Our Statement of Faith
The Bible is completely adequate by itself to serve as the guide for our beliefs and way of living. This statement is intended only to set forth a common “statement of faith” for our church so as the Bible recommends, “that we may all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among us, but that we be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement” (1 Corinthians 1:10 and Acts 2:42). There is no claim what so ever that the wording of this statement is divinely inspired (as is the Bible), but the truth it sets forth is felt to be essential to a full-gospel, Bible-based ministry. Furthermore there is no pretense that this statement contains all of the Bible’s truth. It merely covers some basic fundamental teaching thought to be vital to successful Christian living.
If you would like to learn more about our beliefs, we offer a Foundations Class on Sunday mornings at 9:30am. These classes are small and enable participants to go in-depth and ask questions. Please contact us if you would like to join us. We would love to have you!
We Believe…..
1. The Bible Is the Inspired Word of God… 2 Tim. 3:15-17.
We believe… the Scriptures are God’s revelation of Himself to mankind, that they are infallible (never wrong), and that they are the divinely authoritative guide for our faith, belief and manner of living (1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:21).
2. In One True God… Deut. 6:4.
We believe… God has always existed without any outside cause (Isa. 43:10), that He is the creator of heaven and earth (Gen. 1:1), and that He has revealed Himself as a single Being consisting of three interrelated Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, One God in three Persons, the Holy Trinity (Matt. 28:19; Luke 3:22).
3. The Lord Jesus Christ Is Fully God… Phil. 2:9-11.
We believe… Jesus is the Creator (John 1:3), is the Son of God (John 3:16), is without beginning or end (Rev. 1:8), was born of a virgin (Matt. 1:23), was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:31, 35), lived a sinless life (Heb. 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22), worked miracles (Acts 10:38), restored fallen mankind through His substitutionary death on the cross (1 Cor. 15:3), was raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:4), has been exalted and is seated at the right hand of God (Heb. 1:3), came from God, and is fully God (John 1:1-2).
4. In the Fall of Mankind… Rom. 5:12-19.
We believe… mankind was created good and upright, but by willful choice ignored God’s instructions which resulted in a fall from innocence and goodness, and thereby, incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is separation from God (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:17; 3:6).
5. In the Salvation of Mankind… John 3:3, 16.
We believe… God provides salvation for all who accept His free offer of forgiveness, and that mankind’s only hope of redemption from the fallen sinful state, is through the blood of Jesus Christ as one repents before God and believes in the fact that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ brings forgiveness for their sin. This central message of the Bible, teaches us that one experiences the washing of regeneration (spiritual rebirth), and is declared righteous or right with God (Luke 24:47; Rom. 10:13-15; Eph. 2:8; Tit. 2:11).
6. In the Ordinances of the Church, Implemented by Christ.
We believe… Baptism in Water and Holy Communion were ordained and established by Jesus Himself, and that in fulfilling these duties, Christians are reminded of and show forth a work that has already taken place in the heart of the believer.
A. Baptism in Water… Mark 16:16.
All who repent and believe on Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord are commanded in scripture to be baptized by immersion in water. Baptism symbolically declares to everyone that the old sinful life of the baptized believer died with Christ at salvation, and a new spiritual being has been raised with Christ (by His resurrection) to live a new life (Matt. 28:19; Acts 10:47-48; Rom. 6:4).
B. Holy Communion… 1 Cor. 11:23-32.
Communion is a memorial of Christ’s suffering and death (1 Cor. 11:26). In eating and drinking the symbols (bread and the fruit of the vine) of Christ’s suffering and death, the believer expresses their awareness that through salvation they have been made right with God, and that they share the divine nature of eternal life through Jesus (2 Pet. 1:4). The ordinance also looks forward to Christ’s second coming, for it is a reminder to us to proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
7. In the Baptism in the Holy Spirit… Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8.
We believe… the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is separate from salvation, and that it follows the new birth experience. With this baptism by Christ Himself, there comes such experiences as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit, a deepened reverence for God, an intensified commitment to God, a dedication to His work, and a more active love for Christ and His Word. Also, with this normal experience of all believers in the Early Christian Church, comes power for victorious living and productive service. According to the command of Jesus Christ, all believers are entitled to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and therefore, should expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father (John 7:37-39; Acts 2:42-43; 4:8; 8:12-17; 10:44-46; 11:14-16; 15:7-9; Mark 16:20; 1 Cor. 12:1-31).
