What We Believe
The Word of God
We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed (II Timothy 3:16-17, II Peter 1:20-21, Matthew 5:18, John 16:12-13.)
The Godhead – The Trinity
We believe in One, Living, Triune God, eternally existing in three personages: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deuteronomy 6:4, II Corinthians 13:14, I John 5:7.)
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin, the race fell, and inherited a sinful nature and became alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 3:22-23, 5:12, Ephesians 2:1-3, 12.)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. (Ephesians 2:8-10, John 1:12-13, 14:6, Ephesians 1:7, I Peter 1:18-19, I John 5:11-12, Romans 10:9-13.)
Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
A. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30, Romans 8:1, 38-39, I Corinthians 1:4-8, I Peter 1:5, I John 5:13.)
The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
A. We believe that God is sovereign in bestowing of all His gifts; and the gifts of evangelist, pastor and teachers are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today, and that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scripture were completed and their authority became established. (I Corinthians 12:4-11, II Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 4:7-12, Romans 12:6-8.)
B. We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted. (John 15:7, I John 5:14-15, 3:20-22.)
The Church
A. We believe that the Church, which is the Body and the engaged bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age. (Ephesians 1:22-23, I Corinthians 12:12-14, II Corinthians 11:2.)
B. We believe that the establishment and continuance and local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27, 20:28-32, I Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-11.)
Dispensation
We believe in the Dispensational view of Bible interpretation, but reject the extreme teaching known as “Hyper-Dispensational,” such as that teaching which opposes either the Lord’s Table or water baptism by immersion as a Scriptural means of testimony for the church in this age. (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:41-42, I Corinthians 11:23-26, Romans 6:4-5.)
The Second Advent of Christ
We believe in the Blessed Hope, the personal, imminent, pretribulation and premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones, (I Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18, 5:9,
I Corinthians 15:51-53, Revelation 3:10,) And His subsequent return to earth with His saints to establish His Millennial Kingdom, (Zechariah 14:4-11, Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6.)
The Eternal State
A. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matthew 25:46, John 5:28-29, 11:25-26, Revelation 20:5-6, 12-15.)
B. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where, in conscious bliss, they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43, Revelation 20:4-5, II Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:23, 3:21, I Thessalonians 4:16-17.)
C. We believe that the souls of the unsaved remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when, with soul and body reunited, they all appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. (Luke 16:19-26, Matthew 25:41-46, II Thessalonians 1:7-9, Jude 6-7, Mark 9:43-48, Revelation 20:11-15.