Statement of Faith

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenarily inspired Word of God. The Scriptures, in the original languages, are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:20-21).

THE GODHEAD
We believe in the one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each co-eternal and co-identical in being, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deu 6:4; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; John 14:10,26).

THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST
We believe, concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, that all things were created by Him and for Him (Col 1:16; John 1:3; Heb 1:2; Gen 1:2). We believe that the Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Is 7:14, 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1, 2, 14; 2 Cor 5: 19-21; Gal 4: 4-5; Phil 2:5-8). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal and physical resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Rom 3:24-25; 1 Pet 2:24; Eph 1:7; 1 Pet 1:3-5; Rom 4:25). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfils the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb 9:24, 7:25; Rom 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).

THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who, indwelling believers, convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 12:12-14; Eph 1:13-14). We believe that the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to live the spiritual life and that the evidence of his indwelling is the fruit of the Spirit - "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Gal 5:22-23 NIV). 

THE SINFUL NATURE OF MAN
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the human race fell. We are all born with a sinful nature inherited from Adam, alienated from God. Being depraved, we are by ourselves unable to remedy our lost condition (Gen 1:26-27; Rom 3:22-23, 5:12, 6:23; Eph 2:1-2, 4:17-19).

SALVATION
We believe that salvation is a gift of God brought to man by grace and received only by individual repentance of sin and by personal faith in the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, who bore our sins in His own body on the cross (1 Pet 2:24), and whose precious blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins (John 1:12; Eph 1:7, 2:8-10; 1 Pet 1:18-19; Rom 6:23).

THE ETERNAL SECURITY AND ASSURANCE OF BELIEVERS
We believe that all the saved, once redeemed, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37, 40; 10:27-30; Rom 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor 1:4-8; 1 Pet 1:4-5). We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the absolute assurance of their salvation which is by God’s grace through faith and not of works lest any man should boast (Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). We believe, however, that the same Word of God forbids the use of Christian liberty to indulge or satisfy the flesh (Rom 13: 13-14; Gal 5:13; Titus 2:11-15). Genuine believers will bear good fruit (Matt 7:16) and add to their faith (2 Pet 1:5-7) in order to make their calling and election sure (2 Pet 1:10).

THE CHURCH
We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons (1 Cor 12:12-14; 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 1:22-23, 5:25-27). We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27, 20:17, 20:28-32; 1 Tim 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11). We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4, 15: 19-31, 20:28; Rom 16:1, 4; 1 Cor 3:9, 16, 5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet 5:1-4). We believe in two ordinances instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ: baptism, which we believe is by total immersion, and the Lord's Supper (Communion), which we believe to be a remembrance of what Jesus has done for us (Matt 28:19; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:28-41, 8:12, 35-39, 16:13-15, 29-34; Col 2:12; Heb 10:22; 1 Pet 3:18-21; Matt 26:26; 1 Cor 11:23-34; Acts 20:7).

SEPARATION
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as to not bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasure, practices and associations is commanded by God (Rom 12:1-2, 14:13; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim 3:1-5; 1 John 2: 15-17; 2 John 9-11). While this church recognizes and encourages the right of its members to fellowship at the personal level with all persons whose testimony and life shows them to be a truly born-again believer and to regard such as a brother or sister in Christ, the church nevertheless recognizes its responsibility to be separate from apostasy within Christendom. This church will therefore choose with careful regard to the Scriptures those churches and nominally Christian organizations with which it will be identified before the world. 

THE SECOND ADVENT OF CHRIST
We believe in the personal return to this earth of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 24:29-31 / 1 Thess 4:13-5:11), who will establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom as promised to the nation of Israel (Psalm 89: 3-4; Dan 2:31-45; Zech 14:4-11; 1 Thess 1:10, 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev 3:10, 19:11-16, 20:1-6).

THE PERSONALITY OF SATAN
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man, and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Is 14:12-17; Matt 4:2-11, 25:41; Rev 20:10).

CREATION
We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour days approximately 6,000 years ago (Exodus 20:11; Mark 10:6; Luke 3:23-38). Everything God made was "very good" (Genesis 1:31); sin and death only entered the world through Adam (Rom 5: 12), thus corrupting the originally perfect creation.

CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home; 2) the Church; and 3) the State. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and subject to His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the Church and the State are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God (Rom 13:1-7; Eph 5:22-24; Heb 13:17; 1 Pet 2:13-14).

HUMAN SEXUALITY
We believe that God has commanded that sexual activity should only take place within the institution of marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bi-sexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are condemned by the Word of God (Gen 2: 24, 19:5, 19:13, 26: 8-9; Lev 18: 1-30; Rom 1: 26-29; 1 Cor 5:1, 6:9; 1 Thess 4:1-8; Heb 13:4).

DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE
We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of sexual immorality (Mal 2:14-17; Matt 19:3-12; Rom 7:1-3).

ABORTION
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, inexcusable taking of unborn human life; therefore abortion is murder (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5, 139:14-16; Is 44:24, 49:1, 5; Jer 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

EUTHANASIA
We believe that God alone has the right to determine the termination of human life. We therefore believe that any form of mercy killing or in any way assisting those who are apparently terminally ill to die is contrary to the will of God (Ex 20:13; Ps 139:14-16).

MISSIONS
We believe that God has given the Church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. This requires the local church to proclaim the Gospel in its own locality and to support missions throughout the world (Matt 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor 5:20).