The following is an abbreviated version of our Statement of Faith.
The Holy Scriptures –We believe the 66 books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life (Psalm 119:89; John 17:17; II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21). Our church uses the King James version of the Bible exclusively in our public services.
The Godhead – We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 14:10, 26; II Corinthians 13:14).
The Person and Work of God the Father – We believe that God the Father, who is rich with both wisdom and knowledge, sits on His throne in heaven as Supreme Creator and Sovereign Ruler of all the universe (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 103:19; Romans 11:33-36; I Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; Revelation 4:11). We believe that God the Father loves the world and has sent forth His Son to be the Redeemer of mankind (John 3:16; 16:27; 20:21; I John 4:9-10, 14). We believe that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, has adopted us as children into His family and has delivered us from the power of darkness (Romans 6:4; 8:15-16; Galatians 1:1; 4:4-6; Colossians 1:12-13).
The Person and Work of Christ – We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; II Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8; I John 3:5). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5; 2:24). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 5:9-10; 7:25; 9:24; I John 2:1-2).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit – We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling, and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14). We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (John 5:18; 14:26; I John 2:20, 27). We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry (Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12).
Salvation – We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19).
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers – 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; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:4-5; Jude 24).
The Church – We believe that the church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons (I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27). We believe that its officers are pastors and deacons whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures (Acts 6:1-6; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-13). We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; I Corinthians 3:4-10, 16; I Peter 5:1-4). We recognize believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:8; I Corinthians 11:23-26).
The Second Advent of Christ – We believe in that “blessed hope,” the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His Church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly millennial kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel (Psalm 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-11; I Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6).
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 20:5-13). We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6).
The Personality of Satan – We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the deceiver of mankind; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 12:9; 20:10).
Creation – We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We believe that the Genesis record of creation is literal, and not allegorical or figurative, that God personally created the heaven and the earth, that He miraculously brought forth all original matter out of nothing, that He actually fashioned all organic forms as specific creations subject to limited changes, that He definitely ordained each to bring forth after its kind, that He formed man (Adam) out of the dust of the ground, not by any process of evolution but by instant action, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man immediately became a living soul, that He created man in the image and likeness of God, that every creative act was complete and perfect in itself and that not one of His creations was conditional upon preceding changes naturally wrought over interminable periods of time. (Genesis 1 – 2; Exodus 20:11; John 1:1-3, 14; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 11:3).
Civil Government – We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and are to be governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other (Matthew 22:21; Acts 4:19 – 5:29; Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 2:13-14).
Human Sexuality – We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. (Genesis 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:20-24; Romans 1:26-29; I Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; I Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23). We believe that the term “marriage” has only one, legitimate meaning, and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, covenantal union, as delineated by Scripture. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God, but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:18; I Timothy 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12).
Family Relationships – We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline (Genesis 1:26-28; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 127:3-5; Proverbs 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-15; Mark 10:6-12; I Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; Hebrews 13:4; I Peter 3:1-7).
Abortion – We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable (Exodus 21:22-25; Psalms 139:14-16: Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:44).
Giving – We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:17-18; I John 3:17).