1. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES: 

We believe both the Old and New Testaments to be verbally inspired of God, infallible, inerrant and the final and only authority for faith and practice, and that the whole of Scripture centers around the Person of Jesus Christ.  Matthew 5:18;  John 16:12,13;  2 Timothy 3:16,17;  2 Peter 1:20,21.

2. THE GODHEAD:  

A. We believe in the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – all of whom are co-existent and co-eternal. Genesis 1:1;  John 10:30; 14:16-18; 16:7-11,13,14;  Matthew 28:19,20; John 1:1-4.

B. We believe that God is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Genesis 1:1; Psalm 19:1-6; John 1:3; Acts 17:24-28; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:2,3.

C. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the only Savior of mankind and the coming King Who is to reign in righteousness in this world.  He participated in the creation and he upholds all things by the Word of His power.  In His incarnation, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and was born of the virgin Mary.  He lived a perfectly sinless life, yet experienced all the limitations of man as far as hunger, thirst, temptations, and the like, are concerned.  He voluntarily gave His life on the cross for the sin of man, providing the ransom for sin and reconciling man back to God.  He was buried, rose from the dead the third day, and ascended back to the right hand of the Father where He is now preparing a place for His own and where He is also interceding on their behalf. Acts 4:12;  John 1:1,2;  Isaiah 9:6,7; 11:1-12;  Matthew 1:21; Revelation 1:5; 11:15; 19:1-6, 11-16;  Colossians 1:16-17;  Hebrews 1:3;  2 Corinthians 5:18,19;  Romans 1:4; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6;  John 14:1-3;  Hebrews 7:25.

D. We believe that the Holy Spirit is Divine, that He indwells the believer from the moment he is born again, and that He enables the believer to live a godly life.  His goal is to glorify Jesus Christ in the believer’s life.  We believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit unites the believer to Christ at the moment of salvation, placing him into the Body of Christ.  Indwelling the believer, the Holy Spirit is the source of the believer’s spiritual power and all acceptable worship and service.  John 14:16-18; 16:7-11,13,14  Romans 8:9  I Corinthians 12:13

3, TOTAL DEPRAVITY:

We believe that man was created in the image of God but fell into sin through disobedience.  The result of that fall caused spiritual death to Adam and Eve, and as a result, the entire human race has fallen, is dead in trespasses and sins, and subject to the power of Satan.  The end result is that man is totally depraved in his human nature and the condemnation of God has fallen upon him.  Genesis 1:26; 2:17; 3:1-13; 6:5;  Jeremiah 17:9;  Romans 5:12; John 3:18,36;  Isaiah 53:6.  The only way that this sinful tendency, and the resulting judgment of God, can be avoided is by the New Birth.  John 3:3,5,7; 1:12,13;  I Peter 1:23; Romans 10:13-17.

4. SALVATION:

We believe that the salvation of the human race is only through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for our sins on the cross, Who was made a curse for us, and Who was actually made sin for us.  Nothing we can do in any way can add to or help complete the work of salvation, which He has accomplished fully.  Isaiah 53:6; I Peter 1:18,19;  Ephesians 1:7; 2:8,9;  Romans 5:6-9; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 1:3; 9:11-14; 10:14.  We also believe that this salvation is appropriated by faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross, by His resurrection, and by receiving Him into our lives.  John 1:12,13;  Revelation 3:20;  1 John 5:12;  Romans 10:8-11; 5:1;  Ephesians 2:8,9;  Hebrews 1;3;  1 Peter 2:24 Furthermore, we believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Acts 3:19-1; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11.

5. ASSURANCE OF SALVATION:

We believe that because of God’s love for us, because of the forgiveness we can have as Christians, because of the very nature of God’s gift of eternal life, because of Christ’s and the Holy Spirit’s intercession for us and because of the abiding and sealing presence of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all those who are saved, we as believers can have a firm assurance of our salvation.  Ephesians 1:4; 2:6.7;  John 10:28;  Romans 5:8-10;  John 5:24;  1 John 5:13;  Hebrews 7:25;  1 John 2:1;  John 14:16;  Ephesians 1:13,14;  Hebrews 6:18,19.   We also believe, however, that since God is a holy and righteous Father and cannot overlook the sins of His children, He will chasten and scourge them in infinite love when they persistently sin and fail to judge themselves, in order that He may at last present them blameless before the presence of His glory. 1 Peter 1:15,16;  Habakkuk 1;13;  1 Corinthians 11:30,31;  Hebrews 12:6;  Ephesians 5:25,26;  I Corinthians 5:5.

6. THE CHRISTIAN WALK:

We believe that the believer is called with a holy calling to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit and so to live in the power of the indwelling Spirit that he will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  2 Timothy 1:9;  Romans 8:4;  Galatians 5:16-18.              We believe that good works, although they in no sense can bring about or help in procuring salvation, are the proper evidence and fruit of salvation.  Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 John 3:9,10;  Titus 2:14;  Matthew 7:16,20.  We believe that as children of God we should live a consistent and separated life that seeks to glorify the Lord in everything we do.  Romans 12:2;  2 Corinthians 6:14-17;  1 Corinthians 10:31;  Ephesians 5:11;  Colossians 3:17. We also believe that as Christians we should obey the Word of God, seek those things which are above and walk as He walked, be careful to maintain good works, and strive to live a victorious and fruitful life.  John 14:3;  Colossians 3:1,2;   1 John 2:6;  Titus 3:8;  Romans 12:1,2. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scriptures.

