Our Doctrine
Authority of Statement of Faith
Authority of Statement of Faith: The doctrine does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the doctrine accurately represents the teachings of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members, staff, and volunteers. All literature, whether print or electronic, used in the church shall be in complete agreement with the doctrine. All activities permitted or performed in any facilities owned, rented, or leased by this church, or engaged in by any member of the church staff (volunteer or paid), and all decisions of the administration of this church shall not conflict with the doctrine. In all conflicts regarding the interpretation of our doctrine, the Elder Board, on behalf of the church, has the final authority.
Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbal, plenary, and inspired Word of God. They are the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, and infallible in all matters of faith (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13).
The God-head
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and bearing the same attributes and perfections. These persons are co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, and co-equal in power and glory (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19-20).
The Doctrine of the Trinity
God is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4) and yet three distinct personalities of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19). The doctrine of the Trinity is a biblical concept. It is seen throughout all of Scripture (Genesis 1:2, 26; Matthew 3:16-17; John 5:18; 8:58). By this and many more throughout the Bible we see that the doctrine of the Trinity is in fact biblical. God is one God yet three co-equal persons within the Trinity that is God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit who are all equally and fully God. In essence: all three members of the God-head or the Trinity are all equally and eternal as God. There is not one over the other or one member more important than the other. They each have their distinct role and yet are one in the same. Eternal generation of the Son and procession of the Spirit: Jesus claimed and taught that He and the Father are one in the same in that He has always existed with the Father (John 8:48-59). The Spirit who is with us till the day of redemption is seen also as eternal as He also is God (Ephesians 4:30).
God the Father
We believe God the Father is an all-powerful, personal being, who is infinite and is outside of time, and He is the one who created us so that we could know Him personally and intimately for the love He has shown for us (Genesis 1:1-2; Matthew 6:9; John 4:4; 1 John 4:7-8; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11). Who is God? God is like no other for He is a personal God who is outside of time and eternity, our LORD and Creator who exists as one God yet has three distinct personalities: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, known as the God-head or the Holy Trinity.
God the Son
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. Without ceasing to be God, he became a man – conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary – in order that he might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1-2,14; Luke 1:35).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for all mankind as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that the sufficiency of this atoning sacrifice to accomplish the redemption and justification of all who trust in him is assured by his literal and physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25; 4:25; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Timothy 4:10; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Peter 2:24; 1:3-5; and 2 Peter 2:1).
God the Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; who is the supernatural agent in regeneration; and who baptizes all believers into the body of Christ, dwells within them, and seals them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 1:6; Titus 3:5).
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the divine teacher who guides believers into all truth, and that it is the privilege of all the saved to be filled with the Holy Spirit (John 16:13; 1 John 2:20, 27; Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:22-23).
The Human Condition
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell. Consequently, man has inherited a sinful nature, has been alienated from God, is totally depraved, and is utterly unable to remedy his lost condition on his own (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3,12).
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God and as such God created them male and female in His image. Therefore, we believe God instituted marriage between one man and one woman (Genesis 2; Ephesians 5).
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, whose precious blood shed on the Cross for the forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
Assurance of Salvation
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; Romans 8:1,38-39; Philippiana 1:6; 1 Corinthians 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, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as justification for sin (Romans 6:1-2, 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
Sanctification
We believe that every saved person stands positionally sanctified (set apart unto God) at the moment of salvation, yet still possesses a sinful nature that will not be completely eradicated in this life. Provision has been made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the believer will grow more complete in Christ through the process of personal sanctification, resulting in a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, a lifestyle of worship as a living sacrifice, and a deeper passion to serve Christ and His Church (John 17:17; Romans 6:13; 8:12-13; 12:1-2; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 John 3:5-9).
We believe every saved person should desire to live in such a manner as to not bring reproach upon Christ – through separating oneself from all religious apostasy and increasingly denying sinful pleasures, practices and associations that appeal to the old nature – until the day the believer stands complete in the presence of Christ and shall be “like Him” (Colossians 1:28, 3:5-7; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 2:11-12; Romans 14:13; 1 John 2:15-17, 3:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-7:1).
The 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 soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Revelation 20:4-6; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; 1 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. They 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; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:11-15).
We believe in the “Blessed Hope,” the personal and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ. All believers will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, before He appears in visible form to set up His Kingdom on this earth (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-14; Zechariah 14:4; Micah 4:1-7; Revelation 19:11, 20:6).
The Church
We believe that the Church, which is the body and the bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2).
We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free of any external authority or control, although submitted to Christ as the ultimate authority and His Word as the final rule of faith. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1,4; 1 Corinthians 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
We believe in the ordinances of believer’s water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as scriptural means of testimony for the church age (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
We believe that the purpose of the church is to display and proclaim Christ among all peoples to the glory and worship of God (I Peter 2:9, Romans 15:6, Revelation 1:6, Acts 1:8).
