TABLE OF CONTENTS
BIBLE
We believe the bible is the absolutely infallible, inerrant, and inspired word of God. Matthew 5:18 ; 2 Timothy 3:16 Every word was placed there by Him through the inspiration of holy men of God who were moved by the spirit to write His word. Matthew 5:18 ; 2 Timothy 3:16 ; 2 Peter 1:21 There are no errors or discrepancies and we believe that the bible is timeless being relevant not only in the past but also in the present and the future. Matthew 5:18 ; Matthew 24:35 We believe the bible needs no further textual addition nor update or modernization - it applies to everybody, everywhere, for all time.Psalm 33:11 ; Psalm 100:5 ; Psalm 111:7-111:8 ; Isaiah 59:21 ; 2 Timothy 3:16-3:17 ; 2 Peter 1:3 We believe that God has promised to preserve His word through the Hebrew and Greek text and that the King James Version is the preserved Word of God in English.
GOD
We believe that there is one true God who has existed from eternity past and will exist into eternity future. Deuteronomy 6:4 ; Psalm 90:2 We believe He is the creator of all things and that by Him and through Him all things are composed. Romans 11:36 ; Ephesians 3:9 ; Colossians 1:17-1:18 We believe that God was the same at the beginning, is the same now, and will be the same for eternity Psalm 90:1-90:2 ; James 1:7 – He is unchangeable and perfect being omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Job 36:4 ; Jeremiah 23:34 ; Psalm 139:1-139:14 ; Matthew 28:18 ; John 10:29 ; Romans 11:33 We believe that God exists in three persons and that these three are inseparable and coequal: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Genesis 1:26 ; Matthew 28:19 ; Matthew 3:16-3:17 ; Matthew 22:41-22:45 ; Hebrews 1:1-1:3 ; 1 John 5:7 We believe God is immutable, Malachi 3:6 holy, Exodus 15:11 ; 1 Samuel 2:2 and loving Jeremiah 31:3 revealing Himself to mankind through His word John 14:7-14:9 ; Hebrews 1:3 so that we may accept His gift of salvation and enter into an eternal relationship with Him. Micah 6:8 ; 1 John 5:13
JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God Matthew 8:29 ; Matthew 26:63 ; Matthew 27:54 ; Mark 1:1 ; Mark 5:7 ; John 9:35 ; John 11:4 ; John 13:31 ; John 20:31 ; Acts 3:13 ; Acts 8:37 ; 1 Corinthians 1:9 ; 2 Corinthians 1:19 ; Hebrews 4:14 ; 1 John 4:15 ; 1 John 5:5-5:20 ; 2 John 1:3 existing from eternity past to eternity future, Hebrews 13:8 born of the Virgin Mary Matthew 1:18 ; Matthew 1:20 ; Matthew 9:6 ; Matthew 16:13 ; Philippians 2:7 and conceived by the Holy Ghost being 100% man Matthew 1:23 and 100% God.Matthew 1:20 ; Matthew 1:23 ; Matthew 22:41-22:45 ; John 10:30 ; Philippians 2:6 ; Hebrews 1:1-1:3 We believe that Jesus Christ took the payment of our sin by His sacrifice on the cross, Romans 5:15 ; 1 Corinthians 15:21 ; 2 Corinthians 5:21 ; Hebrews 9:26 died and rose again victorious over sin, death, and Hell, John 2:19-2:21 ; 1 Corinthians 15:55-15:57 ; 2 Timothy 1:10 and ascended into heaven where He serves as the High PriestHebrews 3:1 ; Hebrews 4:14-4:15 ; Hebrews 5:1-5:10 ; 1 John 2:1-2:2 and Advocate on our behalf being the only way to the Father.
HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit as part of the trinity of God and co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. Matthew 10:20 ; 1 Corinthians 6:11 ; 1 Corinthians 3:16 ; 1 Corinthians 2:11 ; Hebrews 9:14 ; 1 John 5:7 We believe the Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus Christ and came forth from the Father to indwell and seal the believer at the moment of salvation. John 15:26 ; John 16:7 ; Romans 8:9 ; 1 Corinthians 3:16 ; 1 Corinthians 6:19 ; Ephesians 1:13-1:14 ; Ephesians 4:30 ; 1 John 3:24 ; 1 John 4:13 We believe the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and judgment John 16:8-16:13 while drawing mankind to salvation. John 6:44 ; John 6:65 ; Hebrews 3:7-3:8 We believe He empowers believers who yield themselves completely to God playing an active role in the sanctification of believers throughout their lives through the giving of discernment, conviction, comfort, and dividing of spiritual gifts in exercising Christian service. Psalm 38:1-38:4 ; John 16:13 ; Acts 13:2 ; Romans 8:26 ; Romans 9:1 ; Romans 15:13 ; Romans 15:16 ; Romans 15:19 ; Galatians 5:18 ; Galatians 5:22 ; Ephesians 5:9 ; Ephesians 5:18 ; 1 Corinthians 2:4 ; 1 Corinthians 2:10 ; 1 Corinthians 6:11 ; 1 Corinthians 12:11 ; 2 Corinthians 3:18 ; 2 Thessalonians 2:13 ;1 Peter 1:2 ; 1 John 5:6
SATAN
We believe that Satan is a real being that has fallen as a result of pride and is devoid of truth. We believe he is in direct opposition to God’s will and plan, that he is inferior to God, and is in constant warfare against Christians to destroy the gospel from upon the earth through confusion, sin, and destroying the testimony of those who are saved. Job 1:2 ; Isaiah 14:13-14:15 ; Luke 22:31 ; John 8:44 ; 2 Corinthians 4:4 ; Ephesians 6:11-6:12 ; 1 Peter 5:8 ; Revelation 12:9 We believe Satan is currently the ruler of this world but that he will ultimately lose the battle with the Father, will be chained in Hell during the Millennial reign, will be loosed for a season, and then will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity. Jude 1:6 ; Matthew 13:39 ; 2 Peter 2:4 ; Revelation 20:10 ; Revelation 12:9
MAN
Creation of Man
We believe in God’s creation of man as described in Genesis as inerrant and absolute. We believe that all that exists was created by God within those first six days and that all creation was made perfect by Him. We believe that man was made in God’s image, given free will, and given rule over the rest of creation. Genesis 1:26 ; Genesis 1:31 ; Genesis 2:1 ; Joshua 24:15 ; Ecclesiastes 7:29
Fall of Man
We believe that original man was made perfect and sinless in God’s image but was given the choice to obey God (thereby pleasing Him) or to disobey God (thereby displeasing Him) and chose to disobey. Genesis 4:7 ; Joshua 24:15 We believe that sin entered the world through man’s fall in the Garden of Eden and since that time man is born of sin with a sin nature. We believe that just as it was man’s choice to obey God in the Garden of Eden it is man’s choice now whether to accept God’s gift of salvation.Ecclesiastes 7:20 ; Romans 3:23 ; Romans 5:12 ; Romans 5:15-5:20 ; Revelation 22:17 We believe the individual who accepts God’s offer will spend eternity in heaven with the Father but that those who do not will be cast into a place of fire and torment called Hell. We believe that Hell is a literal place, that all unbelievers will go there, and that ultimately death and Hell will be cast into the lake of fire to suffer God’s judgment for all eternity. Luke 16:19-16:31 ; John 3:16 ; Revelation 20:10 ; Revelation 20:14 ; Revelation 20:15
Destiny of Man
We believe that the soul of those who are saved will immediately upon death be with the Lord in His presence and there will remain until the resurrection of their body at the Lord’s coming. We believe that, at that time, soul and body will be reunited and translated being with God for eternity in His presence.John 3:16 ; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5:8 ; 1 Thessalonians 4:17 ; 1 Thessalonians 15:35-15:53
We believe that the soul of those who are unsaved will immediately upon death be placed in the misery of hell until the time of the Great White Throne of judgment at the end of the millennium. We believe that, at that time, soul and body will be reunited and cast into the lake of fire to be separated from God for eternity. Mark 9:42-9:50 ; Luke 16:19-16:31 ; 2 Peter 2:9 ; Revelation 20:11-20:15
SALVATION
