SCRIPTURES
WE BELIEVE that the Bible is the Word of God, without error in the original manuscripts, written by godly men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Holy Scriptures consist of and are limited to the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments.
WE BELIEVE it is the supreme authority in all matters of faith, judgment, conduct and eternal hope. (II Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12, Matthew 5:18, II Peter 1:20-21, Revelation 22:18-20).
TRINITY
WE BELIEVE that there is one living, holy, and true God of the universe, eternally existing in and revealed as three persons in one Godhead; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct, yet harmonious roles in the supreme work of creation and in the plan of redemption (Isaiah 43:10-13; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-18; Genesis 1:26; Psalm 110:1; Matthew 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
A. God the Father
WE BELIEVE in God the Father, a spirit who is both infinite and personal (John 4:4). Some of His key revealed attributes are that He is:
- Eternal (Psalm 90:2; Revelation 1:8)
- Merciful (Psalm 103:8; Titus 3:5)
- Good (Exodus 33:19; Psalm 34:8)
- Wrathful (Jeremiah 10:10; John 3:36, Romans 1:18)
- Just (Deuteronomy 32:3-4; Isaiah 61:8)
- Omnipotent (Job 42:2; Jeremiah 32:17, 27)
- Immutable (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17)
- Omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10; Jeremiah 23:23-24; Hebrews 4:13)
- Omniscient (Job 37:16; Romans 11:33)
- Sovereign (Deuteronomy 32:39; Proverbs 21:1)
- Holy (Isaiah 6:3; Isaiah 8:13; 1 Peter 1:16)
- Love (Psalm 136:26; John 3:16; 1 John 4:8, 10, 19)
B. God the Son
WE BELIEVE in God the Son, the Son who was incarnated in Jesus as the Christ, begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, true God and true Man in one person, absolutely sinless; who came down to earth to pay the penalty for the sins of man by death; who was resurrected and who ascended into heaven where He now intercedes for all believers at the right hand of the Father, and is the only mediator between God and man; who shall personally and visibly return to earth (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:27; 23:46-47; John 1:14; Acts 1:3; Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 4:14-15; 7:25-27; I Timothy 2:5).
WE BELIEVE in Jesus Christ, the eternal and uncreated God, the Creator of all things, one in nature and essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is the only begotten Son and the incarnate Word of God, both fully God and fully man. The Holy scriptures teach that He was sent by the Father, performed countless miracles, and taught with authority and the message given to Him by the Father (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; John 1:1-5, 14, 5:18-19, 10:30, 12:49-50).
Scripture teaches that Jesus saves those who put their faith in His substitutionary atoning death as the propitiation for their sins. Scripture also teaches of His bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, glorification at the right hand of the Father, perpetual intercession for His people, and visible return to earth (John 14:1-3, 6, 10, 17:7, 21:25; Acts 1:11; Romans 3:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:25-27; Revelation 22:13, 16).
C. God the Spirit
WE TEACH that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, eternal, underived, possessing all the attributes of personality and deity including intellect (1 Corinthians 2:10-13), emotions (Ephesians 4:30), will (1 Corinthians 12:11), eternally (Hebrews 9:14), omnipresence (Psalm 139:7-10), omniscience (Isaiah 40:13-14), omnipotence (Romans 15:13), and truthfulness (John 16:13). In all the divine attributes He is coequal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son (Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; 28:25-26; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; and Jeremiah 31:31-34 with Hebrews 10:15-17).
WE TEACH that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to execute the divine will with relation to all mankind. We recognize His sovereign activity in creation (Genesis 1:2), the incarnation (Matthew 1:18), the written revelation (2 Peter 1:20-21), and the work of salvation (John 3:5-7).
WE TEACH that the work of the Holy Spirit in this age began at Pentecost when He came from the Father as promised by Christ (John 14:16-17; 15:26) to initiate and complete the building of the Body of Christ, which is His church (1 Corinthians 12:13). The broad scope of His divine activity includes convicting the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ and transforming believers into the image of Christ (John 16:7-9; Acts 1:5; 2:4; Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 2:22).
WE TEACH that the Holy Spirit is the supernatural and sovereign Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). The Holy Spirit also indwells, sanctifies, instructs, empowers them for service, and seals them unto the day of redemption (Romans 8:9; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13).
WE TEACH that the Holy Spirit is the divine Teacher, who guided the apostles and prophets into all truth as they committed to writing God’s revelation, the Bible. Every believer possesses the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit from the moment of salvation, and it is the duty of all those born of the Spirit to be filled with (controlled by) the Spirit (John 16:13; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 1 John 2:20, 27).
WE TEACH that the Holy Spirit administers spiritual gifts to the church. The Holy Spirit glorifies neither Himself nor His gifts by ostentatious displays, but He does glorify Christ by implementing His work of redeeming the lost and building up believers in the most holy faith (John 16:13-14; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
WE TEACH, in this respect, that God the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the bestowing of all His gifts for the perfecting of the saints today and that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles in the beginning days of the church were for the purpose of pointing to and authenticating the apostles as revealers of divine truth, and were never intended to be characteristic of the lives of believers (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 13:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12; Hebrews 2:1-4).
ANGELS
Holy Angels
WE TEACH that angels are created beings and are therefore not to be worshiped. Although they are a higher order of creation than man, they are created to serve God and to worship Him (Luke 2:9-14; Hebrews 1:6-7, 14; 2:6-7; Revelation 5:11-14; 19:10; 22:9).
