The Word of God: We believe that the Bible is God's Word, His written revelation to man. Fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts, it is the sole basis for our beliefs and practices. It is necessary and fully sufficient in all matters of Christian faith and purpose, and is the supreme and final authority for the church. 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Mark 13:31; Acts 20:32.
The Godhead: We believe that there is one living and true God, an infinite, all knowing spirit, and perfect in all His attributes. God is one in essence, yet eternally existing in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, each of whom possess all the attributes of Deity, and each equally deserving worship and obedience. These three are equal in every divine perfection, yet they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of providence and redemption. Genesis 1:1, 26; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 3; John 4:24; Romans 1:19, 20; Ephesians 4:5-6.
God the Father: We believe in God the Father, the first person of the Trinity. As Creator, He is Father of all men, but He is a spiritual Father only to believers. We believe that He decrees and orders all things that come to pass for His own purposes and glory. We believe that He upholds, directs and governs all creatures and events. We believe that He has graciously chosen from eternity past those who would get saved. We believe that He graciously involves Himself 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 faith in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:11, Luke 10:21-22; Matthew 23:9; John 1:12, 3:16, 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:1,2; 2:5,6; 1 Peter 1:3.
Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, is eternally God, possesses all the divine attributes, and in these He is coequal with God the Father. He became man when He was conceived by the Spirit and was born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, purchased our redemption through His sacrificial and substitutionary death, was raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven. Jesus Christ is now seated at the right hand of God, and is our Advocate before our heavenly Father. Jesus Christ will visibly and bodily return to the earth to gather the church to Himself, judge the world, and rule over God's Kingdom on earth. Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; Romans 8:46, 9:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:21-23; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; Hebrews 7:25, 9:28; 1 Timothy 3:16.
The Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is eternally God, and is coequal with God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He regenerates, seals, sanctifies and glorifies all those who were chosen to believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that He indwells all believers, empowering them for Christ-like living, and guaranteeing them the promise of being in heaven. The Holy Spirit is a believer's necessary and abiding helper, teacher, comforter and guide. John 14:16, 17:26, 15:26, 27; 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 1:14.
Man: God created man in His own image, with a rational nature and intelligence, and with a moral responsibility to God. God's intention in the creation of man was that man should enjoy God's fellowship, fulfill God's purposes on earth, and glorify Him forever. But through Adam's original sin all people have inherited a corrupt sin nature and are born spiritually dead, resulting in a total inability to please God or to come to Him. All those who continue in this lost and sinful state until physical death will be rightfully and eternally punished in hell, in the lake of fire. Genesis 1:27; Romans 5:12-14; Ephesians 2:1; Matthew 25:30, Revelation 20:11-15.
Salvation: Man's salvation from sin, death and hell, is wholly by God's grace, and not on the basis of human behavior, merit or works. Salvation is accomplished by God the Father, who chooses those who are to be saved, by Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection, and by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in an individual's life. When a person repents of his sin and places his trust in Christ alone, he is then declared righteous and holy in God's sight. All Christians, through the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, are assured of their salvation, and will be immediately taken to heaven at the point of death, or when Christ returns and raptures the church. Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 1:4-7, 2:8-9; Luke 23:42-43; 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18
Church: We believe that the church, the spiritual body of Jesus Christ, is comprised of all those who place their faith in Jesus Christ. The purpose of the church is to worship God, love and edify one another, preach the gospel, contend for the faith, and make disciples of all the nations. The church is to meet together for teaching, fellowship, prayer and communion. Jesus Christ, as the head and chief shepherd of the church, leads the church through designated officers called elders, who are to spiritually feed, care for, and oversee the believers. We believe that the local church is autonomous, and has the right of self government.
God has given two ordinances to the church, baptism and communion. In baptism, the believer is immersed in water, showing forth his faith in and union with the crucified, buried and risen Savior. Communion is the remembrance and proclamation of Christ's death, and is to be regularly observed by all true believers until Christ comes again. 1 Timothy 3:15; Ephesians 1:22-23; Acts 2:42; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Peter 5:1-2; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Our Future Hope: A Christian's hope and future is that he will live with Jesus Christ forever in heaven, be with all the angels and saints, gain an imperishable and undefiled inheritance, and possess a perfect, glorified, and immortal body. The Christian at death, will immediately go to heaven, where he will forever be with Christ, and enjoy conscious and joyous fellowship with Him. The souls of the unsaved, at physical death, will be and will remain in constant torment until the final judgment, at which time, their body and soul will be reunited and cast into the lake of fire, where they will be punished forever.
At the end of this present church age, Jesus Christ will personally and visibly return to the earth. He will rapture all believers living on earth up to heaven, pour out His wrath upon unbelievers who remain on the earth, and then, from the city of Jerusalem, begin His 1000 year reign over the world. 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18; 1 Peter 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44; Luke 16:19-31; Revelation 7-8, 20:11-15, 20.