OUR BELIEFS
The Word of God
We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. We believe that the Bible was revealed without error in the original autographs of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, the Holy Spirit working through holy men, so that the Bible is the very word of God. We believe that God has preserved His Word and that it is sufficient as our only rule of faith and practice. We do not hold to any one version as the definitive inspired and preserved Word of God, and we believe that the reliability of every translation is evaluated by how accurately and clearly it reflects the originals.
Psalm 19; Psalm 119; Matthew 5:17–18; 2 Timothy 3:14–17; 2 Peter 1:16–21; 2 Peter 3:15–16
The One, True God
We believe in the one true God, eternally existing in three distinct, co-equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God is infinite and immutable in His perfections—power, wisdom, righteousness, and love—all of which are expressions of His supreme holiness. We believe that God created in six days everything that exists, that He sovereignly reigns over all, and that He is glorified by all His works, most notably by the sinners whom He redeems.
Genesis 1; Deuteronomy 6; Isaiah 6; Ephesians 1; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Timothy 1:17
The Lord Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin, and that He is therefore fully God and fully man, yet one person. We believe that He lived a sinless life and died as a vicarious sacrifice for sinful mankind, the Just for the unjust, securing the forgiveness of sins for the redeemed by the shedding of His blood. We believe in the literal resurrection of His body three days after He was buried, by which He assured our justification. We believe that forty days after His resurrection He ascended to heaven, where He is now exalted at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for the redeemed. We believe that He will fulfill His promise of a literal return to earth for His people at an hour known only to the Father.
Matthew 1; John 1; Acts 1; Romans 3–4; 1 Corinthians 15; Hebrews 1, 7; 1 John 1–2
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, restrains evil, convicts sinners of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, is the Agent of the new birth, and is committed to glorifying Jesus Christ. We believe that He baptizes, indwells, and seals the believer irrevocably at the point of salvation; that He assures the believer of salvation; that He illuminates the believer’s mind, enabling him to understand and apply Scripture; that He progressively controls and sanctifies believers who submit to Him and convicts those who do not; and that He gifts every believer for service. We believe that miraculous, revelatory gifts—prophecy, tongues, and healing—were crucial for authenticating the apostolic message in the founding of the church, but they are neither definitive signs of spirituality, nor are they normative in the life of the church.
John 3, 14–16; Romans 8; 1 Corinthians 2, 12–14; 2 Corinthians 3; Galatians 5; Ephesians 4–5; Titus 3:5
The Adversary
We believe in the existence of Satan, the arch enemy of God, the god and deceiver of the world, and the believer’s adversary, tempter, and accuser. We believe that he is a rebellious angel that was created by God and is therefore subject to and limited by God. We do not believe he or his demons can possess a Christian. We believe that he faces sure damnation in the lake of fire.
Genesis 3; Job 1; Matthew 4; John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 4:4; Revelation 12, 20
The Human Race
We believe that Adam and Eve, the first humans, were created directly by God, in His own image, and without sin. We believe that man voluntarily disobeyed God and thereby fell from his innocent state, becoming alienated from God and incurring both physical and spiritual death. We believe that because of that Fall, the entire human race is sinful both by nature and by choice, totally depraved, unwilling to seek after God, under God’s wrath and condemnation, and unable to achieve his own salvation.
Genesis 1–3; Psalm 51; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:36; Romans 1–3, 5–6; Ephesians 2; 1 John 5:12
The Way of Salvation
We believe in the single, substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ for sinners, by which God secured our salvation forever. We believe that salvation is entirely by grace, is in no way earned or merited by the sinner, and is personally received when, by God’s grace, an individual repents of his or her sin and trusts in Jesus Christ. We believe that Scripture teaches both divine sovereignty and human responsibility. We believe that at the moment of conversion, every believer is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, forgiven of all sin, declared righteous by God on the basis of Christ’s imputed righteousness, reconciled with God, granted sonship with God the Father, given eternal life, and granted direct access to God the Father through the Lord Jesus. We believe that all the redeemed are kept by the power of God and will therefore persevere in repentant faith to the end. We believe that all the redeemed have both a spiritual and a fleshly nature, that these two natures will strive against each other throughout the believer’s earthly life, and that the process of progressive sanctification by which we are transformed into Christ’s likeness is begun at the moment of salvation and will be completed only when we see His face.
