We recognize the following expressions of Christian doctrine to be valid as given in the Word of God.
Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
We believe there is only one God, revealing Himself in three equally divine persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe each are co-eternal and have distinct personal attributes, but are in perfect unity of will, nature, essence, and being.
Genesis 1:1-2, 26; 3:22; 11:7; Numbers 27:18; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 2:7; 12; 51:10-12; Proverbs 30:2-4; Isaiah 6:8; 48:16; 61:1; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; John 14:16-17; 1 Corinthains 8:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5.
We believe in God the Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the lives of men. He hears, answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. God the Father reigns with providential care over His creation, and the flow of human history has occurred according to His purposes. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, all wise, and present in all places at all times.
Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11.; 20:11; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 6:9; 7:11; 23:9-10; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 3:16; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; 4:12; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17.
We believe Jesus Christ to be co-eternal & co-equal as the second person of the Trinity, yet in relationship and submission as God the Father’s only begotten Son. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and miraculously born of a virgin to fulfill prophecy. He took upon Himself the limits, demands, and necessities of humanity, identifying Himself with His creation, yet maintaining His divine nature. Jesus Christ was sinless in His life and nature, perfectly revealing the will of the Father, with the sole purpose of making atonement for the sin of the world by His sacrificial death to satisfy the just wrath and punishment for mankind’s sin. We believe in His bodily resurrection, His ascension into Heaven, His perpetual intercession for His people, and His personal, visible return to the world according to His promise. We believe Jesus Christ to be fully God, fully man, and the reconciliation for mankind.
Psalms 2:7; 110:1; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:16-17; 11:25-27; 14:28-33; 16:16-17,27; 17:5; 24: 27, 30-31; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:34-46; John 1:1-18,29-34; 10:23-30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9-11; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:13-15; 7:14-28; 9:11-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:18-22; 1 John 1:7-10; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-18; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from God to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. The Holy Spirit regenerates, sanctifies, bestows spiritual gifts upon, comforts and empowers for service, those who believe in Jesus Christ. At the moment of regeneration, He permanently indwells the heart of the believer and baptizes them into the Body of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and is fully divine in His nature. It was through the Spirit of God that men were inspired to write the Scriptures, and it is through His illumination that He enables believers to understand its truth. The Spirit of God gives believers the ability to worship, evangelize, and serve.
Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44-47; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 12; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10.
We believe that mankind is God’s special creation, being made in His image. He created humankind male and female (refer to Section V), and gave them separate roles in their gift of gender. We believe that in the beginning, all men were created innocent of sin and were given the freedom of choice. We believe that through the temptation of Satan, humankind rebelled and fell from the graces of God and His original innocence, whereby now all men by nature and by choice are sinners. Even through the distortion of sin, we believe that God’s image exists and can still be seen in mankind today through our humanity, creativity, and personality. But because of sin, we are spiritually bankrupt and dead, eternally separated from God, unable to redeem and reconcile ourselves on our own merit to satisfy the just wrath and punishment of a holy & sovereign God, but needing a Savior and Substitute who can.
We believe that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). We believe, therefore, that all those who put their trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and repent (turning from one’s sin) will rejoice in God’s presence forever, and those who refuse Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will forever experience God’s wrath and separation from His goodness, in a place the Bible refers to as the lake of fire. Salvation is, therefore, given freely to mankind by simply believing and repenting. It is experienced through God’s purpose of election/choosing and through the freewill of mankind coming together in what the Apostle Paul would consider a mystery. In its entirety, we believe salvation and redemption to include:
Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; 31:31; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:18-26; 21:28-45; 24:22, 31; 25:34; 27;22-28:6; Mark 1:15; Luke 1:68-79; 2:28-32; 19:41-44; John 1:11-14, 29; 3:3-21, 36; 5:24; 6:44-45,47, 65; 10:9, 27-29; 15:1-16; 17:6, 12, 17-18; Acts 2: 21; 3:19-20; 4:12; 10:43; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:26-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-32; 2:4; 3:10-18,23; 5:6-12; 6:1-23; 7:14-25; 8:1-39; 10: 9-10; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; 6:19-20; 15:19,21-22; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:1-22; 4:11-16 Colossians 1:9-22; 3:9-11; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10, 19; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8, 14; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 20:14-15; 21:1-22:5.
