We believe the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, to be the verbally inspired Word of God, written by men in God’s control, without error, and infallible in the original manuscripts. We further believe that this inspiration is not in different degrees but extends equally and fully to all parts of the Bible: historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical. We, therefore, believe in the absolute authority of the Bible in all matters of faith and practice.
The Godhead
We believe in one living and true God who is heaven and earth’s Creator; eternal, almighty, unchangeable, infinitely powerful, wise, just, and holy. We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — these three are identical in essence, possessing precisely the same attributes and perfections and worthy of the same worship, confidence, and obedience.
The Condition of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God in innocence & without sin, but that in Adam’s sin, humanity fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became spiritually dead and alienated from God. He is incapable of remedying his lost and depraved condition.
Salvation
We believe that due to universal death through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again; that salvation is only by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ through faith are declared righteous by God and thereby become children of God. We believe the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the new birth, is that act of God by which the Holy Spirit imparts a new nature and a new spiritual life, not before possessed, and the person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus. The mind is given a holy disposition and a new desire to serve God, the dominion of sin broken, and the heart transformed from a love of sin and self to a love of holiness and God. As the believer walks in the power of the Holy Spirit, these new realities become evident in a life characterized by holiness, compassion, and zeal.
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 brings new life to those who are spiritually dead; that all believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit and thus placed into the one true fellowship, which is the Body of Christ; that He in-dwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon them, and empowers them for service. We believe the Holy Spirit also empowers believers for Christian witness and service. While the Holy Spirit indwells all genuine believers at conversion, the New Testament also indicates the importance of an ongoing, empowering work of the Spirit after conversion. Being indwelt by the Spirit and filled with the Spirit are theologically distinct experiences. The Holy Spirit desires to fill each believer continually with increased power for Christian life and witness. It imparts his supernatural gifts for the edification of the body and various works of ministry in the world. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in the Church of the first century are available today, are vital for the mission of the Church, and are to be earnestly desired and exercised.
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ’s deity; He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and is entirely God and fully Man. We believe that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was made to be sin and made a curse for us, dying in our place so that we might be forgiven. We believe that He died not only for our sins but also for the entire world’s sins. We believe He was raised from the dead in bodily form and ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us.
The Church
We believe the New Testament Church of Jesus Christ began at Pentecost and is comprised of all true believers in Jesus Christ, who the Holy Spirit indwells. We believe that the purpose of the Church in the world is to glorify God through worship, prayer, the teaching of the Word, observance of the ordinances, the exercise of our gifts and talents, and the proclamation of the gospel both in our community and throughout the world.
The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances to be observed by all believers until His return: water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Water baptism is only intended for the individual who has received the saving benefits of Christ’s atoning work and has become his disciple. Therefore, in obedience to Christ’s command and as a testimony to God, the Church, oneself, and the world, a believer should be immersed in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Water baptism is a visual demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of his death and resurrection. It signifies that a person’s former way of life has been put to death and vividly depicts their release from the mastery of sin. The Lord’s Supper is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ. This ordinance symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body and the shedding of his blood on our behalf. It is to be observed regularly throughout the Christian life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ’s death. As we partake of the Lord’s Supper with faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, and signify our unity with other members of Christ’s body.
The Second Coming Of Christ
We believe in the personal, bodily, visible, and pre-millennial return of Jesus Christ in the glory of His Father to set up on the earth a kingdom in which He shall reign in righteousness and peace.
The Eternal State
We believe that at the moment of death, believers pass immediately into the presence of Christ and remain there in joyful fellowship with Him until the resurrection of the body at His second coming, after which they will be forever with the Lord in glory. We also believe that at the moment of death, the unsaved descend to Hell, where they are kept under punishment until their bodies are raised at the final judgment, after which they will suffer everlasting conscious punishment, separated from the presence of the Lord.
