Rooted in the Gospel

We believe the Bible to be the verbally inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, and the supreme and final authority in faith, doctrine, and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:21; John 17:17)

We believe in one God eternally existing in three equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each has the same nature and attributes, but is distinct in office and activity. (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. We believe He accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice. We believe our redemption and salvation are guaranteed by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (John 1:1, 14, 18; Luke 1:35; Romans 3:24–26, 4:25) We believe the Lord Jesus Christ is now in heaven, exalted to the right hand of God where, as High Priest to His people, He fulfills the ministry of intercession and advocacy. (Hebrews 1:3; 3:1; 7:23–25; 1 John 2:1–2)

We believe God, the Holy Spirit, is a person who restrains evil in the world and convicts men of sin. He also regenerates those who receive Christ as Savior, baptizes them into the Church—the Body of Christ, indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts on each one, and fills those yielded to Him. (John 16:7–11; John 3:8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–13; John 14:16–17; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18)

We believe God created all things in heaven and earth and that they exist by His power. (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16–17) We believe man was created innocent and in the image and likeness of God but that he sinned, bringing both physical and spiritual death to himself and to the entire human race. We believe man has inherited a sinful nature, is alienated from God, unable to save himself, and is in need of divine grace and salvation which comes through Jesus Christ alone. (Genesis 1:27; 2:17; 3:19; Romans 3:10–19; Ephesians 2:1–3)

We believe angels are spiritual beings who were created by God as sinless personalities. These beings occupy different orders and ranks, and they presently exist in both fallen (Satan and his angels) and unfallen states (God's angels). (Hebrews 1:13–14; 2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 7:12) Lucifer, the highest rank of angels, sinned in pride and rebelled against God becoming Satan. A great company of angels followed Lucifer in his fall and some have become demons, active agents in carrying out his evil purposes, while God is holding others for judgment at the end time. Satan is the originator of sin and led the human race into their moral fall and subsequent spiritual death. Though Satan continues to lead people astray, we believe Satan was judged at the cross and ultimately will be cast into the Lake of Fire in the last days. (Isaiah 14:12–14; Genesis 3:1–19; 2 Corinthians 4:3–4; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:10)

We believe salvation is a sovereign gift of God and is received by man through a personal faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for sin. We believe man is justified by grace through faith apart from works. In other words, salvation and eternal life are solely possible through God's provided means of redemption through Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. Neither human effort nor religious affiliation can earn salvation. (Acts 13:38–39; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 1:4–5; 2:8–10) We believe all true believers, once saved, are kept secure in Christ forever. Due to the Christians' rebirth through salvation, adoption into the Kingdom of God, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, and the clear and repeated promises of God, it is impossible for a genuine believer to lose salvation. (Romans 8:1, 29–30, 38–39; John 5:24, 10:27–30, 14:16–17; 1 John 5:11–13)

We believe sanctification, which is a setting apart unto God, is positional, progressive, and ultimate. Positionally, it is already complete since the believer is in Christ and is set apart unto God as Christ is set apart unto God. Since the Christian retains his sinful nature, however, there is need for progressive sanctification whereby he grows in grace by the power of the Spirit. Ultimately, the child of God will be set apart from sin in his practice (as he is now in his position in Christ) when he is taken to be with Christ and shall be like Him. (John 17:17; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 5:25–27)

Believers are called to live holy lives and to reject the priorities and desires of their individual sinful nature and of this spiritually dead world. The sinful nature will never be completely erased in this present life; however, the believer is responsible to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, the Christian life is a process, a journey that is carried out daily with reliance upon the Holy Spirit to renew the heart of every believer. (Romans 6:11–13, 8:2–4, 12–13; Galatians 5:16–23; Ephesians 4:22–24; Colossians 2:1–10; 1 Peter 1:14–16; 1 John 1:4–7, 3:5–9)

We believe the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism, not an organization. The Church is made up of those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and have been sealed and united by the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:22–23, 4:3–10; Romans 12:4–5; 1 Corinthians 12–13, 10:32) We believe the local church is an assembly of professed believers in Jesus Christ who are voluntarily joined together in one locality for the purpose of worship, study of the Word of God, observance of the ordinances, Christian fellowship, equipping for Christian service, and fulfilling the Great Commission. (Acts 2:42–47; 1 Corinthians 1:1–2; Ephesians 4:11–13; Matthew 16:18, 28:19–20)

We believe Jesus Christ instituted the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord's Supper, both of which are to be observed by believers until He returns. (Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 8:26–38, 10:47–48; Matthew 26:26–29; 1 Corinthians 11:23–31) We believe by water baptism a believer is publicly identified with Jesus Christ. Salvation does not depend upon water baptism, but only upon the work of Christ on the cross. We believe the Lord's Supper is a memorial of Christ's death, the elements being symbols of His body and blood. We believe every Christian has a right to partake of the elements of the Lord's Supper, but participation must always be preceded by prayerful self-examination of their relationship with God.

We believe in the personal, imminent second coming of Jesus Christ who will gather up His people still living on the earth. For those believers who have died prior to His second coming, we believe their souls are already in Christ's presence and remain there in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at Jesus' coming for the Church. At this time, soul and body reunite and shall be associated with Him forever in glory. We believe the souls of unbelievers remain after death in constant misery in Hades until the final judgment when soul and body are reunited and cast into the Lake of Fire, separated from the presence of the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; Matthew 24:15–31; Luke 16:19–26, 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9; Revelation 20:1–15)