Statement of Faith

The Bible
We believe the sixty-six books of the Bible to be the only inspired, the only infallible, the only exclusive rule of faith, and the only inerrant authoritative word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible is absolutely without error in the original documents. The contents of every book are nothing less than the Word of God (1 Corinthians 2:7-14; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

God
We believe in one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-7; 1 Corinthians 8:4), eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (1John 5:7; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14) – each equally deserving worship and obedience.

Jesus Christ
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1,14; John 10:30; John 14:9; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9), in His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; 25; Luke 1:26-35), in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood (John 10:15; Romans 3:24-25; Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24), in His bodily resurrection (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:38-39; Acts 2:30-31; Romans 4:25; Romans 8:34), in His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:24; 1 John 2:1), and in His personal return in power and glory (Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20).

Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person of the same nature as God the Father and the Son. He was active in the creation. He convicts men of sin. He restrains the evil one until God's purpose is fulfilled. He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. We believe the Holy Spirit is the divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth. All who are saved can and should be filled with the Spirit. (John 6:63; II Cor. 3:6; Rom. 8:11; I Pet. 3:18; Eph. 5:18).

The Gospel
Jesus Christ is the gospel. The good news is revealed in his birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Christ’s crucifixion is the heart of the gospel, his resurrection is the power of the gospel, and his ascension is the glory of the gospel. Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins. It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases his holy wrath. It also demonstrates his mysterious love and reveals his amazing grace. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5). There is no other name by which men must be saved (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). At the heart of all sound doctrine is the cross of Jesus Christ and the infinite privilege that redeemed sinners have of glorifying God because of what he has accomplished. Therefore, we want all that takes place in our hearts, churches, and ministries to proceed from and be related to the cross.

Salvation
We believe salvation is the gift of God, given to man by grace (not earned by man's efforts) and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 2:8-10; John 1:12; Eph. 1:7). We believe the regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for the salvation of lost and sinful man (John 3:3) and in His present ministry by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. The Holy Spirit also sanctifies, instructs, and seals them unto the day of redemption (Romans 8:9-11; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 5:18; Ephesians 1:13). We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation (John 14:16-17; Romans 8:10-11, 19-23; 2 Corinthians 4:14; Daniel 12:2; John 5:29; Revelation 20:13-15).

The Church
We believe that all who put their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body (1 Corinthians 12:12-13), the church/Bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-32; Revelation 19:7-8), of which Christ is the head.( Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 4:15; Colossians 1:18) The purpose of the church is to glorify God (Ephesians 3:21) by building its members up in the faith (Ephesians 4:13-16), by instruction of the Word (2 Timothy 2:2, 15:2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17), by fellowship (Acts 2:47; 1 John 1:3), by keeping the ordinances of the water baptism and the Lord's supper (Luke 22:19; Acts 2:38-42), and by advancing and communicating the gospel to the entire world (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8). The formation of the church, the Body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21; 38-47) and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture (1Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

The Responsibility of Believers
We believe Christians should live not in light of the moment, but in light of eternity, realizing that things are often not what they appear and that the true treasures are those which will last for eternity (2 Cor. 4:18; Matt. 6:19-25). We should all seek to walk in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon our Lord and Savior, who commands separation from sinful practices (Romans 12:1-2; 14: 2 Cor. 6:14; 7:1). It is the obligation of every believer to witness by deed and by word to the truths of Holy Scriptures and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all the world (Acts 1:8). It is the responsibility of all believers to remember the work of the Lord in prayer and to support it with their assets of time, gifting and money (I Cor. 16:2). Believers in Christ should be the first to reach out to the poor and needy, and to defend the defenseless in the name of and for the sake of our Lord (Psalm 82:2-4; Proverbs 31:8-9; Matt. 25:31-46).