The Bible

The 66 books of the Bible are literally the Word of God, written down by men of God, who were moved by the Holy Spirit and spoke from God (II Samuel 23:1-3; II Peter 1:20-21). We believe in verbal plenary inspiration which means that all of the Bible, in its original documents, both in part and in whole, is inerrant, infallible, the very word of God (Psalm 119:160).

The Scriptures are the only authoritative and sufficient standard for all matters of godliness, faith, practice, and doctrine through all generations (Psalm 19:7-11; Zechariah 7:12; Matthew 24:35; John 17:17; II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:3-4, 19). The Bible is also the only source of objective truth from God (John 5:39; Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 1:1; Jude 3; Revelation 1:19).

The Bible teaches the literal, grammatical historical interpretation of Scripture which affirms the belief that the opening chapters of Genesis present creation in six literal days (Genesis 1:31; Exodus 31:17).

God's Word stands in authority over all creation, men, and the church and is what all men will be judged by on the last day (John 12:48; Romans 2:16; I Timothy 3:15).

Since the Bible is the Word of God, we are under obligation before God to handle it accurately when we interpret it (II Timothy 2:15). There may be several applications of any given passage of Scripture; however, there is but one true interpretation.

God

There is one God (Deuteronomy 4:35; 6:4; Isaiah 44:5-8). He is perfect and infinite in all of His attributes, who has chosen to reveal Himself in three distinct persons i.e., the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three persons have existed from eternity and are separate in their identity and function but one in purpose and substance, all three together being the one eternal God, worthy of worship, praise, and obedience (Genesis 1:26; 3:22; Psalm 2:7; Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; Titus 3:4-7).

God the Father

We believe that God the Father, the first Person of the Trinity, orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace (Psalm 145:8 9; 1 Corinthians 8:6). As the only absolute and omnipotent Ruler in the universe, He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption (Psalm 103:19; Romans 11:36).

His fatherhood involves both His designation within the Trinity and His relationship with mankind. As Creator He is Father to all men (Ephesians 4:6), but He is spiritual Father only to believers (Romans 8:14; 2 Corinthians 6:18). He has decreed for His own glory all things that come to pass (Ephesians 1:11). He continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events (1 Chronicles 29:11). In His sovereignty He is neither author nor approver of sin (Habakkuk 1:13; John 8:38 47), nor does He abridge the accountability of moral, intelligent creatures (1 Peter 1:17).

He saves from sin all who come to Him through Jesus Christ; He adopts as his own all those who come to Him; and He becomes, upon adoption, Father to His own (John 1:12; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5; Hebrews 12:5 9).

God the Son

Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, is God incarnate, which means that He is God become man in the flesh, fully God and fully man (Isaiah 9:6; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23; John 1:1, 14, 18; Philemon 2:5-8; Hebrews 1:8). He was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23) and conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35).

He is the one and only Mediator between God and man and lives as an advocate for the saints (I Timothy 2:5; I John 2:1).

He is the Redeemer (Galatians 3:13; I Peter 3:18-19), Judge (John 5:22-23; Acts 17:31), Priest (Hebrews 2:17; 3:1; 4:14-15; 5:10; 7:1, 3, 15, 21), Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18; John 6:14; Acts 3:22-26; 7:37), King of kings and Lord of lords (I Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16), and the channel of creation (John 1:3; Col. 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:2).

He lived a perfect life on earth (I Peter 1:19; Hebrews 2:10; 4:15; 5:9; 7:28), died a vicarious or substitutionary death for the sins of men (Isaiah 53:4-6; I Pet. 3:18; I Corinthians 15:3), and was the perfect Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36).

He was buried and rose again bodily on the third day (I Corinthians 15:4), conquering death (Colossians 2:13-14), and having ascended, He is now seated at the right hand of God (Acts 1:9-11; Romans 8:34; Heb. 10:12), having received all power, authority and dominion in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18).

He lives as an advocate for the saints (I John 2:1) and He will come again to set up an earthly kingdom (Luke 22:28-30; Revelation 20:1-6), followed by an eternal kingdom where He will rule and reign forever (II Peter 1:10-11; Revelation 21-22).

God the Holy Spirit

We believe 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), eternality (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).

The Holy Spirit is active in convicting the world of sin and judgment (John 16:8), and regenerating and empowering those who are saved (Ezekiel 36:27; John 3:5-8; II Corinthians 12:1-7; Galatians 5:16; Titus 3:5).

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).

