Our Doctrinal Statement
1. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES – The absolute standard for what we believe and how we live
We believe that the Bible, consisting of sixty-six books, is the inspired Word of God, that every part is fully and equally inspired, and that every word of Scripture was produced under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We also accept the Scriptures in their entirety as being inerrant in the original writings and infallible. Therefore we are committed to the Bible as our final authority.
2 Timothy 3.16; 2 Peter 1.20-21; Matthew 5.17-18; John 10.34-35; 16.12-13; 17.17; Numbers 23.19.
2. INTERPRETATION – The way rightly to understand the Bible
We believe that the historical, grammatical method of interpretation should be applied to all Scripture. The Bible’s authors intended that their writings be understood according to the normal use of words (including figures of speech) and the accepted rules of grammar.
We believe that God has been working out His purposes for world history by giving progressively more extensive revelation to men and ruling the world in various ways, which the Bible calls “dispensations." This biblical method of interpretation, consistently applied, does not demand a reinterpretation of the Old Testament in light of the New, nor set aside Old Testament prophecies and promises. The method also leads us to recognize a distinction between Israel and the Church of Jesus Christ. God’s revelation to His Church is complete in the Person of His Son and the books of the Old and New Testaments.
Genesis 9.1-17; 12.1-3; 15.1-21; Deuteronomy 30.1-10; 2 Samuel 7.12-16; Jeremiah 31.31-34; John 1.17; 2 Corinthians 3.9-18; Galatians 3.13-25; Ephesians 1.9-10; 3.2-10; Colossians 1.24-25; Hebrews 1.1-2; Revelation 20.2-6.
3. THE TRIUNE GODHEAD – The Recipient of our worship and service
We believe there is only one true, eternal, living God, who is sovereign over all things and is the source and sustainer of life. While one in essence, this one God exists in three coequal and coeternal persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—who have the same attributes and perfections.
Deuteronomy 6.4; Isaiah 48.16; 59.20-21; Matthew 3.16-17; 28.19-20; John 1.1, 14; Acts 5.3-4; 2 Corinthians 13.14; Colossians 1.15-17.
4. THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST – Our Savior and Master
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be absolute deity, the eternal Son of God, who became man without ceasing to be God. In the incarnation, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men.
Isaiah 7.14; 9.6-7; Matthew 1.18-25; Luke 1.35; John 1.1-2, 14; 8.58; 10.28-30; Colossians 1.15-17; Hebrews 1.8.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily laid down His life, the just dying for the unjust, making it possible for men to be saved. Our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.
John 2.19-22; Acts 1.3; Romans 3.24-25; 1 Corinthians 15.1-6; 1 Peter 1.3-5; 2.24.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where as our High Priest, He acts as the only true Mediator between God and man.
Acts 1.9-11; Romans 8.34; 1 Timothy 2.5; Hebrews 4.14; 7.25; 1 John 2.1-2.
5. THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – Our Enabler and Comforter in Christ’s stead
We believe the Holy Spirit is one of the divine persons of the Godhead and not a mere force. He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, and regenerates all believers. He also baptizes all believers into the Body of Christ at the moment of salvation, at the same time indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption.
John 14.18; 16.8-11; Romans 8.9; 1 Corinthians 6.19-20; 12.12-14; 2 Corinthians 1.22; 5.17; Ephesians 1.13-14.
6. THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN – Our condition apart from God’s grace
We believe that God directly created man in His image and that Adam initially experienced unhindered fellowship with God. However, when Adam first disobeyed God, all humanity fell away from God. This fall resulted in both physical and spiritual death for man. In his fallen condition, man was left totally depraved and unable to remedy his own lost condition.
Genesis 1.26-27; 2.7; 3.6-13; 6.5; Ecclesiastes 7.20, 29; Romans 3.22-23; 5.12-21; 8.7-8; 1 Corinthians 15.21-22; Ephesians 2.1-3.
7. SALVATION AND SECURITY – Our new standing before God
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice for all people, and all who trust Him are saved by grace through faith on the basis of his shed blood, made acceptable in Christ, kept by God’s power and thus secure in Christ forever.
John 1.12; 6.37-40; 10.27-30; Romans 8.1, 30-39; 1 Corinthians 1.8-9; Ephesians 1.7; 2.8-10; 4.30; 1 Peter 1.5, 18-19.
We believe it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh.
Romans 13.11-14; Galatians 5.13; 2 Timothy 2.19; Titus 2.11-15; 1 John 2.4-6; 3.18-19; 5.13.
8. SANCTIFICATION – Our growth in holy living
We believe that salvation secures for the believer a fully sanctified standing before God, but that the believer also needs to experience a continuing sanctification in his daily life as he walks in and is filled with the Holy Spirit. We believe that every saved person battles the pressures of the old bent to sin, the world system and Satan. Any claims to sinless perfection are not scriptural. However, believers have been delivered from the tyrrany of the flesh by their identification with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, and may experience freedom to do right as they continue to rely upon the Holy Spirit’s power.
