The Scriptures
We believe in the verbal inspiration and authority of the Scriptures. We believe that the Bible consists of only sixty-six books (Genesis through Revelation) and is the source of our faith and practice. We believe that God breathed the very words of Scripture and superintended the men whom He chose in the process of writing the Scriptures. We believe that God has preserved His Word for His people. We believe the King James Bible to be the inerrant, preserved, infallible, inspired Word of God for the English-speaking people. The Old and New Testament Scriptures were written by human authors divinely inspired, preserved, unbroken, and passed down to us today. (II Timothy 3:16; John 10:35; II Peter 1:19-21; Psalm 119:89)
The One True God
We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, the maker and supreme ruler of Heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Genesis 17:1; Exodus 20:2-3, 15:11; Psalm 83:18, 90:2, 147:5; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 28:19; Mark 12:30; John 4:24, 10:30, 15:26, 17:5; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 11:23; I Corinthians 12:10-11, 8:6, 12:4-6; II Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18, 4:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 1:17; I John 5:7; Revelation 4:11)
The Son of God
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, eternal with the Father, was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a virgin, and is both the Son of God and God the Son. He is both true man and true God; one person with two natures; tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1, 2, 14; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 4:14-15)
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person; equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of judgment and of righteousness; that He bears witness to the Truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the New Birth; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. (Genesis 1:13; Matthew 3:11, 28:19; Mark 1:8; Luke 1:35, 3:16, 24:49; John 1:33, 3:5-6, 14:16-17, 26, 15:26-27, 16:8-11, 13; Acts 5:30-32, 11:16; Romans 8:14, 16, 26-27; Ephesians 1:13-14; II Thessalonians 2:7, 13; Hebrews 9:14; I Peter 1:2)
Satan
We believe that Satan was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors, but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, he fell and drew after him a host of angels. He is now the malignant prince of the power of the air, and the unholy god of this world. We hold him to be man’s great tempter, the enemy of God and Jesus Christ, the accuser of the brethren, and the author of all false religions. He is destined, however, to final defeat at the hands of God’s Son and the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire, a place prepared for him and for his angels, as well as all of the unbelievers of the ages. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-17; John 8:44; II Corinthians 4:4; I Peter 5:8-9; Revelation 12:9-10; 20:10)
Creation
We believe in the Genesis account of creation, and that it is to be accepted literally, and not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly in God’s own image and after His own likeness; that man’s creation was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary changes of species, or development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms; that all animal and vegetable life was made directly; and God established that they should bring forth only “after their kind.” We reject any form of theistic or atheistic evolution. (Genesis 1:1, 11, 24, 26-27, 2:21-23; Exodus 20:11; Nehemiah 9:6; Jeremiah 10:12; John 1:3; Acts 4:24, 17:23-26; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3; Revelation 10:6)
Sin
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; so all men are sinners by birth and by choice and are of themselves utterly unable to remedy their lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
Virgin Birth
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner; born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can ever be born of a woman, and that He is both the Son of God, and God, the Son, (Genesis 3:15; Psalm 2:7; Isaiah 7:14; Matthews 1:18-25; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:35; John 1:14; Galatians 4:4; I Corinthians 15:47; I John 5:20)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace. It is received by repentance toward God and by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who shed His precious blood on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again, and that the new birth is instantaneous and not a process. We believe Christ’s atonement was for the sins of the whole world (all men). (John 1:12; Acts 20:21; Romans 10:9-13; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19)
Eternal Security
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are secure in Christ forever. However, we believe that God’s Word clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (John 10:27-29; Romans 8:34-39; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:30; 1 John 5:13)
Heaven and Hell
We believe that the souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation do, at death, immediately pass into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at the Rapture when soul and body reunited shall be present forever with the Lord. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery in hell until the Great White Throne Judgment at the close of the millennium. Then soul and body reunited, shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting torment. (Luke 16:19-26; 23:43; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:1-15)
The Church
