What We Believe

We believe that the Bible is the verbally inspired word of God, that it was written by men who were divinely and uniquely inspired and that it was without error in its original writing.  It is complete, absolutely trustworthy, and has supreme authority in all matters of Christian faith and conduct.  (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; John 16:12-13; Revelation 22:18- 19)

We believe in one 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 with the same attributes and perfection.
 
God the Father - We believe in God the Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power.  We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from the penalty of sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.  (John 3:35;  John 5:26;  John 6:46; John 10:29;  Matthew 11:27)
 
God The Son - Jesus Christ  - We believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal and only begotten Son of God.  We believe that in His mortal life He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men.  Becoming a man without ceasing to be God, He lived a sinless life and accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross, a vicarious sacrifice for our sins.  We believe in His bodily resurrection from the grave and that He ascended into heaven where He is now exalted on the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us as our great high priest.  We believe in His personal, imminent, physical return to rapture His church, and His subsequent return to the earth with His saints to establish His millennial Kingdom.  (Philippians 2:5-11;  Matthew 1:18-25;  I Peter 2:24; John 3:16; Luke 24:1-53;  Hebrews 4:14-16;  I Thessalonians 4:13-18)
 
God the Holy Spirit - We believe in the Holy Spirit, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.  He regenerates, sanctifies and comforts those who believe in Jesus Christ, indwelling and sealing them until the day of redemption.  He is the Divine Teacher, who guides us into all truth, and by His filling He strengthens us.  (John 14:16; John 15:26; John 16:7-14; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13, 14)

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin, man fell, thereby inheriting a sinful nature and becoming alienated from God.  This resulted in not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is separation from God.  By choice we sin; and, of ourselves, we are unable to remedy our lost condition.  (Genesis 1:26, 27;  Romans 3:10;  Romans 5:12;   John 3:5)

1.  Salvation is by grace alone through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Believers are saved and fully justified before their faith ever produces a righteous work. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
 
2.  The natural man (Romans 3:23) is spiritually dead and cannot earn salvation or favor with God (Romans 8:7-9).
 
3.  Salvation is all God's work.  Those who believe are saved utterly apart from any effort on their own (Romans 10:9-13; I Timothy 1:15-16; Titus 3:5).  Eternal life is a gift of God (Romans 6:23).
 
4.  Salvation is brought about by the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and by the Word of God.  The lost person is convicted of his sin and is convinced of his need of Jesus Christ, the Savior, to save him from sin (John 16:8-9; Acts 2:37; Romans 1:16-17; I Peter 1:23).

5.  The natural man is called by God to a single act of repentance and believing. Repentance is a change of mind, turning to Christ from sin, trusting and believing in Him as personal Savior in regard to the Gospel message (Luke 24:47; John 3:16; Acts 2:38, 11:18, 17:30, 20:21; Romans 2:4;  2 Timothy 2:25; 2 Peter 3:9).  Both faith and repentance are a gift from God.

6.  The object of faith is Christ Himself, and trusting Him begins the process of Christ changing a believers life (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:15, 17).   Obedience to Christ's Word is a demonstration of salvation (I John 2:3-6).   Salvation includes a transformation of the inner person (Galatians 2:20).   The believer receives a new nature (Romans 6:6).  A continued life-style of willful sin is not consistent with a person who trusts Christ  (I John 3:9-10).

7.  Jesus is Lord of all and faith in Him leads to a yielding of oneself to Christ (Romans 6:12-13, 6:17-18, 10:9-10, 12:1-2).

8.  Believers are kept by the power of God (John 10:28-29; I Peter 1:3-5).

9.  Believers stumble and fall, but persevere in the faith (I Corinthians 1:8) and will be restored to fellowship by confession of sin (I John 1:9).

10. Assurance of Salvation is based on the promises of God (I Peter 1:23; I John 5:11-12).

We believe that the universal church of Christ is a living, spiritual body of which Christ is the Head, and of which all regenerated people are members.  We believe that the local church is a company of believers in Jesus Christ who have shared their profession of faith, and voluntarily associated for worship, work and fellowship.  We believe that the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper were committed to the local church for perpetual observance, and that God laid upon the church the task of proclaiming to a lost world the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (Colossians 1:18;  I Peter 2:5;  Matthew 28:18-20).

We believe the church has two ordinances:
 
1. Baptism is the immersion of the believer in water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, symbolizing the believer's previous experience of the new birth through faith and his union in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as set forth in Romans 6:3-11.
 
2. The Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ as a memorial to His atoning sacrifice.  In the observance of this Supper, believers remember Him: they show forth His death until He comes, and they function as worshipping priests before God (Luke 22:14-20;  I Corinthians 11:23-24).
 
We believe the local church is independent and autonomous and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority, and therefore church and state must be kept separate, each having different functions (Luke 20:19-26; Romans 13:1-7;  Titus 3:1).
 
We believe that the Holy Spirit gives each believer one or more spiritual gifts and that Christ, our Risen Head, has especially set apart the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers in order to help the saints in their work of service and to build up the body of Christ.
 
We believe that as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority established, the need for miraculous signs has diminished and they are not now necessary to validate our faith or to authenticate the Scriptures (Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 1:22; I Corinthians 12:11-14; I Corinthians 12:28-31; Ephesians 4:11-13; Mark 16:17- 18).
 
We believe in the power of prayer.  God does hear and answer the prayer of faith in accordance with His sovereign will (John 15:7; I John 14, 15).

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;  John 11:25, 26; Revelation 20:5, 6, 12, 13).
 
We believe that the soul 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 16:19-26; Matthew 25:1-46; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6, 7;  Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:11-15).
 
We believe that Satan is real, the author of sin and the cause of man's fall.  We believe that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man, and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6, 7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; Matthew 25:41;  Revelation 20:10).
 
"You therefore, beloved, since you know these things before hand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now and forever. AMEN."
 (2 Peter 3:17-18 - NKJV)

We believe that we have been led by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.
 
We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through our community and all nations.
 
We also engage to maintain family and private devotions; to train our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord; to seek the salvation of our family and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements and exemplary in our conduct; to avoid all gossip, slander and excessive anger, and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the gospel of our Lord and Savior.
 
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the principles of our Savior, to secure it without delay.
 
We agree that if we move from this geographical area, we will as soon as possible unite with another church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.