The Holy Scriptures
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, equal in all parts, and totally inerrant in the original manuscripts. We further believe it is the supreme revelation from God and of God, being superior to conscience and reason though not necessarily contrary to them. It is therefore our infallible rule in all matters. We believe that all Scripture centers around the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore no portion is properly read nor understood until it leads to Him. (John 5:38; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:23-25; Heb. 4:12)
The Trinity
We believe in one true God, revealed in Scripture as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are unified in nature, purpose, and perfection. Thus, all are worthy of the same homage and obedience. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:33-34; 2 Cor. 13:14; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 1:46)
God the Father
We believe in “God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things, visible and invisible.” We believe that His person, nature, and attributes are revealed throughout the Scriptures. (Gen. 1:26-27, 2:4, 14:17-24, 15:2, 17:1, 21:33, 49:25; Ps. 91:1; Deut. 32:4,8,20; Eph. 1:9,10; Heb. 1:12; 1 John 4:16; Is. 9:6)
The Lord Jesus Christ
We believe in the pre-existence, incarnation, and virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ who came into the world to reveal the Father and that He is the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was the Creator of all things, for by Him the worlds were made. We believe that in Christ dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and that He was very God and very man.
We further believe in the sinless life of our Lord Jesus Christ, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death, His bodily resurrection and ascension into Heaven, and His imminent return. We believe that He is presently seated at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for His redeemed. We also acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord over all things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. (John 1:1, 14; 1 Tim. 3:16; Acts 7:37-38; Phil. 2:9-10; Heb. 7:25)
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, though omnipresent throughout all eternity, was sent on the Day of Pentecost after the glorification of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit dwells in every believer, unites all believers in Christ in one body, and is the source of all power and acceptable service. We believe ministries are committed to the Holy Spirit; including the restraining of evil and conviction of sin in the world, the regenerating of all believers, the sealing of all believers unto the day of redemption, and the continued filling of power and rendering of service to those among the saved who yield to Him and to His will. We believe that all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are available to Christians today and that all of the fruits of the Spirit should and must operate in the Church for the Church to manifest her full glory under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. (John 3:6, 14:16; Romans 8:9, 12:1-11; 1 Cor. 6:19, 12:8-11; Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 2:22, 4:11-13)
Angels, Fallen and Unfallen
We believe that God created an innumerable company of spiritual beings known as angels; that one, “Lucifer,” Son of the Morning, sinned through pride, thereby becoming “Satan,” and that a great company of angels followed him in his moral fall, becoming demons that are active as his agents. (Is. 14:12-17; Eze. 28:11-19; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).
We believe that Satan is the originator of sin. Through subtle deception, he led our first parents into transgression, accomplishing their moral fall and subjecting them and their posterity to his own power. He is the enemy of God and His people.
However, we also believe Jesus Christ defeated Satan through His death on Calvary, burial, and resurrection. Christ has delegated this victorious authority over Satan to His Body, the Church. Satan’s ultimate end will occur when he is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where he shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Gen. 3:1-19; Romans 5:12-14; 2 Cor. 4:3-4, 11:13-15; Eph. 6:10-12; Col. 2:15; 2 Thess. 2:4; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 1 John 3:8; Rev. 20:1-3,10).
Furthermore, we believe that a great company of angels have kept their first and holy estate and are now before the throne of God, from where they are sent forth as ministering spirits for those who are the heirs of salvation. (Luke 15:10; Eph. 1:21; Heb. 1:14).
The Creation of the World and of Man
We believe that God sovereignty created the world, and that man was created in the image of God by a direct and immediate act of God. (Gen. 1:1, 26-27, 2:4; Heb. 11:1-6).
Man’s Fallen Condition
We believe that man fell by willful transgression from the state of righteousness and holiness in which he was first created. He fell into total spiritual depravity, a state of death in trespasses and sins in which he is held as a slave of sin and an enemy of God. Man is incapable of attaining divine righteousness by his own efforts, but can only be redeemed and delivered by the power of the Gospel. (Rom. 1:16, 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; 2 Cor. 4:3-4).
Salvation only Through Christ
We believe that repentance and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ produces the work of justification in the believer through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the full and final payment for all sin forever. Due to universal spiritual death through sin, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born again of the Spirit. We also believe that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died as our substitute. (Rom. 3:24-25; 5:1; 5:9-10; Eph. 2:8).
The Walk of the Believer
We believe that a believer should continuously walk in grace with an emphasis on heart righteousness and purity, walking after the Spirit and not after the flesh. A believer should exhibit a lifestyle that displays the character, standards, and convictions of Jesus Christ by not conforming to the world, but being transformed by the renewing of the mind. We further believe that each believer must lay a foundation of Biblical truth and experience upon which he builds his life.
These foundation stones are established in the new birth through the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and include repentance from dead works, faith toward God, the doctrine of baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and the eternal judgment. (Rom. 4:1-5, 8:25; 1 Cor. 3:11; Gal. 5:16-25; Heb. 6:1-2; Jude 24).
The Doctrine of Baptisms
We believe that the New Testament teaches at least three major baptisms. First, there is the baptism by which the repentant sinner, upon trusting Jesus Christ as His Savior, is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:13).
Second, there is water baptism by immersion for believers only.
This we believe to be an ordinance of the church, by which the believer experiences the reality of the power of the cross by identifying with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Matt. 28:19-20; Rom. 6:3-6).
