Statement of Faith

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, written and complete; that the 66 books comprising the Old and New Testaments are “given by inspiration of God”, inerrant, and infallible in the original documents. The Bible has the power to convict of sin, cleanse the heart, and edify the believer in Christ. It is “sharper than any two-edged sword” and can make a man complete in Christ Jesus.

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:20-21 / John 10:35 / Jude 1:3 / John 17:17 / 2 Peter 1:3-4 / Matt. 5:18 / Matt. 24:35 / Heb. 4:12 / Rom. 10:17 / 2 Tim. 3:16-17 / Heb. 1:1-3

We believe that there is one living and true God, perfect in all His attributes. He exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; they are co-equal, Infinite and Unchangeable; they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the sovereign work of creation, providence and redemption.

Scripture: Psalm 90:2 / 1 John 5:7-8 / John 10:30 / Matt. 28:19-20 / 2 Cor. 13:14 / 1 Cor. 8:4-6 / Isa. 45:5-7 / John 4:24 / Matt. 3:16-17 / Deut. 6:4-5 / Rev. 1:4-6 / James 1:17; 2:19 / Gen. 1:26-27 / Eph. 1:13-14; 4:3-6

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of mankind, and that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from the wages of sin all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. It is for His glory that all things come to pass in heaven and on earth.

Scripture: James 1:17 / 1 Cor. 8:6a / John 4:24 / 1 Chron. 29:11-12 / Psalm 103:19 / Psalm 24:1 / John 6:27 / 1 Peter 1:2 / Matt. 5:16 / Rev. 19:1 / Psalm 79:9 / Rom. 15:5-7 / 1 Peter 4:11 / Rev. 1:6 / Rom. 3:23; 6:23

We believe that Jesus Christ is God Incarnate, God’s only begotten Son conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His voluntary and substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, intercession for His people and personal, visible return to earth.

Scripture: John 1:14, 18, 36; 3:16 / 1 Peter 1:18-19 / Rev. 1:7 / Acts 1:9 / Phil. 2:5-11 / Heb. 1:1-3 / Micah 5:2 / John 1:1-3; 10:28-30 / Col. 1:15-17; 2:8-10 / Matt. 28:18-20 / John 5:27 / Luke 2:52 / 1 Tim. 2:5-6 / Mark 10:45 / Rom. 3:25-26 / 2 Cor. 5:14 / Heb. 10:5-14 / Heb. 7:25

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, eternal, uncreated and possesses all the attributes of personality and deity. We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells, baptizes, and seals every believer in Christ, at the moment of salvation, and that He is an abiding Helper, Teacher and Guide. We believe that the Holy Spirit infills surrendered Christians and that he has given spiritual gifts to believers. This section in no way endorses the present-day charismatic movement with its emphasis on speaking in tongues, healings, signs and miracles, nor the need for a second work of grace to confirm an individual’s salvation experience.

Scripture: John 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-13 / Eph. 1:13-14 / 1 Cor. 12:13 / 1 Cor. 6:19 / Eph. 2:22 / 2 Thess. 2:7 / Eph. 4:30; 5:18 / 1 John 2:20-27 / Acts 5:3-4

We believe that man was created directly and immediately by God in His own image; that through voluntary transgression he fell from his sinless state in consequence of which all men are sinners by nature and by choice, and therefore, under the just condemnation of a righteous God; that he is utterly incapacitated to receive the grace of God apart from the quickening of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture: Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7, 15-25; 3:1-7 / Rev. 4:11 / Isa. 43:7 / John 3:36 / Psalm 14:1-3 / 1 Cor. 2:14 / Isa. 53:6 / Psalm 8:1-9 / Jer. 17:9 / Rom. 3:10, 23 / Eph. 2:1-10 / Rom. 5:12-19 / 2 Cor. 5:21 / 1 Peter 1:18-19, 23 / Phil. 3:4-9 / Rom. 5:6-9

We believe man is a sinner by nature and by choice and is, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We believe that they become a new creation in Christ Jesus, but the old nature is not eradicated.

Scripture: Rom. 3:10, 23; 5:12; 6:23; 7:18; 10:9 / Matt. 18:3-4 / 1 Sam. 12:23 / Isa. 59:2 / 2 Cor. 5:17 / Rom. 7:14-25

We believe that salvation is only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross of Calvary. It is by God’s grace that He gives us the faith to be saved. The Lord Jesus Christ willingly took upon Himself a human body and gave Himself to be a vicarious atonement for our sin. His death, burial and resurrection satisfied the holiness and justice of God, and He is now the propitiation for our sin. We believe that salvation is not purchased or aided by good works, baptism, or any other righteous act. The acceptance of Christ’s work on the cross is the only means of salvation for any person. No true believer in Jesus Christ can ever lose their eternal life in Christ.

Scripture: John 14:6 / Eph. 2:8-9 / Isa. 53:3-7 / Mark 14:62 / Titus 3:5 / 1 Peter 2:24 / Acts 4:12; 16:31 / Heb.2:17 / John 1:12; 5:24; 6:29 / 1 John 2:1-2; 4:10 / Jude 1:24 / Rom. 3:23-26 / 1 Cor. 15:1-19 / John 20:27-30 / Rom. 8:29; 1:16-17; 3:23; 5:6-8; 10:9-13 / 1 John 5:11-13

We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellowmen; that his conduct should be blameless through Christ before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions, time and talents; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ, and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Scripture: Rom. 8:29; 12:1-2 / 2 Tim. 2:15 / 1 Cor. 10:31 / 1 Peter 4:10 / Acts 20:32 / John 17:17-19 / Eph. 4:24; 5:25-27 / 1 Thess. 5:23 / Col.3:1-4 / Heb. 10:10, 14; 12:10 / 2 Peter 3:18 / 1 Cor. 3:17-18; 6:11 / Gal. 5:16-25 / 1 Thess. 4:3-4 / 1 John 1:4-10; 3:5-9 / Col. 3:9-10 / 2 Cor. 6:14-18; 7:1 / 1 John 2:15-17 / Rom. 6:11-13 / Titus 2:11-14 / Phil. 3:12-14 / 2 Tim. 3:1-5 / 1 Thess. 1:9-10; 5:17-20

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Table. We believe that water baptism by immersion shall be administered on a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that baptism in itself has no saving merit, that it is a public profession of inward regeneration having taken place and professes to the fact that the Spirit of God dwells within the believer’s heart. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for the commemoration of His death and remembrance until His return.

Scripture: Acts 2:38 / 1 Cor. 11:23-26 / Acts 8:36-39 / Matt. 28:18-20 / Luke 22:19-20 / Acts 10:47-48 / Rom. 6:1-4 / Eph. 2:8-9

We believe that every believer has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each Church is autonomous and must be free from interference by an ecclesiastical or political authority, that, therefore, Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.

Scripture: Heb. 4:13-16 / Acts 5:29 / 1 Peter 2:5-14 / 2 Cor. 5:10 / Rom. 13:1-7 / Matt. 22:17-21 / 1 Tim. 2:1-4 / Dan. 2:20-22 / Gen. 9:6-7 / Matt. 16:18-19

We believe that the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day, supersedes the Sabbath for the New Testament Church as the primary day of rest. It commemorates the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and the day of Pentecost upon which the church began, and as such it is a day to be kept sacred for worship, assembled spiritual exercise, and rest.

Scripture: 1 Cor. 16:2 / Acts 20:7 / Mark 16:2, 9 / Rev. 1:10 / Acts 2:1 / John 20:1, 19 / Luke 24:1 / Heb. 10:24-25 / John 15:4-8

We believe that the rapture of the Church will take place before the tribulation and millennium. Christ’s second coming to earth is at the end of the tribulation period and will usher in His thousand-year reign on earth.

a. THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

The rapture is the next event on the prophetic calendar of God. No prophecy needs to be fulfilled before we meet Christ, our blessed hope, in the air.

Scripture: 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 5:1-11 / Phil. 3:20 / Rev. 3:10; 4:1 / 1 Cor. 15:51-52 / John 14:1-3 / Titus 2:11-14

b. THE TRIBULATION PERIOD

This is a time of judgment on the world, including them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. It is also the time for the conversion of a repentant Israel along with others from among all tongues, tribes, and nations. The antichrist will seek to destroy those faithful in Christ during this period and he will be judged by God at the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the tribulation. At this point, Christ will appear gloriously. During the Tribulation, for Christians, the judgement seat of Christ and the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place in heaven.

