WHAT WE BELIEVE:
1. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES ARE INSPIRED AND INFALLIBLE
We believe the Holy Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament, is the only infallible and authoritative Word of God, given by divine inspiration and devoid of error as originally written. The Bible supplies all the resources necessary for godly living, being totally sufficient in
all matters of faith and conduct. (2 Tim. 3:16,17; 2
Pet.1:20,21; Matt. 4:4; Matt. 5:18; Psa. 19:7-11; Psa. 119:160; John
17:17; 2 Pet. 1:3,4; Rev. 22:18,19)
2. THE TRIUNE GOD
We believe that there is one true God, eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The three persons of the Godhead or Holy Trinity are co-eternal and co-equal. These three are one God, the same in substance and equal in power and glory. We do not ascribe
to modalism, but maintain that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are
distinct persons, united in perfect harmony as the one true God. (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 14:26; Luke
3:21,22)
3. THE PERSON AND WORK OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. We also believe that since the Incarnation our Lord Jesus Christ has possessed a human nature. Hence, He is very God and very man or fully God and fully man. We further
believe in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death on the Cross, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of God the Father, in His personal return to this Earth in power and glory to rule and reign one thousand years. (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; John 1:1-4; Acts 20:28; Phil. 2:5-11; John 2:19-21; Matt. 24:29-31; Rev. 20:4)
4. THE FALLEN NATURE OF MAN
We believe man was created good and upright. But man, by voluntary transgression and disobedience, forfeited his original state of innocence and
uninterrupted communion with God in the Garden of Eden. Man is a
product of the Fall, and as such, is born with a sinful nature and is,
because of his sinfulness, at enmity with God. There is no human
remedy to man’s greatest malady, sin. Lost and fallen man is unable to effect his own salvation from sin. (Gen. 3:1-7; Jer.17:9; Rom. 3:10-18, 23; Rom. 8:7; Eph. 2:2,3; Psa. 143:2)
5. THE REDEMPTION OF FALLEN MAN IS FREELY OFFERED
We believe that God sent His Son in the likeness of human flesh to live the perfect life, thus fulfilling the Law. His Son then died on the Cross of Calvary, bearing the wrath of God against sin, as our substitute. Thus, as
the Last Adam, Jesus Christ both fulfilled the Law on our behalf and
then bore the punishment of the lawbreaker on our behalf. Man’s
redemption is freely offered on the credentials of what Jesus accomplished as the Lamb of God, triumphing over sin and paying sin’s debt through the shedding of His own blood. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. (Eph. 2:8,9; Rom. 6:23; Rev. 22:17; John 4:13,14; John 3:16; 1 Pet. 1:18,19)
6. SALVATION AND ETERNAL LIFE MUST BE INDIVIDUALLY RECEIVED
We believe that in order to partake of the salvation freely provided by Jesus Christ, the sinner must repent and believe that God’s demands of heavenly justice were fully met at the Cross. He must individually receive the Lord
Jesus Christ into his heart as his own personal Savior, enthroning Him
as Lord and King. When a sinner truly believes the Gospel, he passes from death unto life, from condemnation to sonship in the Kingdom of God. (John 1:12; John 3:16; Rom. 10:9; Isa. 55:1-3; John 6:47: Rev.
22:17)
7. EVIDENCE OF SALVATION
We believe that the evidence of one’s salvation is a life of holiness, a life that begins to hunger for the Word of God and prayer, a life that finds great value
in Christian fellowship and a life that longs to bring the saving Gospel of Christ to the unsaved. The Scriptures provide great assurance to the sincere believer in Jesus Christ, to the believer who gratefully seeks to live a life of love, obedience and faith before the One who has provided redemption through His atoning sacrifice on the Cross. (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 2:20; 2 Pet. 1:3,4; Col. 1:10;Titus 2:11-14; Jas. 1:22; 2 Cor. 13:5)
8. THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that every believer should earnestly seek and desire the Promise of the Father, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. While believing that the Holy
Spirit definitely inhabits the heart of every true Christian, we also believe a distinction is made Biblically between being “born of the Spirit” (at conversion) and being “baptized in the Spirit.” The Baptism in the Holy Spirit, with the initial (but not exclusive) physical evidence of speaking in other tongues, is the pattern found throughout the Book of Acts and is intended to empower the Christian to be a more effective witness for the Lord. We firmly believe that the authentic ministry of the Holy Spirit will always point clearly to Jesus as the Living Word. (Matt. 3:11; John
14:16,17; John 16:13,14; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5,8; 2:1-4; 10:44-47;
19:1-9; Eph. 5:18)
9. THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE BELIEVER
We believe that every true Christian embarks upon the path of sanctification, meaning that the believer is set apart for the purposes and pleasure of Almighty God, being conformed day-by-day into the image of Jesus Christ. This involves learning what it means to walk holy before God and the
world. Sanctification is a lifelong process within the heart and life of the believer, hence we do not believe in sinless perfection. But we do believe that victory over sin is the call of every Child of God and is made possible through the glorious benefits of what Christ accomplished on the Cross. (1 Thess.
5:23; Heb. 2:11; Col. 1:10; John 17:17-19; Heb. 9:14; Rom. 6:1,2, Rom. 12:1,2)
10. THE HEALING POWER OF JESUS CHRIST
We believe that the redemptive work of Christ’s atoning sacrifice provides healing of the human body in answer to believing prayer. We are invited in the Word of God to bring our physical infirmities before the omnipotent
God. While we are to come before His throne of grace boldly in
time of need, we also must bow before His sovereign wisdom and design
respecting situations of prolonged affliction. We can experience
the rest, peace and joy of our Lord both in His miraculous healing
touch and in His love and faithfulness during periods of suffering.
(Exod. 15:26; Isa.53:4,5; Matt. 8:17; Mark 5:34; Jas.
5:14-16; 2 Cor. 12:7-10; Gal. 4:13,14; Phil. 4:11-13)
11. THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH
We believe in the Blessed Hope, the Rapture of the Church, when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to gather His own. While a variety of views are offered within the Body of Christ regarding end time events, we believe that we are called to live our lives in light of the imminent coming of our
Lord in the clouds for His beloved Church. (1 Thess.4:13-18; I Cor. 15:51-58; John 14:1-3; Titus 2:13; I John 3:2,3)
12. THE RESURRECTION OF BOTH THE SAVED AND THE LOST
We believe that the soul of every human being will live on throughout eternity, the Christian with the Lord in the Heavenly New Jerusalem and the lost with Satan in the Lake of Fire. The Gospel makes a very clear dividing line between the physical resurrection of the one to everlasting life and the other to everlasting damnation. We do not believe in soul sleep but
rather in the conscious existence of the soul after death, even prior
to the body being raised for the final judgment. (Job 19:25-27; Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2; Matt. 25:46; John 5:28,29; Acts 24:15; Rev. 20:11-15
