Doctrine of Beliefs[1]
A. God’s Word.
We believe that all 66 books of the Bible, both Old and New Testament, are fully inspired by God[2]. They are God’s revelation to man written by men fully inspired by the Holy Spirit. They are without any mixture of error (inerrant) in the original manuscripts and will not lead any astray (infallible). We do not place any book on the same level of authority as the Bible. The Bible is the supreme authority for matters of faith and conduct. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; John 8:31-32; 2 Peter 3:14-16)
B. The Trinity.
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption. The Trinity is seen in scripture as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1,26; John 1:1,3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19-20; Ephesians 4:5-6)
C. God the Father.
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. God is the only true God. He has no beginning or end. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. We believe that God shows fatherly kindness to all but only becomes Father to those who place their faith in Him for salvation. (Luke 10:21-22; Matthew 23:9; John 1:12; 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:1-2; 2:5-6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6)
D. Jesus Christ.
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe that while Jesus was on earth, He was fully God and fully man united in one person.
We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, and continual intercession for His people. We believe that believers pray and confess their sins to Jesus. No individual can forgive sins other than Jesus. We also believe that only Jesus can intercede on our behalf before God the Father. (Heb. 7:23-25)
We believe that Jesus is presently ruling and reigning as King in Heaven and will visibly return to earth to judge the world and reign in righteousness. We believe that placing faith in Jesus is the only way a person can have salvation and eternity in Heaven. There is no other way. (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 8:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30, 31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9,10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; Hebrews 10:12; 1 Timothy 3:16; 6:15; John 14:6)
E. The Holy Spirit.
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide. We do not hold to a two step process of salvation in relationship to the Holy Spirit (i.e., get saved and later receive the Holy Spirit). We believe that every person who genuinely repents of sin and places faith in Jesus receives the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion. (John 14:16,17,26; 15:26,27; John 16:9-14; Romans 8:9, 14; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 1:14)
F. Salvation.
We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death. As a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. We believe that those who repent and forsake sin and genuinely trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation (God’s wrath toward sin), live a life that glorifies the Lord and receive eternal life. The process of salvation is election, regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. (Genesis. 1:26; 5:2; Genesis 3; Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Eccl. 2:11; John 3:14; 5:24; John 5:30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; Romans 9:22; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Rev. 19:3,20; 20:10;14,15; 21:18; Psalm 51:7; Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:14; Romans 3:19; 5:19; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9; John 3:16; John 1:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1)
(1) Election
is the gracious act of God, by which before the foundation of the world, He chose in Christ those whom He graciously regenerates, saves, and sanctifies. (Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:4-11; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:10; 1 Peter 1:1-2)[3] God’s Election does not negate man’s responsibility to turn from sin and place saving faith in Jesus. (John 1:12-13) We believe that even the faith that one places in Jesus is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8)
(2) Regeneration
or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart brought about by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of one’s entire life to Him as Lord and Savior. (Romans 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Ephesians 2:8)
(3) Justification
is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God. (Romans 3:21-24; 5:8-10)
(4) Sanctification
is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life. (Philippians 1:6; 2:12-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
(5) Glorification
is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed. (Romans 8:29-30; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57)
(6) Lordship Salvation.
We believe and teach the doctrine of Lordship Salvation. This means that a person who is a genuine believer has Jesus as Supreme ruler over every area of their life. A person cannot say that they are saved but have no fruit of righteousness in their life. (Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23; 1 John 3:10)
G. Security of the Believer and Perseverance.
We believe that a person who is a genuine believer is secure in their salvation until the end. Further, we believe that a genuine believer will also persevere in their faith until the end. If a person abandons the faith, then that person was not a genuine believer from the beginning. (John 10:28; Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:30; 1 John 2:19)
H. The Church.
We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed into one unified spiritual body, the church. We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. This universal body of believers comes from people from all ethnicities and social statuses. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for Delighting in God, Declaring Jesus and Discipling all people. The Church’s primary officers are Pastors/Elders and Deacons. We believe that the church carries the message of Jesus which is the hope for the world. God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world in order to make disciples. (Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Philippians 1:11; 1 Timothy 3:1-13, 5:17; Hebrews 10:23-25)
I. Christian Conduct.
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men. We believe that a Christian’s conduct should be blameless before the world so that he or she may set an example and also lead others to Christ through their godly lifestyle. A person who is a believer should be recognizably different from the lost world in attitude, actions, and purpose of life. We believe a Christian should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. We teach that all believers should pray for a hatred of sin in their own life and pray for a desire to grow in godliness. (I Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-3; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 14:15,23-24; I John 2:3-6; II Corinthians 9:6-9; I Corinthians 4:2; Col. 1:9-10; 1 Peter 2:12; 1:15-16; 1 Timothy 6:11)
J. Marriage and Sexuality.
We believe that term “marriage” has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:31)
We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God. (Matthew 5:27-30, Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with scripture nor the doctrines of the church.
K. The Ordinances.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water into the name of the triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Baptism does not save an individual from their sins. Baptism is an outward symbol of a person’s inward commitment to repent of sin and follow Jesus as Savior and Lord.
We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death and the promise of His return. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic reminder of Jesus’ suffering the wrath of God on our behalf. The Lord’s Supper reminds us that we are united as one body because of His redemption. The bread and juice that is used in the Lord’s Supper does not become the actual body and blood of Jesus. If that was true, then Jesus would be crucified all over again. This is contrary to Hebrews 10:12 which states that Jesus offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins.
We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; 1 Cor. 12:12-13)
L. The Last Things.
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal happiness of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked. (Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Phil. 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:15; II Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 4:5; I Corinthians 15; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6,11-15)