Statement of Faith

Inspiration

We believe the Holy Bible, the Old and New Testaments, with its sixty-six canonical books to be the verbal, plenary, inerrant, and infallible Word of God, entirely without error or contradiction in all matters of which it speaks. Furthermore, we believe that God by His singular care and providence has preserved His Holy Scriptures; and that the Holy Bible is, therefore, the only sufficient, final, and supreme rule and authority of faith and practice (Psalm 12:6–7; 119:89, 105, 152, 160; Matthew 5:18, 24:34–35; Luke 16:17; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:24–25; 2 Peter 1:20–21; Revelation 22:18–19).

The Trinity

We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three distinct, co-equal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God (Genesis 1:1; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30, 14:23–26; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 John 5:7).

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ ever existed with the Father and Holy Spirit and that His incarnation was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that Mary, as a virgin, gave birth to Him, and that He is true God and true man. In addition, we affirm that the Hebrew word almah used in Isaiah 7:14 means a virgin rather than a young woman (Isaiah 7:14; John 1:18; 8:58; Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:34–35; Hebrews 2:14–18; 4:15; Revelation 22:12–20).

Furthermore, we believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He ascended into Heaven, that He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father; that He ever lives to make intercession for all who come to God by Him (Luke 24:36–40; Acts 1:9–11, 1 Peter 3:22; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24).

Salvation

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice and that by His grace all who believe on Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood and furthermore, are eternally secure in the light of the perfect, finished work of Christ on Calvary (John 1:12; 3:16, 36; 10:20–28; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Ephesians 1:13; 2:8–9; 4:30).

Man

We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God. Scripture clearly teaches that man is a sinner by birth and by choice and that he must be born again to be accepted of God (John 3:1–21; Romans 3:1–21, 23; 5:12).

The Church

We believe that the true Church or invisible Church, which began with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, is the Body of Christ; and that each one who receives Jesus Christ as personal Savior is a member of that Body, and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit immediately upon conversion (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; 12:12–28; Ephesians 4).

Also, we believe that the Great Commission to “go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel,” making disciples, is incumbent upon the Church today. We believe that the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are divinely instituted, and that Christ desires us to practice them until He comes. Only believers in Jesus Christ can be baptized and participate in the Lord’s Supper. Water baptism is only through immersion as evidenced by our Lord’s baptism and Ethiopian eunuch’s baptism (Matthew 28:18–20; Mark 1:10; 16:15; Acts 1:8; 8:38–39; 1 Corinthians 11:23–29).

Satan

We believe that Satan is a personal being, a fallen angel, prince of demons, the god of this age, the great enticer and deceiver, the adversary of Christ and His people, the accuser of the brethren, and the father of lies whose end is the Lake of Fire (Isaiah 14:12–15; Ezekiel 28:11–19; Matthew 4:1–11; 9:34; John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 4:3–4; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:9–10; 20:10).

Future Things

We believe that Christ may, at any time, return in the air to rapture His Body, the Church. Following the Rapture there will be the Tribulation Period of seven years, after which Jesus Christ will come to earth with His saints and rule for a thousand years in His Millennial Kingdom. Afterwards, the wicked will be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Corinthians 15:51–58; 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10; Matthew 24:21; Daniel 9:27; 12:1, 11; Jude 1:14–15; Revelation 4–20; Colossians 3:4).

Furthermore, we believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust; and in the eternal conscious joy of the saved in the New Heaven and New Earth, and in the eternal conscious punishment of the unsaved in the Lake of Fire (Daniel 12:2; 1 Corinthians 15:1–58; 1 John 5:11; Revelation 20:10–15; 21:8; 21–22; John 3:36; 14:1–6).