Our Doctrine

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.

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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).

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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).

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God the Father

We believe God the Father is an all-powerful, personal being, infinite and outside of time. 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).

God is like no other for He is a personal God who is outside of time and eternity, our LORD and Creator, existing as one God yet with three distinct personalities: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, known as the God-head or the Holy Trinity.

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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 to 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 2:24-25; 2 Peter 2:1).

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God the Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit:

• Convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11)
• Is the supernatural agent in regeneration
• Baptizes all believers into the body of Christ and dwells within them (1 Corinthians 12:12-14)
• Seals believers unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14)
• Guides believers into all truth (John 16:13; 1 John 2:20,27)
• Empowers believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:22-23)

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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 male and female in God’s image. Therefore, God instituted marriage between one man and one woman (Genesis 2; Ephesians 5).

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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; Philippians 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 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).

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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
• 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)

Believers should live in a manner that does not bring reproach upon Christ, separating themselves from religious apostasy and denying sinful pleasures until standing complete in His presence (Colossians 1:28, 3:5-7; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 2:11-12; Romans 14:13; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 6:14-7:1).

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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).

The souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, in conscious bliss, awaiting the first resurrection when soul and body are reunited (Luke 23:43; Revelation 20:4-6; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

The souls of unbelievers remain in conscious misery until the second resurrection and judgment, being cast into the Lake of Fire for 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 visibly sets up His Kingdom on 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).

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