What We Believe

See our Unabridged Articles of Faith

ABOUT THE BIBLE

The Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the plenary, inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God.
The Bible is the sole rule for faith and practice.
The Bible has been providentially preserved for all generations.
The King James Version of the Bible is a faithful, literal, and accurate translation of the Hebrew Masoretic manuscripts and the Greek Received Text and is thus the superior version for the English language. Modern versions such as the NIV, NASV, and ESV, derived from corrupt manuscripts, are inferior.

ABOUT GOD

There is one triune God who is the Creator, Sustainer, Sovereign, Savior, and Judge of all things.
The one true God is infinite in His wisdom, power, and being. He is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and eternal, having no beginning or end.
The one true God exists as three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. These three Persons of the Godhead are co-equal in essence, attributes, and eternality.

ABOUT JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God; furthermore, He is co-equal in essence with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, all three comprising the three Persons of the Trinity.
Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary.
Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth, was crucified, was buried, rose from the grave on the third day, ascended back to Heaven, and is presently alive and actively interceding on behalf of His sheep.
Jesus Christ is the Creator, Sustainer, Savior, and Judge of all mankind.
There is no salvation apart from one’s personal faith in Jesus Christ and His work of redemption on Calvary.

ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead. He is co-equal with the Father and Son in essence, attributes, and eternality.
The Holy Spirit’s primary works include convincing the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and indwelling, guiding, teaching, comforting, and sealing believers unto the day of redemption.
Believers are commanded to be filled with the Spirit, and they are prohibited from quenching and grieving the Spirit. Unbelievers may resist the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit gives at least one special, spiritual gift to every believer for the purpose of edifying the church.
The “sign gifts” of the apostolic age were for the purpose of validating the gospel of Jesus Christ to unbelieving Israel and for authenticating the oral message, particularly of the apostles. These supernatural gifts were temporary in nature and are no longer operative in this present age. This does not preclude God’s ability to perform miracles if and when He so chooses.

ABOUT SALVATION

Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Salvation is not achieved by works or attained by religion or birth.
Salvation is attainable only on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His subsequent resurrection.
The blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses from all sin was shed for all mankind. Although this atonement was intended for and is sufficient to save all people, only those who receive Christ by faith will be saved.
Genuine salvation cannot be lost or forfeited; once a person receives Christ, his salvation is secure unto the day of redemption.

ABOUT THE CHURCH

The local church, which is the only kind of church about which the New Testament speaks, is the body of Christ in a given locale and is the espoused bride of Christ. It is to be made up solely of born-again believers. It was founded by Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry and is the church's only Head. It is to Him that all preeminence belongs.
The local church is the institution through which God is currently preserving, practicing, and proclaiming His Word.
The church is not another name for Israel, nor did the church replace Israel with regard to its national and prophetic promises.
There are two church ordinances set forth by the Lord Jesus Christ to be observed and practiced in the church: believer’s baptism (by immersion in water) and the Lord’s Table (a memorial meal). There is no saving quality in either of these ordinances.
There are two church offices recognized in the New Testament: pastor and deacon. The office of a pastor is synonymous with that of a bishop or elder.

ABOUT WORLD EVANGELISM

World evangelism (missions) is the mandate from the Lord Jesus Christ to His assemblies to make disciples of every nation. This is commonly called the Great Commission.
The Great Commission is the primary mission of the church. It involves preaching the gospel to every creature, baptizing those who receive Christ, and teaching those baptized believers to observe all of Christ’s commands.
Each local church should be actively and aggressively striving to make disciples both locally and globally. The church should be regularly sending out and supporting foreign missionaries, as well as encouraging personal evangelism at home.
The chief objective of a missionary is to plant local New Testament churches on his field, whether domestic or international.

ABOUT THE RETURN OF CHRIST AND THE END OF THE WORLD

The Bible should be interpreted in its normal, literal, historical, grammatical context whether the text is prophetic or not. We reject an allegorical approach to the interpretation of Scripture.
The coming of Christ will be in two phases: the Rapture and the Revelation.
At the rapture Jesus will come down from heaven for all New Testament saints. These saints will be snatched away in a moment and will be taken to heaven to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Chronologically, this is the next event on God’s prophetic timetable. The time of the rapture is imminent, as it may happen at any time without warning. There are no signs of the rapture while there are many, many signs for the second coming itself, that is the revelation.
At the revelation, the Lord Jesus will come down from heaven to the Mount of Olives and will establish His Millennial Kingdom on earth, its capital being the city of Jerusalem.
These two phases of Christ’s coming will be separated by a duration of time, in which there will be a seven-year Tribulation period upon the earth. This entire time of tribulation will be an outpouring of God’s wrath upon all the unbelievers of the world. New Testament saints will not be present for this time of trouble.
Following the Millennial Kingdom on earth, there will be a Great White Throne Judgment, in which all of the unregenerate sinners of all time will be judged and finally cast into the eternal Lake of Fire.
The redeemed of all the ages will then enjoy eternity in heaven.

ABOUT SEPARATION

There are three biblical aspects of separation for the church: ecclesiastical separation, personal separation, and the separation of church and state.
Ecclesiastical separation means that Bible-believing churches should not jointly cooperate with apostate churches, false teachers, or adherents of false doctrine. This would include ecumenism.
Personal separation means that born-again believers should not conform to the sinful lifestyles and trends of this world. This would include such aspects of lifestyle as appearance, entertainment, and associations.
Separation of church and state means that neither the church nor the civil government should overstep the bounds of their respective authority. Neither should control the other nor should there be an alliance between the two. This does not preclude the spiritual influence of the church upon its community.