WHAT WE BELIEVE

“Unto God be glory in the church

We believe in the ONE TRUE GOD: One true and eternal God exists. He exists in three distinct but co-equal Persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three Persons are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory, and are to be equally loved, honored, and adored. God is altogether perfect. He is a Spirit, infinite, eternal in His being, holiness, love, wisdom, and sovereignty. He is the Creator of all things and, as such, is separate from and above the world. He is everywhere present in the world as the Ruler and Upholder of all things.

Genesis 1:1; Exodus 15:11; Psalm 139:7-8; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30, 15:26

We believe in the LORD JESUS CHRIST: Jesus Christ is the Eternal Son of God. For us, he came down from heaven, became incarnate of the Holy Spirit through the virgin Mary, and was made human. Truly God and truly man, He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin. For us, He fulfilled God's Law and gave Himself in death upon the cross as a perfect sacrifice for the world's sins. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He was raised from the dead and ascended back into heaven in accordance with the Scriptures. At the right hand of the Father, he is the Savior, Advocate, and Intercessor for all who believe in Him. His coming for His Church is imminent. He will return to earth bodily and visibly in power and glory to Judge. He will reign forever as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and His kingdom will have no end.

Isaiah 7:14, 53:5-11; Matthew. 1:16, 23, 26:26-28; Luke 1:35; Romans 3:25; Mark 16:1-18; Luke 24:1-51; Acts 1:9-11; Hebrews 2:17, 7:21-8:6

We believe in the HOLY SPIRIT: The Holy Spirit is God, coeternal with the Father and the Son. He convicts the world of sin and convinces us of our need for salvation through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit baptizes believers into Christ, regenerates them, makes them new creations, and causes them to share all the benefits of salvation. He sanctifies, empowers, comforts, and enables us to pray and understand God's word.

Mark 1:8; John 3:5; 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-14; Romans 8:9, 16; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 2 Corinthians 1:21,22; 3:18; Ephesians 1:13, 14; 5:18

We believe in that MAN IS MADE IN THE IMAGE of GOD: Therefore, every human has an inherent dignity as God’s image bearer from conception. We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female and that these two distinct, complementary genders reflect the image and nature of God. Further, God created marriage to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman. Marriage between one woman and one man is the foundational unit for an orderly home and society. It is a creation ordinance and is not a church sacrament.

Genesis 1:27-28, 2:24, 5:2; Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-9

We believe in the SINFUL NATURE of MAN: The first man (Adam) was the direct creation of God and through voluntary disobedience, became a sinful creature and the father of a fallen race. Mankind became alienated from the life and family of God, under the righteous judgment and wrath of God, and have, from ourselves, no possible means of salvation. Those who do not believe will suffer eternal conscious punishment after death.

Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:23, 5:12; Galatians 3:22

We believe in SALVATION: God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory. God’s plan of salvation from the eternal punishment of sin is extended by grace alone through faith alone. The Sovereign God has chosen lost sinners from every nation to be redeemed by the power of the Holy Spirit and through the atoning death and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ. In Him, all true believers have as a present possession the gift of eternal life, perfect righteousness, sonship in the family of God, deliverance and security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine guarantee that they shall never perish. They are saved unto the resurrection of life. There is one baptism for the forgiveness of sins; therefore, apart from Christ, there is no possible salvation. Righteous living and Godly works are not a means of salvation in any sense but are its proper evidence and fruit.

Rom. 3:21-31, 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:1-10; I John 2:1-6

We believe in the RETURN of CHRIST: The completion of all things includes the visible, personal, and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the eternal salvation of the believer and the eternal damnation and punishment of the nonbeliever, and the creation of a new heaven and earth where believers will dwell with God for all eternity.

Matthew 24:27-31; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:16-18

We believe in the HOLY SCRIPTURES: The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are the verbally inspired Word of God and the revelation of God to man. Therefore, it is without error and altogether sufficient, infallible, and authoritative as our only rule of faith and practice.

Psalm 119:160; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21

We believe in the CHURCH: All believers are immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit upon coming to faith in Christ Jesus into the Body of Christ, the universal Church of which Christ alone is the Head. All members of this one spiritual body should assemble and identify themselves with a local church. Similarly, we believe in sending, encouraging, praying for, and financially supporting missionary and evangelistic endeavors locally and abroad. We believe every Christian has a part to play in spreading the Gospel. Not only do we believe that every Christian is commanded to share the gospel with those in their sphere of influence, but every Christian is expected to do what they can to support those who have given themselves full-time to missions.

1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:11-15; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 10:24-25; Matthew 18:15-18; 2 Corinthians 8:18-19; 1 Timothy 3:15

We believe in OUTREACH and DISCIPLESHIP: We are committed to loving, helping, and caring for those in need in our communities and worldwide. Jesus commanded his followers not just to lead people to Christ but to make disciples—mature, committed followers of Jesus Christ. We believe that discipleship, this process of making disciples, is best accomplished through personal relationships where individuals are regularly challenged to know God better and live for Him more faithfully.

Hebrews 10:25; 2 Timothy 2:2; Titus 2:2-8; Acts 2:42-47; James 1:27; Matthew 25:31-46; Jeremiah 22:3; Isaiah 58:6-12; Micah 6:8

We believe in the ORDINANCES GIVEN TO THE LOCAL CHURCH ARE BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER: There are two ordinances of the church given to believers by Christ. Water Baptism by immersion is an outward expression of our death and rebirth. This sacrament signifies our in-grafting into Christ's Body and our engagement to be the Lord's. The Lord’s Supper is administered to those who believe as we remember and celebrate His death for us.

Acts 2:38, 22:16; Romans 6:1-11; I Corinthians 11:23-26

We believe in SPIRITUAL GIFTS: God has given every believer gifts and abilities through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The manifestation of these gifts is given for the common good of the church and distributed as the Spirit determines. The church will best function as God intended when each person contributes and uses their gifts for the glory of God and the benefit (edification and encouragement) of others.

1 Corinthians 12:4-31, 14:1-5; Ephesians 4:7-16, Romans 12:3-8; Hebrews 2:4, 1 Peter 4:9-11