Our Statement of Faith

1. Scripture

• We believe in the plenary, verbal inspiration of the 66 books of the Bible. It is the inerrant Word of God in its original form. It contains God’s revealed truth to man and is the primary source of revelation for the Church Age.
• 2 Timothy 3:15-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Hebrews 1:1-2

2. God

• God is the eternal Creator, without beginning or end. As creator, God is sovereign overall creation, and nothing transpires outside of his expressed will. He is the only true God, and He is only One God. All other gods are false. He is perfect and without fault, Holy. Creation exists expressly for His pleasure and glory. As to His substance, God is Spirit.
• Genesis 1:1, Revelation 1:8, Ephesians 1:5,11, Isaiah 41:4, 45:5-13, Revelation 4:11, John 4:24
• God is one, but is composed of three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Godhead is a unique person and is fully God. A person is defined as having will, intellect, and emotion.
• Deuteronomy 6:4, James 2:19, Luke 3:21-22, Isaiah 42:1, Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20, Colossians 2:9

3. Humanity

• Mankind was created perfect in the image of God, but due to a conscious choice, Man sinned against God. As a result of that sin, all mankind is sinful, not only by consequence but also by choice. Therefore, all mankind is under the just condemnation of God without excuse or exception and is need of salvation, provided only by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
• Genesis 1:26-31, Genesis 3:1-19, Romans 1:18-32, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12-14, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9.

4. The Person of Christ

• Jesus Christ is unique in that He is fully God while also being fully man. Jesus Christ was born of Mary, a virgin woman, conceived miraculously by the Holy Spirit. He is the eternal Son of God and the second Person in the Godhead.
• John 1:1, Matthew 16:16-17, Philippians 2:6-11, Colossians 2:6-10, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-25, Galatians 4:4
• The resurrection of Christ is vital to the Christian faith. Without Christ’s resurrection, we are still dead in our sins and our faith is vain. Christ resurrection gives us hope (assurance) of life everlasting.
• I Corinthians 15:12-20, Romans 4:25

5. The Work of Christ

• Man’s sin has separated him from God. Jesus Christ freely took upon Himself the nature of man, yet without sin. He honored the divine law by perfect obedience, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins. His death legally paid the debt of our sin (justification) and is the only means of salvation.
• Eph. 2:8-9, Romans 5:18-19, Hebrews 2:14, Isaiah 53:4-7, I John 4:10, Galatians 2:20, Acts 4:12, John 3:16-18, John 3:36
• We do not believe in a prosperity gospel. Our spiritual salvation does not mean that we will no longer be troubled by physical problems. Believers will still face trials and tribulation. Believers will still have aches and pains.
• James 1:2-4, Romans 5:3, II Corinthians 4:7-10, 2 Corinthians 6:3-10, 2 Corinthians 11:23-30, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, 1 Timothy 5:23

6. Salvation

• Justification is a legal term used to describe the payment of a debt. All mankind has sinned; the penalty for that sin is death. Man can only be justified (recognized as righteous) before a holy God by faith in the perfect, completed work of Jesus Christ.
• Romans 3:23, 6:23, Galatians 2:16, John 19:30
• In order to be saved, man must consciously confess that Christ has paid the penalty for their sin. This confession shows faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and contains no merit but solely relies on the completed work of Christ for salvation. Faith in Christ is the only means of salvation.
• Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9, Acts 16:31, Acts 4:12, John 3:36
• Since man’s salvation is dependant on no works of his own, there is nothing a man can due to “loose” his salvation once he is “truly” saved. The saved are kept saved by the power of God.
• Romans 8:28-29, John 10:28-29, 1 Peter 1:5, 1 John 5:13

7. The Work of the Holy Spirit

• The Holy Spirit is working in this present age to convict men of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
• John 16:7-11
• The Holy Spirit also performs four works in the life of every believer at the moment of salvation. (1) He regenerates man, giving him a new nature. (2) He indwells man. (3) He baptizes man, bringing him into the body of Christ, and (4) He seals man, providing a guarantee of man’s inheritance with God. Further, the Holy Spirit also desires to continually fill believers, or control their lives.
• Titus 3:5, Romans 8:9, I Corinthians 6:19, I Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:5, Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:27, Ephesians 4:30, Romans 4:11, II Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13-14, Ephesians 5:18
• Sanctification is the process of being set apart from the world for God. It is not instantaneous but happens over time (a process). It is accomplished in the believer’s life through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. It also indicates the holy lifestyle that believers are to live. However, complete sanctification will not occur until we meet Christ as we will continue to sin while on this earth.
• John 17:17, Ephesians 5:26, 1 Peter 1:2, I Thessalonians 4:3-4, Romans 6:19-22, 1 John 3:2, Philippians 3:21, 1 John 1:10
• All believers receive at least one spiritual gift at the moment of salvation. These gifts are to be used for the building of the Body of Christ (the Church) and edification of its members. Speaking in tongues (or other manifestations of Spiritual gifts) is not required to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
• Ephesians 4:7-16, 1 Corinthians 12:28-30, Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:27

8. The Church

• The church is the body of Christ and had its earthly origin on the day of Pentecost. It is composed of all who truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, regardless of nationality or status. All such believers are united in one body with Jesus Christ as their head, and are responsible for living in unity, peace and love with other believers.
• Matthew 16:18, Acts 1:5, 2:1-47, 11:15-18, I Corinthians 12:12-31, Galatians 3:28, Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 4:1-16
• Christ gave the church two ordinances before He ascended into heave to mediate for us at the right hand of the Father: (1) water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Water baptism is public pronouncement of faith in Jesus Christ (thus faith must come first) and symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Believers are commanded to observe water baptism, but it is not required for salvation. The Lord’s Supper is taken in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The bread and the cup are not literally the body and blood of Christ, but representations.
• Acts 8:35-38, Romans 6:3-5, Matthew 28:18-20, I Corinthians 11:23-26

9. The End Times

• We believe in the return of Jesus Christ for His bride the church (the rapture), which will occur before the second return of Christ.
• Acts 1:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
• We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ to the earth. After His visible return, Christ will establish a physical 1,000 year kingdom. This kingdom will be the complete fulfillment of the Abrahamic, Davidic, and New Covenants which God made with Israel. This kingdom will be marked by the personal reign of Jesus Christ and it will be a time of peace, equity, justice, prosperity, and glory.
• Revelation 20:1-6, Genesis 15:18, 2 Samuel 7:10-17, Jeremiah 31:31-36, Zechariah 14:1-11, Isaiah 11:1-10, 1 Corinthians 15:23-26
• At death (or the rapture), the believer immediately goes to be with Christ. He is absent from the material body, but face to face with the Lord, and there in conscious joy, he awaits the resurrection of the body.
• Philippians 1:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:1-8, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
• At death, unbelievers immediately go into conscious misery until the second resurrection when they will be reunited with their resurrected bodies to appear before Christ at the great white throne judgment. The unbeliever will not be annihilated, but will suffer everlasting conscious punishment in Hell. An unbeliever is anyone who does not have Christ (John3:18, 36). All men are without excuse, regardless of how much of the gospel they have heard (Psalm 19, Romans 1:19-20).
• Luke 16:19-26, Revelation 20:11-15, Matthew 25:41-46, II Thessalonians 1:7-9

10. Creation

• We believe in the literal six day creation as recorded in Genesis. After six days, God rested on the seventh day to provide an example to man.
• Genesis 1:1-2:25, Exodus 20:8-11, John 1:1-3, Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:16-17