The Word of God.

We believe that the Bible, all 66 books, is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.  They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom.      2 Timothy 3:14-17, 2 Peter 1:19-21, Psalm 19 7-11.

The Trinity.

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.  Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19

God the Father.

We believe in God, the Father, an infinite personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love.  By His Word and for His glory, He freely and supernaturally created the world out of nothing.  We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affair of each person, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.  He made man for fellowship with Himself and intended that all creation should live to the praise of His glory.  Genesis 1, John 1:1-3, Hebrews 1:3, Psalm 47:8, 115:3, Job 42:2, Romans 8:28-39, Ephesians 1:3-14.

Jesus Christ.

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit.  We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings.  We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.  There is no other name by which man must b e saved. (Acts 4:12)  He is the head of His body, the church, and should be adored, loved, served, and obeyed ay all.  John 1: 1-18, Matthew 1:18-25, Hebrews 4:15, John 1:1-14, Colossians 1:15-20, 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, Hebrews 7:25, Ephesians 1:20-22.

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.  All the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in the Church of the first century are available today, are vital for the mission of the Church and are to be earnestly desired and practiced.  He is to be respected, honored and worshiped as God the Third Person of the Trinity.  Psalm 104:30, John 16 1:11, 3:5-8, 16:13-15, 17:4, 1 Corinthians 12:3, 12:12-13, Romans 8:9-11, Acts 5:3-4

Regeneration.

We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation.  Salvation, the free gift of God, is provided by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, for the glory of God alone.  We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.  Psalm 104:30, John 16:1-11, 3:5-8, 16:1-11, 3:5-8, 16:13-15, 17:4, Acts 5:3-4.

The Church.

We believe in the universal Church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members.  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 worship, work, and fellowship.  The Church exists to proclaim the kingdom of God, worship and glorify God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and to serve him by faithfully doing His will in the earth.  We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local Church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.  Ephesians 1:13, 4:3-4, 5:26, Romans 8:14, Matthew 28:18-20, Galatians 5:22-23, Acts 2:42, Mark 1:15.

Christian Conduct.

Biblical repentance is characterized by a changed life, and saving faith is evidenced by kingdom service or works.  While neither repentance nor works save, unless a person is willing to deny himself, pick up his cross and follow Christ, he cannot become His disciple.  We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.

The Ordinances.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local Church:  baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  Baptism is a visual demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection.  It signifies that his former way of life has been put to death and vividly depicts his release from the mastery of sin.  Therefore, in obedience to Christ’s command and as a testimony to God, the Church, and the world, we believe that Christians should be baptized with water into the name of the triune God.  We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death.  As we partake of the Lord’s supper with an attitude of faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, and signify our unity with other members of Christ’s body.  We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:19, Romans 6:1-11, Matthew 26:26-29, 1 Corinthians 11:27-28, 11:26, 10:17.

Religious Liberty.

We believe that every human being has direct relations with god, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each Church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that, therefore, church and state must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.  Ephesians 1:4-6, Acts 13:48.

Marriage.

We believe God ordained marriage and the family as the foundational institution of human society and that the only legitimate marriage is a sacred and permanent covenant relationship between one man and one woman, established at creation and affirmed by the Lord Jesus and his apostles, symbolizing the union of Christ and His Church.  We believe marriage is a privilege, not a right, instituted by God and that man has no right to change that which God has instituted or to alter the Bible’s definition of marriage.  We strongly support all legislation that will defend the sanctity of the divine institution of marriage and its biblical definition and oppose any legislation or decisions by the courts which seek to expand the definition of marriage beyond one man and one woman united for life.  Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15-25, Matthew 19:4-6, Colossians 3:18-22, Hebrews 13:4.

Sexual Acts.

We believe God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity is to be engaged in outside of the marriage of a man and a woman.  Any form of child molestation, fornication, adultery, homosexuality (sodomy), lesbianism, bestiality, bisexuality, incest, pedophilia, or pornography is a sinful perversion of God’s gift of sex.  We believe God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance.  Genesis 2:22-24, 19:5, 13, Leviticus 18:1-30, Matthew 19:4-6, Romans 1:26-19, 7:2, 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9, Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 5:22-23, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, Hebrews 13:4.

Abortion.

All of life is a mysterious, awesome gift of God.  We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being.  Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life.  Abortion is murder.  We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable.  Job 3:16, Psalm 51:1, 139:1-4, Isaiah 44:24, 49:1, 5, Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15-18, Luke 1:44.

The Last Things.

We believe in the personal, visible and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His eternal Kingdom.  We believe in the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.  Married to Christ as His Bride, the Church will be in the presence of God forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory.  Matthew 24:30, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, Acts 17:31, 24:15, 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, Revelation 20:1-4, 20:10, 20:15, 22:1-5, Romans 8:18-25.