What We Believe

We believe that the Holy Bible as originally written was verbally inspired and the product of

Spirit-controlled men, and therefore, has truth without any admixture or error for its matter. We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by

which al human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried. (2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)

We believe there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite Spirit, the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of al possible honor, confidence and love, that in the unity of the godhead there are three persons, theFather, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Exodus 20:2,3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11; 1 John 5:7)

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son

and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God's purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of

sin, of righteousness and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the new birth; that He seals, endues, guides,

teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. (John 14:16,17; Matthew 28:19; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35; Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5,6; Ephesians

1:13,14; Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Acts 11:16; Luke 24:49; Romans 8:14,16,26,27)

We believe in the reality and personality of Satan, the Devil; and that he was created by God as an angel but through pride and rebellion became the enemy of his Creator; that he became the unholy god of this age and the ruler of all the powers of darkness and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. (Matthew 4:1-11; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10)

We believe the Biblical account of the creation of the physical universe, angels, and man; that this account is neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct immediate creative acts of God without any evolutionary process; that man was created by a direct work ofGod and not from previously existing forms of life; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first persons of the entire human race. (Genesis 1:2; Colossians1:16,17; John 1:3)

We believe that man was created in innocence (in the image and likeness of God) under the law

of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression Adam fell from his sinless and happy state, and all men sinned in him, in consequence of which all men are totally depraved, and partakers of Adam's fallen nature, and are sinners by nature and by conduct, and therefore are under just condemnation without defense of excuse. (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; 5:12,19; 1:18,32)

We believe that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can be born of woman, and that He is both the Son of God, and God, the Son. (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:4)

We believe that the salvation of Sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the

mediatorial offices of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who, by the appointment of the Father,

voluntarily took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, and honored the divine law by His

personal obedience, thus qualifying Himself to be our Savior; that by the shedding of His blood in His death He fully satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God regarding sin; that

His sacrifice consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner's place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that having risen from the dead He is now enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate and an all-sufficient Savior.

We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation. Repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit and is an integral part of saving faith. (Jonah 2:9; Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24,25; John 3:16; Matthew 18:11; Philippians 2:7,8; Hebrews 2:14-17; Isaiah 53:4-7; 1John 4:10; 1Corinthians 15:3; 2Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24)

We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and in His ascension into Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest interceding for us. (Matthew 28:6,7; Luke 24:39; John 20:27; 1Corinthians 15:4; Mark 16:6;Luke 24:2-6,51; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 3:21; Hebrews 8:6; 12:2; 7:25; 1Timothy 2:5; 1John 2:1 Hebrews 2:17; 5:9,10)

We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new

creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one

dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life,

the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about by our Sovereign God in a manner

above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine

truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears in

the holy fruits of repentance, faith and the newness of life. (John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 2:13; John 3:8)

We believe that justification is that judicial act of God whereby He declares the believer righteous upon the basis of the imputed righteousness of Christ; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer's shed blood. (Romans 2:24; 4:5; 5:1,9; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9)

We believe that a local church is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its officers are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures. We believe the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity.

We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self- government free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only Superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; on all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the will for the local church is final. (Acts 2:41,42; 1Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:22,23; 4:1; Acts 20:17-28; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Colossians 1:8; Ephesians 5:23,24; Acts 15:13-18)

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is a prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation. We believe that the Lord's Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be preached always by solemn self-examination. (Acts 8:26-39; John 3:23; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 3:16; Colossians 2:12; 1Corinthians 11:23-28)

We believe that al who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6; John 10:28,29; Romans 8:35-39; Jude 1:24; 1 Peter 1:5)

We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that such only as through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God, are truly righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under the curse; and this distinction holds among men both in and after death, in the everlasting blessing of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost. (Malachi 3:18; Genesis 18:23; Romans 6:17,18; 1 John 5:19; Romans 7:6; Romans 6:23; Proverbs 14:32; Luke 16:25; Matthew 25:34-41; John 8:21)

We believe in the sufficiency of the Scriptures. By "SUFFICIENCY," we mean that the Bible is

sufficient through precepts, principles, or persons for dealing with al spiritual/doctrinal problems a man may have, including those which may be termed by the world as behavioral, emotional, or psychological. (Genesis 40:8; Proverbs 20:24; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12)

We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God's eternal covenant people, that she is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ, and that she wil be re-gathered in the Holy Land and, after the completion of the Church, will be saved as a nation at the second advent of Christ. (Genesis 13:14-17; Romans 11:1-32; Ezekiel 37)