THE SCRIPTURES

 
We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be verbally, plenarily, and innerantly inspired of God and that they constitute the absolute authority in all matters of faith and life. We believe the King James Version of the Bible to be preserved and inspired and do not hold to any other version. (2 Tim. 3:16,17; Matt. 24:35; Ps. 119:89)

THE GODHEAD

 
We believe in one God, and only one, who is self-existent, eternal, and infinite in every aspect, and who has revealed Himself to mankind as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – a Trinity co-eternal in being, co-equal in power and glory, though distinct in personality. (Duet. 6:4; Gen. 1:1,26; Jn. 1:1-13; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Rev. 1:17-18)

MAN’S CREATION AND FALL

 
We believe that mankind, in the person of Adam and Eve, was made innocent, in the image of God, a special creation of God and not a product of evolutionary development. However, man disobeyed his creator and incurred spiritual death, total corruption, and divine condemnation. Because of this, man is a sinner by nature and practice and is in need of Divine redemption. (Gen. 1:26,27; 2:16,17;3:6; Rom. 3:10,23; 512,18; Jn. 3:18,36)

THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST

 
We believe in the deity and humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. One Person possessing two natures that makes Him very God and man. In His deity He is Creator and Sustainer of the universe; in His humanity He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death for sinners for reconciliation with God, literally and physically arose bodily from the grave, ascended into heaven, where He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father and ever intercedes as a mediator for the righteous. ( Jn. 1:1,14; Lk. 12:31-35; Ph’p. 2:7,8; Col. 1:16,17; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pt. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:12; 1 Cor. 15: 1-8,20; Heb. 1:3)

SALVATION

 
We believe that salvation is the free gift of God, brought to mankind through His grace; that is received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the all-sufficient Saviour, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary. Since salvation is all of grace and cannot be earned in whole or in part by our works, the believer is eternally secure in Christ. (Rm. 5:15; 6:23; Eph. 2:8,9; Jn. 1:12; Rm. 10:9-13; Titus 3:5; Acts 16:31; Jn. 5:24)

THE HOLY SPIRIT

 
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Godhead who convicts, regenerates, indwells, baptizes, and seals all believers in Christ and fills those who are yielded to Him. We believe that the Holy Spirit sovereignly bestows gifts to all believers for the purpose of maturing and strengthening the body of Christ, but that some gifts are permanent while some gifts are temporary, given only in the apostalic age until the completion of the New Testament. (Jn. 6:44; 16: 8-11,13,14; Titus 3:5; Jn. 3:5; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:13; 4:30; ! Cor. 13:8; Eph. 5:18)

THE CHURCH

 
We believe the Scriptures teach that a local church is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His Laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its only Scriptural officers are pastors, in the role of bishop, elder, and shepherd and deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Epistles of Timothy and Titus. We believe the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have the opportunity, and the building up and edifying of the saints. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of Self Government free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only head is Christ through the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:1,41,42; 2:47; 8:1; 14:23; 15:22; 1 Cor. 4:17; 11:2; 11:23; Rom. 16:17-20; 2 Thess. 3:7; 1 Tim. 3:1-15; Titus 1:5-16; Ph’p. 1:1)

LAST THINGS

 
We believe that our Blessed Hope is in the imminent return of the Lord to rapture His church. This event is followed by the seven year Tribulation period, the Second Coming of Christ to the earth to rule for one thousand years, and the Great White Throne Judgement of the lost. This sequence of events will issue in the conscious states of everlasting punishment for the unsaved and everlasting blessing for the redeemed. (1 Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:9; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Titus 2:13; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-6)

DISPENSATIONALISM

 
We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense demonstrate that God has progressively revealed Himself in successive dispensations and that the present dispensation is that of the Church. While the revelation of God may have differed through the ages, the means by which man must be saved has always been the same: through faith. We believe that careful study of the Scriptures reveals a distinct as well as separate plan for Israel and the Church, contrary to the teaching of many modern movements. (Jn. 1:17; 2 Cor. 3:16-18; Eph. 1:10; Col. 1:24-27; Gen. 17:8; Duet. 30:3; 2 Sam. 7:16; Jer. 31:33)

