We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, supernaturally inspired and without error in its original writings, and is the complete and final authority for faith and lifestyle. (II Peter 1:20-21, II Timothy 3:16-17, Matthew 5:18).
We believe that God exists eternally in three persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- and that these three are the one living and true God; Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of the universe. (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1-5, II Corinthians 13:14, Colossians 2:9).
God the Father, by His sovereign choice and out of love for mankind, sent Christ into the world to save sinners (Ephesians 1:3-6).
God the Son, Jesus Christ in the flesh was both God and man, born of a virgin and having lived a sinless life, was crucified and died as a substitute to receive the penalty for our sins, and was raised from the dead as was prophesied in the Scriptures. Later, He ascended to the Father where He is the head and intercessor for the Church, and from where He will return for the Church and from where He will return to earth to set up his kingdom (Romans 4:25, I Corinthians 15:3-4, Hebrews 4:14-16).
God the Holy Spirit is a person, possessing all the divine attributes, convicting men of sin, the need to pursue righteousness, and judgment. He regenerates and indwells all believers, baptizes, fills and seals them at the moment of their salvation, in response to confession of sin and submission to Him.
NOTE: While the Spirit gifts all believers, no one gift is normative or mandatory for all believers, such as speaking in tongues. (John 15:26-27, 16:7-15, I Corinthians 12:4-14, II Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 4:30, 5:18).
We believe that the human race was created in the image of God, and is the object of His love, but fell into sin, thereby incurring both physical and spiritual death (separation from God). Hence all people are sinful by nature and willful choice, under just condemnation before God, without defense or excuse. All who die, both the just and the unjust, await their body’s resurrection. Those who by faith personally acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord are “counted as righteous” and pass immediately into the presence of the Lord and eternal blessing at death. The soul of the unbeliever departs to await judgment, condemned to eternal separation from God in Hell (Genesis 1:26, 3:1-24, John 3:16, Romans 3:23, 4:5, 5:12, II Corinthians 5:6, Ephesians 2:1-12, Philippians 1:23, II Thessalonians 1:8-9, Revelation 20:11-15).
We believe that since in His death the Lord Jesus Christ made a full satisfaction to God for our sins, people are saved from sin’s penalty on the simple and single basis of the Atonement made by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Salvation, described by Jesus as being “born again”, with its forgiveness of sins, its impartation of a new nature, and its hope of eternal life, is entirely apart from a good lifestyle, church affiliation and/or sacrament. Salvation is a gift of God’s Grace, received by faith. A believer’s salvation is secure for all eternity, kept by God, imparted, empowered, assured and made fruitful by the Holy Spirit. It is evidenced by an attitude of love and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. We believe that sin destroys the believer’s fellowship with God and is deserving of God’s loving discipline. (Ephesians 2:8-10, John 1:12, 3:3-7, 5:24, 8:31-32, 10:27-30, 17:15-23, Romans 5:1, 6:1-2, 8:1-17, 38-39, 10:9-10, I Corinthians 11:28-32, Galatians 5:22-23, Hebrews 7:25, 12:8-10, I John 1-5, Jude 1-25)
We believe that it is the purpose of every Christian to mature spiritually through obedience to the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. We pursue this purpose by being a witness to God’s grace by both word and lifestyle, and by seeking to please God by reflecting His character in all we say and do. The local church is a gathering of believers who together with all believers everywhere form the “body of Christ.” The local church is the means by which spiritual nurture occurs and the Gospel is proclaimed, providing both support and balance to individual Christians. The Lord committed two ordinances to the local church, the Lord’s Supper and Believer’s Baptism. It is the responsibility of the church to equip and train its people for ministry and it is the responsibility of each believer to support the work of the Lord. (Matthew 5:16, 25:14-30, 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Romans 12:1-8, Ephesians 4:11-13, Hebrews 10:25)