What We Believe

We believe there is only one living and true God: infinite, eternal, almighty, and perfect in Himself and all attributes. He alone is worthy of all possible honor, love, obedience, and worship. In the unity of the godhead there are three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit-equal in every divine perfection, without division of nature, essence, or being, and executing distinct but harmonious roles in the great works of creation, providence, and redemption. One God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the foundation of Christian faith and life.

(Genesis 1.1; Deuteronomy 6.4; Psalm 145.3; Matthew 28.19; John 1.1-3; Romans 11.36; 1 Corinthians 8.4-6; 10.31; 2 Corinthians 13.14; Colossians 1.16-17; 1 Timothy 1.17)

We believe that God the Father is a personal spirit whom for His glory and by His word created the world out of nothing; infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass-including the future free choices of all humans and other moral beings; concerns himself mercifully in the affairs of humanity; hears and answers prayer; and that He, by His unfathomable grace, gave His Son, Jesus Christ, for mankind’s redemption.

(Matthew 23.9; Luke 10.21-22; John 3.16; 6.27; Romans 1.7; 1 Timothy 1.1-2; 2.5-6; 1 Peter 1.3; Revelation 1.6)

We believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is the eternal Word made flesh. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and we believe in His sinless life, miracles, and teachings. He is fully God and fully man. He is the only Savior for the sins of the world having shed His blood upon Calvary’s cross. By His death in our place, He revealed divine love and upheld divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God. Having redeemed us from sin, the third day He rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death. He ascended into heaven where, at God’s right hand, He intercedes for His people and He will visibly return to earth. He is the Head of the church.

(Isaiah 53.1-12; Matthew 1.18-25; 20.28; Luke 1.26-38; John 1.1, 14; 20.28-31; Acts 1.9-11; Romans 5.6-8; 6.9-10; 8.34; 9.5; 1 Corinthians 15.3-4; 2 Corinthians 5.21; Galatians 3.13; Ephesians 1.3-6; Hebrews 1.1-3; 7.25; 9.28; 1 Timothy 2.5-6; 3.16; 1 Peter 2.21-25)

We believe that the Holy Spirit came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. Through the proclamation of the gospel He persuades men to repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord. The Holy Spirit unites believers to Jesus Christ in faith, brings about the new birth, and dwells within the regenerate. He will lead the Church into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word.

(John 14.16-17; John 16.7-11; Romans 8.9, 14-17; 1 Corinthians 2.9-13; 3.16; 6.19; Galatians 5.22-26; Ephesians 1.13-14)

We believe that God made man and woman in His own image, as the crown of creation, that they might have fellowship with Him. However, they willfully sinned against God leading to physical, spiritual, and eternal death; becoming subject to divine wrath; and are under the dominion of sin and Satan. As a result, all human beings are born with a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and His law, are sinners by choice, and are under condemnation to eternal ruin without defense or excuse.

(Genesis 1.26-27; 2.16-17; 3.1-7, 14-19; 6.5, 12; 8.21; Deuteronomy 30.19-20; Jeremiah 17.9; Romans 3.9-20; 5.12; 6.21, 23; 7.13; 8.6-8; 9.22; Ephesians 2.1-3; 2 Thessalonians 1.9; James 1.14-15; 1 John 3.14; Revelation 21.8)

We believe that in order to be saved sinners must be regenerate, or born again. Regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit whereby a change of heart occurs in a person bringing about life in the place of death and peace with God in the place of hostility towards Him. The result of regeneration is a new life no longer under condemnation, but one marked by repentance, faith, and newness of life.

(Ezekiel 36.25-26; John 1.13; 3.3-8; 6.65; 2 Corinthians 5.17; Ephesians 2.1-9; Titus 3.5; 1 John 5.1)

We believe that salvation is conditioned upon genuine repentance and faith, which follow upon God’s drawing of sinners through the gospel. Repentance occurs when, by the Holy Spirit, a person is made sensible of the manifold evil of his sin, detests and forsakes it, humbles himself with godly sorrow and self-abhorrence, and endeavors to walk before God so as to please him in all things. Saving faith is the belief, on God’s authority, of whatever is revealed in his word concerning Christ and accepting and resting upon him alone for justification and eternal life. It is accompanied by all other saving graces and leads to a life of holiness.

