WHAT WE BELIEVE

THE BIBLE

We believe the Bible to be divinely inspired, the only infallible authoritative Word of God. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

II Timothy 3:16-17 – 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

II Peter 1:20-21 – 20 Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12 – 12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

GOD

We believe that there is one and only one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. These are equal in every divine perfection and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.

Deuteronomy 6:4 – 4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

Matthew 28:19 – 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

GOD, THE FATHER

We believe in God, the Father, an infinite personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 8:6 – 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him.

1 John 3:1 – See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are!

Matthew 23:9 – 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven.

JESUS CHRIST

We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return for His church and with His church in power and glory.

Philippians 2:5-11 – 5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.
9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Isaiah 7:14 – 14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.

I Thessalonians 4:16-17 – 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

John 20:31 – 31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, the third Person of the Trinity. In the present age He convicts of sin, of judgment, and of righteousness, He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony, He is the agent in the new birth, indwells all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, baptizes them into the body of Christ, seals them unto the day of redemption, and every believer is commanded by God to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and He bestows gifts as He wills.

Acts 1:8 – 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Romans 8:9 – 9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him.

I Corinthians 12:12-14 – 12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 14 Indeed, the body is not one part but many.

Ephesians 5:18 – 18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:

I Corinthians 3:16-17 – 16 Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and that is what you are.

SALVATION

We believe in the depravity of man, that all men are sinners by nature and by choice. We believe there are consequences to our sins. All mankind is in need of salvation – divine redemption through personal regeneration. We believe in the good news of the Gospel! Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind. We believe that repentance and faith are necessary in order to receive salvation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior are saved.

Romans 3:10 – “there is none righteous, no, not one.”

Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23 – “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Acts 20:20-21 – “how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 10:9-10 – “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”  and believe in your heart  that God raised Him from the dead,  you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

SANCTIFICATION

We believe that all believers are indwelt with the person of the Holy Spirit at the time of regeneration, given every spiritual blessing, all things pertaining to life and godliness, and empowered with the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit , drawing upon the resources available through the resurrected Christ, to the end that our lives increasingly manifest the very life, character, and power of Christ.

Acts 2:38 – 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

II Peter 1:3 – 3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Romans 12:1-2 – Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Galatians 2:20 – 20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

THE CHURCH

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ who have a credible profession of faith, and have associated for worship, work, and fellowship.

Ephesians 2:19-22 – 19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

Hebrews 10:24-25 – 24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

THE ORDINANCES

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: water baptism and the Lord’s supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that baptism signifies and symbolizes Christian life begun. We believe that the Lord’s supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death and signifies Christian life continued. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:4 – 4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 – 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.