We believe that God created a way for man to be reunited with Him by the salvation presented through the shed blood of Christ on the cross. John 3:16 ; Romans 3:24-3:26 We believe salvation is free, it is a gift, its grace can be imparted only by God (through the shed blood of Jesus Christ), and it excludes any possibility of man gaining it on his own. Ephesians 2:8-2:9 ; 2 Timothy 1:9 ; Titus 3:5 We believe that salvation is open to all men and that God draws man through the convicting work of the Spirit and His word but that many will choose to reject that drawing conviction. Matthew 7:13 ; Matthew 10:33 ; Matthew 23:37 ; John 1:12 ; John 6:44 ; John 16:18 ; Acts 10:43 ; Romans 1:18 We believe that salvation is eternal and once man is truly saved that salvation cannot be lost. John 3:16 ; James 10:27-10:29 We believe there is one way and one only to salvation and that is through Jesus Christ and the remission of sin through His shed blood: a person must admit that they are a sinner, that their sin has earned them eternal separation from God in Hell, that they cannot be saved through their own works but that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again to provide that gift, and they must receive by faith God’s gift of salvation. Ecclesiastes 7:20 ; John 3:16 ; Acts 2:38 ; Acts 16:31 ; Romans 3:10 ; Romans 3:23 ; Romans 10:9-10:10
THE LORD’S RETURN
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ will return at a time appointed in bodily, visible, and audible form at the pre-millennial rapture. We believe that at that time all believers, dead and alive, will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, that the rapture could occur at any time the Lord chooses, and that He has not divulged that timing to man. Acts 1:11 ; Philippians 3:20-3:21 ; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-4:17 ; 1 Thessalonians 5:2 ; James 5:7-5:8 ; 1 John 2:28 ; Revelation 3:11 We believe that after the rapture the world will enter a period of tremendous tribulation to be followed by the second coming of the Lord on earth in the great battle and establishment of the millennial reign. We believe that during that time Satan will be chained but will be loosed for a season at the end of the millennium, will gather an army to battle the Lord which will be the last battle and will result in Satan being cast into the lake of fire for eternity.Revelation 16:16 ; Revelation 20:1-20:4 ; Revelation 20:7-20:9 ; Revelation 20:11-20:20
THE CHURCH
We believe that Christ founded the church with the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission – to lead souls to Christ, baptize them, and disciple them. Matthew 28:19-28:20 ; Mark 16:15 ; Acts 1:8 We believe the church is made up of a group of baptized believers in whom Christ dwells, is a local, visible assembly, and that all individuals who are saved and part of the body of Christ should also be a part of a local church. We believe that the church is responsible for worship, evangelism, education, administration of ordinances, and, if necessary, discipline while being independent (self-governing) falling under the authority of Jesus Christ and God’s word. Matthew 16:16-16:18 ; Acts 2:41 ; Ephesians 2:20 ; Colossians 1:18 ; Colossians 1:24 ; Hebrews 10:25 ; 1 Peter 2:7 We believe the local church body is made up of Pastor(s), deacon(s), and individual members and that the requirements for membership are that the individual be scripturally saved and baptized. Acts 2:42-2:46 ; Philippians 1:1 ; 1 Timothy 3:1-3:13 ; Titus 1:5-1:9
ORDINANCES
We believe it is the responsibility of the local church to administer the only two ordinances which accompany the gospel – baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Matthew 28:19 ; Matthew 28:20
Baptism
We believe baptism is an outward demonstration of a saving profession of faith. It is neither a requirement for salvation nor a substitute for a profession of faith but rather a first step of obedience in that faith. It is an identification of the believer with Christ by immersion in water symbolizing the death, burial, resurrection, and new life of Christ as demonstrated also in the new life of the believer. Acts 8:36-8:38 ; Romans 6:3-6:4 ; Ephesians 2:8-2:9 ; Titus 3:5
The Lord’s Supper
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of the death of Christ to be conducted as a remembrance of Him until He returns. We believe in “open communion” meaning that those who partake in the Lord’s Supper must do so worthily – be scripturally saved, baptized, and in close fellowship with Christ having an open and cleansed heart. Luke 22:19 ; 1 Corinthians 11:23-11:32
SEPARATION
We believe that believers, as ambassadors of Christ, have been set apart from the world in the furtherance of the gospel to be a shining light bringing God’s glory to the world. Psalm 1:1 ; Matthew 5:13-5:16 ; Romans 12:1-12:2 ; 2 Corinthians 5:20 ; 2 Corinthians 6:17 ; 1 John 2:15-2:17 We believe that God calls for believers to separate from sin, self, and Satan avoiding intimate relationships with those of this world and the appearance of worldly desires overpowering Godly desires. We believe that God has called the local church to follow the same principle separating themselves “unto the praise of His glory” distinct from other organizations that do not hold to the same faith and practice at the organizational level. Romans 16:17 ; Galatians 2:20 ; Galatians 5:24 ; Galatians 6:14 ; Ephesians 1:1-2 ; Ephesians 1:12 ; Ephesians 1:14 ; Philippians 1:20-1:21