A Statement of Faith

We believe the Bible is the verbal (every word) and plenary (complete) inspired Word of God as contained in the original manuscripts, and contained in the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that the employment of a literal, grammatical/historical method of interpretation--a face value hermeneutic--is the best method of interpretation to discover the Scriptures intended meaning as opposed to an allegorical or spiritualized interpretation. (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).

We believe there is but one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1 John 5:7; Luke 3:22; Matthew 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).

We believe in the preexistence and Deity of Christ (John 1:13); His virgin birth (John 1:14; Matthew 1:18-23); the shedding of His blood for the atonement of His elect (2 Cor. 5:21); His bodily resurrection (Luke 24:36-43); His ascension into heaven and present ministry (Acts 1:9; Acts 7:55-56; Heb. 4:14-16); His personal, visible, and expectant return for the Church before God's wrath is poured out on the rebellious world (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 5:9); and the establishment of His kingdom on earth over which He will rule from Mount Zion (Joel 3:16; Zech. 8:3; Rev. 20:2-6).

We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-15) and His deity (Acts 5:34), that He indwells, sanctifies, gifts, and empowers believers for service, enabling them through obedience to the Word of God to live lives of increasing holiness (1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:9; Gal. 5:16). We believe signs and wonders were given in the apostolic era to authenticate and confirm the apostles' message, but that today Scripture is the sole test of the validity of a man's message.

We believe in the existence of a personal devil, Satan, who was created perfect, but willfully sinned and became the arch enemy of God and His creation (Ezek. 28:12-19; Gen. 3; Rev. 12:1-10). We believe the ultimate defeat of Satan has been determined through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 12:31) and will be executed by Christ at the final satanic-lead revolt at the end of the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth (Rev. 20:7-10).

We believe that all men were directly created by God (Gen. 1:26-28) and are, by nature, sinful and lost and that the regeneration of each and every individual, by the Holy Spirit, is absolutely essential for their salvation. We believe that men are justified solely by means of God's grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ; that man is totally unable to yield to the Lordship of Christ, in himself; and that only God, in His sovereign wisdom, love, and power, works to achieve the salvation of His chosen people (Eph. 2:89; Titus 3:57; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

We believe that those who die having rejected the Lordship of Christ are consciously and eternally condemned to the lake of fire (Matt. 7:22-23; Rev. 20:11-15). We believe that those who are left after the rapture of the Church are willingly and utterly deceived, are guilty of rejecting the Lordship of Christ, and have rejected the appointed day of salvation -- hence their remainder on the earth to endure the wrath of God (Gen. 7:16, Gen 19:10-11; 2 Pet. 2:5-9; 2 Cor. 6:2; Luke 17:26-30; Rev. 9:20-21, 16:9, 16:11).

We believe Genesis chapters 1-11 record the truthful and literal account of the creation, the fall, the flood and the division of the nations. We believe in a literal six-day, 24 hour-day creation, and a universal flood.

We believe in the water baptism of confessing individuals, identifying the believer with the work of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit through one body of water in the mode of three immersing dips (Matt. 28:19; 1 John 5:7).

We believe in the threefold communion service, consisting of the communion of the bread and the cup as a testimony of the work of justification through the death of Christ (1 Cor. 11:23-26), the washing of the saints' feet as a testimony of the work of sanctification (John 13:1-17; 1 Tim. 5:10), and the Love Feast as a testimony of our future glorification with Christ (1 Cor. 11:20-22, 33-34; Jude 12; Rev. 19:7-9).

We believe that Christians must live a life of righteousness, good works and separation unto God from the evil ways of the world (Rom. 12:12), manifested by speaking the truth (James 5:12), maintaining the sanctity of the home (Eph. 5:22-6:4), settling differences between Christians in accordance with the Word of God (1 Cor. 6:18), not engaging in carnal strife but showing a Christ-like attitude toward all men (Rom. 12:17-21), exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), and maintaining a life of prayer (Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6), including the privilege, when sick, of calling for the elders of the church to pray and to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:13-18).

We believe in one true church, the body and the bride of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-32), composed of all true believers of the present age (1 Cor. 12:12-13); and the organization of its members in local churches for worship, for edification of believers, and for worldwide gospel witness to the end of the age (Matt. 28:18-20), each local church being autonomous but cooperating in fellowship and work (Eph. 4:11-16).

We believe that it is the man's responsibility alone to oversee the church in the work of the elders, provided that he meet the standards of leadership required by Scripture. (1 Tim. 3; 1 Tim. 5.)

We believe in a future life consisting of the conscious existence of the dead (Phil. 1:21-23; Luke 16:19-31), the resurrection of the body (John 5:28-29), the judgment and reward of believers (Rom. 14:10-12; 2 Cor. 5:10), the judgment and condemnation of unbelievers (Rev. 20:11-15), the eternal life of the saved (John 3:16), and the eternal punishment of the lost (Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:15).