What We Believe

2010-01-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

1. The Word of God – We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21)

2. The Trinity – We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three Persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption. (Matt 3:16-17; 28:19; John 14:16-17; 15:26; 2 Cor 13:14; Eph 2:13, 18; Heb 9:14; Jude 20-21)

3. God the Father – We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of the human race, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Ex 3:14; Isa 57:15; Matt 28:19-20; Mark 12:29-30; John 1:1-4; 3:16; 4:24; Acts 5:30-31; 1 Cor 13:14; Eph 1:17-23)

4. Jesus Christ – We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We also believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal, visible return to earth. (Isa 7:14; Matt 1:23; 2 Cor 15:1-4; 2 Cor 5:19-20; Heb 1:3; 7:25-27)

5. The Holy Spirit – We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide. (Matt 28:19; John 1:33; 14:16-17; Rom 8:9,14,16,27; Eph 1:13-14; Heb 9:14)

6. Regeneration – We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. (Luke 13:1-5; John 1:12-13; 3:5,18,36; Rom 3:9-20,23; Rom 6:23; Rom 10:8-13; Eph 2:8-13; Titus 3:5-6; 1 Pet 1:25)

7. The Church – We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. (Matt 16:16-18; Luke 24:46-49; Acts 1:8, 2:37-47; Rom 12:4-8; Eph 4:3-12; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 3:1-15; Titus 1:5-9)

8. Christian Conduct – We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well being of his fellow man; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions, and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. (1 Cor 1:8, 10:31-33; 2 Cor 8:1-7; 9:6-8; Eph 4:13-15; Phil 2:15; 1 Pet 2:1-12; 2 Pet 3:14,18)

9. The Ordinances – We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that those two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 3:16; John 3:23; 4:1-2; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; Matt 26:26-29; Luke 22:15-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Matt 28:19-20)

10. Religious Liberty – We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by an ecclesiastical or political authority; that, therefore, the Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions.

11. The Last Things – We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal blessedness of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked. (Isa 13:9-11; Dan 12:1-3; Mal 4:1-3; Matt 24:15-28; Luke 12:35-40; 17:26-30; John 14:1-4; Acts 15:14-18; 1 Cor 15:35-58)