Our Beliefs
We believe in the Bible as the verbally (every word) and plenary (completely) inspired Word of God as contained in the original scripts; that all portions of Scripture are equally inspired and contain no contradiction; that the Scriptures are to be the only rule of faith and practice for the believer in Jesus Christ; and that the Canon, the sixty-six books of the Bible, is complete. Nothing shall be added to it nor taken from it. We further believe that God has preserved His Word for English-speaking peoples in the Authorized (King James) Version. Psalm 12:6,7; II Timothy 3:16,17; Hebrews 1:1; II Peter 1:20,21; Revelation 22:18,19
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections, and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience. We believe in God, the Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power. I rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. Genesis 1:1,26; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 40:8,12,13,22; 41:4; 42:5,8; 43:10,11; 44:6; 46:9,10; Malachi 3:6; John 1:1; 8:58; 14:16,17,26; Romans 11:33; 19:9-13; I Timothy 3:16
We believe in the essential deity, virgin birth, and sinless life of our Lord Jesus Christ; that He was begotten by the Holy Spirit; born of the virgin Mary, not having a human father, and is true God and true man; that He is man’s only hope of salvation from sin, being the only mediator between God and man; that He made atonement for the sins of the world by His death. We believe in His burial and bodily resurrection the third day according to the Scripture, and His ascension into heaven, where He is now at the right hand of God making intercession for us; that His return for His Church (the Body of Christ, which He will take with Himself into Heaven) is imminent; that He will come to this earth to set up His millennial reign. Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 12:38-40; Mark 15:16-16:20; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-4; 10:30; 14:6; Acts 1:1-11; Hebrews 1:3; 4:14-16; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Timothy 2:5,6; Revelation 20:4-6
We believe the Holy Spirit to be co-equal with the Father and with the Son. The Holy Spirit is a Person who came to this earth as the fulfillment of Christ’s promise, and convicts, regenerates, indwells, seals, empowers, and guides the believer. John 3:3-5; 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 1:13,14; 5:18
We believe that God created man in His own image and that man sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is conscious and eternal separation from God. We believe that all men are born with a sinful nature, evidence by sinful acts; that man is totally depraved; and that if he is not born again, he is eternally lost. Genesis 1:26, 27; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Luke 16:23; Romans 3:10-23; 5:12; I Corinthians 15:21, 22; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8
We believe that a person is saved, or born again, when he repents of sin and exercises faith by accepting Jesus Christ as his or her personal Saviour. The believer is kept by the power of God and is eternally secure in Christ. We believe that the scope of salvation includes forgiveness of all our sins past, present, and future; a perfect standing before God as in Jesus Christ; and the changing of our earthly body to be conformed like unto the body of our Lord at His return for His own. We believe that the condition either of reconciliation or enmity toward God is eternally fixed at death. We further believe that there is an appointed day for the judgment of the wicked when they will be cast into the lake of fire, there to remain in everlasting conscious punishment and torment. John 1:12; 3:18-36; 5:24; 10:29, 30; Romans 6:23; 8:19-23; II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8, 9: II Thessalonians 1:7-9; II Timothy 1:7-9; Hebrews 9:27; II Peter 2:9; I John 3:2; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8
We believe that the universal church is composed of all true believers in Jesus Christ starting with the earthly ministry of Christ and continuing until the coming of the Lord for the Church. The Body of Christ is called the universal Church, of which Christ is the Head. When this Body is complete, the Lord will come for it and take it to Himself as His Bride. There is, however, no Biblical expression of this Body on earth, being manifested in any way, except through the local assemblies of called-out believers. We believe that the Local Church is:
- Composed of a local group of believers which is autonomous, self-governing, and has no ecclesiastical organization in authority over it; b. Composed of believers who are baptized by immersion after salvation; c. Composed of believers who are organized. They have for their officers Pastors and Deacons, d. Composed of believers who meet regularly for fellowship, worship, and Biblical study; e. Composed of believers who observe the ordinances of baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper; and, f. Composed of believers who carry out the great commission. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:11 2; 4; 5:29; 6:1-7; I Corinthians 11:23, 24; 12:12-31; Ephesians 4:1-16; I Thessalonians 4:13-19; Hebrews 10:25
We believe that Satan is a person. He was created perfect but sinned and became the archenemy of God and His creation. He is the chief adversary of God’s children. He seeks to keep man from the Lord, and when he cannot succeed in this, he seeks to weaken the testimony of Christians. He has at his command a great host of fallen angels (demons) to carry out his purposes. He is not omnipotent and can be overcome by the power of God. His doom is sealed in the lake of fire forever and ever. Ezekiel 2:12-19; Isaiah 14:12-14; Revelation 12:10; 20:10
We believe that there will be a resurrection of all, first the just at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and, finally, the unjust after the millennium. The saints are raised to be forever with the Lord, and the unsaved will be confined for eternity to the lake of fire. We believe in the “Blessed Hope” which is the personal, bodily, pre-tribulational, pre-millennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Saviour for His Church (the rapture), and His later return to the earth in power and glory with His saints to set up His kingdom (the millennium). Matthew 24; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:8-11; 24:15; I Corinthians 15:3-20; Philippians 3:20-21; II Thessalonians 2:1-8
We believe that all born-again Christians have a perfect standing in Christ and that they should purpose in their hearts to make their walk conform to that standing. We believe that we are justified by faith alone but that a separated life and Christian service are the outgrowth of salvation. Grace teaches good works and does not give license to sin. The Christian will be judged for his works over and above the gift of salvation. We believe that we are called with a holy calling to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, and so to live in the Spirit that we shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh; but the flesh, being still with us to the end of our earthly pilgrimage, needs to be kept continually in subjection to Christ or it will surely manifest its presence to the dishonor of His name. Victorious living is possible only in the proportion of our yieldedness to Him. Romans 3:20-31; 5:1; 6:1-13; 8:1-13, 35-39; 12:1, 2; II Corinthians 5:17; 6:17, 18; Ephesians 2:10; 4:1; Titus 2:11-14; I John 2:15
