OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH

The Bible consists of 66 books (Gen.-Rev.) and is referred to as the Holy Scriptures in the Old and New Testament.  The Holy Scriptures are the verbally inspired word of God, the family authority for faith and life in all areas of which it speaks, inerrant in the original manuscripts, infallible, and God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pt. 1:20-21, 2 Pt. 3:15-16, Matt. 5:17-19).

We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons––Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; co–eternal in being, co–eternal in nature, co–equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; 2 Cor. 13:14).

Jesus Christ is the eternal and unique Son of God who took on an additional nature in the incarnation while not ceasing to be God (Jn. 1:1-3, 14-18, Phil. 2:5-11).  He was conceived of the Spirit, born of a virgin birth (Lk. 1:34-35), suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, buried and raised from the dead (Lk. 23-24, Rom. 1:4) all to reveal God to man (Jn. 1:18) and redeem sinful man to be at peace with God and be His chosen people, the church (Mk 10:45, Mt. 1:21, Rom. 5:1,11, 1 Cor. 1:30-31, Heb. 9:11-15, Titus 2:11-14, 1 Pt. 2:9-10).  As the eternal Son of God who took on flesh, Jesus the Christ is fully God (Jn. 1:1, 8:58, Col. 1:15-20, Titus 2:13, Heb. 1:3) and fully man (Jn. 1:14, Heb. 2:17-18, 4:15) in one person, two distinct natures, one person.  He took on an additional nature in the fullness of man (without sin-Heb. 4:15), while being God in order to accomplish our redemption through being the unblemished lamb of God who died on the cross as our representative and vicarious, substitutionary atonement to bring us near to God.  Our justification is made sure by his literal and physical resurrection where he ascended to the right hand of the throne of God the Father making intercession for us (1 Jn. 2:1, Heb. 7:25).

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity (Matt. 28:19) who convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn. 16:8-11) while bringing all the teachings of Jesus back to remembrance (Jn. 14:26).  He is not a force, but is fully God (Acts 5:3, Eph. 4;30) and the agent of regeneration whereby a person is baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ and supernaturally placed into his body, the church the moment they believe (Titus 3: 4-7, 1 Cor. 12:12-13, Eph. 1:13). He glorifies Christ (Jn. 16:14), gives gifts to the body for the edification of the church, (1 Cor. 12:11) and empowers the believer to witness concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8)

Man was created “very good” in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-31), but when Adam and Eve rebelled against God, sin and death entered into the world (Rom. 5:12-14).  From this point on, while mankind still reflects hints of the image of God, mankind is born into sin (Ps. 51:5) and is by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3).  Therefore mankind is totally depraved and unable to please God (Rom. 3:10-18, 23, Rom. 8:8) outside of the quickening of the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to our need for salvation in Christ alone (Rom. 8:9-11).

Salvation is completely a gift of God that is given to mankind through personal faith in Jesus Christ alone by grace alone whereby we experience forgiveness of sin through His shed blood on the cross (Eph. 1:7, 2:8, 1 Pt. 1:18-19).

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37–40, 10:27–30; Rom. 8:1, 38, 39; 1 Cor. 1:4–8; 1 Peter 1:5). We believe that 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 (Rom. 13:13, 14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11–15).

We believe the church is the organized organic gathering of born again believers (Jn. 3:5-8) who have placed their faith in God’s means of salvation in Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-9) to be a community that proclaims and reflects the glory of God in Christ (Eph. 2:10, 1 Pt. 2:9-12).  We believe the church is both invisible (2 Tim. 2:19) and visible (1 Pt. 5:2, Gal. 1:2).  We believe the church is called to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:16-20) by exercising biblical ecclesiology (1 Tim. 3:1-13, Titus 1:5), preaching the full counsel of the Word of God (Acts 20:27, 1 Tim. 3:15, 2 Tim. 4:2), exercising healthy church discipline, administering baptism and communion as a Scriptural means of testimony to the church (Matt. 28:19-20, Acts 2:41, 42, 18:8, 1 Cor. 11:23-26).

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of spiritual gifts. It is, however, the believer’s responsibility to attempt to develop their sovereignly given spiritual gift(s). We also believe that particular spiritual gift(s) are neither essential, nor do they prove the presence of the Holy Spirit, nor are an indication of deep spiritual experience (1 Cor. 12:7, 11, 13; Eph. 4:7–8). We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accordance with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14, 15). We believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to minister according to the gift(s) and grace of God that is given to him (Rom 12:1–8; 1 Cor. 13; 1 Peter 4:10–11).

Jesus Christ will return the same way He ascended to the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:11) as the lion of Judah to save those who are His and to war against His enemies (Heb. 9:28, Matt. 24:29-31, Rev. 19:11-16).  He will come as the judge who will judge both the living and the dead (Matt. 25:31, Jn. 5:27-29) and His return will be a physical return where he consummates the Kingdom that he inaugurated at His first coming (1 Cor. 15:20-28).  His return will be like a thief in the night and nobody knows the timing except the Father (Matt. 24:36-51, 1 Thess. 5:2).