Our Statement of Faith
What We Believe
We are a Bible-believing church, holding to the faith once delivered to the saints.
- The Bible is the inspired Word of God.
- Our God is One, manifested in three Persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- Man, made in the image of God, fell through Adam's transgression, and sin came into the world.
- Salvation is the gift of God to man through faith in Jesus Christ.
- The New Birth is necessary to all men, and when experienced, produces eternal life.
- Baptism in water is by immersion, a commandment of our Lord, for believers.
- The Baptism in the Holy Ghost is a gift, accompanied by the evidence of speaking in other tongues.
- We believe in sanctification — living a life of holiness.
- Divine healing is the privilege of every member of the Church, provided through the Cross.
- Jesus will return for His Church, and the dead in Christ shall rise.
- Marriage is between one man and one woman, as instituted by God.
In Detail
The Scriptures
The Bible is the inspired Word of God, the product of holy men of old who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. The New Covenant, as recorded in the New Testament, we accept as our infallible guide in matters pertaining to conduct and doctrine (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21).
The Godhead
Our God is One, but manifested in three Persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, being coequal (Deut. 6:4; Phil. 2:6). God the Father is greater than all, the Sender of the Word and the Begetter. The Son is the Word flesh-covered, the One Begotten, existing with the Father from the beginning. The Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son and is eternal (John 14:16; John 15:26).
Man, His Fall and Redemption
Man is a created being, made in the likeness and image of God, but through Adam's transgression and fall, sin came into the world. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was manifested to undo the works of the devil and gave His life and shed His blood to redeem and restore man back to God. Salvation is the gift of God, made operative by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8–10).
Eternal Life and the New Birth
Man's first step toward salvation is godly sorrow that worketh repentance. The New Birth is necessary to all men, and when experienced, produces eternal life (2 Cor. 7:10; John 3:3–5; 1 John 5:12).
Water Baptism
Baptism in water is by immersion, is a direct commandment of our Lord, and is for believers only. The ordinance is a symbol of the Christian's identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12).
Baptism in the Holy Ghost
The Baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire is a gift from God as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to all believers, received subsequent to the new birth. This experience is accompanied by the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit gives utterance (Acts 1:8; Acts 2:4; Acts 2:38,39).
Sanctification
The Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe in sanctification as a definite yet progressive work of grace, commencing at regeneration and continuing until the consummation of salvation at Christ's return (Heb. 12:14; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Cor. 3:18).
Divine Healing
Healing is for the physical ills of the human body and is wrought by the power of God through the prayer of faith and the laying on of hands. It is provided for in the atonement of Christ, and is the privilege of every member of the Church today (James 5:14,15; Isa. 53:4,5; 1 Peter 2:24).
The Return of Our Lord
This same Jesus, taken up into heaven, shall so come in like manner as He was seen to go. His coming is imminent. The dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:16,17). Following the Tribulation, He shall return to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Marriage
Marriage is between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:21–24). As stated in the Bible, woman was taken from man, for man — the institution that God put into place. What God has put together, let no man put asunder (Matthew 19:5,6).
He that physically dies in his sins without accepting Christ is eternally lost. But “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)