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What We Believe
The central ministry of the local church is the continuous imparting of the Scriptures to the people of God so they may know God and serve Him in worship and in ministry.
Listed below are the major truths that we hold to in a simple and concise form. These are the primary doctrines of the Christian faith and reflect the heart of the teaching and preaching ministry of the local church.
The Bible
The Bible is the written revelation of God, being fully inspired, absolutely inerrant in the original documents, infallible, and God-breathed. It is the only authority for all faith and practice (Psalm 19:1-14; Hebrews 4:12; Isaiah 30:8; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; Matthew 5:18; Matthew 24:34-35; John 10:35; John 16:12-13; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; II Peter 1:20-21; Luke 24:27,44; John 5:39; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11).
God
There is only one true and living God who is perfect, personal and infinite, and He exists eternally in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19; Genesis 1:26; Psalm 139:8; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:4-6; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-7; 1 Corinthians 8:4; John 4:24; Mark 12:29; John 1:4; Acts 5:3-5; Revelation 1:4-6)
God the Father is the first Person of the Trinity. He orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace. He is sovereign in providence and redemption. (Psalm 145:8-9; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Psalm 103:19; Romans 11:33)
He is the sole Creator of the universe, which He accomplished from no pre-existing substance, but by the creative power of His spoken Word (Genesis 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-3; John 1:1-3).
God is Immutable (Psalm 102:25-27; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17; Hebrews 13:8), Omnipotent (Isaiah 40:28; Psalm 115:3; Psalm 33:6; Romans 4:17; Isaiah 44:24; Hebrews 1:3), Omnipresent (Jeremiah 23;23; Psalm 139:1-24), and Omniscient (Isaiah 40:13; Romans 8:28; Psalm 104:24; Matthew 6:25-33; 1 Corinthians 4:5)
Jesus
Jesus is the second Person of the Trinity, possessing all the divine excellences’ and is co-equal with the Father. He is true Man at the same time (Philippians 2:5-8; Micah 5:2; Colossians 2:9; John 14:9-11; 1 John 5:20; Jude 25).
He is the virgin born Son of the living God (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-25; Luke 1:26-35), was God in human flesh (John 1:1,3, 14,18; 1 John 1:3). He lived a sinless life (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15), suffered and died on the cross in our place for our sins (1 Peter 2:24; Romans 3:25; Romans 5:8), rose physically from the grave (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:38-39; Acts 2:30-31; Hebrews 9:24-28), ascended to sit at the right hand of God to intercede on every believer’s behalf (Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 7:25; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 8;34; Hebrews 2:17-18; Hebrews 4:14-16), and is returning to receive His church and rule and reign forever (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20).
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. A divine Person, eternal (Hebrews 9:14), and co-equal with the Father (Matthew 28;19; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 12:2-6).
The Holy Spirit:
– Convicts us of our sin (John 16:8-11) – Glorifies Jesus Christ (John 15:26) – Regenerates the unsaved (John 3:5-8) – Indwells the believer (John 14:16-18; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20) – Comforts the afflicted (John 14:16,26) – Equips the saints with gifts (Romans 12: Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12) – Sanctifies the believer (Romans 15;16) – Unifies the body (Ephesians 4:3) – Assures us of our salvation (1 John 3:24) – Teaches us the Word of God ( John 14:17,26)
We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). The evidence of His presence in our lives will be the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
Man
The Bible teaches that man is by nature a sinner (Psalm 51;5; Ephesians 2;3). Consequently, he is a member of the fallen race (Romans 5:18-19).
Salvation
The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation does not come as the result of something we have done but rather because of what God has done. It is a free gift that cannot be earned or deserved (Romans 6:23). We receive that “gift” by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Water Baptism
The Bible teaches that baptism is the immersion of a penitent believer in water. In the New Testament church, every believer was commanded to be baptized (Acts 2:38). Baptism symbolizes the following:
– Cleansing and Forgiveness of Sins (Acts 2:38; 22;16) – The New Birth (John 3:5) – Circumcision of the Heart (Colossians 2:11-12) – The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:3-5)* – Salvation (1 Peter 3:21)
*Immersion in water is the only act that pictures this so beautifully and accurately.
Baptism is not an option for the true believer. It is an acid test of our true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20; John 14:15)
The Church
The Bible teaches that all who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit into one, united spiritual body (1 Corinthians 12:13). The head of this body is JESUS (Ephesians 5:23b; Colossians 1:18). The task of this “body” of believers is to make disciples in all the world by winning the lost to Christ and equipping them for ministry (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 1:28-29).
Spiritual Gifts
The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to the body for the accomplishment of the Lord’s mandate to the church (1 Corinthians 12:11; 14:26b; Matthew 28:18-20). The exercise or use of any spiritual gift must be in accordance with Scriptural principles and under the oversight of the eldership of the local church.
Healing
The Bible teaches that if someone is sick they may call for the elders of the church to come and anoint them with oil and pray for them (James 5:14-15).
The Second Coming of Christ
The Bible teaches that JESUS will return to earth and gather His church (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; Titus 2:11-13). This will occur at a time when no one expects it (2 Peter 3:10). We have the Lord’s Word on it (John 14:1-3).
Church Government
The Bible teaches that the local church is to be governed by a plurality of godly leaders called elders (1 Timothy 5:17). The qualifications for these men are found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and in Titus 1:6-9. The responsibility of the elders is to shepherd the flock of God (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2-3).
The responsibility of the believers is to obey the elders and submit to them in love (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Hebrews 13;7,17). Some elders will have the responsibility of preaching and teaching in a local fellowship (1 Timothy 5:17).