Our Beliefs
The Scriptures
We believe that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, by which we understand that the whole Bible is inspired in the sense that "holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" to write the very words of Scripture. We believe that God's divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of the writing - historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical. This belief is often referred to as verbal plenary inspiration. of the Scripture (Mark 12:24; 13:ll; Acts 1:16; Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 2:13; II Peter 1:20 - 21).
We believe that all Scripture centers around the Lord Jesus in His person and work, in His first and second comings, and hence that no portion, even the Old Testament is properly read, or understood until it leads to Him. We believe that all the Scriptures were designed for our rule of faith and practice (Mark 12:36; Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Acts 17:2, 3; 18:28; 26:22, 23; 28:23; I Corinthians 10:11; II Timothy 3:16).
We also believe that all the Scriptures are to be interpreted literally - understanding that figurative passages bear a literal truth of the figure revealed - that there is one interpretation of Scripture, but this one interpretation may have many applications, although the applications should not invalidate the literal interpretation (Matthew 22:41-46; Mark 12;18-27; Luke 4:16-21; 24:44; John 10:6-10; 15:1-5; Galatians 4:22-31).
All issues of interpretation and meaning shall be determined by the King James Bible. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the church for preaching and teaching.
The Godhead
We believe in one Triune God, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power, eternally existing in three persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We also believe that each is coÂeternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and has the same attributes and perfection, each executing distinct but harmonious offices in the work of redemption (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16, 17; 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:10, 26; I John 5:7).
1. God the Father. We believe that God the Father is the eternal First Person of the Godhead. He demonstrates His Fatherhood in the infinite and eternal relationship He sustains to Jesus Christ, His eternal Son. He also demonstrates such relationship to the repentant, believing sinner, through the merit of the atoning death of Christ. This Fatherhood of God cannot be known except as revealed in the Sonship of Christ. The Fatherhood cannot be possessed or experienced by man, except through the mediation of Jesus Christ. As God the Father, He maintains a continuous, personal relation with His children. As He is the Author, He is also the Sustainer, the Sustenance of all living creatures (Matthew 11:27; Galatians 3:26: Hebrews 12:5-11; John 1:11-13; Matthew 10:29, 30; Psalm 104:27-30; Matthew 6:26; I Kings 19:5-7).
2. God the Son. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. We also believe that He became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1, 2, 14; II Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4, 5; Philippians 2:5-8).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, Who lived a sinless life, accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice. We also believe that our justification is made sure by His literal bodily resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24, 25; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5).
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 Intercessor and Advocate (Acts 1:9, 10; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1, 2).
We believe that on departing this earth, He was accepted of His Father, and that His acceptance is a final assurance to us that His redeeming work is perfectly accomplished. (Hebrews 1 :3).
We believe in the imminent, bodily, personal return of Jesus Christ. We believe in the rapture of the Church, in which He shall come for His saints, both living and dead, appearing in the air only at that time, before the seven-year tribulation period. We believe in His personal, visible, return to the earth with His saints to judge the existing nations and to establish His earthly kingdom for 1000 years (Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13, 16; I Corinthians 15:51, 52; Revelation 19:15; Matthew 25:31).
3. God, the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the eternal third person of the Godhead Who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Though omnipresent from eternity, He took up His abode in the world in a special sense on the Day of Pentecost following the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We also believe that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. We believe that He never takes His departure from the church, but from the feeblest of the saints, is ever present to testify of Christ, seeking to occupy believers with Him, and not with themselves nor their experiences (John 14:16, 17; 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 6:19; 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1: 13, 14; 2:22, 2 Thessalonians 2:7, 1 John 2:20-27).
We believe that the Holy Spirit, as the Chief Agent of inspiration, illumination, and revelation, is the Divine Teacher. As such, He assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 1: 17, 18; 5: 18; I John 2:20, 27).
We believe that God the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual ministry gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly, in order that they can do the work of the ministry (Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12).
We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. Ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (1 Cor. 1 :22; 13:8-10; 14:21-22)
Satan
We believe in the reality of the person of Satan and that he and the fallen angels wage a spiritual warfare against the plan and purposes of God (John 13:2; Acts 5:3; Ephesians 6:11-12). We believe that Satan is a created angelic being who rebelled and who tempted man to join him in rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Genesis 3:1-5). We believe his power is supernatural, yet limited; and that he cannot act without the permission of God (Job 1:6-12; I John 4:4). Satan’s eternal end is everlasting torment in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10).
Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and therefore man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26- 27; Romans 3:22-23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12).
The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image and is mindful of him, and in that Christ died for man; therefore every individual possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. (Psalm 8:4-9; Colossians 3:9-11).
We believe that the only marriage recognized by Scripture is the joining of one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23) We believe that God expressly forbids intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are perversions of God’s intended purposes and therefore, sin. We believe that God forbids any attempt to alter one’s God-given gender identity by any means, including surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24; Genesis 19:5, 13; Genesis 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
The Way of Salvation
We believe that the clear message of salvation is “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). We believe that salvation is “by grace” plus nothing minus nothing. We believe that Jesus Christ died for every man, and that each individual chooses to accept or reject the grace of God (Hebrews 2:9; I John 2:2). We believe that men are justified by faith alone and are accounted righteous before God only through the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; I Peter 1:18-19)
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We believe that eternal life is the present possession of every believer (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:4-5; Jude 1, 2).
The Church
We believe that the New Testament church is a local assembly of baptized believers who have voluntarily joined themselves together to carry out the Great Commission. The Lord is doing His work in this world through local churches. The establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. Christ is the only head of the church (Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; I Peter 5:1-4).
We recognize the ordinances of baptism by immersion in water and the Lord’s Supper as a Scriptural means of testimony for local churches in this age (Matthew. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42, 18:18; I Corinthians 11:23-26).
Biblical Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (II Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1, 2, 14:13; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1).
The Return of Christ
We believe the “Blessed Hope” of our Lord’s return is literal, personal, visible, imminent, premillennial, and pretribulational. Believers will be caught up to be with the Lord prior to the seven years of tribulation, and at the end of the tribulation Christ will return with His saints to establish His thousand-year reign on the earth (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; I Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 3:10; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6; Psalm 89:3-4).
Our Eternal State
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28, 29, 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13).
We believe that 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 (Luke 23:43; Revelation 20:4-6; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17).
We believe that 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 (Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:41-46; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:11-15).
The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all we believe. We do believe, however, that the preceding Statement of Faith accurately represents the teachings of the Scriptures, and therefore is binding upon all members and those who seek membership. All literature used in the ministries of the church shall be in complete agreement with the Statement of Faith.
