Statement of Faith

  • We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. It is verbally, plenarily inspired, and breathed out by God. It is canonical in its 66 books: 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament. It is inerrant and infallible, making it the ultimate authority and standard of truth as directly given by God Himself. The Bible was recorded by human authors guided supernaturally by the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures are God’s only source of special revelation for the Church Age. The Bible is sufficient for all teaching, training, correcting, convicting, discerning, and guiding. The Bible is to be interpreted in its literal, grammatical, and historical context. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Jn. 17:17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; 1 Cor. 2:13; Heb. 4:12; Ps. 119:105)

  • We believe in God the Father, in whom all things have their source (1 Corinthians 8:6), by whom all things are upheld (Nehemiah 9:6), and who is sovereign over all things (Ephesians 1:11). His person as Father is by virtue of His eternal relation to the Son (Psalm 2:7). It is the Father who sent the Son into the world (John 3:16-17), and with the Son sent the Spirit (John 15:26).

    • We believe in Jesus Christ, who as God the Son is pre-existent, coequal, and co-eternal with God the Father (John 1:1, 10:30, Philippians 2:6, Hebrews 1:3). He is truly God (John 1:1, Romans 9:5) and truly man (1 Timothy 2:5). He is one person with two natures, human and divine.

    • We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23), lived a perfect and sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), fulfilled the ministry of a Prophet by proclaiming God’s message (Mark 1:14-15) and performing miracles (Mark 1:34), gave up His life on a cross as a vicarious atonement (1 John 2:2) and bore the wrath of God against sin (Hebrews 2:9-10) in order to reconcile man to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

    • We believe in an unlimited atonement, holding that Christ’s atoning death was sufficient for all (1 John 2:2), but efficient only to those who place their trust in Him (1 Timothy 4:10).

    • We believe Christ rose bodily from the dead three days after His crucifixion (1 Corinthians 15:4) and ascended visibly into Heaven (Acts 1:9), where He sits at God the Father’s right hand as a mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), advocate (1 John 2:1), and High Priest (Hebrews 10:12) interceding on behalf of believers (Romans 8:34). He will one day come again in glory to establish His Kingdom on the earth (Acts 1:10; Revelation 22:20).

  • We believe in God the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, coequal and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Son (Acts 5:3-5; Hebrews 9:14). The Spirit is a person, not a force (1 Corinthians 2:11, 12:11). He was active in creation (Genesis 1:2), inspiration (2 Peter 1:20-21), the incarnation of Christ (Luke 1:35), the ministry of Christ (Matthew 3:16), and the resurrection of Christ (Romans 8:11). The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world includes the conviction of sin (John 16:8-11) and the restraining of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). At salvation, He regenerates the believer (Titus 3:5), permanently indwells the believer (Romans 8:9), acts as a seal of divine ownership (Ephesians 1:13-14), and baptizes the believer into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life includes illumination (1 Corinthians 2:14), filling (Ephesians 5:18), and the dispensing of spiritual gifts to the church (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). The gifts are Holy Spirit-empowered abilities granted to believers for service within the church (Ephesians 4:11-12). Miraculous sign gifts, such as healing and tongues, were granted to the early church to confirm the apostolic message (2 Corinthians 12:12) but ceased with the completion of the canon of Scripture (1 Corinthians 13:8-10).

  • We believe God created sinless creatures known as angels. They are spirit beings, and they act as messengers and servants of God but are not to be worshipped. One of these angels, now known as Satan or the Devil, rebelled against God and was cast out of Heaven, along with a following of other angels. Satan is the enemy of God, the tempter and deceiver of all Christians, and the ruler of darkness in this present age. He and his fallen angels and will suffer ultimate defeat by the hand of God and be cast into the lake of fire for eternity. (Ps. 148:2-5; Heb. 1:14; Rev. 19:9-10; Ezk. 28:12-19; Is. 14:12-17; 1 Pet. 5:8; Jn. 8:44; Eph. 2:2; Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:7- 10)

  • We believe God created Adam and Eve on the sixth day of the literal, 24-hour day creation week. God created mankind in His image, and they were originally created in a sinless state, consisting of both a physical and a spiritual part. Adam willingly rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden and fell from his sinless state, thus introducing a sin nature and death to all mankind. Because of Adam’s sin, each person is a sinner by nature and by choice, and mankind is in need of saving from eternal death, punishment, and separation from God. (Gen. 1:26-31; Gen. 2:7; Matt. 10:28; 3 Jn. 2; Gen. 3:1-7; Rom. 5:12; Rom. 3:23; Eph. 2:1-3; Rom. 6:23)

  • We believe that sin is any lack of conformity to God’s moral law. Sin can take the form of an act (Romans 7:19), a disposition (Jeremiah 17:9), a thought (Matthew 5:27- 28), or by not doing right (James 4:17). Sin had its origin in the universe in Satan (1 John 3:8), and entered the human race through Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12). The original sin of Adam was imputed to all his descendants (Romans 5:12-19), and his sinful nature is passed on through procreation (Psalm 51:5). As a result of the fall, all men are sinners by nature and by choice (Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23), totally depraved and without ability to please God or attain salvation (Isaiah 64:6, Titus 3:5). Sin affects the mind (Titus 1:15), will (John 8:34), and emotions (Jeremiah 17:9).

