What We Believe
Inerrancy of the Bible
We Believe, The Bible is God’s Word to mankind. It is written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the God-breathed, inspired truth without any mixture of error. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction and the supreme and final authority for faith and practice in the lives of believers and His Church. (Psalm 119; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Peter 1:20-21) We believe there is one source to look to in all matters relating to doctrine, to ordinances, to worship, and to Christian living. That source is the Bible. We believe the Bible is divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit and is foundational in our purpose as a church. (2 Timothy3:16-17)
Salvation
We Believe, Salvation is God’s free gift to all who will accept it.(1 John 2:2) Only by trusting that Jesus Christ is the son of God, lived on the earth, was put to death, then arose three days later can a person be saved from sin’s penalty. By repenting or turning from one’s self-ruled life of sin, and turning to Jesus in faith, can one be forgiven. The moment a person receives the gift of salvation, they receive eternal life. (John 3:16) Since salvation is a gift that is received, the believer can never lose that salvation. (John 14:35-40) Salvation is based on the promises of God, rather than the self- effort of the individual (Ephesians 2:8-9).
We Believe, salvation is received by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Good works and obedience are results of salvation, not requirements for salvation. (Romans 10:9-10) Just as Salvation cannot be earned by good works, neither does it need good works to be maintained or sustained. Good works and changed lives are the inevitable results of Salvation (James 2:14-26).
We Believe, that individuals have their own free will, to make a decision to accept or reject His Son Jesus, and the offer of eternal life. In His omniscience, God knew in eternity past, those who would choose Him, those who would receive Him, and those who would accept the calling of the Holy Spirit.(John 3:36, John 1:12, John 3:15-21, John 5:24,40, John 6: 64-70, John 12:44-50, John 17: 20-24, 2 Peter 3:9, Joshua 24:15, Deuteronomy 30:19-20)
Eternal Security
We Believe, when people come to know Christ as their Savior, they are brought into a relationship with God that guarantees their eternal security. Jude 24 declares, “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” Our eternal security is a result of God keeping his divine promise to us, not us maintaining our own salvation. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). John 3:15-16 tells us that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will “have eternal life.” If a person were to be promised eternal life, but then have it taken away, it was never “eternal” to begin with. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, salvation is by grace, not by works, so there is nothing we can do to earn it or lose it. If eternal security is not true, the promises of eternal life in the Bible would be in error. (Romans 8:38-39, Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 11:29, John 5:24)
The Priesthood of the Believer
We Believe, the Old Testament priests were chosen by God, not self-appointed; and they were chosen for a purpose: to serve God with their lives by offering up sacrifices. The priesthood served as a picture or “type” of the coming ministry of Jesus Christ–a picture that was then no longer needed once His sacrifice on the cross was completed. When the thick temple veil that covered the doorway to the Holy of Holies was torn in two by God at the time of Christ’s death (Matthew 27:51), God was announcing that the Old Testament priesthood was no longer necessary. Now people could come directly to God through the great High Priest, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:14-16). There are now no earthly mediators between God and man as existed in the Old Testament priesthood (1 Timothy 2:5).
The Trinity
We Believe, each member of the Trinity is God. The Father is God (John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2). The Son is God (John 1:1, 14; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:8-9; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12). There is subordination within the Trinity. Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and the Son, and the Son is subordinate to the Father. This is an internal relationship and does not deny the deity of any Person of the Trinity
Virgin birth of Jesus
We Believe, the doctrine of the virgin birth is crucially important (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:27, 34). In Luke 1:34, Gabriel says, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). The angel encourages Joseph to not fear marrying Mary with these words: “What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20). Matthew states that the virgin “was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). Galatians 4:4 also teaches the Virgin Birth: “God sent His Son, born of a woman.
Death of Jesus
We Believe, with the death of Christ, our sins became powerless to rule over us (Romans Chapter 6). Without the sacrificial death of Christ, we would still be in our sins, unforgiven, unredeemed, unsaved, and unloved. The cross of Christ is vital to our salvation and was thus a main theme of the apostles’ preaching (Acts 2:23, 36, 1 Corinthians 1:23, 2:2, Galatians 6:14).
Resurrection of Jesus
We Believe, the resurrection of Christ is most foundational to the gospel message. Our salvation stands or falls based on the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, as Paul makes clear in 1 Corinthians 15:12–19. If Christ has not physically risen from the dead, then we ourselves have no hope of resurrection. We believe in His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:6, 1 Peter 1:3), and that He ascended to Heaven in His glorified body (Acts1:9-10) and is now seated at the right hand of God as our High priest and Advocate (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:24)
Our Blessed Hope
We Believe in the “Blessed Hope,” as stated in Titus 2:13. We are waiting for this event now. Jesus said He would return (John 14:3), the angels said He would return (Acts 1:11), and the epistles say He will return. Jesus could come back at any time for His church, which includes all believers in Christ from the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 onward. It will be announced by the voice of the Archangel and God’s trumpet call. The bodies of those who have died will be raised to be joined with their souls, and then the bodies of those believers still living on earth will be changed into a body like the Lord’s resurrection body. The believers raised from the dead and the believers living at Christ’s return will meet the Lord in the air and be taken to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.). This will happen in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52).
The Church
We Believe, that the Church, the Body of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all believers of this present age (1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27). Through the Church, believers are to be taught to obey the Lord and to testify concerning their faith in Christ as Savior, and to honor Him by holy living while fulfilling the great commandment and commission.
Baptism
We believe in the ordinance of the believer’s water baptism. Baptism by immersion is a testimony to Christ and identification with Him. (Romans 6:3-4). It is a reminder that in Christ our sin nature has been crucified, buried and that we have been resurrected to live as a new creation.
The Lord’s Supper
We believe in the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a remembrance of Christ’s death and shed blood (Acts 2:41-42, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:14-21). The Lord’s Supper is a memorial supper initiated by Jesus for the purpose of remembering His death on our behalf until he returns. It is to be observed by all believers as a time of thanksgiving, communion, and renewal for daily living. We Believe in the Great Commission as the primary mission of the Church. It is the obligation of all believers to witness, by word and life, to the truths of God’s Word. The gospel of the grace of God is to be preached to all the world. (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 5:19-20)