Man

We teach that man was directly and immediately created by God, on the sixth day, in His image and likeness. Man was created free of sin with a rational nature, intelligence, volition, self determination, and moral responsibility to God (Genesis 2:7, 15 25; James 3:9).

We teach 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).

We teach that in Adam's sin of disobedience to the revealed will and Word of God, man lost his innocence; incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death; became subject to the wrath of God; and became inherently corrupt and utterly incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace. With no recuperative powers to enable him to recover himself, man is hopelessly lost. Man's salvation is thereby wholly of God's grace through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ (Genesis 2:16 17; 3:1 19; John 3:36; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1 3; 1 Timothy 2:13 14; 1 John 1:8).

We teach that because all men were in Adam, a nature corrupted by Adam's sin has been transmitted to all men of all ages, Jesus Christ being the only exception. All men are thus sinners by nature, by choice, and by divine declaration (Psalm 14:1 3; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:9 18, 23; 5:10 12).

Salvation

The Need for Salvation

Unrepentant sinners have God's wrath abiding on them and hence all men are in need of salvation from hell and its consequences (John 3:36; Romans 3:23-24; 6:23; Ephesians 2:3). The ultimate consequence of sin is to suffer the holy wrath of God's justice for eternity in the lake of fire (Nahum 1:3; Revelation 20:14-15).

Provision of Salvation

God's only provision for salvation is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the promised Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15), the Redeemer (Acts 20:28; I Peter 1:18-19), and Savior of all those who believe in Him for eternal life (John 3:16). The Lord Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one can come to the Father but through Him, and there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved (Matthew 11:27; John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

The Gospel of Salvation

The only way to be delivered from the wrath of God and come into a right relationship with God is by hearing and believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God for all who believe (Romans 1:16; 10:14-17; I Corinthians 1:18-24). The essence of the gospel is that Jesus Christ, out of love for us, died for our sins on the cross as our substitute, was buried, and rose again on the third day conquering death (Acts 2:22-32; Romans 5:8; I Corinthians 15:1-4; I Peters 3:18). The gospel message is a call to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:1-2; 4:17; 11:20; Acts 2:38; 3:19-21; 17:30-31; 20:21; 26:19-20; Romans 2:4; II Corinthians 7:9-10).

The Call to Salvation

God calls all men everywhere to repent and believe in the gospel (Acts 17:30-31). He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23; 33:11). Men are without excuse before God because of creation and their conscience. Furthermore, a form of God’s Law is written in men's hearts, which is enough to show them that God exists, yet all men suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18-20, 25; 2:14-16). Since all men suppress the natural revelation of God, the only way a person can be saved is by hearing and believing in special revelation, which is the Word of God, the gospel Matthew 24:14; Romans 1:16-17; 10:8-17; I Corinthians 1:18).

Regeneration

We believe that regeneration is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit by which the divine nature and divine life are given (John 3:3 7; Titus 3:5). It is instantaneous and is accomplished solely by the power of the Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of the Word of God (John 5:24), when the repentant sinner, as enabled by the Holy Spirit, responds in faith to the divine provision of salvation. Genuine regeneration is manifested by fruits worthy of repentance as demonstrated in righteous attitudes and conduct. Good works will be its proper evidence and fruit (1 Corinthians 6:19 20; Ephesians 2:10), and will be experienced to the extent that the believer submits to the control of the Holy Spirit in his life through faithful obedience to the

Word of God (Ephesians 5:17 21; Philippians 2:12b; Colossians 3:16; 2 Peter 1:4 10). This obedience causes the believer to be increasingly conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Such a conformity is climaxed in the believer's glorification at Christ's coming (Romans 8:17; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 3:2 3).

Justification

We believe that justification before God is an act of God (Romans 8:33) by which He declares righteous those who, through faith in Christ, repent of their sins (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Isaiah 55:6 7) and confess Him as sovereign Lord (Romans 10:9 10; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Philippians 2:11). This righteousness is apart from any virtue or work of man (Romans 3:20; 4:6) and involves the imputation of our sins to Christ (Colossians 2:14; 1 Peter 2:24) and the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21). By this means God is enabled to "be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).

Sanctification

We believe that every believer is sanctified (set apart) unto God by justification and is therefore declared to be holy and is therefore identified as a saint. This sanctification is positional and instantaneous and should not be confused with progressive sanctification. This sanctification has to do with the believer's standing, not his present walk or condition (Acts 20:32; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 30; 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 2:11; 3:1; 10:10, 14; 13:12; 1 Peter 1:2).

