We Believe

STATEMENT OF FAITH

  1. WE BELIEVE in the verbal and complete inspiration by God of the original autographs of the 66 books of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, the only infallible rule of faith and practice and that they supersede any law of man to the contrary. We affirm that the Scriptures as described above are, inerrant and sufficient. (Isaiah 28:13; Nehemiah 8:8; John 17:17; Acts 5:29; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Peter 1:21).
  2. WE BELIEVE in one God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Hebrews 9:14).
    1. We believe in the person of God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love; 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 those who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2; Psalm 102:27; John 4:24; 1 Timothy 1:17; Titus 1:3).
    2. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, one person, fully God and fully man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a perfect and sinless life, attested to His person and work by many miracles, died a substitutionary death for man, was buried, rose bodily from the dead on the third day, ascended to the right and of God where He is our High Priest and Mediator.  (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23; Mark 16:19; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-2; John 8:58; John 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 1:2; Revelation 1:8).
    3. We believe that the Holy Spirit is God, that He came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ (Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 3:18; John 16:8-11; Romans 15:13,16; Hebrews 9:14).
  3. We believe that God loves all men. But man, through sinful inheritance and choice, is alienated from God and is rightly under God’s judgment; and that God saves men through the sacrificial, substitutionary death of Jesus Christ for man, and that all who believe in Him are justified, wholly apart from human merit and works on the ground of His shed blood and resurrection. (John 3:16; Acts 8:15-17; Romans 1:18; 5:9-10, Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
  4. We believe the true Church is composed of all persons who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments (water baptism and communion) are administered in their integrity; where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained.  For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:15-16, 5:26-27; Philippians 3:20-21).
    1. We believe Christ is the head and chief cornerstone of the Church, and earthly leadership is trusted to Godly men to fill the offices of Elder and Deacon. We believe in the laying on of hands for the ordination of pastors, elders, and deacons (Acts 6:6, 1 Peter 2:5-9, Ephesians 1:22-23,4:15).
    2. We believe the church exists in the world today as the visible expression of Jesus Christ, sent by Him to evangelize the world, both locally, and globally by proclaiming salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone as Lord and by living as His servants among men. (Matthew 28:19-20; Eph. 1:22-23)
    3. We believe key functions of the Church are administering Communion, the baptism of confessing new believers, and the teaching of the word of God for the edification and growth of believers. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Matthew 28:19, 2 Timothy 4:2)
  5. We believe the current sinful state of the world will be brought to a final close by the Lord Jesus.
    1. We believe in the rapture of the Church, the coming of Jesus Christ in the air to take believers, living and dead, to be with Him in heaven. (Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 21:36; Romans 1:18, 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 2 Peter 2:7-9; Revelation 5:7-10, 7:13-14).
    2. We believe in the Second Coming, the bodily, visible, personal coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to earth at the end of the Tribulation period to establish His millennial kingdom on earth, in the final judgment and bodily resurrection of all men, the wicked to endless suffering and separation from God in a literal hell, and the righteous to eternal blessedness in the presence of God in a literal heaven. (Matthew 16:27; Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11-16, 20: 11-15; Matthew 5:3, 25:31-34; Hebrews 12:23; 1 Peter 1:4; Psalm 9:17; Matthew 5:22, 18:9; Luke 12:5)
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