What We Believe
A. THE BIBLE
We believe that God inspired the words of the Bible, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, to give mankind His authoritative revelation, wholly without error of any kind in the original writings. We believe that the Bible must be interpreted as language is normally used, recognizing the importance of dispensational distinctions.
B. GOD
We believe in one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity, and the characteristics of personality and with each having specific work to perform. We believe that God is a personal being who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
C. JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He is, therefore, perfect and complete deity and perfect humanity, these being united without mixture in one person forever. We believe that He lived a sinless life and voluntarily and vicariously paid for the sins of all mankind by dying on the cross. We believe in the resurrection of His crucified body, in His ascension to heaven, and in His present ministries in heaven.
D. THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God and that He has come to reveal and glorify Christ, to convict and draw sinners to Christ, to regenerate, indwell, seal, and baptize believers into the body of Christ, to impart gifts to believers, and to enable them to live holy lives.
E. CREATION
We believe that the Genesis account of creation is to be understood historically and literally and not allegorically or figuratively. We believe that man was created in the image of God and that the first man, Adam sinned, bringing spiritual death to all, who, therefore, stand condemned and in need of Christ's salvation.
F. ANGELS
We believe that the angels were originally created holy, but now exist as either chosen or fallen. We believe that Satan, who is one of the fallen angels, is not some nebulous designation for evil or evil influence, but is a created being who is the author of sin and is the cause of the fall of man, being the open and declared enemy of God. We believe he is currently the ruler of all spiritual wickedness and counterfeiting of Christianity and will ultimately be cast into the lake of fire along with his angels and all men who have rejected Jesus Christ as their Savior.
G. SALVATION
We believe that God saves by grace alone, apart from works, those who put their faith in Christ alone. Christ imputes righteousness to them, and keeps them secure eternally. We believe a person can have assurance of their Eternal Life the moment he receives Christ based on the promises of God and the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Neither good works nor perseverance in the faith is required to possess eternal life.
H. SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that some gifts of the Holy Spirit such as speaking in tongues and performing miraculous healings were given to be used as signs to authenticate the message of the first century church. We further believe that ecstatic experiences, though they may be valid manifestations of the grace of God, do not appreciably contribute to one’s spiritual maturity. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism nor the filling of the Spirit, and that the complete deliverance of the body from sin and death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection.
I. THE CHRISTIAN WALK
We believe that although sinless perfection is not possible in this life, all believers are called to live holy lives in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. However, discipleship is a separate decision for a believer, and one’s salvation is not dependent on being a disciple.
J. THE CHURCH
We believe that the church, the body of Christ, began on the day of Pentecost and is composed of all who receive Christ through faith. We believe God's program for the Church is distinguished from His program for Israel as described in Daniel 9. We believe that all believers should assemble regularly in local churches for worship, for observing the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord's Supper, for mutual encouragement and discipline, and for carrying out God's purposes in this world.
K. THE FUTURE
We believe that the personal and imminent return of Christ to rapture His church will be followed by a period of Tribulation on this earth. At the conclusion of this period, Christ will return triumphantly and inaugurate His millennial reign over this earth. We believe in the everlasting conscious blessedness of the saved in the New Jerusalem and the everlasting conscious punishment of the unsaved in the lake of fire.
