The foundations of our faith, simply stated · Point to (or tap) any Scripture reference to read it right here.
We believe in the one and only true God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29), eternally existing in three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:21-22) — the Holy Trinity. Jesus is God and has always been God; Jesus is not created but is the Creator of this universe and all it contains. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible … and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man (Luke 1:30-35; Philippians 2:5-11).
We believe the Bible to be verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings, and that it is the supreme and final authority in faith and life (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Jude 3; Hebrews 4:12).
We believe man was created innocent in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God (Genesis 2:16-17; Romans 6:23). Hence, totally depraved, man has inherited and possesses a sinful nature (Romans 3:10-23; Romans 7:18).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for the sins of all men according to the Scriptures as a perfect and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe on Him are reconciled to God, justified before God, and secure in God on the basis of His shed blood on the cross, His death, burial, and resurrection (John 3:16; Romans 5:8-11; 1 Timothy 2:4-6; Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 2:1-2).
We believe in the resurrection of our Lord (John 20:1-29); in His ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9-11); that He is seated at the Father’s right hand (Ephesians 1:20-23); and that His present life there for us is as High Priest, Advocate, and Head of the Church (Hebrews 1:3).
We believe in the personal and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ prior to the Tribulation to receive the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Zechariah 14:1-21; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 2 Peter 3:1-13), and that, following the literal fulfillment of the Great Tribulation, He will return visibly to the earth with His saints to reign during the millennial Kingdom (Revelation 19:11-15; Revelation 20:1-6).
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting joy of the saved (1 Corinthians 15:1-50), and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost (Revelation 20:1-6; Revelation 21:22).
We believe salvation is by grace alone, a gift from God, through faith alone, in Jesus alone (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10). A person is born again only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24-28; Romans 10:9-10). At regeneration, all believers in this church age are instantaneously indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11), baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13), and sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). The validation of a believer’s saving faith comes by asking and affirming the question, “Am I trusting in Christ alone for my eternal life?” (John 6:47; John 20:31).
We believe that sanctification is separation unto God and is three-fold. Positionally, the believer was justified at conversion by virtue of union with Christ (John 17:17). Progressively, the believer is continually being sanctified through the Word, by obedience to that Word and by walking in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:26), thereby controlling the lust of the flesh, producing the fruit of the Spirit (Colossians 3:1-4), and exercising the gifts of the Spirit; the evidence of ongoing sanctification and fellowship with Christ is the works and fruit of the Spirit produced in the believer’s life (John 15:4-5; Titus 2:7; Galatians 5:22-23). Ultimately, the believer will be glorified and completely conformed to the image of Christ when meeting the Savior face to face (Hebrews 10:14; 1 John 3:1-3).
We believe the Church is the Body of Christ, composed of all who are born again during this age of grace which began in Acts 2, and that the local church is to gather together to observe the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, and to exercise the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in believers by His Word for the purpose of edifying the Body of Christ (Acts 2:1-47; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31).
We believe in the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper as the commemoration of His death until He comes, to be preceded by self-examination (1 Corinthians 11:23-31). We believe in the ordinance of water baptism as a symbol of the believer’s death, burial, and resurrection with Christ (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:1-4).
We believe that all believers are kept secure forever and cannot lose their salvation (Romans 8:1; Romans 8:38-39; John 10:27-30; 1 John 5:11-13).
We believe in the personality of Satan (Job 1:6-7), and that Satan is a fallen angel who is the open and declared enemy of God (Isaiah 14:12-17) and of man (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; 1 Peter 5:8).
We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells the believer (Romans 8:9-11) and baptizes the believer into the Body of Christ at the moment of salvation (1 Corinthians 12:13), and that the evidence of this indwelling is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
We believe that, according to the Scriptures, marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church, and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means of procreation of the human race.
We believe that sexual intimacy is a wonderful gift of God that is only to be expressed between one man and one woman, as genetically defined, within the love and bonds of marriage (Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:21-33; 1 Corinthians 7:3-5; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that any form of sexual intimacy outside of marriage is both immoral and a perversion of God’s gift (Leviticus 18:1-30; Proverbs 6:32; 1 Corinthians 6:18; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8). We believe that any form of sexual immorality — such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, cohabitation (regardless of the age of the individuals involved), or any attempt to change one’s gender in disagreement with one’s genetically defined gender — is sinful and offensive to God (Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1).
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Romans 8). We also believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior, attitudes or speech directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accordance with Scripture (1 Peter 2:13-25; 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).
We believe, by the command of Scripture (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8) and by the example of the New Testament Christians (Acts 3; Acts 4), that the Great Commission was given to the church collectively and to each Christian. All believers have the privilege and responsibility of telling others about Christ as the opportunity is presented.
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