The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is God and indwells every believer (I Corinthians 6:19; Romans 8:9). We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8); that He is active in the new birth (John 3: 5,6); that He testifies of Christ (John 15:26); that He seals the believer unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30) and that He makes intercession for believers (Romans 8:26).

We believe that man hinders the Holy Spirit in having all of himself, due to sin. Therefore, it is essential for man to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) or controlled by the Spirit by keeping sin confessed and walking in the light (I John 1:6,7).  Being filled with the Spirit is not the same as speaking in tongues, which we believe ceased, along with the other sign gifts, at the completion of the Word of God (I Corinthians 13:8; 13:10).

Satan

We believe that Satan is a real and personal being, a fallen angel, who is void of truth (Is 14:12-15, John 8:44).  We believe also that he is the god of this world (II Corinthians 4:4) who has blinded the eyes of them which believe not (Acts 26:18) and that he is in constant warfare with Christians (Ephesians 6:11,12).

Creation

We believe in and accept by faith (Hebrews 11:3) the Genesis account of creation (Genesis 1:1,2). We believe that God created all things including man (Colossians 1:16).  Our belief in creation discounts all hypotheses of evolution.

Mankind

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God; but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is unable to remedy his lost condition himself. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)

Salvation

We believe that salvation is of the Lord (Philippians 1:6) on the merit of the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24,26). Salvation is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 6:23) which excludes any possible merit on the basis of works (Ephesians 2:8,9); II Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5). We believe that the two essential elements of salvation are repentance toward God (Acts 2:38) and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21; Romans 10:9,10). We also believe that once a person has been saved that there is no chance of his ever going to hell and that he is eternally secure in Christ (John 3:16,36; 1 John 5:11-13).  We reject Arminianism and Calvinism.

The Church

We believe that Jesus Christ established His church during His ministry on earth and that it is always a local, visible assembly of scripturally baptized believers in covenant relationship to carry out the Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, and each church is an independent, self-governing body, and no other ecclesiastical body may exercise authority over it. We believe that Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission to the New Testament churches only, and that He promised the perpetuity of His churches (Matt. 4:18-22; Matt. 16:18; Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 1:14-20; John 1:35-51; Eph. 3:21).

The Ordinances of the Church

We believe that there are two pictorial ordinances given to the Lord's churches: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.  (Matt 26:26-29, Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 8:12, 38; Rom. 6:4,5; 1 Cor. 5:11-13; 1 Cor. 11:1, 2, 17-20, 26).

Scriptural baptism is the complete immersion of penitent believers in water, administered by the authority of a New Testament church.  It is a picture designed to show our identification with the crucified, buried and risen Savior.

The Lord's Supper is a memorial ordinance, picturing the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  Its observance points backward to the crucified Lord on Calvary and forward to the returning Lord in glory. It should only be observed by those who are living for God and have judged themselves. It is an ordinance given to the local church and not to individuals; therefore, it should only be observed by members of the church observing the ordinance.

Offices of the Church

We believe that there are two divinely appointed offices in a church, Pastors and Deacons, to be filled by men whose qualifications are set forth in Titus and 1 Timothy.

The Second Advent of Christ

We believe in that blessed hope, the personal, imminent return of Christ, who will rapture all believers prior to the seven-year tribulation period.  At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel.  (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; 1 Thess. 1:10,  4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)

The Eternal State

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.  (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)

We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord.  (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)

We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment.  (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)