Statement of Beliefs:
We Believe in the following teachings as the foundation of our faith:
The Bible
The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that Scripture in its entirety originated with God, and that it was given through the instrumentality of chosen men. Scripture thus at one and the same time speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold that the Scriptures are infallible, and inerrant in the original manuscripts. They are the unique, full, and final authority on all matters of faith and practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.
God
We believe that there is one true, Holy God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each of Whom possesses equally all the attributes of The Deity and the characteristics of His personality. In the beginning God created out of nothing the world and all things therein, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom, and goodness. By His sovereign power He continues to sustain His creation. By His providence He is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purpose.
Salvation
The central purpose of God’s revelation in Scripture is to call all people into fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have fellowship with God, man defied God, choosing to go his independent way, and was thus alienated from God and became corrupted, rendering him unable to please God. The fall took place at the beginning of human history, and all individuals since have suffered these consequences and are thus in need of the saving grace of God. The salvation of mankind is wholly a work of God’s free grace, not the result, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness, and must be personally appropriated by repentance and faith. God gives assurance in His Word that when He has begun a saving work in the heart of any person, He will continue performing it until the day of its full consummation.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the eternal second Person of the Trinity who was united with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust Him alone. He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died. He ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He, the only Mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own. He shall come again to earth, personally and visibly, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
The Christian Life (The Indwelling Of The Holy Spirit)
The manifestation of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. He was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to mankind the saving work of Christ. He convicts the sinner, awakens in them recognition of their need of a savior, and regenerates them. At the point of salvation He permanently indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength, and wisdom, and uniquely endows each believer with gifts for the building up of the body. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Scripture. His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christlike character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father.
Human Destiny
Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. For all mankind, there will be a resurrection of the body into the spiritual world, and a judgment that will determine the fate of each individual. Unbelievers will be separated from God into eternal damnation. Believers will be received into eternal communion with God and will be rewarded for works done in this life.
The Church
The result of union with Jesus Christ is that all believers become members of His body, the church. There is one true church universal, comprised of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Scripture commands believers to gather together to devote themselves to worship, to prayer, to teaching of the Word, to observance of baptism and The Lord’s Supper as the ordinances established by Jesus Christ, to fellowship, to service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and to outreach to the world.
Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the church. Under the watchful care of the elders and the supportive leadership of deacons, its members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose of glorifying God.
Faith And Practice
The Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. This church recognizes that it cannot bind the conscience of individual believers in areas where the Bible is silent. Rather, each believer is to be led in those areas by the Lord, to whom they alone are ultimately responsible.
We believe our Statement of Faith to be an accurate summary of what the Scripture teaches. All members shall refrain from advocating doctrines that are not included in the Statement of Faith in any way that may cause dissension.