Our Doctrinal Statement

Bible

We believe that the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the only Word of God; that all its words and all its parts are equally inspired of God and without error (2 Corinthians 1:3; 1 Timothy 3:16; John 10:35); and that it is certain as to truth, final as to authority, and sufficient in all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Timothy 3:17; 2 Peter 1:3).

God

We believe that the one true and living God is one in essence (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Timothy 2:5), existing as three eternal persons who are revealed to us as the Father (1 Peter 1:2), Son (Hebrews 1:8), and Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4); and that He created all things as revealed in Genesis 1 and sustains all things (Colossians 1:17).

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ existed from eternity past as the eternal Son of God (John 8:58; Luke 8:28; 22:70); that He became a man when He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), was born of the virgin Mary (Luke 1:27; Matthew 1:25), and is true God and true man; that He lived a sinless life (1 John 3:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15), died on the cross to pay the price for our sins (1 John 2:2), rose bodily from the grave (Luke 24:39), returned to heaven (Acts 1:9) where He is seated on the right hand of God praying for His people (Romans 8:34), and will return to earth in keeping with His promises (John 14:3).

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Triune Godhead (Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4); that He has inspired the writings of the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21); that He is in the world today convicting men of sin, righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8); that He is calling out a people for God among the Jews and Gentiles (Acts 15:16); that He produces the new birth in those who believe (John 3:3-5; Titus 3:5), places them into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13), indwells them (1 Corinthians 6:19), seals them for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30), produces in them the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), makes them a holy people (Romans 15:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:13), and bestows spiritual gifts upon each one equipping them for ministry (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

We believe that the sign gifts, such as healing the sick, cleansing lepers, raising the dead, casting out demons, speaking in tongues, snake handling, drinking deadly poison, miracles (Matthew 10:8; Mark 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28), and the offices of apostles and prophets have ceased with the death of the Apostles.

We believe the content (new revelation) gifts, such as “a word of wisdom,” “a word of knowledge,” and “a word of faith” continued until the completion of the Scriptures (Hebrews 2:3-4; Revelation 22:18-19). We affirm a faith (body of truth) once-for-all delivered to the saints for which we must contend (Jude 3).

We believe that both healings and miracles in the life of Christ and the Apostles served to confirm their person and work in laying the foundation for the Church (Matthew 16:18; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:20; Hebrews 2:3-4). We believe that God can and does heal at His discretion according to His will.

We believe that tongues were given as a sign to unbelieving Jews (1 Corinthians 14:21-22; Isaiah 28:11); that tongues were known dialects at that time (Acts 2:6, 8); and that tongues ceased (1 Corinthians 13:8) as their limited purpose was realized. With the fall of Jerusalem marking the beginning of the “Times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:20-24) and the missionary activity majoring on the Gentiles (Acts 28:25-29), the need and purpose for tongues as a sign gift to the Jews abruptly stopped.

We believe that the gifts that continue are speaking and serving gifts (1 Peter 4:10-11): prophecy (the preaching of the Word), ministry, teaching, exhorting, giving, ruling, mercy, helps, administrations (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:28), and evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11).

Angels

We believe that God created an innumerable company of sinless spirit beings known as angels (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 12:22); that many of these continue in their holy state executing God’s will and ministering to believers (Psalm 103:20; Hebrews 1:14); that an angelic leader now known as Satan (or the Devil) and many others rebelled against God (Isaiah 14:12-14; Revelation 12:3-4); that these fallen angels, though defeated in the cross of Christ, still continue to oppose God’s purposes (Matthew 13:19; Revelation 12:7-12), afflict God’s people (2 Corinthians 12:7; Revelation 2:10), hinder God’s servants (1 Thessalonians 2:18), and deceive God’s elect (Matthew 24:24); that the good angels will continue in the service of God throughout all eternity (Revelation 4:8; 5:11-12; 21:12) while the evil angels will be judged by God and cast into the Lake of Fire to suffer everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

Mankind

We believe that human beings, male and female, were created by the direct act of God (Genesis 2:7) in His image and after His likeness (Genesis 1:26-27); that the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, were holy beings (Ecclesiastes 7:29; Ephesians 4:24) but through disobedience fell from their original state (Genesis 3:11), became totally corrupted in nature (Isaiah 1:5; Jeremiah 17:9), were separated from God (Genesis 3:8, 24) and came under condemnation and the sentence of death (Genesis 3:19); that because of the unity of the human race and the natural headship of Adam, all humans (Jesus Christ only excepted) are born with sin natures and have come under the same consequences of sin until receiving new life in Christ (Romans 5:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-6).

