What We Believe

Our core doctrinal beliefs that guide our church community

Click on any Bible reference to read the verse.

The Holy Scriptures

We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures, consisting of 66 books which constitute the Old and New Testaments, the Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, the complete and unalterable special revelation of God, and our final authority. We believe in the normal, literal, and consistent interpretation of the Scriptures; and a dispensational understanding of God's progressive revelation.

Key References: Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21

The Godhead

We believe in the 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. Singularity, plurality, and equality are essential aspects of the Trinity

Key References: Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14

The Person and Work of Christ

We believe 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, and that He lived a sinless life. He came in order to reveal God and redeem sinful man. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice in providing a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, and that our justification is verified by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. We believe 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.

Key References: Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2; John 1:14; John 1:18; Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:1-2; Acts 1:9-10; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:24

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is the person of the Godhead who in this present age convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He regenerates and baptizes into the body of Christ those who believe and He indwells and seals them unto the day of redemption. We believe the Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth. It is the privilege of believers to be filled with, and their duty to walk in, the Holy Spirit.

Key References: Acts 5:3-4; John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; John 16:13; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 5:18; 1 John 2:20; 1 John 2:27

Man's Origin and Nature

We believe man was created in the image and likeness of God out of the dust of the ground and not through an evolutionary process. In his original state, man was "very good". In Adam's sin the entire human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Therefore, man is totally depraved and apart from God is unable to remedy his lost condition. Furthermore, the unregenerate man is an enemy of God and follows the promptings of Satan and his own flesh.

Key References: Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:7; Romans 3:22-23; Romans 5:10-12; Ephesians 2:1-3; Ephesians 2:12

Salvation and Security

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice for all people. All who trust Him are saved by His grace through faith on the basis of His shed blood and not human efforts. Believers are then kept by God's power, thus secured in Christ forever. We believe every saved person is a new creation with provision made for victory over sin through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The sin that is present in us is not eradicated in this life. We believe it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh.

Key References: John 1:12; John 6:37-40; John 10:27-30; Romans 8:1; Romans 8:38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; Ephesians 1:6-7; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:5; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Romans 6:13; Romans 8:12-13; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 John 3:5-9; Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15; 1 Peter 2:13-20

The Church

We believe that the Church, which began with the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, is the body and bride of Christ. It is the spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of the present age.

Key References: Acts 2:1-13; Acts 2:47; 1 Corinthians 12:13-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 5:25-27

The Ordinances

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ established two ordinances for the Church in this present age. These are believer's water baptism, practiced by immersion, and the Lord's Supper, observed obediently as a memorial of His death. These ordinances are not a means of saving grace.

Key References: Acts 8:12, 35-39; 10:47-48; 1 Corinthians 1:14; 11:23-34

Missions

We believe it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of the gospel and to proclaim these truths to all mankind. We believe the primary responsibility for the fulfillment of the Great Commission is given to the local church.

Key References: Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20

The Eternal State

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men - the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. We believe 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. We believe 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.

Key References: Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; John 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6; Revelation 20:12-13; Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; Philippians 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6; Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15

Satan

We believe Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire.

Key References: Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10

The Second Advent of Christ

We believe in the personal, imminent, pre-tribulational and pre-millennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to earth, with His saints, to establish His Millennial Kingdom.

Key References: Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 19:11-16; Revelation 20:1-6

Separation and Unity

We believe the saved should be separated unto the Lord Jesus Christ, necessitating holy living in all personal and ecclesiastical associations and relationships. We believe we are responsible to identify false teaching and dangerous movements where they relate to the conduct of the church's ministries. We believe separation is required in those instances where people, groups, and organizations whose doctrinal position is the same as the church's engage in contradictory practices which compromise the faith.

Key References: Romans 12:1-2; Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Titus 2:14; James 4:4-5; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 2:15-17; Matthew 18:15-17; Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 5:7-11; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 4:1-6; 2 Thessalonians 3:11-14; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 3:10; 2 John 9-11

(Scripture verses are representative, and not to be considered exhaustive.)