We believe the New Testament church is a local, visible, autonomous assembly. Our beliefs of doctrine come from the Word of God. The officers of ordination are pastors and deacons, and the Scriptural ordinances are water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free from any external authority or control. We believe the mission of the church is to win the lost, baptize them, and teach and instruct them in the Word of God so that they too will win the lost. (Matthew 18:15-20; 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 6:1-7; 1 Corinthians 11:20-34; I Timothy 3:1-13; II Timothy 2:2)
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
We believe that salvation must precede water baptism. We believe that Scriptural baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost under the authority of the local church. It is to picture, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, showing forth our death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Salvation and baptism are prerequisite to the privilege of church membership. The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance in which members of the church, by the sacred use of unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, are to commemorate the love of Christ shown at Calvary. This ordinance should always be preceded by solemn self-examination, realizing that we are showing forth the Lord’s death till He comes. (Matthew 3:16; 28:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-31; Colossians 2:12)
Separation
We believe in the Biblical doctrine of separation which encompasses three things: (1) the separation of the local church from all affiliation and fellowship with those who deny the verities of the “faith which was once delivered to the saints,” and from those individuals and organizations similarly associated including Charismatics, Hyper-Calvinists, and Promise Keepers; (2) the separation of the individual believer from all worldly practices that may dishonor the Saviour; and (3) the separation of church and state. (Romans 12:1-2; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; II Thessalonians 3:6, 14, 15; 1 John 2:15-17; I John 9-11; Jude 3)
Giving
We believe that God’s method of financing His earthly work of spreading the Gospel to all nations, the care of the churches, and the support of the ministry is by the tithes and offerings of God’s people given through their local church. We believe that the time to tithe is upon the first day of the week. We believe God has established that the tithe is the Lord’s, and that every Christian should also give other offerings, sacrificially and cheerfully. (Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:8-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; I Timothy 5:17-18)
Missions
We believe that all men everywhere are lost and condemned, and that the command to go and preach the Gospel to the world is clear and unmistakable. God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation and tribe who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8)
The Second Coming
We believe in the imminent return of Jesus Christ for all New Testament believers. This rapture of the saints will be followed by the seven-year Tribulation. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints to establish His earthly Messianic kingdom which was promised to the nation Israel. (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33; Acts 1:11; I Corinthians 15:51-55; I Thessalonians 3:13; Revelation 1:7)
Abortion
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, inexcusable taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)
Civil Government
We believe that God has ordained and created all authority which consists of three basic institutions: (1) the home; (2) the church; and (3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and are governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and has balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:21-6:4; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 2:13-15)
The Resurrection & Return of Christ
We believe in and accept the sacred Scriptures upon these subjects at their face and full value. Of the Resurrection, we believe that Christ rose bodily “The third day according to the Scriptures”; that He ascended “to the right hand of the throne of God”; that He alone is our “merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God”; “that this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven,” bodily, personally, and visibly; that the “dead in Christ shall rise first”; that the living saints “shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump”; “that the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David”; and that “Christ shall reign a thousand years in righteousness until He hath put all enemies under His feet. (Psalm 72:8; Isaiah 11:4-5; Matthew 24:27, 42, 28:6-7; Mark 16:6, 19; Luke 1:32, 24:2, 4-6, 39, 51; John 14:3, 20:27; Acts 1:9, 11; I Corinthians 15:4; Philippians 4:20; I Thessalonians 4:16; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 2:17, 5:9, 8:1, 9:28, 12:2)
Human Sexuality & The Family
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate or sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are an heritage (gift) from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and may be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon. We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion is murder in that it constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. We reject any teaching that abortion of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother are acceptable. (Gen 2:24; Gen 19:5, 13; Gen 26:8-9; Lev 18:1-30; Jer 1:5; Rom 1:26-29; Rom 7:2; I Cor 5:1; ICor 6:9; I Cor 7:10; Eph 5:22-23; 1 Ths 4:1-8; Heb 13:4.)
Dealing With Our Fellowman
e believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also towards both those who are not believers and those who oppose us. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe that the church possesses all the resources
necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander.(Lev 19:18; Mt 5:44-48; Lk 6:31; Jn 13:34-35; Rom 12:9-10, 17:21; 13:8-10; I Cor 6:1-8; Eph4:31-32; Phlp 2:2-4; II Tim 2:24-26; Tit 3:2; I Jn 3:17-18)