Doctrinal Statement

Scripture

We believe that the Bible is God’s infallible Word, written Divinely and verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit; that it is absolutely trustworthy and without error, and has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

Godhead

We believe in one God eternally existing in three equal Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

God the Father

We believe in God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power. We rejoice that HE concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

God the Son

We believe in God the son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of god, who became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. We believe that He accomplished our redemption through His death on the Cross as a substitutionary sacrifice in our place.

We believe that our redemption and salvation is guaranteed eternally by His physical resurrection from the dead. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is now in heaven exalted at the right hand of God, where as High Priest He fulfills the ministry of intercession and advocacy for His people.

God the Holy Spirit

We believe in god the Holy Spirit, who came to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He regenerates, seals, empowers, gifts, sanctifies, and counsels all those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

The Holy Spirit permanently indwells all believers, seals them unto the day of redemption, and fills those yielded to Him. We believe that speaking in tongues, and miraculous healings were given as signs of authenticity to unbelievers in the early church.

We also believe that God answers prayer for the sick in accordance with His will. The outcome of the use of a spiritual gift should be the edification of the church in a decent and orderly manner. The gift of tongues was given to the early Church as a sign gift to the unbelieving Jews.

An interpretation (translation) was to have been given by another person, and individuals were to speak out one at a time with only two or three speaking. Furthermore, we believe that this practice of interpretation should be observed presently.

Creation

We believe all things in heaven and on earth were created by God, and are held together by His power. We believe that man was created without sin in the image and likeness of God. But man disobeyed God and was instantly sinful, bringing both physical and spiritual death to himself.

We believe that every man has inherited a sinful nature, is alienated from God, and is in need of salvation. The only sinless man is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Salvation

We believe that salvation is a gift of God and is received by man through personal faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for sin in our place. We believe that man is justified by grace through faith, apart from works.

We believe that all believers are saved forever, and cannot lose their salvation.

We believe that the soul of believers at physical death immediately passes into God’s presence and remains there in consciousness until the resurrection of the body at His return for the Church. At that time the soul and body will be reunited, and will reign with Christ forever in glory.

Conversely, we believe that the soul of unbelievers at physical death immediately passes to Hades in conscious misery until the final judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the Millennium, when soul and body, reunited, shall be cast into the Lake of Fire forever, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting separation from the presence of the Lord.

Sanctification

We believe that sanctification, which is a setting apart unto God, is positional, progressive, and ultimate. Positionally since the believer is in Christ and is set apart unto God as Christ is set apart unto God.

Since the believer retains the ability to choose whether or not to live as set apart unto God, there is a need for growth, being transformed to the image of Christ, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ultimately, the child of God will be set apart from sin in his practice as he is now in his position in Christ, being transformed physically and spiritually to the likeness of Christ.

Angels, Fallen and Unfallen

We believe that angels are spiritual beings who were created as sinless personalities, and that they occupy different orders and ranks. The presently exist in both fallen and unfallen states, the former including Satan and his angels.

We believe that Satan, by h is own choice, is the enemy of God and the people of God, is the originator of sin, led Adam and Eve into sin, and now rules as the god of this world. We believe that he was defeated at the Cross, and that ultimately he will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that Christ instituted the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord’s Supper which are to be observed by believers until He returns. We believe that through water baptism a believer publicly identifies with Christ the Savior.

We believe that the baptism is symbolic of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. We believe that the mode of baptism is total submersion in the water. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of Christ’s death, the elements representing His body and blood. We believe that participation should always be preceded by solemn self-examination.