WHAT WE BELIEVE

STATEMENT OF FAITH

HOLY BIBLE

We believe the Bible to be inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God, which speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind and is the sole and final source of all we believe. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26).

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the inspired Word of God, the Bible is the complete revelation of His will for salvation and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

TRINITY

There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and co-eternal. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself, and to make all things new for His own glory. (I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6).

JESUS CHRIST

We believe in the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious death and atonement through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His present priestly ministry (John 1:1,14, 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 1:1-3; Matthew 24:36–44; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 3:25-26; Matthew 1:18, 23-25; Luke 1:26-35; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23-25; Matthew 12:40; Acts 10:38).

SIN AND FALLENNESS

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled, and renewed. (Gen.1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21).

REPENTANCE

We believe repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and follow Christ. This allows us to receive His redemption and be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Through repentance, we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation (Acts 2:21; 3:19; 1 John 1:9).

SALVATION

We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ—His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of human efforts. Anyone can be restored to fellowship with God through repenting, believing, and receiving Jesus as their Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit convicts, regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and adopts us as God's children as we enter into His kingdom. We believe the blood Jesus shed on the Cross is fully sufficient to cleanse all sin, as He was punished for both our sins and our sinfulness, freeing all that believe from the penalty of death. One who is saved has surrendered authority over his or her life to Jesus as both Savior and Lord, placing their trust in His finished work through His death, burial, and resurrection. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22; John 16:8; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29; Hebrews 2:9-18; Romans 8:1-2; John 1:12; John 14:17, 23; John 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelation 3:20)

WATER BAPTISM

Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God commands the new believer to be baptized in water in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38).

BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire is a gift from God, promised by the Lord Jesus to all believers. It is received after, and is separate from, the experience of salvation. Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth (Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5, 8, 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6).

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit enables the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ, including the charismatic gifts and ministries, and produces the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. (Acts 2:4, 10:46, 19:6; Ephesians 4:11; I Corinthians 12:8-11; Galatians 5:22-23).

SANCTIFICATION

The Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe that sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God's Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ's character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a godly life (1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18; Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11).

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible’s lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts are meant to operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters (Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:16; 2 Timothy 1:5-16, 4:14; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; 1 Peter 4:10).

HEALING OF THE SICK

We believe divine healing is provided through Christ’s atoning work on the Cross. The healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is one of the signs that follows all those who believe. (Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28; I Peter 2:24; Romans 11:29).

GOD'S WILL FOR PROVISION

We believe it is the Father's will for believers to become whole, healthy, and prosperous in all areas of life. Because of the fall, many may not receive the full benefits of God's will while on Earth, however, this should never prevent all believers from seeking the full benefits of Christ's provision in order to better serve others. These benefits are:

Spiritual (John 3:3-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 10:9-10).
Mental and Emotional (2 Timothy 1:7, 2:11; Philippians 4:7-8; Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3).
Physical (Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24).
Financial (Joshua 1:8; Malachi 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Psalm 34:10, 84:11; Philippians 4:19).

THE CHURCH

We believe the church is the Body of Christ, the dwelling place of God through the Spirit, called to fulfill Jesus' great commission by preaching the gospel, undoing the works of the enemy, and discipling the nations—baptizing and teaching them to love and obey God. Every believer, born of the Spirit, is a vital member of the body. There is spiritual unity among all believers in Christ (Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23; Matthew 28:18-20).

We believe it is essential for the church to gather in person, as commanded in Scripture. Regular meetings and preaching the gospel are crucial, as are the Biblical sacraments, such as laying on of hands, worship, and baptizing new believers (Zephaniah 2:1; Mark 2:27; Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:46-47; Psalm 150:1-6; Hebrews 6:2).

THE LORD'S SUPPER

We believe that Communion is a command from the Lord Jesus to be observed regularly until His return. It is a privilege granted solely to believers to partake in the Lord’s Table, which consists of the bread and the cup. The bread represents His body, broken for us, and the cup represents His blood, shed for us. These elements serve as a witness of the New Covenant believers now live in (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25).

TITHES AND OFFERINGS

We believe in the Tithe and the giving of offerings. Tithing existed before the Law of Moses and continues today. According to scripture, both the tithe and offerings have a blessing attached to them (Genesis 14:20; Malachi 3:8-11; Psalm 96:8; Proverbs 3:9-10; 2 Corinthians 8:2-3, 9:6-8; Philippians 4:11-19).

RESURRECTION, HEAVEN, HELL, AND THE SECOND COMING

We believe Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected; those who are saved will receive the resurrection of life, and those who are lost will receive the resurrection of eternal damnation (Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21).

We believe heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; 1 Peter 1:4).

We believe that all those who have not received salvation from their sin through faith in Jesus Christ will be judged by God and sent to the Lake of Fire where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the Fallen Angels (Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8).

We believe Jesus Christ will return a second time to establish His Kingdom. The return of Christ motivates the believer to godly living and sacrificial service. (Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7).

THE SANCTITY OF LIFE

We believe in the sanctity of life. Every human was created by God in His image. The value of human life is immeasurable, from preborn children to the elderly, the physically or mentally impaired, and in all other conditions or stages, from conception to natural death. As such, we are called to uphold, safeguard, and honor all human life. (Genesis 1:26; Psalm 82:3-4; Psalm 139:13-16; John 10:10; 1 John 3:8)

MARRIAGE AND SEXUAL PURITY

We affirm that marriage is a divine institution, created by God as the lifelong union between one man and one woman, bound together in a covenant relationship. It is a sacred commitment intended to reflect God's design for relationship with Christ and His bride. (Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-32).

We believe that sexual purity is a necessary lifestyle for all of God’s children and requires abstinence from adultery, fornication, incest, homosexuality, or other sexual relationships or practices forbidden by Scripture. (Romans 1:26-27; Hebrews 13:4; I Corinthians 6:18; Leviticus 18:1-30)