Our Beliefs
The Bible
We believe that the Bible, consisting of the sixty-six canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, was, as originally given, written by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit; that it is verbally inspired of God; that it is inerrant, sufficient, and eternal; and, therefore, the supreme and final authority in faith and life (Psalm 19:7-11, 119:89, II Timothy 3:16-17, II Peter 1:16-21).
God
The Trinity: We believe in the Triune nature of God; that there is but one God existing in three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — Who are co-eternal, co-eval [co-identical in nature], and co-equal (John 16:7-15; I John 5:1-8; Ephesians 2:18).
The Father: We believe that God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the Heavenly Father of all who have come to a saving knowledge of His only begotten Son (John 1:14, 20:17; Romans 4:11; I Peter 1:3-5).
The Son, Jesus Christ: We believe in the absolute Deity of Jesus Christ, His incarnation by means of Holy Spirit begettal and virgin birth, His sinless life and miraculous ministry on earth, His death on the cross as a substitutionary atonement for the sins of all men, His bodily resurrection from among the dead, His exaltation to the right hand of the Majesty on high as Lord, Mediator, Priest, and Advocate, and His personal, premillennial, and imminent return to bring into consummation His work of redemption by ultimate triumph over Satan and his hosts (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-56, 2:1-20; Hebrews 4:15, 7:26; John 3:1-2, 20:30-31; I Corinthians 15:1-28; Hebrews 4:14, 7:25, 9:24).
The Holy Spirit: We believe in the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit, that it is by His energy that sinners are brought under conviction of sin and are drawn to Christ for salvation, that through Him men are regenerated and sanctified, that by Him the saints are indwell with the Divine Presence, and that by His endowment and enduement God’s people are enabled to serve the Lord acceptably. We believe that He is the Divine Witness, Seal, Earnest, Anointing, Guide, Teacher, and Administrator (John 14:26, 16:7-13; Acts 1:5, 8, 2:4; Romans 8:14-27, 15:16; I Corinthians 12:1 – 14:40; II Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30, 5:18; I John 2:20, 27).
Mankind and Sin
We believe that man was originally created by God in His image, but that by disobedience to his Creator he incurred both physical and spiritual death, and that the entire human race was plunged into sin and death; that all men inherit an evil nature and are totally depraved, and if not saved after the day of accountability will endure eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7 – 3:24; Matthew 18:10-14; Romans 5:12, 6:23, 8:5-8; I Corinthians 15:45; Galatians 5:17; II Samuel 12:23; Revelation 20:14-15).
We believe in the universality and exceeding sinfulness of sin and that there is no remission of sins apart from the shedding of the blood of the Son of God and man’s repentance (Ezekiel 18:4; Luke 24:46-47; Romans 3:10-26, 6:23, 7:13-14; Hebrews 9:22; I John 3:4, 5:17); that sin is lawlessness and unrighteousness in both deed and thought; and that sin brings death.
Salvation
The Atonement: We believe in the single substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ for sinners. One for all, and once for all; that salvation is wholly of divine grace apart from any works of merit by the sinner; that it is provided in the atonement of Jesus Christ, wrought by God, and is received by a sinner when he repents toward God and puts his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as his own personal Savior; that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by personal faith as Savior are thereby born again, and have eternal life through the indwelling Christ; that unbelievers will suffer eternally for their sins (Psalm 49:7; Jonah 2:9; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 13:3, 24:46-47; John 1:11-13, 3:16, 18, 36, 5:24, 8:24; Acts 16:31, 17:30-31, 20:20-21; Romans 4:2-5, 5:8, 10:9-10; II Corinthians 5:14; Galatians 6:15; Ephesians 2:8-10; I Timothy 4:10; Titus 3:4-7; Hebrews 10:10; I John 5:11-12; Revelation 21:8).
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 1:5; I John 5:13). 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, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
The Natures of the Believer: We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provisions made for victory of the spiritual nature over the carnal, fleshly, soulish nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and, that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural (Romans 6:13, 8:12-13; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:10; I Peter 1:14-16; I John 3:5-9).
Sanctification: We believe in the positional sanctification of each believer in Christ at the time of salvation, and a practical sanctification which is progressive, depending upon the believer’s appropriation of divine means; and all without a second work of grace (John 17:17; I Corinthians 1:2, 30).
The Church
The Body of Christ: We believe that the Church, the body of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again believers of this present age; and that it was constituted and empowered by the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; that it was purchased with the blood of Christ; that it was founded upon Christ; that its mission is to bear to the ends of the earth a Spirit-filled testimony to the judgement of God and exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:17-18, 28:18-20; Acts 2; I Corinthians 3:11, 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:19-22, 5:25-27; Colossians 1:18).
The Local Church: We believe that the establishment and continuance of independent and autonomous local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures; that a local New Testament church is a body of believers in Christ that have followed the Lord through the waters of baptism, associated together under the direction and government of the Holy Spirit for worship, instruction, fellowship, service, and the spread of the gospel to the uttermost part of the earth; that it is absolutely sovereign, under the administration of the Holy Spirit, in the handling of its own affairs and in determining its own relationship; that its relationship with other ecclesiastical bodies is one of fellowship only (Matthew 16:17-18, 28:18-20; Acts 14:27, 20:17, 28-37; I Corinthians 3:9-17; Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:19-22, 5:25-27; Colossians 1:18; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
Spiritual Gifts: We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and that the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers are sufficient for the edification and perfecting of the saints today. Prophesying and the giving of knowledge beyond that revealed in Scripture ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established; therefore, we will not allow the exercising of any so-called gift of speaking in tongues, extra-Biblical prophesying, or healing; therefore, we are opposed to the “charismatic movement” (Ephesians 2:19-22, 4:7-12; Hebrews 2:2-4). We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted, but that physical healing is not in the atonement (reconciliation) (John 15:7; I John 5:14-15; James 5:13-18).
Dispensationalism: We accept the dispensational view of Bible interpretation, but reject the extreme teaching known as “Hyper-dispensationalism” such as that teaching which opposes either the Lord’s Table or water baptism as a Scriptural means of testimony for the Church in this age (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42, 18:8; I Corinthians 11:23-26).
The End Times
The Blessed Hope: We believe in the pre-tribulational rapture of living church saints and resurrection of dead church saints — at which time both companies will meet the Lord in the air to forever be with Him (I Thessalonians 4:13-18, 5:9; Revelation 3:10).
The Second Advent of Christ: We believe in the pre-tribulational, pre-millennial, personal, imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the air for all the dead and alive in Christ, our “Blessed Hope”; and the post-tribulational visible appearance of the Lord with His saints on the earth to set up His millennial kingdom (Matthew 24:29-30; Luke 1:31-33, with Acts 1:6-7, with Isaiah 11; I Thessalonians 4:16-17, 5:9-10; Jude 14; Revelation 19:11-16).