Third, there is the filling or baptism in the Holy Spirit by the Lord Jesus Christ, which may occur at or following conversion. We believe that speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance is the normative evidence of this baptism, but other gifts of the Spirit may manifest through the believer as well. Further, we believe that by the believer’s yielding to the Holy Spirit, his very weakness is transformed into strength to be a witness for Jesus Christ in power and to live according to the will of God. (Acts 1:5, 8; 2:4, 38; 10:46; 11:28; 19:6).
Divine Healing
We believe in divine healing for the whole man (including body, mind, and emotions) through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ, purchased by the stripes on His back, and practiced by the first century church as recounted in the book of Acts. (Is. 53:4-5; Matt. 8:17; Acts 3; Acts 4:30, 19:11; 1 Cor. 12:9; James 5:14; 1 Peter 2:24-25).
The Church
We believe that all who are united by the new birth to Jesus Christ are members of the universal church, the Body of Christ. We also believe that the local congregation of Christian believers is divinely instituted and the chosen instrument of God for the furtherance of God’s work upon the earth. While appreciating the work of para-church groups, we believe that the local church is God’s chosen vehicle for world evangelism and the nurturing of Christians.
We further believe in the spiritual unity of all believers and work with others who believe in salvation by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ for the causes of evangelism, missions, and benevolence. (Matt. 16:16-18; John 17:21; Rom. 12:5; Eph. 1:20-23, 4:3-10; Col. 3:14-15).
The Ordinances Water Baptism
We believe water baptism is for every believer who understands its purpose and power in their life. It should be administered by the mode of immersion and in the name and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We further believe water baptism is the means by which we receive circumcision of our hearts (the cutting away of the old nature by the power of God), identification with Jesus Christ, and participation in His death, burial, and resurrection. (Matt. 28:10-20; Acts 8:16; Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:10-11).
The Lord’s Supper or Communion
We believe that through the Lord’s Supper, the believer renews and affirms the reality of the New Covenant. It is a memorial commemorating the death of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and reaffirms of His imminent return. The elements are to be received with joy and gratitude after confession and repentance from every known sin. We also believe that this ordinance is open to all Christian believers who have no un-confessed sin in their lives. (Matt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 1:23-24).
Worship
We believe that the whole purpose of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Therefore, we believe in the act of worshiping God with our total being as set forth in the Holy Scriptures. (Ps. 150; Mark 12:29-31; Eph. 5:18-21).
Laying on of Hands
We believe in the doctrine of the laying on of hands for:
- The confirmation of believers to commitment and ministry in the local church
- The confirmation of one’s call by God to special ministry in the local church with prophecy by the presbytery. (Acts 13:1, 3).
- The impartation of spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. (1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6).
- The impartation of the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:17-18).
- The ministry of healing for the sick through the Lord Jesus Christ. (Mark 16:18).
- Blessing and dedicating children to the Lord. (Mark 10:16).
We further believe, in obedience to the Holy Scriptures, we should lay hands on no man suddenly (i.e., to place them in ministry without proving the call of God). The laying on of hands confirms a ministry that is already observable and proven. (1 Tim. 5:22).
Evangelism and Missions
We believe in the divinely called, commissioned, and equipped five-fold ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers which were given to the Church by the Lord Jesus Christ after His ascension. We further believe all Christians are called to be ambassadors for Christ and have been given the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 4:11-13).
We further believe it is the explicit mandate of our Lord Jesus Christ to those whom He has redeemed, to be sent forth by Him into the world and to be witnesses of His saving grace.
Our primary purpose in life is to glorify God by obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ’s command to preach the Gospel to all creation. (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; John 17:18; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; 1 Peter 1:17, 2:11).
Restorations
We believe what our first parents lost in the fall (the image of God, fellowship with God, authority and dominion, fruitfulness, wisdom, character, etc.) is now being restored by Jesus Christ to and through His Church. We also believe in these last days that the Church is in a state of restoration of truth, which was essentially lost during the Dark Ages. We believe that revelation of the truth of God is already written and contained in the Scriptures, and its progressive unfolding will not diminish previously revealed truth. In the light of this concept, we shall maintain an open attitude to hear and receive further revelation of truth from the Holy Scriptures.
We believe that in keeping with the Biblical principle of restoration, the Church in these last days will be restored completely to the New Testament pattern, power, and practice, but shall not be limited by that example. (Ex. 22:1-9; Daniel 7:14; Acts 3:21, 15; Eph. 3:1-6; 2 Peter 1:20; Rev. 10:6-7).
We hold dear to the belief that it is God’s will and purpose to restore mankind unto Himself through the Word and ministry of reconciliation according to 2 Corinthians 5:18-21. We consider the teaching known in some circles as “ultimate reconciliation” (which implies that God will restore all things, including Satan, the fallen angels, and all unregenerate souls in eternity unto Himself) to be inconsistent with clear Biblical teachings on hell and the eternal state, and thus, a false doctrine.
The Eternal State
We believe that at death the spirits and souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ pass immediately into His presence. They remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the glorified body, when Jesus Christ comes for His own, upon which soul and body reunite to be with Him forever in glory. The spirits and souls of the unbelieving remain after death, conscious of condemnation and in misery, until the final Great White Throne judgment. At that time, soul and body shall be reunited and cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. (Luke 16:19-26; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 1:6-7; Rev. 20:11-15).
The Return of Jesus Christ
We believe according to His promise, Jesus Christ will personally return to this earth in power and glory. (Matt. 24; Acts 1:11). Although there are many claims as to the date and time of Christ’s return, we hold that no man knows the day nor the hour that Jesus shall return, not even He Himself, but that is rightly reserved unto the Father God.
We further believe in a gracious and merciful God who has promised to keep his children from the great tribulation that shall come upon all the earth in the last of the Last Days. (Rev. 3:10).