8. In the Initial Physical Evidence (speaking in other tongues) of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit… Acts 2:4.
We believe… the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is accompanied by the initial physical evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives audible utterance (Acts 2:4), and that this audible expression of tongues should continue to function in the Spirit-filled believer’s personal prayer life (Rom. 8:26-27; Jude 20). We also believe that the gift of tongues is one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit as described in 1 Cor. 12:4-10, 28 (Acts 2, 8, 9, 10, 19).
9. In Sanctification… 1 Thess. 5:23; Rom. 12:1-2.
We believe… that sanctification is an act of separating ourselves from evil, and identifying with things that are good, upright, and morally pure. It is a process that takes place as Christians devote themselves to God (Heb. 13:12). Scripture teaches that we are to be holy because God is holy (1 Pet. 1:16), and that living in holiness is possible by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 6:1-11, 13; 8:1-2, 13; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 2:12-13; 1 Pet. 1:5).
10. In the Church and Its Mission… Matt. 16:18.
We believe… the Church is the Body of Christ, is the dwelling place of God through the Holy Spirit, that Christ is the Head of the Church, and that God has made every provision for the fulfillment of the Church’s Great Commission (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15). We also believe, the Church is the agency of God for evangelizing the world (Acts 1:8), is a unified body in which man may worship God (1 Cor. 12:13), and is a channel of God’s purpose to build a body of saints that is being perfected in the image of His Son (Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Cor. 12:28; 14:12; Gal. 5:22-26; Eph. 4:11-12; Col. 1:29).
11. In the Ministry, A Response to a Divine Call… Eph. 4:11.
We believe… the five kinds of ministers referenced in Eph. 4:11, are in response to a divine call, and are given to the church for the express purposes of: perfecting the saints, doing all the work of the ministry, edifying the body of Christ, unifying men in faith, unifying men in doctrine, perfecting The Church in Christ, and for bringing men to maturity (Eph. 4:11-13).
12. In Divine Healing… Ja. 5:14-16.
We believe… divine healing is from God, is an integral part of the gospel, is deliverance from sickness (emotional, spiritual, and physical), is provided in the Atonement (Christ suffering and death on the cross), and is a privilege of all believers (Isa. 53:4-5; Matt. 8:16-17).
13. In the Blessed Hope (The Rapture of The Church) … 1 Thess. 4:16, 17.
We believe… in the scriptural truth of our Lord’s soon return which will usher in the rapture of the church at which all Christians who have died will rise from their graves to meet the Lord in the air, and that all Christians who have not yet died, will be caught up with them to be with the Lord (Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; Tit. 2:13).
14. In the Millennial Reign of Christ… Rev. 1:7; 19:11-14; 20:1-6.
We believe… at the Second Coming of Christ (Christ visible return to the earth with His saints), He will reign with perfect governance on the earth for 1000 years (Zech. 14:5; Matt. 24:27, 30; Rev. 1:7; 19:11-14; 20:1-6). This millennial reign of Christ will bring the salvation of Israel as a nation (Ezek. 37:21-22; Zeph. 3:19-20; Rom. 11:26-27), and the establishment of universal peace (Ps. 72:3-8; Isa. 11:6-9; Mic. 4:3-4).
15. In the Final Judgment… Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:11-15; 21:8.
We believe… there will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead (those who have died without accepting Christ’s salvation) will be raised and judged according to the way they lived. Anyone whose name is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast, and the false prophet, will be sent to everlasting punishment in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone which is the Second Death (Matt. 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 19:20; 20:11-15; 21:8).
16. In the New Heavens and the New Earth… 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21, 22
We believe… after the Millennial Reign of Christ and the Final Judgment, all Christians will dwell forever with God and have access to a beautiful restored universe. According to God’s promise, we look forward to the New Heavens and the New Earth, where righteousness will dwell and reign forever (Isa. 65:17; 66:22-24; John 14:2-3).