Scripture: Jer. 30:7-9 / Dan. 9:24-27; 11:40-45 / Zech. 13:8-9 / Matt. 24:21 / 2 Cor. 5:10 / 2 Thess. 2:10 / Rev. 6-19 / Matt. 24:15-21 / 1 Cor. 3:10-15; 4:1-5 / Rom. 14:10 / 1 Pet. 5:4

c. THE MILLENNIUM

After the tribulation period the thousand-year reign of Christ will begin when Christ will rule in righteousness on earth with a rod of iron and we will reign with Him.

Scripture: Dan. 2:44; 7:13-14, 16-17 / Gen. 15:18-21 / Rev. 11:15; 16:12-16; 19:11-16; 20:1-6 / Deut. 30:1-10 / Isa. 11:9 / Eze. 37:21-28 / Acts 15:16-17 / 1 Tim. 4:1-3 / 2 Tim. 3:1-5 / Psalm 2:7-9

d. THE AGES TO COME

We believe the next period following the millennium will include Satan’s final rebellion and judgment, the judgment at the Great White Throne when all the remaining dead and remaining unbelievers will be judged, and both their body and soul be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction, from the Presence of the Lord. Then the Lord will establish a new heaven and new earth.

We believe that at death all those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence and remain there with Him in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the glorified body when Christ comes for His own, when their soul and body are reunited to be with Him forever in glory.

Scripture: Rev. 20:7-15; 21:1-21 / Psalm 1:6 / Luke 16:19-26; 23:42 / 2 Cor. 5:8 / Phil. 1:23 / 2 Thess. 1:7-9 / Jude 1:6-7 / Rev. 20:11-15

We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society, that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honoured, and obeyed, except in the matters opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Scripture: Rom. 13:1-7 / Rev. 19:16 / Phil. 2:9-10 / Dan. 2:20-22 / 1 Tim. 2:1-4

We believe that Satan is a created being that, at one time, held an exalted position among the angels. Being lifted up with pride, he and many angels rebelled against God. Satan possesses the qualities of personality and exercises influence upon man. His personality is clearly seen in the temptation of Christ. Satan is a powerful being, is called the “prince of the power of the air”, the “prince of demons, the god of this world”, the “serpent”, the “tempter”, the “wicked one”. Yet his power is limited and can be overcome by the Christian who has been delivered from his authority. At his final defeat he will be thrown into the lake of fire.

Scripture: Job 1:9-12 / Isa. 14:12-14 / Eze. 28:12-19 / Dan. 10:12-13 / Luke 11:14-18 / John 8:44; 14:30 / Matt. 4:1-11; 9:34; 12:24; 13:19; 25:41 / Rom. 6:17-23 / 2 Cor. 4:4; 11:14 / Eph. 2:2; 6:11-18 / Col. 1:13 / 1 Tim. 3:6 / James 4:7 / 1 Peter 5:8-9 / 1 John 3:8 / Rev. 20:10

We believe that the term “marriage” is reserved for the formalized covenant relationship between one man and one woman who commit themselves through legal declaration to exclusive, intimate companionship and sexual union with the intention of permanence. Marriage is monogamous, heterosexual, and intended for life.

We believe that the terms “one man” and “one woman” are understood to refer to persons who are biologically male and female from birth. We believe that the consistent witness of Scripture calls us to accept our biological identity as given by God. The Bible affirms that our essential identity is to be found in our relationship with God, not in our gender or sexual orientation.

We believe that to enter into a same-sex marriage is to commit to a sexual union that is regarded by God as sinful. We will not encourage, bless, participate in, nor endorse same-sex marriages.

Scripture: Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7, 21-25 / Lev. 18:6, 22-23; 20:10-21 / Gen. 18:20; 19:4-5 / Matt. 19:3-12 / Mark 10:2-12 / Rom. 1:24-32 / 1 Cor. 6:9-11, 13, 18 / Heb. 13:4 / 1 Cor. 7:1-16; 7:25-40 / Gal. 5:19-21 / 1 Thess. 4:3-8 / Titus 1:6 / 1 Tim. 1:8-10; 3:2-6 / Jude 1:7 / Rev. 20:8; 22:14-15