The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Scriptures, the Old (39 books) and New Testaments (27 books), to be the verbally inspired Word of God, written by men in God’s control. They are inerrant and infallible in the original manuscripts, and the final authority in faith and life. We accept the grammatical–historical system of interpretation of the Scriptures, and accept the historical record of the Bible as accurate and adequate (2 Tim. 3.15-17; 2 Peter 1.20, 21; Psalm 19.7-9).
The Divine God
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – who are identical in essence, equal in power and glory, and possess precisely the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6.4; Matt. 28.19; 2 Cor. 13.14).
The Condition of Man
We believe that Man was created in the image and likeness of God, in innocence and without sin. But, in Adam’s sin, the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, became spiritually dead and alienated from God so that man is a sinner by both nature and imputation, and man, of himself, is incapable of remedying his lost and depraved condition (Gen. 1.26; 3.1-24; Rom. 3.10-18; 5.12; Eph. 2.1-3).
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God; that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might redeem sinful man. He accomplished this redemption by voluntarily giving Himself as a sinless, substitutionary sacrifice on the Cross, thereby satisfying God’s righteous judgment against sin. He gave proof that He accomplished that redemption by His bodily resurrection from the grave. He then ascended to the right hand of His Father, where He intercedes on behalf of those who trust Him (John 1.1-2; 14, 18; Luke 1.34,35; Rom. 3.24-26; 8.34).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Person who convicts the world of sin; that He also brings new life to those who are spiritually dead; that He places all believers into the one true Church, which is the Body of Christ; that He indwells them permanently, seals them unto the Day of Redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon them, and fills (controls) those who are yielding to Him (John 3.3-8; 16.7-11; 1 Cor. 12.13; John 14.16, 17; Eph. 4.30; 1 Cor. 12.7-11; Eph. 5.18).
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God’s grace given to all whom God has elected to salvation. It is wholly a work of God in saving, sustaining and preserving to present people/church blameless before God. It includes all that God does in saving the elect from the penalty, power, and presence of sin, and in restoring them a right relationship with God. As such, it is solely the work of God from initiation to completion. Salvation cannot be gained by good works, but it is a free gift for all who have a change of mind about their self-driven ways and put their trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross. All who so trust exclusively in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are forgiven and saved from their sins, are declared righteous before God, and are born into the family of God by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. God’s purpose for saving His elect is so that they bring glory to Him by their lives (Eph.1.7; 2.8-9; Acts 2:36-37; John 1.12; 2 Cor. 5.21; Phil. 1.6; Titus 2.11-14).
Security, Assurance and Responsibility
We believe that all the saved – those in whom God has accomplished His transforming work of grace – are kept by His power and are secure in Christ forever. This assurance, however, is not the occasion for sin, for God in holiness cannot tolerate persistent sin in His children, and in infinite love, He corrects them. True faith in Christ is expressed by a fruitful, God-pleasing life (John 10.27-29; Rom. 8.29-39; 1 John 5.13; Heb. 12.6; Matt. 7.20; James 2.20).
Sanctification
We believe that God, in the Scripture, has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness. This includes the salvation from the penalty of sin and, just as surely, the provision of sanctification (separation) from sin. Sanctification from sin affects both the positional and practical aspects. Positional sanctification as a work of the Holy Spirit is complete and is without further growth; however, practical outflow of this truth is a result of the work of the Spirit in regeneration using the Word of God, providing the nourishment for growth in maturity in Christ. While practical sanctification is assured by the Word and the Spirit, it is yet imperfect in this life. There is some element of remaining sin in every believer. The maturing unto obedience is possible for believers as they feed on the Word, submit to the Spirit of God, and are in fellowship with other believers for service and accountability (John 17.17; 1 Cor. 1.30; Rom. 6.19, 22; Heb. 10.25; 1 Peter 2.2; 2 Peter 1.3).
The Church
We believe that the true Church, called in Scripture the Body of Christ, is a spiritual organism. Every person who has trusted Jesus Christ for salvation has been placed into this organism by the Holy Spirit. The local church, as established in the Scripture, is made up of redeemed individuals who have joined together for worship, instruction, fellowship, and service (Eph. 1.22; 1 Cor. 12.13; Acts 2.42; 13.1-2).
Ordinances
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances to be observed by all believers until His return – baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 28.19; 1 Cor. 11.23-26).
The Second Coming of Christ
We believe in the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church and His subsequent pre-millennial return to earth to establish His kingdom (1 Thess. 4.13-18; Zech.14.4-11; Rev. 19.11-16; 20.1-6).
The Eternal State
We believe that at death the souls of those who have trusted Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence and remain there in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the physical body at Christ’s coming for the Church, when body and soul will be reunited. We then shall be with Him forever in glory. We also believe that at death the souls of unbelievers remain in conscious misery until the final judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the Millennium when the soul and body will be reunited and cast into the lake of fire-not to be annihilated, but to be separated from God forever in conscious punishment (Luke 16.9-26, 2 Cor. 5.8, Phil. 1.23, 2 Thess. 1.7-9, Rev. 20.11-15).