7. THE CHURCH:

A.  We believe that the Church is the Body and Bride of Christ and is made up of all true believers, regardless of membership in organized local churches.  We also believe that a local church is not specifically “owned” by any individual or group, but rather that it is “Christ’s Church” in particular, and that Christ is the Head of the Church.   1 Corinthians 12:12-14;  Colossians 1:18;  Revelation 21:9;  1 Corinthians 3:10,11;  Ephesians 1:22,23.

B. We believe that the purpose of the local church is threefold in its mission:

1. Bible Teaching – a program of “feeding the flock of God” as directed in Scripture.  1 Peter 5:2;  Acts 20:28;  Ephesians 4:7,8, 11-16.

2. Fellowship – which consists of sharing with and exhorting one another in the Christian life.  Hebrews 3:13;  10:24,25.

3. Witnessing – as believers grow spiritually, there will be a sharing and reaching out to those around them who do not know the Lord.  Acts 1:8;  8:4;,  Matthew 28:18-20. 

C. Ordinances – we believe that the Lord left two ordinances for believers to follow:

1. Baptism – we believe in baptism as a testimony of our salvation, death, and resurrection with Christ, and the evidence of a clear conscience on our part towards God.  Romans 6:3,4;  I Peter 3:21

2. The Lord’s Supper or Communion – as a reminder of Christ and His shed blood for our redemption.  There is no saving merit or grace in Communion.  I Corinthians 11:23-29.

8. MAN:

We believe that man was originally created in the image of God by God Himself and is not therefore a product of an evolutionary process. Man fell from his holy estate as a result of disobedience to God and as a consequence of his sin he lost his spiritual life, he became spiritually dead and began to die physically; this spiritual death or total depravity has been transmitted to the entire human race.  Man cannot in any way save himself nor aid in his redemption by good works.  Genesis 3;  Romans 5:12;  Ephesians 2:1;  4:18;  Jeremiah 17:9;  Ephesians 2:3;  Romans 3:20;  2 Corinthians 4:4;  Titus 3:4,5. 

9 MARRIAGE, GENDER, and SEXUALITY:

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27.)  Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive, union, as delineated in Scripture. Gen 2:18-25. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. 1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Therefore, any “civil union” or so-called “marriage” that does not fit this definition will not be recognized by this church, even if said “civil union” or “marriage” is recognized by the governing authorities.

We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10.

10. FUTURE: 
As to the future, we believe that:

A.  There is a blessed hope for the Christian.  This hope is to be found in the Rapture, which is the first stage of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.  At this time He will receive His own unto Himself.  We believe that this coming for His own will take place just prior to the Great Tribulation period, although the exact time is not known.  We believe that at this time those who have died in Christ will be raised from the dead and will be caught up together with the Christians who are alive when He comes.  John 14:3;  Revelation 3:10,11;  1 Corinthians 15:51,52;  1 Thessalonians 4:13-17;  John 11:25,26;  Titus 2:13.

B.  There will be a time of great tribulation on this earth which will begin after the Rapture and will be seven years long.  It will be an outpouring of God’s wrath upon this earth because of man’s sin.  A personal Antichrist will be the political head of the world during this time.  It will be a time of severe judgments.  Matthew 24:21,22;  2 Thessalonians 2:3,4;  1 John 2:18;  Revelation 6:1-18, 24. 

C.  At the end of the Tribulation Christ Himself will return to this earth in power and great glory with His saints and holy angels to set up His kingdom on this earth.  Matthew 24:29,30;  Zechariah 14:5;  Jude 14;  Revelation 1:7;  19:11-16;  2 Thessalonians 1:7.   He will bind Satan and cast him into a bottomless pit where he will stay for a thousand years.  Revelation 20:1-3.

D.  Christ’s kingdom on this earth will be a literal kingdom over all nations and will last for a period of one thousand years.  Christ will lift the curse that came upon the earth when man sinned in the Garden of Eden and will bring the whole world to a full knowledge of God.  Satan will be loosed at the end of the thousand year period for a little while to deceive the nations again.  Acts 15:16; Revelation 20:4-6;  Isaiah 11:6-9  Romans 8:19-23;  Habakkuk 2:14;  Revelation 20:7-9.

E The unsaved dead will be raised at the end of the one thousand year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ to be judged before a great white throne according to their works.  They will then be cast into a Lake of Fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  Revelation 20:11-15;  Matthew 25:41. 

F.  The spirits of the saved go into the presence of Christ in heaven immediately upon death to be with Him until He comes for His church.  At His coming the spirits of the saved receive a new, glorified body in resurrection and in that state enjoy the presence of the Lord and reign with Him on earth and throughout eternity.  1 Corinthians  15:25-58;  2 Corinthians 5:8;  Philippians 1:21-23;  3:20,21;  1 Thessalonians 4:17;  Revelation 5:10;  20:6;  22:5.

G.  The spirits of the unsaved at death descend immediately into Hades where they are in conscious punishment and torment until the Great White Throne judgment, at which time there will be a resurrection from the grave.  In a bodily form, they will then be judged according to their works and cast into a Lake of Fire where they then will remain eternally.  Luke 16:23;  Romans 2;3-6;  2 Thessalonians 1:9;  2 Peter 2:9;  Revelation 20:5;  11-15;  21:8.