Our Statement of Faith- To Gods Glory Alone
The Purpose of the Church
The purpose of the church, as God leads, shall be to fulfill the commission given to us by Jesus Christ, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matt. 28:10-20 (ESV)
The church shall be engaged, “in equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, and for building up the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, make the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Ephesians 4:12-16 (ESV) So that in all things the congregation may bring Glory to God.
In New Testament Fashion, the Congregation will grow in the Grace of The Lord Jesus Christ to the end that souls may be saved, the family of God will be edified and the preaching of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will be heard by all. Teaching of The Word of God will be the central theme of the church and the church will administer the ordinance of Communion monthly and the ordinance of Baptism on a regular basis.
Affirmation of Faith
Creation-
We believe that God created the earth in six literal 24 hour days just as is recorded for us in the account of creation in Genesis 1. Genesis 1-11 establishes for us the history of mankind and all of the created order. Alternative theories that attempt to compromise with evolutionary teaching and secular history are incompatible with Scripture, reason and operational science. Theories such as theistic evolution that try to fit evolution or millions of years into Genesis are incompatible with Scripture. While not necessarily a salvation issue, we believe that compromise in Genesis leads to the erosion of the gospel and erases the Bibles teaching on the need for Jesus Christ.
The Word of God
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. We read the Bible through a literal historical-grammatical reading and want to know what God meant by what He said in the only book He ever delivered to mankind.
The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons. God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit and that they are equal in every divine perfection, and they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
God The Father
We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
God The Son – Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal visible return to earth.
God The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.
Regeneration
We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. The wages of sin is death and we trace our fall back to our federal head in Adam. Death came upon all men through Adam and this can only be made right through the second Adam, Jesus Christ. We believe that all men need a Savior, and that God the Father gave His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sin and to be our Savior. We believe that we are born again by grace, through faith, and not by our own doing. We believe Salvation is a gift of God, not the result of works, so that no one may boast. Men are regenerated by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. The sinner is enabled to respond in faith and repentance to believe the gospel and receive newness of life (John 3). We believe the Holy Spirit also enables the believer to be conformed to the image of Christ through the work or progressive sanctification.
Election. We seek to uphold faithfully the Biblical doctrine of election. Before the foundation of the world God sovereignly chose those in Christ. He regenerates, saves, and sanctifies, and glorifies His purchased possession (Ephesians 1:4-11, Romans 8:28-30) through the means of the preaching of the gospel. Having a Biblical hermeneutic that submits to Scriptures teaching on election gives glory to Gods grace alone.
We believe no human system of theology can ever fully unravel the mystery of Gods sovereign decree and mans responsibility to believe the gospel.
Election does not contradict the Biblical teaching regarding the responsibility of man to repent and trust Christ as Savior and Lord. The harmony of these two Biblical doctrines is found in the infinite mind of God alone. As a church, we wish to be humbled by this truth and submit to what Scripture says at every point. We also want to maintain the same view of Scripture that Jesus had from Genesis to Revelation. The Lord Jesus Christ teaches both of these doctrines in John 6:37-40.
37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.39 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
Justification. We teach that justification is when God legally declares righteous those who repent of their sins and trust in Christ alone. God declares the sinner to be righteous in a forensic legal sense before Him. We are not imparted righteousness but rather, the sins of all who believe in Christ are imputed (transferred) to Christ and the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to His people. (2 Corinthians 5:21). God is the one who is "just and the justifier of the one who believes in Jesus" (Romans 3:21-26).
Eternal Security
We believe that our regeneration (salvation) mentioned above is fully accomplished by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Since His death for the elect in Christ took place before the foundation of the world, it can never be undone. His Work is sufficient to save all true believers everywhere throughout all time. All those who are saved remain saved forever by the unchangeable covenant of God’s Grace and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:28-32.
The Church
We believe in the universal church; a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of believers in Jesus Christ, associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.
Christian Conduct
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God both in private and in public, in vocation and in worship; to serve the well-being of his community, country, and world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; that he should walk in all matters of life in a manner worthy of the calling to which he has been called; and submit to the providential work of grace in his life to realize the full stature of maturity in Christ, for God’s glory and the benefit of His Church.
The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church; baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The ordinance of Communion should be done at least once monthly (First Sunday of each month), and the ordinance of Baptism scheduled to facilitate each person’s spiritual witness of Faith in Christ.
Religious Liberty
We believe that every human being is accountable to God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that the church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority. The church and the state are institutions created by God and must function in obedience to God within their intended spheres. Christ is head of the church and not Caesar.
The Last Things
We believe in the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven to deliver the Church unto Himself. After a seven-year period of Tribulation upon the earth we believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal life of the righteous, and the endless suffering of those who reject Christ as Savior and Lord (unbelievers).
Satan
We believe that Satan is a created being and that Hell is a place of eternal conscious punishment. That Satan was created with might, as an angel, second only to God. That he rebelled against God and led angels, now known as demons, to fall with him. His demons take their orders from him, he is in authority over the unsaved, comes in conflict with the believers, is a liar and the author of lies. His final doom is the lake of fire.