Our beliefs represent the foundation of our faith and are our understanding of what the Bible proclaims as the essentials of Christianity. All of our values, behaviors, teachings and way of life flow out of these statements. Beyond this, we embrace St. Augustine’s philosophy, “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity.”
WE BELIEVE… that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is one God manifested in three persons (1 John 5:7). God the father is the creator of heaven and earth who lives and reigns in sovereignty in heaven. He is an omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God. Much like a man can be a father, a son, and a husband with each function being independent of the other but he is still just one man.
WE BELIEVE… in Jesus Christ as God incarnate and as the only begotten son of God, born of a virgin (Luke 1:26 – 35) and given as the supreme, sacrificial lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world by His dying on the cross and by His resurrection, man is reconciled unto the Father by all who believe on God the Son. Jesus is the one and only mediator between God and man. He is Savior and Lord and it is through believing on Jesus Christ, that we are granted forgiveness for our sins and have eternal life.
WE BELIEVE… in God the Holy Spirit who was given to man to serve as an advocate, comforter, and teacher so that God’s spirit was no longer with man but in man. (John 14:16-17 and 26)
WE BELIEVE… in Salvation (access to eternal life) of the soul of man by believing on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior which is extended unto anyone who will believe in Him since all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (John 3:16; Romans 3:23; 10-9-10)
WE BELIEVE… in the Regeneration (the process of being born again) in man by Jesus Christ, which is a changed heart as a result of being born again. (John 3:3)
WE BELIEVE… in Sanctification which is man being set apart for God’s glory and service, and no longer for the use of the devil once we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. (Romans 6:13)
WE BELIEVE… in Justification which is the righteousness of God being manifested and developed in the born again believer through the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:9)
WE BELIEVE… in the Eternal Security of true, born again believers as a result of the grace that God has given us through Jesus Christ our Lord. (John 10:28-29)
WE BELIEVE… in Heaven as the dwelling place of God and as the place of eternal reward for His saints who have believed on and followed the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matt 5:12)
WE BELIEVE… in Hell as the place of eternal punishment for Satan, his demons, and all non-believers of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Psalm 9:17)
WE BELIEVE… in 2 Ordinances (mandates) left to the church by the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Baptism by immersion in water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost as an outward expression of an inward confession to symbolize dying to the old in going under the water, and rising to the new in coming up from the water. (Matt 28:19)
- The Lord’s Supper is celebrated regularly with the frequency and day determined by the local church. It is served to all born again believers once we’ve accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior regardless of age or church membership. The bread symbolizes the Lord’s broken body given as a ransom for mankind, and the cup symbolizes the blood that He shed for the atonement of our sins. (1 Corinthians 11:23-29)
WE BELIEVE… in giving to the Lord in the manner that is stated in the word of God by tithes and offering, which is to maintain the house of the Lord and the work of the Lord and by the sowing of seed offering. (2 Corinthians 9:10)
WE BELIEVE… in that the Holy Bible is the infallible word of God and is the one and only source of authority given by inspiration of God unto Holy men and is profitable for reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness for the Lord’s people. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
WE BELIEVE… in the sanctity of holy matrimony where one man and one woman are joined together as one and by God’s grace, are responsible for raising their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Genesis 2:24; Deuteronomy 4:10)
WE BELIEVE… in committed gathering on every first (1st) day of the week, which is on Sunday, for worship of the Lord Jesus Christ which is a result of the new dispensation ushered into the world upon the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the restoration of the Kingdom of God, which occurred on the first day of the week. It is the New Testament holy day unto the Lord. (John 4:23-24)
WE BELIEVE… in the authority of the church, separate from the state, to police and examine itself of any improprieties whether moral or spiritual, and to address them expeditiously according to the manner of the word of God listed in Matthew 18:15-17 (NIV) and Galatians 6:1.
WE BELIEVE… in committed study of the word of God so that we may grow spiritually and develop as born again believers and serve as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 2:2; John 8:31-32)
WE BELIEVE… in committed prayer to the Lord for the development of our personal relationship with God. Prayer is for communicative access to God in order to give praise, make confession, give thanks, and to make our petitions to the Lord on our behalf and in an intercessory manner on the behalf of others. Prayer is also one of the avenues God uses to communicate with us. (James 5:13-16; 1 Timothy 2:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Matthew 6:5-9; 26:41; Philippians 4:6)