Fallen Angels
WE TEACH that Satan is a created angel and the author of sin. He incurred the judgment of God by rebelling against his Creator (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19), by taking numerous angels with him in his fall (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:1-14), and by introducing sin into the human race by his temptation of Eve (Genesis 3:1-15).
WE TEACH that Satan is the open and declared enemy of God and man (Isaiah 14:13-14; Matthew 4:1-11; Revelation 12:9-10); the prince of this world, who has been defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 16:20); and that he shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
MAN
WE BELIEVE that God created man in His own image, male and female He created them. He made them sinless and pure; that Adam voluntarily sinned through Satan’s temptation and thereby severed man’s relationship to a holy God; that in consequence of this fall, all mankind is sinful by nature and choice; is subject to God’s judgment and deserves condemnation (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-19; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23; 5:12-13; 6:23; Hebrews 2:2-3).
WE BELIEVE that God’s intention in the creation of man was that man should glorify God, enjoy God’s fellowship, live his life in the will of God, and by this accomplish God’s purpose for man in the world (Isaiah 43:7; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11).
SALVATION
WE BELIEVE that the salvation of sinful man is wholly by God’s grace and not by man’s works. Whoever genuinely repents of sin and believes in Jesus will be saved, but whoever does not believe in Jesus stands condemned before God.
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ came into the world to make full atonement of sinners by His shed blood, vicarious death on the cross, bodily resurrection from the grave, and ascension into heaven again to intercede for believers; that man must personally repent of his sins and accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior to receive eternal life and power over sin; that believers are, upon faith in Christ, indwell by the Holy Spirit, who regenerates, making the believer a new creation, a child of God. This is the only way of salvation revealed to man (John 1:12; 3:1-21, 36; 10:28-29; Acts 3:19; 4:12; Romans 6:1-23; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 9:11-24, 10:10).
CHRISTIAN CONDUCT
WE BELIEVE that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well being of his fellowmen; that he should strive to live a life separated from sin and set apart for God; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize from himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.
WE BELIEVE that absolute immunity from sin takes place only when believers are taken to be with the Lord. However, we underline the necessity of forsaking a habitual walk in sin (I Corinthians 10:31; II Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 5:22-23; Colossians 3:17; James 2:1-26; II Peter 3:18; Philippians 2:14,15).
THE CHURCH
WE TEACH that the church is a group of people whom God has called out in this age to be a gift to His Son for all eternity (Romans 1:6; Ephesians 4:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 2 Timothy 1:9). The formation of the church, the Body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21, 38-47) and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The church is distinct from Israel and it is a spiritual body comprised of born-again believers (both Jew and Gentile). The local church is the expression of the body of Christ. Scripture teaches that the work of ministry of the church is to build up and encourage the body and to witness to those who are lost. Under the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ, the local church is to be autonomous, self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, 2:34-47, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:11-3:10, 5:25-32, 1 Timothy 3:1-15, Titus 1:5-9).
ORDINANCES
WE BELIEVE the Lord Jesus Christ committed two ordinances unto the local church – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These two ordinances are not salvific but should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A. Baptism
WE BELIEVE that baptism is the immersion of the believer into water in the name of the Triune God; that it is the act of obedience to the command of Christ; that it follows conversion; that it is a prerequisite to church membership; that it is symbolic of the death, burial and resurrection of the Savior. Likewise, for the believer, it should symbolize the experience of passing from death unto life (Matthew 3:13-17; 28:19; John 5:24; Acts 1:5; 2:41; 8:36-39; 10:47-48; Romans 6:1-10; Titus 3:5).
B. Lord’s Supper
WE BELIEVE that the Lord’s Supper is an observance instituted by Christ to commemorate His death on Calvary, that it emphasizes the present relationship of the believer to Christ; that it reminds us of His return; that the provision of unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine are symbols of Christ’s offered body and shed blood for the remission of sins; that the partaking is for regenerated believers only, and that faithful self-examination should precede its observance (Matthew 26:21-30; Luke 22:15-20, I Corinthians 11:17-34).
CHURCH COOPERATION
WE BELIEVE that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperation with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether a regional or a district conference, exists and functions by the will of the local churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with inter-denomination fellowships on a voluntary and independent basis.
LAST THINGS (Eschatology)
WE BELIEVE that the Scriptures teach the imminent, personal, and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to rapture His church before the tribulation (John 14:2-3, 1 Corinthians 15:51-55, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Christ will also return to earth to restore Israel and to establish His millennial kingdom. Scripture teaches the bodily resurrection of all men; the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to everlasting torment and punishment (Daniel 12:1-3, Acts 15:14-18, Matthew 25:30-46, Luke 12:35-40, 17:26-30, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, Revelation 20:1-4).
WE BELIEVE Scripture teaches that the spirits of New Testament saints – those who have trusted in Christ for salvation – immediately pass into His presence at death, being absent from the body but present with the Lord. They remain in His presence in conscious joy until the resurrection of the glorified body at His coming when spirit and body are reunited to be with Him forever in glory (2 Corinthians 5:6-9, Philippians 1:23, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17).
The souls of unbelievers, after death, remain in conscious torment until the final judgment of the great white throne at the close of the millennium, when spirit and body shall be reunited and cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated but to be punished with everlasting punishment (Luke 16:22-24, Revelation 20:11-15, Matthew 25:46, Mark 9:43, 47-48).