Skip to main content

Our Beliefs

Declaration of Faith

We Believe

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES: We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New

Testaments to be the verbal and inspired word of God. The Scriptures are

inerrant, infallible, God-breathed and therefore the final authority for faith and

life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and

divine revelation of God to man. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1: 20-1)

 

THE GODHEAD: We believe there is one true God, eternally existent in three

persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe the

Holy Trinity to be God revealing Himself in three Divine Persons, each distinct

in office from the other, yet perfectly one – constituting one God, not

three. (Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22; John 14:9, 17:3)

 

THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST: We believe in the deity of our

Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in his

vicarious and atoning death on the cross, in His bodily resurrection, in His

ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His personal future return to His

earth in power and in glory to rule a thousand years. (Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 43:10;

Matthew 1:23; John 1:14; Acts 1:9-11; Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:1-2;

Hebrews 7:26, 9:18)

 

SALVATION AND THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN: We believe the only means of

being cleansed from sin is through the repentance toward God and faith in

the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that all of us our sinners and in need of a

Savior, unable to earn our salvation through doing good works and thereby

destined for eternal separation and judgment from God. However, we also

believe that there is Good News! That salvation is the free gift of God brought

to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This

abundant, everlasting life with God and the forgiveness of sins is available

through Jesus Christ alone and is offered to all who confess their sins and

believe and trust in His death on the cross. (Isaiah 53:1-10; Luke 8:6; John 3:16,

10:10; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 1 John

1:9)

 

HOLY SPIRIT AND SANCTIFICATION: People in a saving relationship with Jesus

Christ are to live in holiness and obedience as they submit to the Holy Spirit,

the third person of the Trinity. Sent by the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit

applies Christ’s saving work by enlightening the minds of sinners to their need

to be saved. He renews and indwells believers upon salvation becoming their

source of assurance, strength, wisdom, and gifting for building up the church.

The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Bible.

Appropriated by faith, His power and control empower believers to lead a life

of Christ-like character and bear fruit for the Father’s glory. (John 16:7-13, John

14:16, 17; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:16, 25)

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM: We believe in the Baptism with the Holy Spirit,

according to Acts 2:4, is given to believers who asks for it in faith. It is a

distinct and separate experience to that of salvation, occurring either

subsequent to or simultaneous with salvation, evidenced by a greater dynamic

in the Christian’s life, enabling that person to be a bold and more effective

witness for Jesus Christ, and speaking in new tongues. Every Spirit-filled

believer also has the capability of speaking with new tongues whether or not

he or she chooses to exercise this evidence. We believe in the present day

ministry of the Holy Spirit in regard to the exercise of all Biblical gifts of the

Holy Spirit according to the instructions given to us in I Corinthians 12-

14. (Acts 8:12-17; 10:44-46, 11:14-16, 15:7-9; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4, 8; 1

Corinthians 12:1-31)

 

DIVINE HEALING: We believe in divine healing was provided to the believer

through Christ finished work on the cross and that it is God’s will to be healed

– in spirit, soul and body. (Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:17; Acts 10:38; 1 Peter 1:4)

 

THE CHURCH: All who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are united

with Him as members of His body, the one true church. Scripture commands

believers to gather for worship, prayer, fellowship, and the teaching of the

Word; to observe Baptism and Communion as established by Jesus Christ; to

offer service to the body through development and use of talents and gifts

and outreach to the world. The local expression of the church is wherever

God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command. Cared for and led

by Elders and leaders, church members are to work together in love and unity

for the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ. (Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-

22; Mark 16:15-20; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 4: 11-16; Matthew 28:19; 1

Corinthians 11:26)

 

WATER BAPTISM: We believe water baptism is for all believers and is to be

practiced by immersion. It symbolizes our being buried with Christ unto death

of self; and as Christ was raised from the dead, so shall we also walk in the

newness of life. (Matthew 28:19; Mark 6:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:4-5; Colossians

2:12)

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER: We believe the Lord’s Supper (communion) using the

physical elements of bread and the fruit of the vine is to be done in

remembrance of the shed blood and body of Christ proclaiming His death on

the cross for us. (Luke 22:19; Corinthians 11:17-30; 2 Peter 1:4)

 

GIVING: We believe that every Christian is a steward of that portion of God’s

wealth entrusted to him and is obligated to support the local church

financially. We believe God established the tithe (10% of the gross income –

the first fruits) as a basis for giving, and that every Christian should also give

other offerings, both sacrificially and cheerfully, t the support of the church,

the relief of those in need, and to spread the Gospel. (Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi

3:10-11; Matthew 23:23; Luke 14:42; 1 Corinthians 10:11)

 

HUMAN DESTINY: Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. All

humanity will experience a bodily resurrection and a judgment that will

determine the fate of each individual. Having rejected God, unbelievers will

suffer eternal condemnation apart from Him. Believers will be received into

eternal communion with God and will be rewarded for works done in this

life. (John 3:16; John 2:25; John 5: 11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation

20:15; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 21:24)

 

CHRIST’S SECOND COMING: We believe Christ’s second coming and

judgment on the earth. He will come in the air to resurrect the righteous dead

and gather all His living Saints to ever be with Him (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1

Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1). After this, there will be a new

heaven and a new earth. (Revelation 21)

 

HUMAN SEXUALITY: We believe that God created mankind in His image: male

(man) and female (woman), sexually different but with equal personal dignity.