Isaiah 53; John 10; Acts 3–4, 16; Romans 4–8; Galatians 2, 5; Philippians 1–3; Hebrews 9–12; 1 Peter 1
The Church
We believe that the church, the body of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again believers of this present age, and that Jesus Christ is the sole Owner, Builder, and Head of His church. We believe in the organization and establishment of local churches as taught throughout the New Testament, that the local church is the primary means through which God is working in this age, and that its purpose is to glorify Him through exaltation, evangelism and edification. We believe that a local church is comprised of believers in Christ who have identified with the Lord through water baptism and with each other through the covenant of membership. We believe that the ordinances of the church are two: baptism of believers by immersion and the Lord’s Supper, both of which are memorials of Christ’s saving work. We believe that there are two offices in the church: pastors (also called elders or overseers) who are responsible to lead, feed, and protect the flock; and deacons who are responsible to manage church ministry, especially benevolence, in a way that frees the elders to devote themselves to prayer and preaching. We believe that the governing authority of the church is its members.
Matthew 16; Acts 6; Ephesians 1–4; 1 Corinthians 5, 11; 1 Timothy 3
The Good Fight
We believe that Christians and churches must contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints. This includes the confrontation of error and, when necessary, separation from error. We believe that cooperation with and tolerance of error—even for the sake of evangelism—dishonors God and disobeys His Word. We believe that we are commanded to live a life that is distinct from the world and set apart to God, not to partner in spiritual endeavors with those who deny the faith, and not to fellowship with perpetually disobedient brothers. By God’s grace, we are committed to determining our ministry relationships on the basis of biblical fidelity.
Matthew 18; Romans 16:17; 2 Corinthians 6–7; 2 Thessalonians 3; Titus 3:10; James 1:27; 1 John 2:15–17; 2 John; Jude
Biblical Morality
We believe that morality is based on the unchanging standard of God’s Word, that marriage serves as a picture of the relationship between the Lord Jesus Christ and His bride, the Church; that marriage is a sacred, lifelong covenant between one man and one woman (as biologically identified at birth); and that sexuality is lawful only when enjoyed by one man and one woman who are joined together in the covenant of marriage. We believe that gender is an inviolable part of one’s human identity, that both male and female are created in God’s image, and that men and women are absolutely equal in value yet complementary in their roles within the home and the church. We believe that life begins at conception and that all human beings are made in the image of God. As such, human life is sacred, and it should be protected and respected at all times. God’s Word is clear: human life at all ages and stages is precious from conception until death, whether a person is fully able or disabled, healthy or sick, independent or dependent. While we believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity, we will not take into or retain in membership, leadership, or staff positions anyone who is involved in immoral practices forbidden by Scripture—including homosexuality or extramarital heterosexuality, abortion or infanticide, and physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. Those already in membership who are known to be involved in such practices will be subject to church discipline as outlined in Scripture. Those who repent of these and other sins will be graciously welcomed into and retained within our fellowship.
Genesis 1-2; Psalms 51, 127, & 139; Jeremiah 1; Matthew 19; Romans 1; 1 Corinthians 5–6; 2 Corinthians 2, 7; Hebrews 13; James 1
The Future
We believe in the blessed hope, the imminent return of Jesus Christ, when He will gather living and dead saints to Himself to be with Him forever. The coming of Christ, which will occur at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and motivates the believer to perseverance in godly living. We believe that at His second coming in glory, Jesus will establish his earthly kingdom and rule over all the nations. We also believe that Jesus will eventually remake the heavens and the earth to be absent of any effect of the Fall. We believe that at death the souls of the redeemed pass immediately into the presence of the Lord, and the souls of the unsaved pass immediately into condemnation and misery in hell. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men: those who have died in Christ will rise to eternal life, and those who have died without Christ will rise to eternal and conscious torment following their judgment before the great white throne.
Matthew 24; John 14; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Corinthians 5; 1 Thessalonians 4; Titus 2:13; Revelation 19–22