Statement of Faith
What We Believe
The Scriptures
We believe God gave us His words by inspiration and without error. He promised that He would preserve His Words; Jesus said, “But my words shall not pass away”–Matthew 24:35. We believe that He kept that promise. We teach it, preach it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it. We use the King James Bible as our translation of the Word of God and believe it to be the Word of God for the English speaking people. It is the official and only translation that we use. We use it with confidence, believing that it accurately shows forth the words of the Majority Text (Textus Receptus) in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages.
2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Matthew 5:18, Matthew 24:35, Psalm 12: 6-7, Psalms 119:89
The Godhead
We believe in one Triune God, as revealed in the Bible, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are identical in nature (one in essence) but distinct in person and function. They have the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Genesis 1:26, Isaiah 6:8, Isaiah 48:16-17, Matthew 3:16-17, John 14:16-17, 1 John 5:7).
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1-2, John 1:14, Luke 1:35, Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 7:14, Philippians 2:5-8, Galatians 4:4-5). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His finished work on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25, 1 Peter 2:24, Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:3-5). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24, 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11, 2 Corinthians 3:6, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Romans 8:9, Ephesians 1:13-14). We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers in understanding and appropriating the Scriptures, and that it is the privilege and duty of all believers to be filled with the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-16, Ephesians 1:17-18, 5:18, 1 John 2:20, 1 John 2:27).
Mankind
We believe that mankind was created in the image and likeness of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but spiritual death, which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are now sinners by choice, and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin without defense or excuse (Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 1:20, Romans 3:22-23, Romans 5:12-21, 1 Corinthians 2:14, Ephesians 2:1-3, Ephesians 4:17-19).
The Way of Salvation
We believe that salvation is a gift of God brought to mankind by grace and received by personal faith in Jesus Christ, not earned by human works, but paid in full by the finished work of Jesus, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary’s cross and whose resurrection seals for all eternity all those who will receive the forgiveness of their sins (Mark 3:28-29, Matthew 12:31) (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; 1 Peter 1:18-19, Matthew 12:31-32). We believe that eternal life is a present possession for all those who claim the promises of Christ. We believe that all the redeemed are kept by God’s power and are secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40, John 10:27-30, Romans 8:1, 38-39, 1 Corinthians 1:4-8, 1 Peter 1:4-5, 1 John 1:9, Jude 1-2).
The Church
We believe that the local Church is solely made up of born-again, baptized persons who have voluntarily joined themselves together for the purposes of worship, work, fellowship, observance of the ordinances, and the spread of the Gospel to all the world; and having two offices: pastor and deacon (1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 5:25-27, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:41-42, Acts 10:47-48, Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 2:12, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Hebrews 10:25). We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4, Acts 15:19-31, Acts 20:28; Romans 16:1, Romans 4, 1 Corinthians 3:9, 1 Corinthians 16, 1 Corinthians 5:4-7, 1 Corinthians 13, 1 Peter 5:1-4).
Biblical Separation
We believe that all those who belong to Christ should live a life of holiness. As we come close to Him, He sanctifies us and gives us the desire to live a consecrated life in the abundant joy that His presence supplies. We believe that walking in the Light means living in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. We believe Biblical separation includes separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and refraining from all immodest and immoderate appearances, piercings, and bodily markings (2 Timothy 3:1-5, Romans 12:1-2, Romans 14:13, 1 John 2:15-17, 2 John 9-11, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1, Leviticus 19:28, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
The Return of Christ
We believe in the “Blessed Hope”: the personal, bodily, premillennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones, who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period, followed by His return to earth with His saints to establish His Millennial Kingdom (Matthew 24:44, John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Titus 2:11-13, Revelation 3:10, Zechariah 14:4-11, Revelation 19:11-16, Revelation 20:1-6, Psalms 89:3-4).
Love
We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward all those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 5:44-48, Luke 6:31, John 13:34-35, Romans 12:9-10, Romans 17-21, Romans 13:8-10, Philippians 2:2-4, 2 Timothy 2:24-26, Titus 3:2, 1 John 3:17-18)
Mission
We believe that God has given us a mission in the Great Commission. We are to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. We do this in obedience to Jesus’ clear command and so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, and language group who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to this end that we send out mission teams to proclaim the Gospel and help plant churches in both the United States and foreign lands. It is also to this end that we both prayerfully and financially support missionaries and church planters in the United States and abroad. (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-48, John 20:21, Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 5:20, Isaiah 6:8)