Statement of Faith

Section 1. Doctrine of the Bible: We believe in the Bible as the verbally (every word) and plenarily (completely) inspired Word of God contained in the original manuscripts; that all portions of scripture are equally inspired and contain no contradiction; that the Scriptures are to be the only rule of faith and practice for the believer in Jesus Christ; and the Canon, the sixty-six books of the Bible, is complete, Nothing shall be added to it nor taken from it. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 1:1;2 Peter 1:20-21'; Revelation 22:18-19.

Section 2. Doctrine of God: we believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three Persons - the Father , the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections; and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience. Genesis 1:1, 25; John 14:16-17 1 Timothy 3:16.

Section 3. Doctrine of Jesus Christ: We believe in the essential; deity and virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; that he was begotten by the Holy Spirt, and born of the virgin Mary not having a human father, and is true God and man; that he is man’s only hope of salvation from sin, being the only mediator between God and man; that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day for our sins according to the Scriptures; that his return for the church, the body of Christ, which He will take with Himself into Heaven is imminent; and that He will come to set up his millennial reign. Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-4, 10:30,14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:4-6.

SECTION 4. DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:  We believe the Holy Spirit to be co-equal with the Father and with the Son. He is a person who permanently indwells the believer. He came to this earth as the fulfillment of Christ’s promise. He convicts, regenerates, seals, infills, empowers, and guides the believer. John 3:3-5, 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; I Cor. 6:19; Eph. 1:13-14; 5;18.

SECTION 5.  DOCTRINE OF MAN:  We believe that God created man in His own image and that man sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is conscious and eternal separation from God. We believe that all men are born with a sinful nature, evidenced by sinful acts; that man is totally depraved; and that if he is not born again, he is eternally lost. Gen. 1:26-27; Psa. 51:5; Jer. 17:9; Luke 16:23; Rom. 3:10-23, 5:12; I Cor. 15:21-22; Rev. 20:11-15; 21:8.

SECTION 6. DOCTRINE OF SALVATION:  We believe that a person is saved when he repents of his sin and exercises faith by accepting Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. The believer is kept by the power of God and is eternally secure in Christ. We believe that the scope of salvation includes forgiveness of all our sins past, present, and future; a perfect standing before God as in Jesus Christ; and the changing of our earthly body to be conformed like unto the body of our Lord at His return for His own.

We believe that the attitude either of reconciliation or enmity toward God is eternally fixed at death. We further believe that there is an appointed day for the judgment of the wicked when they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, there to remain in everlasting torment. John 1:12; 5:24; 10:28-29; Rom. 6:23; 8:19-23; II Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:8-9; II Thess. 1:7-9; Heb. 9:27; II Peter 2:9; I John 3:21, 5:17; Rev. 20:12-15; 21:8.

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SECTION 7. DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH:  We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and to which all regenerated persons of the church age are members.

We believe that the local church is:

A. Composed of a local group of believers who are autonomous, self-governing, and have no ecclesiastical organization in authority over it.

B. Composed of beleivers who are baptized by immersion.

C. Composed of beleivers who are organized. They have for their officers, pastors, deacons, and such other leader as God has given special gifts to render as a ministry to the Church.

D. Composed of beleivers who meet regularly for fellowship, worship, and Bible study.

E. Composed of beleivers who observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

F. Composed of beleivers who carry out the Great Commission.

        I Cor. 11:23-24; 116:10; Acts 2; I Thess. 4:13-18; Heb. 10:25; Matt. 28:18-20.

SECTION 8. CHRISTIAN CONDUCT:  We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow man; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions, and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.  Rom. 12:1; I Cor. 13.

SECTION 9.  THE ORDINANCES :  We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church – baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper for the commemoration of His death. We believe these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Luke 22; Acts 2:41-42; I Cor. 11:23-26.

SECTION 10. DOCTRINE OF SATAN AND FALLEN ANGELS: - We believe that Satan is a person. He was created perfect but sinned and became the archenemy of God and His creation. He is the chief adversary of God’s children. He seeks to keep man from the Lord, and when he cannot succeed in this, he seeks to weaken the testimony of Christians. He has at his command a great host of fallen angels and demons to carry out his purposes. He is not omnipotent and can be overcome by the power of God. His doom is sealed in the Lake of Fire forever and ever.  Ezek. 28:12-19; Isa. 14:12-14; Rev. 12:10; 20:10.

SECTION 11.  DOCTRINE OF LAST THINGS:  We believe there will be a resurrection of all, first the just at the coming of Jesus Christ and finally the unjust after the millennium. The saints are raised to be forever with the Lord, and the unsaved will be confined for eternity in the Lake of Fire. We believe in the “Blessed Hope” which is the personal, bodily, pretribulation, premillennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior for His church (the Rapture) and His later return to the earth in power and glory with His saints to set up His kingdom (the millennium). John  14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; 24:15; I Cor. 15:3-20; Phil. 3:20; I Thess. 4:13-18; Heb. 7:25; I John 2:1-2; Rev. 21:3-8.