We believe that there is also by the work of the Holy Spirit a progressive sanctification by which the state of the believer is brought closer to the standing the believer positionally enjoys through justification. Through obedience to the Word of God and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, the believer is able to live a life of increasing holiness in conformity to the will of God, becoming more and more like our Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:17,19; Romans 6:1 22; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:3 4; 5:23).

In this respect, we teach that every saved person is involved in a daily conflict—the new creation in Christ doing battle against the flesh—but adequate provision is made for victory through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The struggle nevertheless stays with the believer all through this earthly life and is never completely ended. All claims to the eradication of sin in this life are unscriptural. Eradication of sin is not possible, but the Holy Spirit does provide for victory over sin (Galatians 5:16 25; Ephesians 4:22 24; Philippians 3:12; Colossians 3:9 10; 1 Peter 1:14 16; 1 John 3:5 9).

The Perseverance of the Saints

God saves men while they are enemies to God (Romans 5:8), and once a person is saved, their salvation can never be lost or rejected (John 6:37, 39; Romans 8:38-39). God seals all believers with the Holy Spirit who is given as a pledge of our future inheritance until the day of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30). God enables every believer to persevere unto the end (I Thessalonians 5:23-24), and God loses none whom He has called (John 6:37, 39; 10:27-30). The saints persevere in their salvation not because of what they do but because of what God does for them (John 6:44, 65; I Thessalonians 5:23-24; I Peters 5:10; Jude 1).

The Church

The Purpose of the Church

The ultimate purpose of the Church is to give glory to God (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). The Church can only give glory to God by submitting to the Lord Jesus Christ out of love and by obeying His Word (John 14:15, 23-24; I John 5:3). The Church gives glory to God by worshiping Him (John 4:21-24; Romans 12:1-2), by evangelizing the lost (Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:46-48; Acts 1:8; Col. 1:23), and by equipping the saints for work of service both now and in the age to come (Mt. 24:45-47; 25:21-23; I Corinthians 3:12-15; Ephesians 2:10; II Timothy 3:16-17; 4:7-8; Titus 2:11-14).

The Universal Church

There is a universal church comprised of all true believers everywhere, baptized by the Holy Spirit into the one body of Christ through faith upon conversion (I Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 2:11-16; 4:4-6). The Universal Church age started at Pentecost and will end at the Rapture of the Church (Acts 2; I Corinthians 15:51-52; I Thessalonians 5:13-18).

The Local Church

We believe in the existence and independence of the local church which is comprised of all those who profess faith in Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 1:2; I Thessalonians 1:1). In every Local Church there may be those who profess to be believers but are not (Matthew 7:21-22; Titus 1:15-16; Jude 1:4).

The Head and Leaders of the Church

Jesus Christ is the Head, King, and Lord of the Church (Acts 2:36; Ephesians 4:15-16; 5:23; Colossians 1:18) and believers are members of His spiritual body (I Corinthians 12:12-13). Jesus guides the body through the Bible and under-shepherds who submit to the Bible. God's under-shepherds are the elders, pastors, or overseers who must possess certain spiritual qualifications (Acts 20:28; I Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; I Peter 5:1-3). Leaders must be examples to the flock as those who will give an account (II Timothy 2:24; Hebrews 13:17), showing others how to live as humble servants of the King (I Peter 5:3).

The church must also appoint faithful men who meet the qualification of deacon (I Timothy 3:8-10, 12-13). Deacons are appointed to help meet the physical needs of the church and to assist the elders so the elders can focus on prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4; I Timothy 4:6, 10-13, 15-16).

The Ordinances of the Church

The church has two ordinances: water baptism (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:38) and communion, or the Lord's Supper (I Corinthians 11:20-26; Matthew 26:26-29). Both water baptism and communion should be observed today in the local church by believers.

Water Baptism

Water baptism is for believers who have placed their faith in Christ. It is not a means of salvation or grace but is an act of obedience whereby a believer makes a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38, 41). Baptism symbolizes the inward reality of being united with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-6). Baptism is to be by immersion (Mark 1:10; John 3:23; Acts 8:39).

Lord's Supper or Communion

Communion is an act of obedience whereby a Christian remembers the sacrifice of Christ, proclaims the death of Christ, and anticipates the glories of Christ's kingdom to come (Luke 22:19; I Corinthians 11:24). Communion is not a means of salvation or grace. Communion is only for believers who are not living in unrepentant sin (I Corinthians 11:17-34).