Sin

We believe that sin is a principle or nature (Matthew 15:19) as well as an attitude or action (Philippians 2:14; Genesis 39:9) that is contrary to the character and instructions of God (1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 John 3:4); that sin originated in the angelic realm when Lucifer and many others rebelled against God (Isaiah 14:12-14; Revelation 12:3-4); that sin with all of its universal consequences entered the human race when Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:1-7; Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22); that the guilt of Adam’s original sin was reckoned to all men (Romans 5:19); that sin has so corrupted man’s total being that he is pervasively evil (Isaiah 1:4-6) and, without Christ, is hopelessly and helplessly lost (John 8:24); and that the penalty of sin is death: physical (Genesis 3:19), spiritual (Ephesians 2:1), and eternal (Matthew 25:41; 2 Thessalonians 1:9).

Salvation

We believe that a fundamental change (repentance) must occur in people or else they will perish (Luke 13:1-5); that throughout the Bible God graciously extends an invitation to men for salvation (Isaiah 1:18; Matthew 11:28-30; John 1:12; 3:16-18; Acts 16:31; Revelation 22:11); that salvation is the gift of God’s grace through the merits of Jesus Christ by His life, death, and resurrection (Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4); that salvation is not received by human merit but by exercising personal faith in Jesus Christ alone (Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-9); that people must acknowledge that they are lost sinners (Romans 3:23), believe that Christ arose from the dead (Romans 10:9), and confess their believe in Jesus Christ as Lord (Romans 10:10); and that those who call upon the name of the Lord may not only have the assurance that they are saved (Romans 10:13) but that they will be preserved by divine grace, being kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation (1 Peter 1:5).

Church

We believe that the term “church” is used in two senses: the universal sense (1 Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 5:25), and the local sense (Acts 8:1; 13:1); that the Universal Church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; Romans 12:4-5), composed of all believers of all nations who are placed into that body by the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13) beginning at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4, 47) and extending until the Rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17); that local churches are assemblies of professing believers living in the same locality (1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; Revelation 1:11) who have been saved by exercising personal faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:47; 16:31), baptized by immersion (Acts 2:41), organized with servant-leadership called pastors (also known as bishops or elders) and deacons (Acts 14:23; Philippians 1:1), stand under the authority of Christ and His Word (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23), meet together for instruction in the Word, fellowship with God’s people, observance of the Lord’s Supper, and prayer (Acts 2:42), and engage in worship-service, evangelism, and edification (Matthew 28:19-20; Ephesians 4:11-12).

Last Things

We believe that Jesus Christ will come in the clouds to receive His Church into glory (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11), and we will be caught up (1 Thessalonians 4:17), changed in a moment (1 Corinthians 15:51-52), and gathered unto Him (2 Thessalonians 2:1); that a time of great trouble is coming on earth (Daniel 12:1), also called the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21; 29; Revelation 7:14), and the time of wrath (Revelation 6:16-17; 11:18); that the Church is not destined for this time of wrath (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9) but is to be delivered through Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:10); that following this time of trouble Jesus Christ will return to the earth with His glorified saints (Matthew 24:29-30; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 19:11-16) to establish the millennial kingdom (Revelation 20:4-6); that at the end of the Millennium Satan will lead a final rebellion, but be defeated (Revelation 20:7-10); that the unsaved of all ages will be resurrected to be judged and condemned to everlasting conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15), while all the saved of all ages in glorified bodies will enjoy everlasting blessing in the presence of God (Revelation 21:1 – 22:5).