DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

We believe the Bible alone, both the Old and the New Testaments, is the verbally, plenary inspired Word of God inerrant in the original writings, and that it is the sole final authority in faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

We believe there is one God eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Genesis 1:1; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 3:16–17; John 10:30).

We believe in the deity of Christ (John 10:33; John 1:1; Colossians 1:15–19); His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:35); His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15); His shed blood for atonement (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14); His bodily resurrection (John 11:25; Matthew 28:5–7); His ascension into heaven (Acts 1:11); His present life there for us as High Priest and Advocate (Hebrews 7:25); His imminent, personal return to rapture His church before the seven years of Great Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Corinthians 15:51–58; Daniel 9:24–27); followed by His premillennial return to establish His kingdom on earth (Revelation 19:11–16).

We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment; makes believers children of God through the new birth, assuring them of heaven; and by His indwelling guides believers into all truth, enabling them to live godly lives (John 16:7–11, 13; 3:3, 5; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 3:16; 6:19–20).

He imparts gifts to all believers at His will. Sign gifts, including speaking in tongues, ceased with the end of the ministry of the apostles (1 Corinthians 12:4–7; 1 Corinthians 13:8).

We believe that Satan is a created being, the author of sin, the tempter in the fall, the declared enemy of God and man, and the god of this age. He shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire (Job 1:6, 7; Isaiah 14:12–17; Matthew 4:2–11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and without salvation are hopelessly lost (Genesis 1:26–27; 3:1–24; Romans 3:10, 23; Romans 5:12–21; Ephesians 2:1–6).

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to men by grace and received through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is solely through faith in the blood of Christ apart from human merit. All those who repent and believe are

regenerated sons of God and are kept eternally secure in Christ (Ephesians 2:8, 9; John 1:12; 3:5–7; 10:28–29).

We believe that the scriptural goal for every believer in this life is personal conformity to the image of Christ and personal separation from sin, worldliness, and conduct unbecoming to the Savior, with the ultimate attainment of this goal occurring at His appearing (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:1–2; 6:11–13; Colossians 3:1–4, 10; 1 John 2:15–17; Philippians 3:12; 1 John 3:2).

We believe that a New Testament church is an organized body of baptized believers practicing scriptural ordinances and actively engaged in fulfilling the Great Commission (Acts 2:41–42, 47; Matthew 28:19– 20).

We believe that baptism is a scriptural ordinance requiring immersion of believers only to be administered by a New Testament church (Acts 8:38–39; 2:41; Romans 6:3–5; Matthew 3:15–16).

We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a scriptural ordinance of the church to be partaken of by obedient Christians to commemorate the Lord’s death till He comes (1 Corinthians 11:23–29).

We believe that the local church is to separate itself from all affiliation, cooperation, or fellowship with those organizations which deny or by practice compromise cardinal doctrines of the Word of God (e.g., World Council of Churches, National Council of Churches, the modern charismatic movement, National Association of Evangelicals, and the ecumenical movement); but also that the church is to seek to develop scriptural relationships which will enable us to reach such with the true message of the Word (Galatians 1:8–9; 2 Timothy 3:1–5; 2 John 9–11; Romans 16:17–18; Mark 9:38–40; 1 Corinthians 5:9– 10).

We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost: the saved unto the resurrection of life and the lost unto the resurrection of damnation. The saved shall be in eternal conscious blessedness in the presence of the Lord. The lost shall be judged at the Great White Throne and shall be condemned to everlasting conscious punishment in the lake of fire (John 5:28–29; Matthew 25:46; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Revelation 20:11–15)

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; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9-10; 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; Rom. 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23)