(Proverbs 28.13; Matthew 3.8-10; Mark 1.14-15; John 3.16, 36; 5.24; 6.40, 44; Acts 2.37-38; 11.18; 13.38-39; 17.30; 20.21; Romans 2.4-5; 3.21-28; 4.1-5; 4.16-25; 5.15-21; 6.23; 8.1; 10.3-4, 14-17; 2 Corinthians 5.21; 7.10-11; Ephesians 2.8-10; Philippians 1.29; 3.9; Hebrews 11.6; James 2.14-26)

We believe that Sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of his holiness; that it is a progressive work; that it is begun in regeneration; and that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual use of the appointed means, – especially, the word of God, self-examination, spiritual disciplines, confession, worship, and prayer.

(John 17.17, 19; Romans 12.1-2; 1 Corinthians 1.30; 6.11; 2 Corinthians 3.18; Philippians 1.9-11; 2.12-13; 3.12-16; 1 Thessalonians 4.3-7; 5.23-24; Hebrews 2.11; 6.1; 10.10; 12.10; 1 Peter 2.2; 2 Peter 1.5-8; 1 John 2.29)

We believe that those whom God has accepted in Christ and sanctified by His Spirit will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace but shall certainly persevere to the end and though they may fall, through neglect and temptation, into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the Church and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

(Jeremiah 32.40; John 8.31; 17.20-26; Romans 8.28-39; Philippians 1.6; Hebrews 13.5; 1 John 2.19; 2.27-28; 3.9; 5.12, 18)

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which the Lord Jesus Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the autonomous local church, consisting of baptized believers in Jesus Christ, who have given a credible profession of faith and have covenanted together for worship, edification, discipline, fellowship, and spreading of the gospel. We believe that the scriptural offices are elders and deacons.

(John 10.16; Acts 1.8; 2.42; Ephesians 1.22-23; 2.19-22; 4.11-16; 5.19-21, 23; Colossians 1.18; 3.16; Hebrews 3.13; 10.24-25)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is obligatory upon every believer, wherein a person is immersed in water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of their fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ and of remission of sins.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is in no sense a sacrifice, but was instituted by Christ to commemorate his death, to confirm the faith and other graces of Christians, and to be a pledge and renewal of their communion with him and with each other. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Matthew 26.26-29; 28.18-20; Acts 2.38; Romans 6.3-5; 1 Corinthians 10.16-17; 11.23-31; 12.13; Galatians 3.27; Colossians 2.11-12)

We believe that every person is created in the image of God, that human sexuality reflects that image in terms of intimate love, communication, fellowship, subordination of the self to the larger whole, and fulfillment. We believe that God creates people as male or female, and that this gender is determined by God for their good and his glory and therefore is not to be denied or altered.
God’s Word makes use of the marriage relationship as the supreme metaphor for His relationship with His covenant people and for revealing the truth that that relationship is of one God with one people. Therefore God’s plan for human sexuality is that it is to be expressed only in a monogamous lifelong relationship between one man and one woman within the framework of marriage. This is the only relationship which is divinely designed for the birth and rearing of children and is a covenant union made in the sight of God, taking priority over every other human relationship. Any sexual activity outside of a monogamous, heterosexual marriage is sin.

(Genesis 1:27-28, 2:20-24, Mark 10:6-9, Hebrews 13:4, I Corinthians 6:9-10, Romans 1:26-27, Ephesians 5:22-33)

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of his kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal joy of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.

(Matthew 16.27; 25.31-46; Mark 14.62; John 5.28-29; 14.3; Acts 1.9-11; 17.31; Romans 2.6-11; Philippians 3.20; 2 Timothy 4.1, 8; Titus 2.13; 1 Corinthians 4.5; 15.12-28; 2 Corinthians 5.1-10; 1 Thessalonians 4.15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1.7-10; Revelation 20.4-6,11-15)