1. The scriptures: We believe that only the sixty-six books of the Bible are the inspired Word of God, it is infallible, and its authority is ultimate, final and eternal. The Bible is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction, and reproof. It is God’s revelation to man. (Mt. 5:18; Jn.10:35, 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; 2 Pet. 1:20–21)
2. The Godhead: Our God is one, but is eternally existent in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, co-equal in power and glory. We believe God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth, and in whom all things have their source, support, and end. (Ps. 104:1–35, 139:1–24; Mt. 10:29–31, 28:19; Acts 17:24–28; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 1:9–12, 4:4–6; Col. 1:16–17; Heb. 1:1–3; Rev. 1:4–6)
3. Jesus Christ our Lord: We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God; we believe in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His atoning death as our substitute, in His bodily resurrection, and in His ascension to the right hand of the Father. (Mt. 1:18–25; Jn. 1:1–18; Rom. 8:34; 1 Cor. 15:1–28; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:10–14; Eph. 1:7; Phil. 2:6–11; Col. 1:15–23; Heb. 7:25, 9:13–15, 10:19; 1 Pet. 2:21–25; 1 Jn. 2:1–2)
4. The Holy Spirit: We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person and proceeds forth from both the Father and the Son and He is eternal. The Holy Spirit is personal, separate and distinct from the Father and the Son, He is God, the third person of the Holy Trinity. (Matt. 3:16; John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13; 2 Cor. 13:14)
5. Creation of man and his fall: We believe God created man in His own image, but through Adam’s transgression and fall, sin came into the world. Man sinned and thereby incurred the penalty of death, both physical and spiritual; that all human beings inherit a sinful nature, which results in actual transgression. (Gen. 1:1–3:22; Ps. 51:5; Isa. 53:5; Rom. 3:9–18, 5:12–21; Eph. 2:1–3)
6. Eternal life and the new birth: We believe the Bible teaches that salvation is by grace, a free gift of God to all those who believe in Christ. Those who receive Christ by faith have their sins forgiven and become children of God, a new creation in Christ Jesus. This saving grace of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, also sanctifies us by enabling us to do what is pleasing in God’s sight in order that we might be progressively conformed to the image of Christ. (John 3:3; Eph. 2:5, 8-9; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 8:29)
7. Salvation: Salvation is a free gift from God; no one can add anything to the completed work of Christ to receive it. It is received by grace through faith and through faith alone. Man is justified by faith in the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ, resulting in a supernatural work of the new birth. (Jn. 1:12–13, 6:37–44, 10:25–30; Acts 16:30–31; Rom. 3:1–4:23, 8:1–17, 31–39, 10:8–10; Eph. 2:8–10; Phil. 2:12–13; Titus 3:3–7; 1 Jn. 1:7, 9)
8. Baptism in the Holy Spirit: We believe in the baptism in the Holy Spirit, empowering and equipping believers for service, with the accompanying supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth. The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives utterance. (Mt. 3:11; Jn. 1:12–13, 3:1–15; Acts 4:29–30; Rom. 8:9, 12:3–8; 1 Cor. 12:12–13; 2 Cor. 1:21–22; Gal. 3:1–5; Eph. 1:13–14, 5:18)
9. Water Baptism & Communion: We believe that water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the two ordinances of the Church to be observed until the time of Christ’s return. They are not a means of salvation, but are channels of God’s sanctifying grace and blessing to the faithful in Christ Jesus. 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, and is a public confession of the new believer’s faith in Christ. (Mt. 26:26–29, 28:19; Rom. 6:3–11; 1 Cor. 11:23–34; 1 Pet. 3:21)
10. Sanctification: We believe the Bible teaches that without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. We believe in the doctrine of sanctification as a definite, yet progressive, work of grace, commencing at the time of the new birth and continuing until the rapture of the church when we will receive a glorified body. Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication to God. (Heb. 12:14; 1 Thess. 4:4; 2 Tim. 2:21)
11. Divine Healing: We believe divine healing is an integral part of the Gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement and is the privilege of all believers. Healing is for 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 it is the privilege of every member of the church today. (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24; James 5:15; Mark 16:18)
12. Resurrection of the just and the return of our Lord: We believe in the rapture of the church, which the Bible calls the blessed hope of the believer. It involves the resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord. His coming is imminent, though the timing in reference to the seven year tribulation is viewed as pre or post with respect to both views. When He comes for the church, “The dead shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air”. (Ps. 2:7–9, 22:27–28; Jn. 14:12, 17:20–26; Rom. 11:25–32; 1 Cor. 15:20–28, 50–58; Eph. 4:11–16; Phil. 3:20–21; 1 Thes. 4:13–5:11; 2 Thes. 1:3–12; Rev. 7:9–14)
13. Hell and eternal retribution: We believe that all men who reject Christ and do not conform to the plan of God for man will pay the eternal death penalty for sin, will be resurrected from the dead to immortality, will be judged at the great white throne of judgment and will be punished with everlasting damnation in the lake of fire. The one who physically dies in his sins without Christ is hopelessly and eternally lost in the lake of fire; and therefore has no further opportunity of hearing the Gospel or for repentance. We believe hell is a literal place reserved for Satan and his cohorts, but some people choose to go there by rejecting Jesus or because of believers’ neglect of the Great Commission. (Rev. 20:11-15)
14. Satan: We believe that the devil exists, and he is the real enemy of Christians. (Isa. 14:10–17; Ezek. 28:11–19; Mt. 12:25–29, 25:41; Jn. 12:31, 16:11; Eph. 6:10–20; Col. 2:15; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6; Rev. 12:7–9, 20:10)
15. The Church: We believe the one true church is the whole company of those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ and regenerated by the Holy Spirit; that the local church on earth should take it’s character from this conception of the church and, therefore, that the new birth and personal confession of Christ are essentials of church membership. The true church is made of all those individuals who have put their trust in Christ as their Savior; it is not merely the attending of church or having a name on the membership list that makes one a true member of Christ’s true church. Only the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the repentant sinner qualifies one for membership in the true body of Christ. (Mt. 16:17–19; Acts 2:17–18, 42; Eph. 3:14–21, 4:11–16; 1 Tim. 2:11–15; Heb. 10:23–25; 1 Pet. 2:4–5, 9–10)
The primary mission of the church is:
a. To be an agency of God for evangelizing the world and enforcing Satan’s defeat.
b. To be a corporate body in which man may worship God.
c. To be a channel of God’s purpose to build a body of saint’s being perfected in the image of His Son.
d. To live a life of purity and above reproach.
(Isa. 58:6–12, 61:1; Mt. 5:1–7:28; 28:18–20; Lk. 4:18, 21:1–4; Gal. 2:10; 1 Tim. 6:8)
16. Marriage: We believe marriage shall be performed between a man and a woman that were born as such. (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:31; 1 Cor. 7:2)