Statement of Faith

We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Word of God found in the Old and New Testaments. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed, and therefore, are 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.

We believe that there is one, and only one, TRUE and living God; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We believe that man was created in holiness, but by voluntary transgression, fell from that holy state, in consequence of which all mankind is now in sin and under the condemnation of eternal ruin. He is required to voluntarily accept or reject God’s free payment for his sinful estate.

We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin named Mary, and is truly God and truly man.

We believe that grace, the free gift of God purchased by His Son and offered to all men without any of their own works or merit, provides infinite and eternal payment for the sinner’s condition upon their voluntary personal acceptance by faith in the gift of God, Jesus Christ the Sacrificial Lamb of God offered at Calvary.

We believe that salvation in Jesus Christ is only available as the Good News of a free gift to whosoever is willing to receive it. However, any attempt to bring any human payment in action, goods, position, or personal value frustrates that grace and causes the sinner to be rejected, because they sought it by works. No matter how depraved the sinner, the only thing preventing a sinner's salvation is his failure to accept the free gift.

We believe that true faith can only concur with a transfer away from self-dependence for salvation to dependence on Jesus alone. The Holy Spirit enables the rethinking of one's sinful condition, an understanding of the work and gift of Jesus Christ, and the acknowledging of a deserved judgment awaiting the uncaring sinner. Believers facilitate the working of the Holy Spirit in this way by sharing the Good News as God directs. The salvation that results to those who respond in dependence is the unmerited grace offered and then received by the heart, resulting in the regenerating new birth of the person, immersion into God’s Spirit, and security to never be snatched away.

We believe that God the Father elected (chose) Jesus Christ, as the Way, the Truth, and the Life for the salvation of sinful men and the defeat of Satan. We believe that it was Jesus who was elected, God’s Elect Lamb, as the Way for sinful men to become the sons of God and elect sons with His natural son, Christ. Since God chose Jesus in eternity past to be God's holy, blameless, and adopted heir, He also chose us to be likewise. Those redeemed by grace through faith are sealed with the Holy Spirit and called to live for His glory until the ultimate will of God and glory of God are fulfilled.

We believe that being set aside by God for His ownership and right to use us anyway He desires (sanctification) is the sole act of God and is accomplished by Him alone. God’s ownership rights are absolute and complete upon God accepting Christ’s blood upon the altar and our accepting of the gift of the Lamb of God in the place of our own righteousness and for the payment of our sin.

We believe that biblical spirituality, clumsily called progressive sanctification, is not the sole act of God, but is the believer’s response to the indwelling God. Here God only acts when we set ourselves aside (time, money, desires, pleasures, possessions, plans, etc.) for His use. This is a decision not of self-dependence but of trust in the living Jesus to do through us His own will. So then, biblical spirituality is only attained via the same avenue as salvation, faith. The prerequisites are simply a regenerated heart and a willingness to be directed by Him.

We believe that the many local, independent and autonomous assemblies of believers are the various bodies of Christ and will become a part of the espoused bride of Christ. Each one is solely made up of born again believers upon testimony of faith and believer’s immersion. We believe that the assembly is patterned after the Jewish synagogue and the Greek town assembly, as well as free of any external authority or control. We believe that local assembly structure and stewardship is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament.

We believe that Christ instituted two ordinances for His assemblies to picture His finished, ongoing, and future work. Both believer's immersion (baptism) and the Lord's supper (communion) are to be observed by the assembly until His return. Believer’s immersion in water is an identification with Christ as a picture in action of the Gospel, that is, of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord’s supper is a memorial symbolizing the Savior’s crucified body and His blood shed for the remission of sins, and secondarily serves as a reminder of His presence in each believer and His presence among the assembled believers.

We believe that the civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society, and that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ. He truly is the only Lord of the conscience and the King of kings.

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His ascension to the right hand of God, in His continual intercessory ministry there on our behalf, and in His personal, literal, bodily return from Heaven. We believe that the rapture will be followed by the tribulation period, which will itself be followed by the one thousand year (millennial) reign of Christ on earth. When every enemy of God is vanquished, including death itself, He will create a new heaven and new earth for His people to dwell with Him and to enjoy Him for all of eternity.

We believe that God created the universe in six literal days. We dismiss naturalistic evolution, the gap theory, the day-age theory, and any other form of theistic evolution as unscriptural theories of origin.