What We Believe
The Scriptures
We believe that the Bible, consisting of 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, though written by man, was supernaturally inspired by God. By this inspiration we believe that each author was guided by the Holy Spirit so that every letter and word written is the true revelation of God (Matt. 5:18; John 10:35). As a result, it is inerrant in the originals and authoritative in all matters (2 Tim. 3:16). The correct meaning of the content of Scripture is determined by the historical, grammatical, and literary use of the language. In addition, because the central theme of the Bible is a spiritual message, a proper relationship with the Holy Spirit must be established for one to understand its message (1 Cor. 2:9-16).
God
We believe in one God (Deut. 6:4) who exists eternally in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; John 1:1, 1:14). Each member is equal in nature, separate in person, and subservient in duty (Mark 1:9-11; Luke 22:42; John 10:30, 14:26). God is Spirit, Person, Life, self-existent, unchangeable, unlimited by time and space, and one in unity (John 4:24; Deut. 6:4; Exod. 3:13-14; Gen. 18:19, 6:6, 3:15; Psa. 36:9; John 5:26; Exod. 3:13-15; Heb. 13:8; Num. 23:19; Psa. 90:2; 2 Chr. 2:6).
Angels
We believe that angels are spirit beings created by God that are able to take on the form of a human if desired (Psalms 104:4, John 20:12). They were created as servants to God. As such, they are sinless and holy, although some being lead by Satan have fallen from this position to serve evil (Jude 6; 2 Pet. 2:4; Matt. 25:41). It is our belief that the origin of demons is that of these fallen angels (Matt. 25:41).
Satan
We believe that Satan was originally created by God as a sinless and holy angel by the name of Lucifer but has since then fallen from this position to serve evil (Isa. 14:12). In an attempt to exalt himself he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven (Isa. 14:12; 1 Tim. 3:6). He is identified as a liar, thief, and the originator of sin and will be eternally cast into hell at a future appointed time along with those angels who have followed him (John 8:44, 10:10; 1 John 3:8; Rev. 20:10; Matt. 25:41).
Man
We believe that human beings were directly created by God, in the image of God, and as such, are not a product of evolution (Gen. 1:26-28, 2:7, 2:21-23). When Adam, the first man, willfully disobeyed God it was at this time that sin and death were brought into the world (Gen. 3:6-24; Rom. 5:12). As a result, all persons are sinners at their conception and are subject to the eternal penalty of sin (Rom. 5:12, 6:23; Rev. 20:11-15, 21:8).
Salvation
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternally begotten Son of God who offered Himself as a living sacrifice for the sin of mankind (John 1:1, 1:14, 3:16; Rom. 5:8). It is by this redeeming work of grace that the satisfaction and payment for the sins of all has been made (1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 2:2). He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified, buried, and on the third day He physically arose from the dead (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:2; Heb. 4:15; Isa. 53:12; Matt. 27:38; Isa. 53:9; Matt. 27:57-60; Acts 2:31). As a result, mankind can now be saved by placing their faith in Him alone as Savior (John 3:16; Rom. 10:9). The believer is then born again, declared free from condemnation, and is accounted righteous by God (John 3:3-18; Rom. 8:1; 2 Cor. 5:21).
This is the gospel of Jesus Christ for all who will believe. One man asked, “What must I do to be saved?…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30, 31). The Word of God says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). You can also do this and receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6:23).
The Church
We believe that a church is a local assembly of baptized believers under the discipline of the Word of God who are organized to carry out the Great Commission to teach and preach Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:9; Acts 6:4; John 20:21; Acts 5:42, 5:28). In addition, the church is responsible for carrying out the two ordinances of the believer known as water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as an act of obedience to Scripture (Acts 2:38, 2:41; Rom. 6:3-6; 1 Cor. 11:26, 11:28). Christ is the head of the church body (Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-23; 1 Cor. 12). As the head, he must be allowed to govern the church and does so by the use of pastors, deacons, and the congregation (Acts 15:13; Phil. 1:1; 1 Timothy 5:17; Romans 14:1; 2 Corinthians 13:5).
Last Things
We believe in the imminent return of Jesus Christ for all believers (John 14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Matt. 24:42). It will be at this time when, both, those believers who have died in Christ and those believers who remain alive in Christ will be transformed and given glorified bodies (1 Cor. 15:51-52). Those who have died in Christ will be physically resurrected for this event and all of the saved will leave the earth to forever be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:13-17; John 14:2-3). There will then be a seven year period of tribulation on earth and a second return of Jesus Christ will follow to establish His earthly kingdom for a thousand years (Matt. 24:1-34; Rev. 19:11-21, 20:1-10). Following this, the unsaved will be raised up to be judged by God according to their works and will then be eternally cast into hell (Rev. 20:5, 20:11-15; Matt. 25:41, 25:46). The saved will then continue to live forever with God (John 3:16, 11:26; Matt. 25:46; 1 Thess. 4:17).