:24; 3:5; Eph. 1:7
* (As opposed to the heretical teaching that Jesus consummated our salvation in Hell).
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 and Advocate Acts 1:9; Heb. 7:25; 0:24; Rom.8:34; I John 2:21
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His 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; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the Agent in the new birth; that He seals, baptizes, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. John 14:16,17; Matthew 28:19; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35; Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5,6; Ephesians 1:13, 14; Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Acts 11:16; Luke 24:49; Romans 8:14, 16, 26, 27; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:18-21
The Devil, Or Satan
We believe in the personality of Satan (as opposed to his being merely a force or influence), that he is the unholy god of this age, and the author of all the powers of darkness, the opened declared enemy of God and Man and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. Matthew 4:1-3; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelations 20:10
Creation
We accept the Genesis account of creation and believe that man came by direct creation of God and not by evolution. Genesis 1 and 2; Colossians 1:16,17; John 1:3
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in innocence, in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin, mankind fell from his sinless and happy state and was totally impacted, inhabitant and influenced by sin, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and of himself is totally unable to remedy his lost condition. Genesis 3:1-6, 24; Romans 3:10-19; Romans 1:18, 32
The Freeness of Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God, brought to man by God’s electing grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins.
1 Thessalonians 1:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Peter 1:2; Titus 1:1; Romans 8:29,30; Matthew 11:28; Isaiah 55:1; Revelations 22:17; Romans 10:13; John 6:37; Isaiah 55:6; Acts 2:38; Isaiah 55:7; John 3:15,16; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Corinthians 11:10; Ephesians 2:4,5; John 5:40; John 3:18; John 3:36
The Local Church
We believe that the Church, which is the body and bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all believers from Pentecost to the Rapture. Eph.1:22-23;
We Believe in the autonomy of the local church. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only Superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit; . Acts 2:41,42; 1 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 4:11; Acts 20:17-28; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:23-24; Acts 15:13-18
We recognize the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord’s Supper Acts 8:26-39; John 3:23; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 3:16; Colossians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28; Matthew 28:19,20; Acts 2:41,42
The Eternal Security of the Believer
We believe that all who exercised saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are kept by God’s saving power and are thus secure in Christ forever. Philippians 1:6; John 10:28,29; Romans 8:35-39; Jude 1:1; Pet 1:5
The Righteous and the Wicked
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that such only as through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God, are truly righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under the curse; and this distinction holds among men both in and after death, in the everlasting felicity of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost. Malachi 3:18; Genesis 18:23; Romans 6:17,18; 1 John 5:19; Romans 6:23; Proverbs 14:32; Luke 16:25; Matthews 25:34-41; John 8:21
Civil 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 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 13:1-7; 2 Samuel 23:3; Exodus 18:21,22; Acts 23:5; Matthew 22:21; Acts 5:29; Acts 4:19,20; Daniel 3:17,18
The Return of Christ and Related Events
We believe that the return of Christ includes both the rapture of the church and His return in glory. The first is for His Church which is personal, pre-tribulational, pre-millenial and may occur at any moment. The second is His return to earth to establish His righteous reign over the earth. This coming is visible, personal, pre-millenial and in power and great glory. Matt 28:6,7; Luke 24:39; Acts 1:9-11; Hebrews 8:6; I Timothy 2:5; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44,51-53; Luke 1:32; Isaiah 9:6,8; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Isaiah 32:1