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What We Believe
Article I
God is a Person who has revealed Himself as a Trinity in unity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
three persons, yet one God. (Deut 6:4; Matt 28:19; I Cor 8:6)
We believe in the one God. In the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons, the same in substance, but distinct in subsistence, worthy of the same trust, obedience, honor and worship:
- God the Father: The Eternal Spirit, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, concerns Himself in the affairs of mankind; hearing and answering prayer; revealing Himself in Scripture as the Sustainer of life. A God of love who has ordered all things to serve His eternal purpose.
- God the Son: We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, resurrected and ascended to the right hand of God in all authority and power, as our Advocate to all who call upon Him, confessing Him as personal Savior.
- God the Holy Spirit: We believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit, as an Agent of God the Father and God the Son, who performs the work of salvation and permanently indwells the believer, bestows upon him a gift(s) at the moment of salvation and sets the believer apart to live a godly life.
Article II
The Bible, including both the Old and New Testaments, is a divine revelation, inspired by the Holy Spirit. (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21)
We believe that the Holy Sprit is God the Father’s Agent in the revelation, guidance, and inspiration of His Word, the Bible, whose inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts, whether historical, poetical, doctrinal, or prophetical in nature, so that every word is both infallible as to truth and final as to authority. We believe in the literal method of interpretation, grounded in fact, delivering us from humanism, mysticism, and the imaginations of man. We believe the following principles to be prerequisites to proper interpretation of the Scriptures:
- One must be spiritually born and have an utter dependence upon the Person of God the Holy Spirit to guide and direct. (John 16:7-14; I Cor. 2: 7-16)
- One must interpret according to the immediate text; the larger context, such as design and scope; and by comparing Scripture with Scripture.
Articile III
Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. He is Himself God; He took upon Himself our nature, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died upon the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. He arose from the dead. He ascended into heaven, where He is now our Intercessor. He will come again personally and visibly to set up His kingdom and to judge the quick and the dead. (Col 1:15; Phil 2:5-8; Matt 1:18-23; 1 Peter 2:24-25; Heb 4:14-16; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thess 4:16-18; Matt 25:31; Rev 11:15-17; Rev 20:4-6, 11-15)
We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ who is always at the same time both God and man. His death on the cross was substitutionary and representative, and sufficient atonement for the guilt of all mankind. As our Intercessor, we believe that any and all who call upon Him, confessing Him as their Savior, are immediately justified in His shed blood, and are secure in Him. We believe that the body of Christ will not see the wrath of God. We believe in the personal and bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ for His Church.
Article IV
Man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and was lost. This is true of all men, and unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ who bore our sins in His own body on the cross. The retribution of the wicked and unbelieving, and the reward of the righteous, are both conscious and everlasting. (Gen 1:27; Rom 3:10, 23; John 3:3,16; Acts 13:38-39; Acts 4:12; Matt 25:46; 2 Cor 5:1; 2 Thess 1:7-10)
Man was originally created with the divine intent that he should glorify God, enjoy His fellowship, and fulfill His will and purposes. However, the man Adam fell into sin by a voluntary act of disobedience to the will of God, the effects of which are transmitted to all people of all ages, hopelessly lost and facing God’s wrath and judgment. We believe that salvation is by the grace of God through individual faith based upon the finished redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ. All who receive Him through faith are spiritually born, regenerated by God the Holy Spirit, and thereby become the adopted children of God, glorifying God through a life of fellowship and service. Salvation is eternal and unchangeable.
Article V
The church is an elect company of believers baptized by the Holy Spirit into one body. The church celebrates two ordinances given by Jesus Christ, that being the Lord’s Supper and Water Baptism. The mission of the church is to serve God, both within and outside of the church, and to preach, teach and share the Gospel of Christ to any and all until His return. (Acts 2:41; Acts 15:13-l7; Eph 1:3-6; 1 Cor 12:12-13; Matt 28:19-20; Acts 1:6-8)
We believe that all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, accepting His finished work on the cross, are united together by the Holy Spirit in one spiritual body of which Christ is the Head. The two ordinances observed are not sacraments as such for they do not administer special grace upon the participant, but are merely emblematic of spiritual truths and have no part in the meriting or maintaining of salvation. They are only the outward manifestation of an inward condition already accomplished by God the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer. The ultimate meaning of water baptism is the permanent identification with Christ, in that the believer is separated from what he was without Christ, to what he is now in Christ. To partake of the Lord’s Supper, a person must be spiritually born and examine himself to determine he is in repentant fellowship with the Lord and others.
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