CHRISTIAN LIFE AND SEPARATION

 
We believe that the fulfillment of the Great Commission is the responsibility of every believer, that he is to be a personal soulwinner, that he is to disciple new converts, and that he is to enlist them in the life of the local church. In the accomplishment of this commission, we believe that one must be personally separate from sin and be separate from religious apostacy and ecclesiastical ecumenism which denies the fundamentals of the faith. (Mt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 5:11; 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Jn. 2:15-17)

SATAN

 
We believe that Satan was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors; but, through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of angels, that he is now the prince and power of the air, and the unholy god of this world. We hold him to be man’s great tempter, the enemy of God, the accuser of the saints, the author of all false religions, the chief power back of the present apostacy, destined however to final defeat at the hand of God’s Son, and the judgement of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. (Is. 14:12-17; Ez. 28:14-17; Zec. 3:1; Mt. 4:1-3; 13:25,37-39; 25:41; Mk. 13:21-22; Lk.22:3-4; Jn. 8:44; 14:30; Acts 5:3; 2 Cor. 4:3-4; 11:13-15; Eph. 2:2; 1 Thess. 3:5; 2 Thess. 2:8-11; 1 Pt. 5:8; 2 Pt. 2:4; 1 Jn. 2:22; 3:8; 4:3; 2 Jn. 7; Jude 6; Rev. 12:7-10; 13:13-15; 19:20; 20:1-3)

DESTINY OF REDEEMED AND LOST

We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord; and that the souls of the unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection when with soul and body reunited, they shall be made to appear at the Great White Throne Judgement, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting punishment. (2 Cor. 5:8; Ph’p. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Cor. 15:51-53; Rev. 20:4-5, 11-15; Lk. 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9)

ORDINANCES

We believe that there are only two (2) ordinances of the local church. They are: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which is also referred to as Communion. We believe that baptism is to be administered only to those who have made a conscious decision for Christ and therefore reject infant baptism as a legitimate ordinance. We believe the mode of baptism is full immersion in water, and therefore reject sprinkling and pouring as legitimate means of baptism. The very word “baptize” is a transliteration of a Greek word meaning “immerse or submerge”. The symbolic nature of baptism points to a “burial” and history points to immersion as the form in the early church. We reject the doctrine of transubstantiation and consubstantiation for the Lord’s Supper, and also the reformed theology of the presence of Christ in the elements. The Lord’s Supper is to be a symbolic remembrance of our Lord’s suffering and death on the cross for our sins and imparts no grace, saving or otherwise to the individual, but rather is to be considered to be a “memorial”. (Matt. 26:26-29; 28:19; Acts 2:41-42; 8: 36-39; Rom. 6:1-6; 1 Cor. 11:23-29)

GOD’S GRACE

We believe the Scriptures teach that election is the eternal purpose of God, according to which He graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners; that being perfectly consistent with the free agency of man, God’s purpose comprehends all the means in connection with the end; that grace is a most glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, being infinitely free, wise, holy, and unchangeable; that grace utterly excludes boasting and promotes humility, love, prayer, praise, trust in God, and active imitation of His free mercy; that encourages the use of means in the highest degree; that it is the foundation of Christian assurance; and that to ascertain it with regard to ourselves demands and deserves the utmost diligence. (2 Tim. 1:8-9; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; 2 Tim. 2:10; Rom. 8:28-30; Acts 13:48; Jn. 6:37-40; 2 Pt. 1:10; 1 Thess. 1:4)

SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER

 
We believe that nothing can separate the redeemed from the love of God; and that they are sealed by the Holy Spirit, kept by God’s power, and are thus secure in Christ forever. (Rom. 8:35-39; Jn. 10:27-30; Eph. 1:13; 1 Pt. 1:5; Phil. 1:6)