Doctrinal Statements

We believe in God eternally existent in three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That these three Persons have the same nature and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence and obedience. That God exists as a rational, self-conscious, self-determining moral being. Also that He possesses the attributes of immutability, omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. Exodus 20:2-3; I Corinthians 8:6; I John 5:7; I John 1:1-4

We accept the Genesis account of creation and thereby believe that man was created by the Godhead in the state of innocence. That by his voluntary transgression fell, thus corrupting the stream of humanity at its fountainhead. We believe the whole of mankind is totally depraved and is in dire need of redemption from an outside source. Jeremiah 17:9; Genesis 1:27; Genesis 3:1-19; Romans 3:23

We believe in the personality of Satan. That he is the unholy god of this age, and the leader of all the forces of evil and of the powers of darkness. That he is destined to the eternal lake of fire; a just and righteous judgment at the hands of God. Matthew 4:1-3; II Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10

We believe Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, as no other. That He was both the Son of God and God the Son. That He was crucified, and buried, and rose from the grave the third day and is now seated at the right hand of God, thus becoming the author and finisher of man’s salvation. We believe Him to be qualified in every way to be a suitable, compassionate, and all-sufficient Savior. We believe that salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through faith in Jesus Christ, recognizing His death on the cross to be substitutionary. Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35; Philippians 2:7; Isaiah 53:4-7; Romans 5:1; Acts 13:39; Romans 8:1-2

We believe it is the privilege of every believer who has been born again by the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to be assured of their salvation at the time they take Him as their personal Savior. That eternal life is their present possession based not upon their own worthiness, but upon the finished work of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Word of God. John 5:24; Philippians 1:6; Luke 10:20; Romans 8:33-39; I Timothy 1:12; I John 5:13

We believe there is a vast difference in the terms “righteous” and “wicked.” That ONLY those who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, through faith in the Son of God are deemed righteous by God, and those who continue in their unbelieving and unrepentant state are held as wicked in His esteem. We believe this distinction will remain unchanged after death; believing also in the everlasting, conscious suffering of the wicked. Malachi 3:18; Genesis 18:23; Romans 6:17-18; Romans 6:23; Proverbs 14:32; Matthew 25:34-46; John 8:21; Revelation 22:11

We believe that Christian baptism is a commandment of the Lord for the believer to be immersed in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful way, an emblem of his faith in the crucified, and buried and risen Savior, with its effect in his death to sin and his rising to newness of life in Christ. We believe the Lord’s supper is a commemoration of the death of Christ until he comes again, and should be preceded always by self-examination. Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12; I Corinthians 11:23-28; Luke 22:19-20

We believe in the Rapture of the Church and the personal, pre-tribulational return of Jesus Christ. John 14:3; Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:16; James 5:8; Hebrews 9:28; II Thessalonians 1:7-8; Isaiah 11:45; Psalm 72:8; Revelation 20:6; Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32

We believe the Local Church is a congregation of immersed believers associated by covenant of faith and fellowship in the gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges given by Him. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government free from interference from outside organizations or individuals, recognizing Christ as the one and only superintendent. We believe that it is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with one another in contending for the faith, but that each local church is the sole judge in its methods and measures of cooperation. Acts 2:38-47; Acts 11:26; Hebrews 10:25; Philippians 1:5; Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 20:7; I Timothy 3:15; Romans 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:11-6; I Corinthians 12:25-31; Acts 13:1-3; Acts 15:22; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 5:23-24; Colossians 1:18; Colossians 2:19; Acts 16:5; Romans 16:4; Romans 16:16; I Corinthians 14:33; 2 Corinthians 8:19; Jude 3; Matthew 18:17; Acts 6:1-6

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24, 19:5, 13, 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1: 26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4) We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23)

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well-being of the mother are acceptable (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

We believe God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. We believe that God’s legal guidelines for divorce were reluctant and given only because of man’s sinful nature. Although divorce and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, we believe Scripture prohibits them from holding the offices of Pastor or Deacon (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Tim 3:2,12; Titus 1:6).