What We Believe

By the means of general and specific revelation, God manifested himself to particular persons at definite times and places, enabling those persons to enter into a redemptive relationship with him. Through the wisdom of God’s providence, the perseverance of truth, the creative direction of the Holy Spirit, and the strategy of man’s efforts, God’s inspired and inerrant Word to man culminated in the sixty-six books that comprise the Old and New Testament canon, known as the Bible. Thus, the Bible serves as God’s authoritative message, which is sufficient for the needs of man for this life and the life to come.

There is one living and infinite God. He eternally exists in three uncreated persons of one and the same essence, equal in divine attributes, yet distinct in personality. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all members of the Godhead who are coequal, coeternal and coexistent. All are Deity yet the Son and Spirit willingly submit to the Father.

God supernaturally and instantaneously created the entire universe, including man, out of nothing. God has not only created the universe, but He also sustains it. God does not work by chance or through accident. God has rendered all events past, present and future according to His own singular purpose and for His good, pleasure and glory.

Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the eternal Son of God and is the second person of the triune Godhead. Jesus was conceived and born of a virgin through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life and Jesus’ bloody death and righteous life, as man’s representative, was necessary to accomplish redemption. God’s redemptive plan deemed His only begotten Son to be the mediator between God and man, the Prophet, the Priest, the King, the Head and Savior of His Church, the Heir of all things and the Judge of the world. This plan by God existed eternally to provide a people who are redeemed, called, justified, sanctified and glorified.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest the active presence of God in the world, especially in the church. The Holy Spirit is directly involved in the creative work God as demonstrated at both creation (creating physical life) and in salvation (creating spiritual life). The Holy Spirit serves to bring people to God by revealing truth through conviction and, ultimately, providing spiritual life in regeneration, thus guaranteeing His eternal presence with believers. On this earth, those who are born again or born of the Spirit, experience the indwelling, empowering, interceding, and blessing of the Spirit.

Man, as a creation of God, serves as a creative image-bearer upon this earth. Specifically, man’s role to bear God’s image created responsibilities such as oversight, making culture and, ultimately, reflecting God to the created order. Based off this unique and divine creation, man possessed an intimate fellowship with God. Unfortunately, sin destroyed not only that unique fellowship but also marred the created order. Thus death ensued and man’s relationship with God and his God-given responsibilities would be forever changed. Only through the coming of the perfect man—Jesus Christ, would there be reconciliation to this fallen order.

Consequently, all men are born totally depraved. Depravity impacts the whole being of man. Man’s mind, will, body and heart —both the material and immaterial—are impacted by sin. Unregenerate man cannot do good on his own or save himself. Since God is holy, He cannot tolerate sin. Thus, a punishment for sin is necessary: retribution, discipline and death—physical, spiritual and eternal.

Salvation is an act of God that began in eternity past and will continue into the eternal future. Salvation is comprised of the justification, sanctification and ultimate glorification of born-again believers as a result of the saving, meritorious work of Jesus Christ. As a result of Jesus Christ’s obedient work, man is reconciled with God, creating a new relationship and a new purpose in this life and the next: the worship of God for all eternity.

Salvation is completely the work of God. Man is powerless to provide any part of his own salvation. God, in His sovereign wisdom in eternity past, chose those who would be saved not based on anything they had done. Yet, God gives an invitation to all men to accept Christ.

The Church is the body of Christ, sometimes known as the universal or invisible Church. The local church is the earthly, visible representative of the body of Christ in a particular time and place. It is comprised of a group of believers, who have been water baptized by immersion, organized with scriptural leaders, share the common faith, observe baptism and the Lord’s Supper and carry out the Great Commission.

Scripture indicates that we are in the last days, awaiting Christ’s return. This return, known as the blessed hope, details that at the end of the age, Jesus Christ will return to this earth personally, visibly, physically and suddenly in power and great glory. He will gather His elect, raise the dead, judge the nations and establish his Kingdom. The Lord’s reign will be characterized by harmony, justice, peace, righteousness and long life. It will be brought to an end with the release of Satan. Following this millennial reign of Christ, the unsaved of all the ages will be resurrected and judged at the Great White Throne. They will be eternally assigned to conscious torment in the Lake of Fire. The present earth will be destroyed, and a renewed Heaven and earth will be established in which the redeemed of all ages will dwell eternally with God. Our Lord Jesus Christ, having fulfilled His redemptive mission, will then deliver up the Kingdom to God, the Father.