Statement of Faith

The Scriptures

We believe that the Word of God was divinely inspired and preserved by God and given to man as the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man. By the “Holy Bible,” we mean that collection of sixty-six books (Genesis to Revelation) of the Old and New Testaments, which we believe is the very Word of God. Since the original manuscripts of the Bible are no longer in existence, God has supernaturally and providentially preserved His Word, without error, for us today in the King James Bible. We believe that the Bible is the final authority for us in all matters of faith, doctrine, and practice (Psalm 12:6-7; II Timothy 3:15-17; II Peter 1:21).

The True God

We believe that God is a Person, eternally existing and manifesting Himself to us in three divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who are equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Isaiah 45:21-22; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; 15:26; I John 5:7).

The Son of God

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ eternally exists with God the Father, having been begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, a virgin. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1, 2, 14; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 4:14-15).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us of our sins through His death on the cross as a vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead(Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7).

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 ministries of being our Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2).

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, converts the repentant sinner and places him into Christ, seals the believer, interprets the Scripture, and empowers God’s children to be bold witnesses (John 16:8,9; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 12:13; Ephesians 1:13-14).

Satan

We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin, and the cause of the fall of man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire, a place prepared for him and for his angels, as well as for all the unbelievers of the ages (Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:10).

Creation


We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We believe that man was created directly in God’s own image and after His own likeness. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11; Revelation 10:6).

Sin

We believe that man was created in the image of God but fell through sin, bringing not only physical death, but also spiritual death or eternal separation from God. Because of that, men are sinners by birth and by choice and are of themselves utterly unable to remedy their lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:l-3; 4:17-19).

Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace. It is received by repentance toward God and by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who shed His precious blood on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that in order to be saved and be assured of Heaven before he dies, a sinner must be born again; and that the new birth is instant and not a process (John 1:12; Acts 20:21; Romans 10:9-13; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19).

Eternal Security

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever(John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; I Peter 1:4-5).

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

Heaven and Hell

We believe that the souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation do, at death, immediately pass into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at the Rapture when soul and body reunited shall be present forever with the Lord. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery in hell until the Great White Throne Judgment at the close of the millennium. Then soul and body reunited, shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting torment (Luke 16:19-26; 23:43; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:1-15).

The Church

We believe that the New Testament church that Jesus established during His earthly ministry is a Baptist church. It is an assembly of baptized believers, associated together by a covenant of faith, based solely upon the Word of God.

We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free from any external authority or control. We believe the mission of the church is to win the lost, baptize them, and teach and instruct them in the Word of God so that they too will win the lost (Matthew 16:17-19; 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 6:1-7; II Timothy 2:2).

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that salvation must precede water baptism, and that baptism is not essential for salvation. We believe that Scriptural baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost under the authority of the local church. It is a beautiful picture of our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, showing forth our death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Salvation and baptism are prerequisite to the privilege of church membership.

We believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance in which members of the church, by the sacred use of unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, are to remember the love of Christ shown at Calvary. This ordinance should always be preceded by solemn self-examination, realizing that we are showing forth the Lord’s death till He comes (Matthew 3:16; 28:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-31).

Separation

We believe in the Biblical doctrine of separation which encompasses three things: (1) the separation of the local church from those who deny the truth of the “faith which was once delivered to the saints”; (2) the separation of the individual Christian from all worldly practices that may dishonor the Saviour; and (3) the separation of church and state (Romans 12:1-2; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; II Thessalonians 3:6, 14, 15; 1 John 2:15-17; II John 9-11; Jude 3).

Missions

We believe that all men everywhere are lost and condemned, and that the command to go and preach the Gospel to the world is clear and unmistakable. God has given the church the Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation and tribe who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8).

The Second Coming

We believe in the imminent return of Jesus Christ for all New Testament believers. This rapture of the saints will be followed by the seven-year Tribulation. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints to establish His earthly Messianic kingdom which was promised to the nation Israel (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33; Acts 1:11; I Corinthians 15:51-55; I Thessalonians 3:13; Revelation 1:7).

Civil Government

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority which consists of three basic institutions: (1) the home; (2) the church; and (3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) will give account to God and are governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and has balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned area of responsibility under God (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:21-6:4; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 2:13-15).

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).