We don’t not recognize the legitimacy of physically changing or altering ones

predominant biological sex. (Genesis 1:26-28; 1 Corinthians 6:9-13) We believe

God has ordained and created marriage as the exclusive, comprehensive, and

“one flesh” union of one man and one woman, intrinsically ordered for the

revelation of God, for the joy of man and woman, and for procreation and

biological family, and in furtherance of the moral, spiritual, and public good of

Mark 10:5-9; Ephesians 5:31-33) We also believe that God commanded that no

intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of marriage between

one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality,

lesbianism, bisexuality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful

perversions God’s gift of sex. The good news, however, is that as with all sins,

these too can be forgiven through the heartfelt admission of our sins and

belief in the shed blood of Jesus Christ death on the cross for us. (Genesis 2:24,

19:5,13; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; 1

Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4; 1 John 1:9)

 

SANCTITY OF LIFE: We believe in the sanctity of human life. We believe that

human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human

being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of an unborn

human life. Abortion is murder. Therefore, the Church opposes elective

abortion for personal or social convenience, and counsels its members not to

submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for such abortions. The

church’s position on this matter remains unchanged. The good news, however,

is that as with all sins, these too can be forgiven through the heartfelt

admission of our sins and belief in the shed blood of Jesus Christ death on the

cross for us. The church calls believers to show Christian compassion and to

offer support to those experiencing unwanted pregnancies as well as to those

who have undergone abortions. Further, it calls believers to speak out against

the atrocity of abortion, to promote action and legislation that reflect the

teaching of Scripture regarding the sanctity of human life, and to reject all

violence against those who perpetrate abortion. (Job 3:26; Psalm 51:5, 139:14-

16; Isaiah 44:24, 49:1,5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15-16; Luke 1:44)

Doctrinal Commitments

The following Doctrinal Commitments represent the core beliefs of the denomination as outlined in Scripture.

  • Repentance. Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19.
  • Justification. Romans 5:1; Titus 3:7.
  • Regeneration. Titus 3:5.
  • New birth. John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:9.
  • Sanctification subsequent to justification. Romans 5:2; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 13:12.
  • Holiness. Luke 1:75; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Hebrews 12:14.
  • Water baptism. Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:9, 10; John 3:22, 23; Acts 8:36, 38.
  • Baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to cleansing; the enduement of power for service. Matthew 3:11; Luke 24:49, 53; Acts 1:4-8.
  • The speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance as the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Ghost. John 15:26; Acts 2:4; 10:44-46; 19:1-7.
  • The Church. Exodus 19:5, 6; Psalm 22:22; Matthew 16:13-19; 28:19,20; Acts 1:8; 2:42-47; 7:38; 20:28; Romans 8:14-17: 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; 12:12-31; 2 Corinthians 6:6-18; Ephesians 2:19-22; 3:9, 21; Philippians 3:10; Hebrews 2:12; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 1:6, 7; Revelation 21:2, 9; 22:17.
  • Spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:1, 7, 10, 28, 31; 1 Corinthians 14:1.
  • Signs following believers. Mark 16:17-20; Romans 15:18, 19; Hebrews 2:4.
  • Fruit of the Spirit. Romans 6:22; Galatians 5:22, 23; Ephesians 5:9; Philippians 1:11.
  • Divine healing provided for all in the Atonement. Psalm 103:3; Isaiah 53:4, 5; Matthew 8:17; James 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:24.
  • The Lord’s Supper. Luke 22:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11: 2 3 – 2 6.
  • Washing the saints’ feet. John 13:4-17; 1 Timothy 5:9, 10.
  • Restitution where possible. Matthew 3:8; Luke 19:8, 9.
  • Tithing and giving. Genesis 14:18-20; 28:20-22; Malachi 3:10; Luke 11:42 ; 1 Corinthians 16:2 ; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 ; Hebrews 7:1-21.
  • Premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the dead saints and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years. Zechariah 14:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Jude 14, 15; Revelation 5:10; 19:11-21; 20:4-6.
  • Resurrection. John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15; Revelation 20:5, 6.
  • Eternal life for the righteous. Matthew 25:46; Luke 18:30; John 10:28; Romans 6:22; 1 John 5:11-13.
  • Eternal punishment for the wicked. No liberation nor annihilation. Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 3:29; 2 Thessalonians 1: 8, 9; Revelation 20:10-15; 21:8.