What We Believe…

The Bible, being fully inspired by God in its entirety, is His perfect Word and is the authority for all faith and life. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Matthew 5:18, John 16:12-13

There is one God who is personal, infinite, perfect, and He exists eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Deuteronomy 6:4, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Matthew 28:19, 20

Jesus Christ is true God and true man, was born of virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died in our place to pay for our sin, and rose bodily from the grave. Jesus Christ is the only ground for man’s legal standing before God, which includes both forgiveness of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit. John 1:1-2, John 1:14, Luke 1:35, Romans 3:24-25, Romans 4:25, 1 Peter 1:3-5, Hebrews 7:25, 9:24, Romans 8:34, 1John 2:1-2, Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 1:1-3

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune, and works in convicting men of sin. In the life of the believer, He is involved in the New Birth, the sealing of salvation, and in developing holiness. Romans 8:4, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4-5, John 16:5-11, Ephesians 1:13-14

Man was made in God’s image and fell into sin in Adam. He is now a sinner both by nature and by choice and can be restored to God’s favor only through the work of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 3, Romans 3:22-23, 5:12, Matthew 19

Jesus says in His final command before He leaves earth that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. Every conversion in the book of Acts ends the same way, with baptism. Then, when the gospel was preached for the first time in Acts 2, the people are told to “REPENT and be BAPTIZED for the forgiveness of their sins.” The Greek word for baptism is “baptizo.” It’s the same word used when ships would sink. So we understand that to be full immersion in water. When reading the Bible, there is no way that anyone could discount God’s plan for baptism in the salvation process. Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:38-47, Romans 6:1-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21

Salvation comes to man in baptism, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, apart from any human merit. Salvation is a free gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Every believer’s salvation is secure, being kept by the power of God. John 1:12, John 3:16-21, 10:27-30, Ephesians 2:8-9, 1:7, 1:13-14, Romans 8:38-39, Romans 3:21-26, 1 Corinthians 1:4-8, 2:10, 1 John 1, Hebrews 12:9-11

Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, and every local church has the right under Christ to govern itself. All those who have experienced salvation are members of the Church, which is His body, and are therefore eligible for baptism and membership in a local fellowship. Acts 2, 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Timothy 3:15, Ephesians 2:21, Colossians 1:24, Ephesians 5:25-27, Romans 12:4-5

We believe that Satan exists and was created an angelic being, who is the open and declared enemy of God and God’s people, the destroyer of human lives and whose destiny is eternal punishment. Job 1:6-7, John 10:10, Ephesians 6:10-20, 1 Peter 5:8-9, Revelation 20:10

All people will experience the resurrection, believers to the state of eternal life and unbelievers to the state of eternal punishment. Luke 16:19-26, 23:43, 2 Corinthians 5-8, Philippians 1:23, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, Judges 6-7, Revelation 20:11-15, John 17:3