What We Believe

What do we believe about the Bible?

We believe the sixty-six books of the Bible present truth and are the literal Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and preserved by the Holy Spirit so as to be reliable, having supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct, and it is a complete revelation of God’s will for all people (Psalm 19:7; 119:105; Proverbs 30:5,6; II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:20,21; Jude 3).

What do we believe about God?

We believe there exists one true and living God, eternally existing in three Persons – 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; these execute distinct, but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption (Deuteronomy 6:4; Acts 5:3,4; II Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 3:16; 28:18, 19; Ephesians 2:18, 21, 22; I Peter 1:2; Jude 20, 21).

Who is God the Father and what does He do?

We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, goodness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself with individual human affairs, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:45; 11:25; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:10; I John 3:1).

Who is Jesus Christ, what did He do, and what is He doing now?

• We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternally existing Son of God, became a man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin, Mary, He lived a perfect and sinless human life that He might reveal God and redeem His people (Luke 1:35; John 1:1, 2, 14, 18).
• We believe that Jesus Christ accomplished our complete redemption through His atoning death on the cross, when acting as our representative, He substituted His life to pay the penalty for our sins and thus simultaneously satisfied both God’s love and righteousness; a redemption made sure to us by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead on the third day (Romans 3:24, 25; 5:8-10; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 2:24).
• We believe that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and is now at the right hand of God the Father where He acts as our High Priest continually and perpetually representing us before the Father, interceding on our behalf and acting as our advocate in Heaven (Acts 1:9-11; Romans 8:34; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 1:3; 6:19, 20; 7:24; 9:24; I John 2:1, 2).

Who is the Holy Spirit and what does He do?

• We believe that the Holy Spirit, who comes from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, is the Supernatural Agent who regenerates the believer’s spirit, sets the believer apart for God, and baptizes all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling each equally and permanently, and preserving each one forever (Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 6:11; 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:13,14).
• We believe that every person, at the moment of exercising faith in Christ as Savior, immediately possesses the full measure of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 4:6; I Thessalonians 4:8).
• We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth; that He sovereignly bestows spiritual gifts upon each believer; and that it is the privilege and duty of all believers to be controlled and empowered (filled) with the Spirit to the glory of God and the benefit of the church (John 16:13; I Corinthians 12:4-11; 13:8; I Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12; 5:18).

What do we believe about all people?

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but Adam sinned, and in sinning, his image was corrupted; this corrupted image was passed on to his children and thus, in Adam, the entire race became alienated from God and inherited a sin nature. This nature is totally depraved and is utterly helpless to remedy its lost condition apart from the grace of God (Genesis 1:25-27; Psalm 14:1-3; 16:2; 53:1-3; Jeremiah 17;9; Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19; Romans 3:10-19, 22, 23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3,12).

What do we believe about salvation from sin and spiritual death (eternal separation from God?)

We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation to spend eternity separated from the presence of God. We believe that salvation is the free gift of God offered by Him, and on the basis of His grace, to sinners which must be received solely by personal faith in, and only in, the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary (John 3:18; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 8:9-11; II Corinthians 5:10,17; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8, 9; Philippians 3:4-9; Colossians 2:13, 14; I Peter 1:18, 19; I John 1:8, 9).

What do we believe about the security of a believer in Jesus?

We believe that once saved, all believers are kept by the power of God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and interceded for by Christ; therefore, their salvation is secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:38,39; Ephesians 1:13, 14; I Peter 1:5; I John 5:11-13; Jude 24).

What do we believe about the church?

• We believe that the universal church, which is the body (of which He is the Head) and bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all believers. This present Church Age began at Pentecost and will be terminated at the rapture (Matthew 16:16-18; Romans 12:5; I Corinthians 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:22).
• We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of using their talents and spiritual gifts to make unbelievers, disciples of Jesus Christ, and has laid upon the leaders of the local church the primary task of shepherding and so equipping the members (Matthew 28:19,20; Ephesians 4:11-16; I Peter 5:2).
• We believe that worship of the Most High God is the fundamental response of all creation. We believe true worship of God must be personal even in the context of corporate worship. We believe that the Church of God should meet regularly for corporate worship and fellowship (Nehemiah 9:6; Revelation 15:4; John 4:12-14; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:25).

What do we believe about Christian conduct?

• We believe that the Christian life consists of a dynamic relationship (abiding) with Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit such that the fruit of the Spirit is produced in the believer’s life, in contrast to our natural desires.
• We believe that all believers should strive to live in harmony with other believers and actively seek reconciliation as necessary and as outlined in the Bible (Matthew 18:15-19).
• We believe that all believers should live in separation from all religious apostasy, all sinful pleasures, practices and associations as commanded by God (Romans 12:1,2; 14:13,21; II Corinthians 6:14 through 7:1; I Timothy 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11).

What do we believe about Satan?

We believe that Satan is a personal being, that he was created by God and held the highest rank of all angelic creatures; that he sinned through pride, thereby becoming the author of sin and the cause of Adam’s original sin; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and all creation , though he operates only under the allowance of God; all of which will finally result in his being eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Genesis 3:1-19; Job 1:9-12; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:1-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

What do we believe about the last days?

• We believe that this present age will be climaxed by the visible, physical return of Jesus Christ to the earth with power and great glory to introduce the millennial age, to bind Satan and cast him into the Lake of Fire, to lift the curse which now rests on the whole creation, and to bring the whole world to a knowledge of God.
• We believe in the bodily resurrection of all people: believers to eternal life; and unbelievers to judgment and everlasting punishment (Zechariah 14:4-5; Romans 8:19-23; Revelation 20:1-3; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5, 6, 12, 13).
• We believe that the souls of believers are, at death, absent from the body and present with God, 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; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:31; Thessalonians 4:16,17).
• We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall 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 (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:11-15).