AFFIRMATION OF OUR FAITH
I. THE WORD OF GOD
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20, 21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31, 32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32
II. THE TRINITY
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption. Genesis 1:1, 26; John 1:1, 3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19, 20; Ephesians 4:5, 6
III. GOD THE FATHER
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, 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. Luke 10:21,22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; I Timothy 1:1, 2; 2:5, 6; I Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6
IV. JESUS CHRIST
We believe in Jesus Christ, 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 substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth. Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 8:32; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30, 31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9, 10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; I Timothy 3:16
V. THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and 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 every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide. John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26, 27; John 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26
VI. REGENERATION
We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. We believe that those who repent and forsake sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation and receive eternal life. Genesis 1:26; 5:2; Genesis 3; Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Ecclesiastes. 2:11; John 3:14; 5:24; John 5:30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; Romans 9:22; II Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 19:3, 20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:18; Psalm 51:7; Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:14; Romans 3:19; 5:19; Proverbs 28:13; I John 1:9; John 3:16; John 1:13; II Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1
VII. THE CHURCH
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23-25
VIII. CHRISTIAN CONDUCT
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. I Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-3; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 14:15, 23-24; I John 2:3-6; II Corinthians 9:6-9; I Corinthians 4:2; Colossians 1:9-10
IX. THE ORDINANCES
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water (pouring of water used at recipient’s discretion) into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-26
X. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
We believe that every human being individually has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any 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. I Timothy 2:5; Romans 14:7-9, 12
XI. CHURCH COOPERATION
We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in an interdenominational basis. Such a cooperation, whether a local, regional or national event, exists and functions by the will of the church. Cooperation in an event or organized, planned occasion is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Acts 15:36,41; 16:5; I Corinthians 16:1; Galatians 1:1-3; Revelation 1:4, 10, 11. This church is not affiliated with any conference or denomination and may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary, independent basis as seen fit by the Council of Elders of the church.
XII. THE LAST THINGS
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked. Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:15; II Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 4:5; I Corinthians 15; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15
XIII. MARRIAGE & SEXUALITY
We believe God is the only authority in matters of marriage and sexuality for all people, and the term “marriage” only has one meaning: a sacred covenant between one man and one woman joining together in an exclusive, complementary, permanent union Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:1-9. This bond is to represent the heavenly covenant between Christ and His Church Ephesians 5:31-33, therefore intended not to be broken by anything but death. Jesus stated that marriage was created by God from the beginning, so no human institution has the authority to redefine marriage any more than a human institution has the authority to redefine Scripture Mark 10:5-9. We believe sex is a gift from God to be enjoyed solely within the covenant of the marriage relationship.
We believe that the exercise of sexual expression outside of this biblical definition of marriage, including but not limited to lustful thought, adultery, pornography, homosexuality, premarital sex, bisexuality, transgenderism, or polygamy does not align with God’s design for sexuality and marriage, and is therefore defined as sin according to Holy Scripture Romans 1:18-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-20, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7, Hebrews 13:40. We believe that God created mankind in His image: male (man) and female (woman), sexually and biologically different, but with equal personal dignity Genesis 1:26-27. We believe it is inconsistent with God’s design for a follower of Christ to physically seek to change, alter, or disagree with their biological sex which has been assigned by God Psalm 139. The fall of man has corrupted God’s original intent for sexuality and all people have experienced this to some extent. We recognize that these sins are no different than others and we all need to hold fast to the grace given to us through Jesus Christ. We also believe that all forms of abuse, discrimination, slander, and oppression towards fellow humans are offensive to the sacred image of God, which is impressed upon all people, and is thus considered sin according to the Holy Scriptures.
XIV. GENDER ROLES IN THE CHURCH
We believe men and women are created in God’s image, absolutely equal in essence, dignity and value but are distinct by divine design. We believe God created two distinct, yet complementary genders for our good, His glory, and to reflect His nature and character to the world. We believe that the spiritual leadership as modeled by Christ loving the church applies to the home. As part of God’s created order, husbands are to love their wives unconditionally and wives are to respect their husbands, both demonstrating Biblical submission and love and sharing equal value in God’s design Ephesians 5:22-33. We believe as it relates to the church, men and women are both expected to serve and lead; however, the office of Elder/ Senior Pastor is reserved for qualified men 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1; Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:18- 25; 1 Corinthians 12:4-32; Galatians 3:28-29; 1 Timothy 2:8-15, Titus 2:3-5; 1 Peter 3:1-7