We believe the Church to be a visible, living, and spiritual body of believers, of which Christ is the head, and as an affirmation of their faith, they gather for worship, to serve, and are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel. We believe it is God’s Will and the duty and privilege of every believer of every church to come together in unity, using the spiritual gifts bestowed upon them by the Holy Spirit to encourage one another and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, while making disciples of all nations.
Concerning its polity and governance, we believe that each local church is independent and autonomous, and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority. The state must never interfere with the function of the church. The church must always pray for and be involved in the moral good of our government. Each congregation includes members that are each responsible and accountable to Jesus Christ, and is governed through a democratic process. The biblical officers of the church are pastors/elders and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.
Matthew 5:13-16; 16:15-19; 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 14:23,27; Romans 1: 13; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:21; 4:11-16; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 1 Peter 2:13-18; 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3.
We declare the Good News that God offers forgiveness, transformation, freedom from the power of sin, and restoration to all who confess and repent from their sin and humbly ask for God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Without condoning sin, we extend love, compassion, kindness, respect, and dignity to all. Any behavior or attitudes not displaying these qualities are not in accord with Scripture or the Spirit of Christ, and therefore should be rejected. Our love for the Gospel and urgency for the Great Commission includes declaring what Scripture teaches about God’s design for us as male and female persons created in His image, for His joy, and for His glory.
Therefore, we teach that God wonderfully created each person as distinctly male or female. These two, and only two, distinct and complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Gender identity is determined by biological sex and not by one’s self-perception or cultural perception – a perception which is often influenced by fallen human nature in ways contrary to God’s design. Rejection of biological and God-given gender is a rejection of the image of God within that person. Any form of sexual intimacy outside of marriage (see Section VI) is sexually immoral and is sin against God and His design for healthy relationships. Sexual immorality includes, but is not limited to, adultery, sexual activity outside of marriage, homosexual conduct, and pornography.
Genesis 1:26-31, 2:18-25, 5:1-2; Psalm 34:8; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:18-20, 19:4-6, 28:19-20; Luke 4:18-19, 6:31-38; John 8:31-36; Acts 20:27; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 6:15-7:6; Galatians 5:14; Ephesians 4:17-18, 5:3-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; 1 John 1:9
God structured the family as the foundation of human society. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman (see Section V) in a covenant commitment for the entirety of life. Marriage is a gift from God that illustrates the union between Jesus and His people, The Church. With Jesus Christ as the cornerstone, marriage is the framework for intimate companionship, the avenue of sexual expression, and the means for procreation.
We believe the husband and wife to be of equal worth before God, both being created in the image of God, but given different roles within the marriage and family structure. A husband is to love his wife as Jesus loved the Church. His God-given role is to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself to the leadership of her husband, just as the Church willingly submits to Jesus Christ. She is to respect her husband and to serve as his help-mate in managing the family unit and nurturing their children. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to model to their children God’s design for marriage, to teach them the spiritual and moral values and disciplines given in Scripture, and to embrace a Christ-centered lifestyle that models loving discipline and care. We believe it is the children’s responsibility to honor and obey their parents.
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 127; 128; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15,17; 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:22-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8,14; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7.
The only two ordinances given to the Church by Jesus in the New Testament are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Though participation in these ordinances are not the means of our salvation (see Man & Salvation), they are given to the Church as visible and tangible expressions of the gospel for our spiritual growth and edification, and to strengthen our faith.
Through our profession of faith in Jesus Christ we are united with Him in a new community - the Church - and baptism publicly identifies us with this community. Therefore, we teach that baptism is symbolic of the professing believer’s death to sin, burial of their old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life through Jesus Christ. Today, this profession of faith is affirmed by the local church by means of immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe baptism is an act of obedience, allowing the professing believer to tangibly & publicly display their faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and it serves as a testimony to the Church’s faith in God’s promise of the final resurrection of the dead in Christ. We also believe that baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership.
Likewise, we believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ongoing act of obedience, where the body of believers, through the regular partaking of bread and the fruit of the vine, (1) memorialize Jesus’ final Passover meal with His disciples, (2) celebrate the inauguration of the new covenant through His saving work on the cross as our Passover Lamb, and (3) eagerly anticipate His Second Coming.
Baptism: (Matt 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22); (Matt 28:19-20, Mark 16:16); (Acts 2:37-42, 8:12-13, 8:35-39, 9:18, 16:30-33); (Romans 6:3-10, Col 2:12)
Lord’s Supper: (Matt 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:19-20), (1 Cor 10:16,21; 11:17-29); Acts 20:7