Statement of Faith

What We Believe

What We Believe

The Triune God

The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent “I AM,” the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. God is one, eternal, and self-existent in three persons: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-2,14; John 4:24; Acts 5:3-4; Ephesians 4:5-6; 2 Corinthians 13:17; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10, 11; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22

The Father

We believe the heavenly Father is the source of all that exists, whether of matter or spirit. With the Son and the Holy Spirit, He made man, male and female, in His image. By intention He relates to people as Father, thereby forever declaring His goodwill toward them. In love He both seeks and receives penitent sinners. Ps. 68:5; Isa. 64:8; Mt. 5:45; 7:11; Jn. 3:17; Rom. 8:15; 1 Pet. 1:17

Jesus Christ

Jesus is the Messiah prophesied, the one and only God, in the exact representation of God, fully human and fully God. He was born from a virgin, lived a sinless life, and He died and rose again to reconcile all people to God and to free them from the power of sin and the devil. He will return again to reign over His Kingdom Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13

The Holy Spirit

Jesus baptizes the believer with the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit sanctifies and purifies the believer. He draws believers to God and empowers them to be the witnesses of His Kingdom and resurrection John 1:33; Acts 1:8; John 16:5-15; Titus 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Romans 8:16, 23, 26, 27; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31

The Bible

We believe that only the sixty-six books of the Bible are the inspired and, therefore, inerrant Word of God. The Bible is the final authority for all we believe and how we are to live. Mt. 5:18; Jn. 10:35; 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; 2 Pet. 1:20–21

Sin

Sin was introduced into mankind through Adam, the first man. His sin enslaved the world and mankind to the power of the devil. All of mankind has sinned and the penalty is death, separation from God. Jesus Christ, God’s son, paid the penalty of sin to reconcile mankind to God. Everyone who repents and trusts in Jesus for forgiveness of sin is forgiven and free from the curse of sin and death Romans 5:12-21, 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-5

Salvation

We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. No ordinance, ritual, work or any other activity on the part of man is required or accepted for his salvation. 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, that we might be progressively conformed to the image of Christ. 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

Baptism

We believe water baptism is a physical representation of a spiritual reality where the believer identifies with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We baptize believers in water into the name (or nature of) of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as a sign of being consecrated to God, who is Three in One Romans 6:3-4, 1 Peter 3:21- 22

The Church

The church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit with divine appointments for the fulfillment of the great commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:22; Hebrews 12:33

A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the threefold purpose of leading the Church in: Evangelization of the world Mark 16:15-20; worship of God John 4:23,24; edification of the body of Christ Ephesians 4:11-16

ORDINANCES

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. Mt. 26:26–29; 28:19; Rom. 6:3–11; 1 Cor. 11:23–34; 1 Pet. 3:21

Miracles / Healings

Miracles and healings were the works Jesus and His disciples demonstrated to confirm the good news about God’s Kingdom making its advance against the dominion of the devil. All believers today are empowered to demonstrate these works and thereby advance His Kingdom Matthew 4:17, 23, 12:28, 28:19-20; John 9:4, 10:37; Mark 16:17-20; 1 Corinthians 12:9-10

End of the Age

(Historic premillennialism with a victorious Church)

We believe in the literal second coming of Christ at the end of this age, when He will return to earth personally and visibly to reign over the nations in His millennial kingdom. We believe that the Church will go through the Great Tribulation with great power and victory and will only be raptured at the end of the Great Tribulation. No one can know with certainty the timing of the Lord’s return. We also believe in and are praying for a great end-time harvest of souls and the emergence of a victorious Church that will experience unprecedented unity, purity, and power in the Holy Spirit. (Ps. 2:7–9, 22:27–28; Mt. 24:36; 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)

Eternal Reward & Punishment

We believe that when Christians die, they pass immediately into the blessed presence of Christ, there to enjoy conscious fellowship with the Savior until the day of the resurrection and the glorious transformation of their bodies. The saved will receive eternal rewards and forever dwell in blissful fellowship with their great triune God. We also believe that when unbelievers die, they are consigned to hell, there to await the Day of Judgment when they shall be punished in the lake of fire with eternal, conscious, and tormented separation from the presence of God. (Dan. 12:2; Mt. 25:46; Lk. 16:19–31; Jn. 5:25–29; 1 Cor. 15:35–58; 2 Cor. 5:1–10; Phil. 1:19–26, 3:20–21; 2 Thes. 1:5–10; Rev. 20:11–15; 21:1–22:15)

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