Doctrinal Statement

THE BIBLE

We believe in the verbal-plenary inspiration by the Holy Spirit of the Old and New Testaments, which are completely inerrant in the original writings, infallible, and the final authority for faith and practice. (Matthew 5:18; John 16:1-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21;)

GOD

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three Persons – The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit and that these three have precisely the same nature, perfections and attributes, which make them worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience. (Matthew 28:18-19; Mark. 12:29; John 1:1-2, 14; 4:24 10:30; Acts 5:3-4; 2Cor. 13:14; Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 1:4-6)

We believe in His eternal deity, virgin birth, vicarious atonement, bodily resurrection, present intercession; and in His personal, pre-millennial, pre-tribulational, and imminent return. (Matthew 1:18-25; Romans 4:25; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10)

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit, and that certain ministries have been committed to Him in this age – (1) to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, and (2) the regeneration, indwelling, enlightening, sealing unto the day of redemption, and the baptizing into the one body of Christ of each of the saved. (John 3:6; 16:7-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:13; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 John 2:20-27)

MAN

We believe that man was originally created in the image and likeness of God; that he sinned by disobeying God; that he thereby incurred spiritual death, which is separation from God; that he thereby became subject to the power of Satan; that this spiritual death has been transmitted to the entire human race, the man Christ Jesus being the only exception, so that all are sinners by nature and practice (Genesis 1:26; 2:17; 6:5; Psalms 14:1-3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:6; 5:40; 6:53; Romans 3:10-19; 8:6-7; Ephesians 2:1-3; 1Timothy 5:6; 1 John. 3:8)

SALVATION

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins vicariously and substitutionally according to the Scriptures; that our redemption from sin has been accomplished solely by His blood-death; that He was made to be sin for us, dying in our place and stead; that no repentance, no feeling, no faith, no good resolutions, no sincere efforts, no submission to rules, ordinances or regulations of any church can add in the least degree to the value of the finished work of Jesus Christ at Calvary. (Leviticus 17:11; Isaiah 64:6; Matthew 26:28; John 1:29; 3:5, 18; Romans 3:25-26; 5:6-9; 2 Corinthians 5:14, 21; Galatians 3:13; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 3:4-9; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 10:5-14; James 1:18; 1 Pet.1:18-19, 23)

We believe that when an unregenerate person exercises that faith in Christ which is portrayed and described in the New Testament, the person passes from spiritual death into spiritual life; that the person is immediately justified from all things; that the person is immediately accepted before the Father as Christ, His Son, is accepted; and that the person is loved by the Father as Christ is loved, having that person’s place and portion linked to Him, and is one with Him forever. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ Jesus alone. (John 5:24; 17:23; Acts 13:39; Romans 5:1; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23; Ephesians 1:3; 2:8-9; Colossian 2:10; 1 John 4:17; 5:11-12)

ETERNAL SECURITY OF BELIEVERS

We believe that everyone who is born again is kept by God’s power and is thus secure in Christ Jesus forever; that the assurance of salvation through knowledge of God’s Word is the privilege of every believer. (John 5:24; 10:27-30; 13:1; 14:16-17; 17:11; Romans 8:29, 35-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; Galatians 5:13; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Peter 1:5; 1 John 2:1-2; 5:13; Jude 24)

THE ETERNAL STATE

We believe that the soul and the human spirit of those who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation do at death immediately pass into His presence, and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming; when soul, human spirit, and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in glory.

But the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the final judgment at the Great White Throne at the close of the millennium, when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. (Luke 16:19-26; 23:43 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)

THE CHURCH

We believe that the Church, which is now the body and shall be the bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of born-again persons of this age irrespective of their affiliation with Christian organizations. It originated at Pentecost and will be taken away at the rapture. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27; Colossians 3:14-15)

The Church’s ordinances are baptism by water (immersion), and the Lord’s Supper to be observed until His return. (Acts 2:47; 14:27; 20:17, 28-32)

We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament. (Acts 14:27; 20:17; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

DISPENSATIONALISM

We believe in a dispensational method of Bible interpretation, but reject the teaching known as hyper-dispensationalism, such as that teaching which opposes either the Lord’s Supper or water baptism as a Scriptural means of testimony for the local church in this age. We also reject the teachings of “Progressive Dispensationalism” (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; 1 Corinthians 14:1-16; 11:23-26)

RESPONSIBILITY OF BELIEVERS

We believe that every believer is commanded to be filled (that is controlled) by The Holy Spirit, seeking to walk (i.e. live) in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon the Lord Jesus Christ, witnessing by life and word to the truths of the Bible, seeking to proclaim the Gospel to all the world, remembering the work of the Lord in prayer, and supporting it with his means as God has prospered him. (Ephesian 5:17-18; Galatians 5:16; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 9:7)