OUR BELIEFS
The Bible
We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of people and the Divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life.
The Triune God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins, according to the Scriptures. Further, he arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Father, He is now our High Priest and advocate.
We believe the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God,
fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through
illumination, He enables men to understand
truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of
judgment. He calls men to the Savior and effects the regeneration (new birth) of
any person who responds to the Gospel message with repentance and faith.
Mankind
We believe that man was created in the image of God, but willingly sinned and is therefore lost and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
We believe God has ordained the family as the
foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to
one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man
and one woman in a lifetime covenant commitment.
We believe sex is a gift from God to be enjoyed within the marriage relationship. We believe that God has commanded abstinence from any form of sexual/intimate activity outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that participation in any activity related to fornication, pornography, homosexuality, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, and/or adultery is a sinful perversion of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God created human beings male and female; therefore we hold the distinction between the two sexes to be sacred. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to change the appearance of one’s sex by hormones, surgery, or any other means.
Salvation
We
believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead
provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe;
that only through true faith and repentance are we born of the Holy Spirit and,
thus, become Children of God.
Salvation
involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who believe in Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior, who, by His own blood, obtained
eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense, salvation includes
regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no
salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
The Church
We believe that the Lord’s Supper and Believer’s Baptism are ordinances to be observed by the church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation.
We believe that the true church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ, of which, He is the Head.
Christ's Return
We believe in the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ and that this “Blessed Hope” has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord, of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment.