VIEWS OF KEY DOCTRINES

Scripture

We believe the Bible to be the written revelation of God, complete and sufficient in all respects of spiritual and physical well-being (Psalm 19:7-14). We believe the Scriptures to be “God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16), and therefore fully authoritative in and of themselves; they rely upon no church, council, or creed for their authority, but are authoritative simply because they are the Word of God. The Scriptures, as they embody the very words of God, intrinsically hold His authority and His power (Jer. 15:16; John 1:1; Heb. 4:12).

God’s Sovereignty

We believe in one true and eternal God, unchanging and unchangeable (Isa. 40:28; Psa. 90:2; Heb. 13:8; 1 Tim. 1:17). We believe God is the Creator of all that exists in heaven and in earth (Gen. 1:1; Isa. 40:28). The God who is described in the Bible is unique; He is unlike anyone or anything else in the entire universe (Isa. 45:5-6). God has all power (Isa. 40:26; Rom. 1:20), all knowledge (Psa. 139:4; 1 John 3:20), all wisdom (Psa. 147:5), and is due all glory, honor and praise (Psa. 105:1-2). All that comes to pass does so by the infallible decree of God (Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 2:6-8). All things will, in the end, result in the glory of God (Rom. 11:36; 1 Pet 4:11).

God’s Deity

We believe the Bible teaches that there is but one being of God, (Deut. 4:35; 6:4; Isa. 46:9; 1 Tim. 2:5) yet there are three Persons who share this one being of God: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (Gen. 1:26; Matt. 3:16-17; John 1:1-2; John 10:30; 1 Cor. 8:6; 1 John 5:7). Each Person is fully and completely God (John 6:27; Rom. 9:5; Col. 2:9; 1 Cor. 3:16), and each is described in Scripture as possessing the attributes of God. The Father, Son, and Spirit have eternally existed in this relationship (John 17:5; Acts 2:23), described by the term “Trinity.” Thus, we, as a congregation, are self-proclaimed Biblical Trinitarians.

God’s Plan of Redemption

We believe that man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). Man rebelled against His Creator, and fell into sin (Gen. 3:6-7). As a result, man became spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1, 4; Col. 2:13), totally unwilling and indeed incapable of seeking after God (Rom. 3:9-18). God, from eternity past, having foreordained all things, joined a certain people to Christ Jesus, so as to redeem them from their sin, and in doing so bring glory to Himself (Rom. 8:28-39). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died in the place of this elect people (2 Cor. 5:21), providing full and complete forgiveness of sins by His death upon the cross of Calvary (John 19:30). No other work can provide for forgiveness of sins, and no addition can be made to the completed and finished work of Christ (Acts 13:39; Rom. 8:3; Gal. 2:21; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Tim. 1:9).

Salvation

We believe that God, in His sovereign grace and mercy, regenerates sinful men by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by any action of their own, bringing them to new life (Ezek. 36:26-27; John 3:5-8; 2 Cor. 3:6; Titus 3:5-6). God grants to them the gifts of grace, salvation, and faith (Eph. 2:8-9), which they then exercise by believing in Christ and repenting (or turning) from their sins (2 Tim. 2:25; 2 Pet. 3:9) in love for God. As a result of this faith, based upon the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, God justifies or makes righteous the one who believes (Gal. 2:16-17). God’s gift of faith, and the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the elect, will result in good works (James 2:20, 26). These good works flow from true, saving faith; they are a necessary result (or effect) of faith, but are not to be considered necessary to the gaining of justification, which is by God’s grace through faith alone, so that no man can boast (Eph. 2:8-9).

The Church

We believe Jesus Christ laid the foundation for His Church while He was alive (Matt. 16:18), and established His Church on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4); and that the Church makes up all the elect of God from the “outpouring of the Spirit” until His return. His Church, as an obedient Bride, listens to His Word as found in the Bible. All who believe in Christ are placed in His body, the Church. Local church bodies are very important, and each believer should be actively involved in such a fellowship and a member therein.

The Return of Christ

We believe that Christ is coming again to judge the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1). This promise is found throughout the inspired Scriptures (see also Matt. 25:31-46; Rom. 14:10; Rev. 1:7). Until His return, He has given His sheep the framework (through imperatives found in the New Testament) to live lives that will bring glory to Him (Rom. 15). He has called us to be “salt and light” to this world (Matt. 5:13-16), and He also gave His Church the Great Commission, to evangelize, disciple and bring the Gospel to the world, by teaching the Word of God (Matt. 28:16-20). Upon His return, which will take place after the Great Tribulation and after the First Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thes. 4:15), He will establish His promised earthly Kingdom (Zech. 14:9-11) and reign on the Throne of David (Isa. 9:6-7) for one-thousand years, with His people (Rev. 20:4, 6).