Articles of Faith:

 

THE SCRIPTURES - We believe the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments only, to be the Word of God; that is was written by men who were moved by the Holy Spirit so that their writings, in the original, were supernaturally and verbally inspired and free from error, as no other writings have ever been or ever will be. They are the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

(Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:89; Proverbs 30:5-6; John 17:17; Romans 15:4; Ephesians 6:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Revelation 22:18-19)

 

THE TRUE GOD: We believe in the existence of the one, and only, living, personal triune God, as revealed in the Bible; Creator of the universe and man, existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - who are eternal in being, identical in essence, equal in power and glory, and having the same distinct offices.

​          God the Father - We believe in God the Father in perfect holiness, boundless in love, infinite in wisdom, and               measureless in power. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and           answers prayers, and that He saves from sin and death to all who come to Him through Jesus Christ, His Son.

         God the Son - We believe in Jesus Christ, God the Son, pre-existent with the Father, begotten by the Holy                 Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary; sinless in nature and life, infallible in His teaching, making atonement for the           sins of the world by His  substitutionary death on the cross. We believe in His resurrection and ascension into             Heaven, and His perpetual intercession for His people.

         God the Holy Spirit - We believe in the deity and personality of God the Holy Spirit. We believe that He came             from God to convince and convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement; and to regenerate, seal,           sanctify, indwell, teach, guide, comfort, and empower those who believe in Jesus Christ.

(Genesis 1:1-3; Exodus 15:11; Exodus 20:2-3; Psalm 83:18; Psalm 90:2; Psalm 147:5; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 28:19; Luke 1:35; John 4:24; John 10:30; John 14:16-17; John 14:26; John 15:26-27; John 16:8-11; John 16:13; Acts 5:30-32; Romans 8:14-16; Romans 8:26-27; Romans 11:33; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians 2:18; Ephesians 4:4; Philippians 2:5-6; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 9:14; Revelation 4:11)

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THE CHURCH - We believe that a New Testament local church is a congregation of born-again believers who are united in covenant for worship, instruction, and fellowship. We believe that Christ is the head of the church. We believe in the offices of pastor and elders in that they are the spiritual leadership of the church. We believe the true mission of the church is to develop followers of Christ who love, serve, and obey Him. We believe it is the responsibility of church members to discover, improve, and use their spiritual gifts to assist in the work of the church. We believe God has committed to the church for perpetual observance, two ordinances: the baptism of believers by immersion and the Lord's Supper. We hold that the local church is independent and autonomous and must be free from any interference by ecclesiastical or political authority. Therefore, we believe that the church and state must be kept free from the dictation and patronage of each other.

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BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER - We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer; in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The act of baptism fulfills three types - Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. We do not believe baptism is a means to salvation, but is merely an outward symbol of what has already transpired in the heart of the one who has trusted Jesus Christ for full salvation. We believe that Lord's Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be proceeded always by solemn self-examination.

(Matthew 28:19-20; Matthew 3:16; Acts 2:41-41; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28)

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MAN - We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he willfully sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is separation from God. We believe that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, and in the case of those who reach the age of accountability become sinners in thought and deed by choice.

(Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12; Romans 5:19; Romans 7:9; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 2:1-3)

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SALVATION - We believe that salvation is a free gift offered by God to all who choose to believe in Him and receive, by faith, Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. We believe all true believers are born-again in the sense that they have received a new nature and have become new creatures in Christ.

(John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 5:17)

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CHRISTIAN LIVING - We believe that every saved person should manifest a Christ-like lifestyle, consistently walking with and yielding to the indwelling Spirit. We believe that a Christian should live a distinctly separated life from the world.

 

SATAN - We believe that Satan was one holy and enjoyed heavenly honors; but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of angels. We believe that he is now the malignant prince of the power of the air, and the unholy god of this world. We hold him to be man's great tempter, the enemy of God and his Christ, the accuser of the saints, the author of all false religions, the chief power back of the present apostasy, the lord of the anti-christ, and the author of all the powers of darkness. We believe that Satan is destined, however, to final defeat at the hands of God's own Son, and to the judgement of an eternal justice in the Lake of Fire (Hell), a place prepared for him and his angels (demons).

(Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:14-17; Matthew 4:1-3; Mark 13:21-22; John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Ephesians 2:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:5; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 3:8; 1 John 4:3; Revelation 12:7-10; Revelation 13:13-14; Revelation 19:11; Revelation 16:20; Revelation 20:1-3; Revelation 20:10)

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GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - We believe God bestows upon every believer at least one spiritual gift as described in scripture that is to be used within the body of Christ for the edification of the saints and for the furtherance of the gospel. However, we do not as a congregation practice the gift of speaking in tongues when gathered for worship.

(1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:7-12; Romans 12:6-8)

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THE ETERNAL STATE - We believe in the bodily resurrection of all people, the saved to an eternity of bliss with Christ in heaven; the unsaved to everlasting punishment in the Lake of Fire (Hell).

(Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:5-6; Revelation 20:12-13)