Romans 6.1-13; 7.14-23; 8.12-13; 1 Corinthians 1.2; Galatians 5.16-25; Ephesians 4.22-24; 5.18; Colossians 3.9-10; 1 Thessalonians 4.3; 1 Peter 1.14-16; 1 John 1.5-10; 2.15-17.
9. BIBLICAL RELATIONSHIPS – The distinctiveness of believers
We believe all the saved should live in such a manner as always to bring honor to Jesus Christ. This distinctive lifestyle requires separation from all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and relationships. We believe that Scripture prohibits the yoking of believers with unbelievers for Christian ministry and service. We believe that Scriptures command believers lovingly to restore those who, while professing faith in Christ, do not adhere to scriptural doctrine or practice.
Matthew 18.15-20; Romans 12.1-2; 14.13-23; 16.17-20; 1 Corinthians 5.1-13; 2 Corinthians 6.14-7.1; 2 Thessalonians 3.11-15; 2 Timothy 3.1-5; 1 John 2.15-17; 2 John 10-11.
10. THE CHURCH – Our spiritual family
We believe the Church, which began with the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, is the body and bride of Christ, a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons in this present age. We believe the New Testament ordains the establishment and continuance of local churches.
Acts 2.1-13; 14.27; 20.17, 28-32; 1 Corinthians 12.12-14; Ephesians 1.22-23; 5.25-27; Titus 1.5-9.
11. THE ORDINANCES – Symbols of spiritual realities
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ established two ordinances for the Church in this present age. These are believer’s water baptism, practiced by immersion, and the Lord’s table, observed as a memorial of His death.
Matthew 26.26-29; 28.19-20; Acts 8.12, 35-39; 10.47-48; 1 Corinthians 11.23-34.
12. SPIRITUAL GIFTS – Our enablement for ministry in the local church
We believe that God sovereignly gives spiritual gifts to all believers for the building up of the body of Christ. We believe that some gifts of the Spirit, including speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues, miraculous healing and prophecy, were limited to the early church as miraculous sign gifts. Even though the miraculous sign gifts of healing are no longer given, we believe God can heal according to His will in response to the prayers of His people.
Romans 12.3-8; 1 Corinthians 12.4-11; 13.8-13; 2 Corinthians 12.12; Ephesians 2.19-22; 4.7-11; Hebrews 2.1-4; James 5.13-18; 1 Peter 4.11.
13. MISSIONS – Our responsibility to the world
We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by word and deed to the truths of the Holy Scriptures and to seek to proclaim the gospel to all mankind, for God does not desire any to perish, but wants all to know the truth and be saved.
Matthew 28.19-20; Mark 16.15; Luke 24.45-47; Acts 1.8; 4.10-12; 2 Corinthians 5.19-20; 1 Timothy 2.4; 4.10.
14. SATAN – Our enemy
We believe Satan is an angelic personality who rebelled against God and hence became the archenemy of God and man. After he fell, he organized his own kingdom, which consists of both evil angels and unregenerate man. He is currently the ruler of this age who seeks to overthrow God, keep the unsaved from being saved, and hinder and destroy the testimony and ministry of Christians. Jesus Christ in His death defeated Satan, who will finally be cast into the lake of fire with his evil angels.
Job 1.6-7; Isaiah 14.12-17; Ezekiel 28.11-19; Matthew 4.2-11; 25.41; Colossians 2.15; Revelation 20.1-3, 10.
15. THE SECOND ADVENT OF CHRIST – Our hope for a righteous world
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will personally return for His Church before the beginning of the Tribulation (Daniel’s 70th week, or the time of Jacob’s trouble), a seven-year period of judgment upon the nations and national Israel. We believe that at the end of this period He will return bodily and visibly in glory to the earth with His saints to reign in His kingdom for a thousand years.
Isaiah 11.1-13; 33.17-24; 35.1-10; 65.17-25; 66.15-23; Jeremiah 30.1-24; 31.1-40; 33.6-26; Ezekiel 34.10-31; Daniel 9.1-27; Zechariah 14.4-11; Malachi 4.1-6; 1 Thessalonians 1.10; 4.13-18; 5.9; Revelation 3.10; 19.11-16; 20.1-6.
16. THE ETERNAL STATE – The ultimate destiny of all men
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved unto eternal life and the unsaved unto judgment and everlasting punishment.
Matthew 25.46; John 5.28-29; 11.25-26; Revelation 20.5-6, 12-13.
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where they consciously await the first resurrection, when soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord.
Luke 23.43; 2 Corinthians 5.8; Philippians 1.23; 3.21; 1 Thessalonians 4.16-17; Revelation 20.4-6.
We believe that the souls of unbelievers are, at death, absent from the body and in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne of judgment and shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment.
Matthew 25.41-46; Mark 9.43-48; Luke 16.19-31; 2 Thessalonians 1.7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20.11-15.
Note: Scripture references are representative.