  • We believe salvation from eternal death to eternal life is by God through faith in Jesus Christ alone and not by any meritorious work of man. By God’s elect grace, each sinner is saved immediately at the point of faith in Christ and acceptance of the gospel for the sole purpose of God’s glory, and that this faith is made possible through the substitutionary and propitiatory death of Jesus Christ on the cross for all people. Salvation includes reconciliation, adoption, justification, regeneration, sanctification, and glorification. Those who are saved cannot and will not lose their salvation. Rejection of the gospel results in eternal punishment and separation from God for all eternity. (Jn. 3:15-18; Eph. 2:8-9; Eph. 1:4-6; Rom. 5:8-9; Rom. 3:24; Rom. 5:1,10-11; Eph. 2:19; Tit. 3:5; 2 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 10:10, 14; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Jn. 3:2; Jn. 10:28- 29; 1 Pet. 1:3-5; Rev. 20:15)

    • We believe that the Church is made up of everyone who has been or will be saved during the church age, that period between Pentecost and the Rapture. Those individuals make up the Body of Christ or the universal church (Ephesians 1:22-23, 3:2-11; Colossians 1:18, 24). Spirit baptism is the judicial placement of the believer by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ at conversion (1 Corinthians 12:13). The church has been granted a position of prominence among the redeemed of all ages (Hebrews 12:23) and will be Christ’s co-regent in His Kingdom (2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 3:21). The church is distinct from Israel, the Old Testament people of God (1 Cor 10:32) in origin, destiny, and purpose.

    • The visible manifestation of the Body of Christ is the local church, a group of baptized believers (Acts 2:41) organized with the offices of pastor and deacon (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-13), having a common faith (Acts 2:42, Jude 3), carrying out the ordinances of water baptism (Matt 28:19) and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42), fulfilling the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20), and meeting together regularly (Heb 10:25; Acts 20:7). The local church is the means God has chosen to accomplish His purposes in this age (1 Timothy 3:15).

    • Membership in a local church is contingent upon conversion and water baptism (Acts 2:41). The only continuing qualification is a life of obedience to God’s commands. Those who persist in open sin are to be expelled from the assembly (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthian 5:1-13).

    • The most biblical form of church government is congregational. The two ordinances of the church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism was authorized by Christ (Matt 28:19) and symbolizes a saving truth (Romans 6:4). Immersion is the only mode of water baptism which sufficiently expresses this symbolism. The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ (Matthew 26:26-29) and is also a symbol, representing the sacrifice of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:26). I believe in “close” communion (Acts 20:7). Neither ordinance contributes in any way to the salvation of participants. They are memorials commemorating the cross work of Christ (Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

    • We believe in the tenets which have historically distinguished Baptists:

      • The Bible as the sole authority for faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

      • The autonomy of the local church (1 Corinthians 5:4-5; 6:1-5)

      • The priesthood of the believer (Hebrews 4:16; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6)

      • Two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 28:19; Matthew 26:26-29)

      • Soul liberty (Romans 14:5, 12; 1 John 2:27)

      • A regenerate church membership (Acts 2:41, 47)

      • Two offices of the church, pastor and deacon (Philippians 1:1)

      • Separation of church and state (Matthew 22:21)

    • We believe that the mission of the church is to glorify God by the evangelism of the lost and the edification of believers (Ephesians 4:11-16; Matthew 28:19-20). Edification is accomplished by means of worship, instruction, and fellowship.

    • We believe that a local church is a group of immersed believers, whose ultimate Head is Christ, formed together in an organized congregation and associated by an agreement of faith. A local church meets for fellowship of believers, instruction in the teachings of Christ, and observation of the ordinances (baptism and the Lord’s supper). Its two Scriptural offices of pastor/elder and deacon, and the qualifications of the positions thereof are clearly defined in Scripture. The local church is autonomous and self-governing, and it is subject only to the headship of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, I believe believers are baptized into the body of Christ at the point of salvation, which is His church (also called the bride of Christ). This is known as the universal church, which began at Pentecost and will continue to function on earth until the rapture. (Eph. 1:22-23; Acts 2:41-42; 1 Cor. 1:10; Heb. 4:12; 1 Cor. 4:17; Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Eph. 4:15; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Col. 1:18; Eph. 5:22-23; Acts 2:1-4, 41)

  • We believe in the imminent return of Jesus Christ to rapture His saints from earth. The rapture of all His saints will occur before the tribulation and millennium periods. The believers who have already died will be resurrected first followed by those who are still living. After the seven-year tribulation, Jesus will physically return to earth to establish His millennial kingdom, during which Satan will be bound. After the 1,000 years, Satan will be loosed, but Jesus Christ will have the ultimate victory. After Satan’s defeat and the final judgment, he and all his followers will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity. (1 Thes. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; Matt. 24; Rev. 5-19; Zech 14:4; Rev. 20:7-15)

  • We believe that those sinners who have been convinced of their sins, asked forgiveness, and who have found peace and pardon with God through the blood and righteousness of Christ, will be eternally secured and never lose their salvation. (John 10:27-30; Romans 8:28-39; I Peter 1:5)

  • We believe that the family is a divinely instituted structure (Genesis 2:18-24). Marriage is instituted by God and consists of a permanent covenant union between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:22-24; Matthew 19:4-6). Within a marriage, the husband is to exercise headship over the wife (Ephesians 5:22-24), while at the same time demonstrating selfless love (Ephesians 5:33). Since marriage is a God-ordained covenant relationship, God opposes divorce (Malachi 2:16). Children are a heritage from the Lord and are to be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Psalm 127:3; Ephesians 6:4). Parents have a God-given authority within the home (Exodus 20:12; Colossians 3:20), including responsibility to exercise discipline (Proverbs 13:24). Children are responsible to honor and obey their parents (Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1).