doctrinal statement
1. Bible
- We believe that the Bible (consisting of 66 books) is the inspired Word of God, that every part is fully and equally inspired, and that every single word of Scripture was produced under the control of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16).
- We also accept the Scriptures in their entirety as being inerrant (in the original writings) and infallible. For this reason, we are committed to the Bible as being our final authority in all matters of doctrine (faith) and practice (John 17:17; Matthew 5:17).
- We believe that there is only one true, eternal, living God, who is sovereign over all things. God can be known through the many absolute and relative attributes revealed in the Scriptures (Deuteronomy 6:4; Exodus 3:14; Colossians 1:15-17).
- God is the source and sustainer of all life. He, according to the council of His own will, decreed whatsoever comes to pass, including both His permissive will and His causal will (Isaiah 14:24, 26, 27; Ephesians 1).
- We believe that, although there is only one true God, that God consists of three distinct Persons, each of whom is co-eternal and co-equal.
- We believe that the Father is God, that the Son (Jesus, the Christ-Messiah) is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God (Deuteronomy 6:4; John 6:27; John 1:1, 14; Acts 5:3, 4).
- We believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be absolute Deity, the eternal Son of God, who became man without ceasing to be God. In the incarnation, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary (Matthew1:18-25; Hebrews 1:8; Isaiah 9:6, 7; John 3:16).
- We believe that Jesus Christ was both fully god and fully man at the same time (Philippians 2:5-8).
- We believe that He was totally holy by virtue of His miraculous birth and sinless life (Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
- We believe that Jesus Christ voluntarily laid down His life, the Just dying for the unjust, making it possible for man to be saved (John 10:17; Hebrews 9:14, 28; 1 Peter 3:18).
- We believe that He rose bodily from the dead on the third day after death, and that He ascended into Heaven to the right hand of the Father (John 2:19-22; Acts 1:9-11; Hebrews 1:3).
- We believe that, presently, He is our intercessor and Advocate, the only true Mediator between God and man (Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 4:14; 1 John 2:1; 1 Timothy 2:5).
- We believe that the Holy Spirit is Deity, a Divine Person of the Godhead. He is not a force, but is truly a Person and is equal with the Father and the Son (Acts 5:3, 4).
- We believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to every believer at the moment he is regenerated, and that these gifts are to be used for the edification and perfecting of the believers in the Church. We believe that the miracle and sign gifts were given for a unique purpose to the first-century church, but that they ceased at the end of that century (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 4:7-16; Hebrews 2:3, 4).
- We believe that God created man directly and instantaneously from the dust of the ground. Man was created in the image of God and was able to have intimate fellowship with God (Genesis 1:26, 27; 2:7).
- We believe that God created mankind into genders distinctly male and female. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is between one man and one woman for life and that biblical marriage is the only legitimate and acceptable context for a sexual relationship. ( Genesis 2:22-24; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-33, 1 Corinthians 7:2-4)
- We believe that all of humanity fell away from God when Adam first sinned and that the fall resulted in both physical and spiritual death for man. In this fallen condition, man was left totally depraved and unable to remedy his own situation (Genesis 3:6-13; Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21, 22; Ephesians 2).
- We believe that sin is anything that does not conform to the character and nature of God (1 John 3:4).
- We believe that all of mankind sinned in Adam, the head of the human race, and that each human being has a sin nature and also has committed personal sin (Romans 5:12; 1:18; 3:20; 1 John 1:8-10).
- We believe that salvation is the act of God whereby man is brought into a proper relationship with God. It is that act where spiritually-dead man is made spiritually alive (Psalm 3:8; Jonah 2:9; Ephesians 2:1, 2).
- We believe that this is accomplished by the grace of God through man’s faith in the death (shed blood), burial and bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
- We believe that salvation involves three things for the believer: deliverance from the penalty of sin at the moment of regeneration, victory over the power of sin during the Christian life, and deliverance from the presence of sin at glorification.
- We believe that salvation positionally sanctifies the believer, but that the believer needs to experience in his daily life, progressive sanctification (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 6:14, Philippians 3:20, 21).
- We believe in the existence of the person Satan. He was created by God as the greatest of angels, but later rebelled against God. After he fell, he organized his own kingdom which consists of both evil angels and also unregenerate man. He is currently the ruler-god of this age. Satan’s ultimate goal is to overthrow God. He seeks to keep the unsaved from becoming saved. He seeks to hinder and destroy the Christian’s testimony and ministry for God.
- We believe that both Satan and his evil angels will be consigned to the eternal Lake of Fire after the Millennium (Matthew 25:41; John 8:44; Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Revelation 20:7-10).
- We believe that the true Church is a living organism and that it is the “body of Christ”, who is Himself the head of this body. The Church is made up of regenerate, redeemed believers only (Ephesians 1:22, 23; 5:23; Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 12:13).
- We believe that the Church began on the day of Pentecost; that every believer was indwelt-baptized by the Holy Spirit into the one body of Christ which is the Church (Acts 2:1-4; 1:4-5; John 14:16-17; 1 Corinthians 12:13).
- We believe that the Scriptures teach that there are to be local churches. These churches are to be the visible representation of the body of Christ in the local community. Local churches are to observe the ordinances of Christ and to seek to do the will of God (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Matthew 28:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28).
- We believe that the local church should be totally committed to the edifying (developing to maturity) of the believers and also should have an active outreach in evangelism (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 14).
- We believe in the premilliennial and pretribulational return of Jesus Christ. This means that Christ’s return for His bride (the Church) is imminent and therefore can happen at any moment (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:6).
- We believe that, following the Rapture of the Church, the Tribulation Period (Daniel’s 70th Week, or the Time of Jacob’s Trouble) will take place (Daniel 9:24-27; 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4).
- We believe that, following the Tribulation, the Millennium will begin. This will be brought about by the literal, physical, visible, bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ to the earth to rule and to reign for 1000 years (Zechariah 14:1-4; Revelation 19-20).
- We believe in the eternal punishment of the lost and the eternal bliss of the redeemed (Revelation 20:11-15; John 3:16).