Exalt and worship our God
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This collection of beliefs is designed to convey an understanding of what we believe about God and how He has chosen to reveal Himself in the Scriptures. We govern our lives according to God and His holy Word. These Truths are not based upon our own personal feelings, bents, and/or desires. With our finite understanding, we seek to stay open to how God grows us in His Word.
First, we believe in the Triune Godhead as God has so marvelously, wonderfully, and carefully lain out through all of Scripture. Some have confused this as modalism which we do not believe is an accurate depiction of God. Instead, the Triune Godhead is comprised of three distinct persons in One; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, Who are co-eternal, co-existing, and co-equal in glory, and majesty; Who function in one entity. The triune God is equal in substance, authority, and power, subordinate only in purpose of function. (Deuteronomy 6:4; John 15:26; 1 Peter 1:2)
We also believe that Jesus Christ is the true Son of the living God. He is God the Son and in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). The Scriptures are clear that He was born of Mary; a virgin, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). This is important because had He been born of the seed of man; His seed would have been tainted with man’s sinful nature disqualifying Him as the perfect sacrificial Lamb. Because His conception was facilitated through the power of the Holy Spirit, He is qualified to be the perfect and sinless sacrificial Lamb for all of mankind. Because of the depth of our sin, there is no other way to salvation except through the shed blood of Jesus Christ (John 14:6). We also believe in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension into heaven, and that He is the head of the Church, the Lord of the individual believer, the High Priest, and the Advocate for all mankind. (1 Corinthians 15:12-20; 1 Peter 3:22; Hebrews 8:1; 1 John 2:1-2; Colossians 2:9; Acts 4:12; John 1:1-4&14)
The Holy Spirit: the third Person of the Triune God is not third in importance, but third only in His willing submission to the Father and the Son for the sake of unity in the Godhead (Matthew 28:19). He is active in the regeneration of the believer (Titus 3:5), He indwells every believer (Romans 8:9), He is the source of power whereby the believer may live a Godly life (Galatians 5:16), and His present ministry is, in part, to convince the world of the reality of sin, righteousness through Christ, and of the judgment to come (John 16:7-11).
The Bible is the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God. It is His revelation to man and the sole guide of faith and conduct. The Bible is superior to conscience and reason, but not contrary to reason by the direction of the Holy Spirit of Truth (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 1 Peter 1:20-22).
We believe that man was created good and upright, for God said, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Unfortunately, man fell by voluntary transgression (Genesis 3:1-7) with his only hope of redemption through the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:10, 22-26, & 10:9-13; John 3:1-21). It is important to note that man was utterly bankrupt and hopeless before a holy God. Man had no hope and in fact, was an enemy (Romans 5:10) of God. There was absolutely no way, other than a gracious God, and a loving and perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ, whereby man could have been redeemed from his wretched state. There has never been nor will there ever be a time when mankind can or ever will be able to save himself from the ultimate state of depravity and helplessness. Saved or unsaved, we are totally dependent on God and without Him, man is nothing.
Because of man’s perpetual hopelessness, God in His love, compassion, and foreknowledge established a means by which man could be saved. That means is through the blood of Jesus Christ. We believe that the Bible clearly teaches that salvation came only by way of Jesus Christ becoming the “atonement” for sin for all of mankind on the cross. For those of us who believe in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, His death, and resurrection three days later, we are saved by grace, through faith (Romans 10: 9; Romans 3:24; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 10:9-13). The inward evidence to the believer’s salvation is the direct witness of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16). The outward evidence is the fruit of the Spirit (1 John 2:23, 4:7; Galatians 5:22-23). Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ and not by human works; however works will demonstrate authentic saving faith (Romans 10:9-11; James 2:17-18; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 5:16).
The Church is the living body of Christ with divine appointments for the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the Church (Ephesians 1:22; 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23) and it is through the Church that every believer is to discover his or her spiritual gift(s), cultivate it, and use it to serve (Ephesians 4:11-12). Although the Church is not necessarily a physical location, it is through the fellowship of the believers that serves as a place where believers and non-believers can be encouraged, challenged, participate in the administration of the sacraments, worship, and fellowship together (Acts 2:42). All these aspects of the believer are essential to the strengthening of every individual believer and to the Body of Christ as a whole.
We believe that the Bible is very clear of the existence of Satan (Job 1:6-12), his goal for every believer (John 10:10), and the power he abuses to influence us to sin (Ephesians 2:2, Acts 5:3). Those who have not accepted the redemptive work of Jesus Christ will suffer eternal separation from God. The devil and his fallen angels, the beast and the false prophet, and anyone whose name is not found written in the Book of Life, shall be consigned to everlasting punishment. This is the second death, the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20; 20:10-15).
We believe that the Bible teaches two sacraments in which every believer should participate. These sacraments are not necessary for salvation, but they have been commanded by the Son to perform for all who have been saved. The first of these sacraments is baptism. Although we do not believe that baptism is essential for salvation (Luke 23:35-43), we do believe that baptism is commanded in the Scriptures for all who have repented and believe on Christ as their Savior and Lord. Baptism by immersion is how Jesus Christ was baptized, and we should follow His example. Baptism is how believers declare that they have died to their former way of life and have been raised with Christ to walk in the newness of life (Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:47; Romans 6:3-5).
The second sacrament for every believer is that of communion. We believe what the Bible teaches about the bread being symbolic of the body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the cup represents His shed blood. A man should examine himself before he partakes in this very serious and holy act. We believe that this should be practiced regularly as a consistent reminder of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial and sufficient work on the cross (1 Corinthians 11:24-25, 28; John 6:52-58).
In this second section of our theological beliefs, we hope to convey clearly and precisely our views on topics that are not necessarily essential for salvation, but certainly essential in the everyday life of the believer. Again, we have taken great care to ascertain what we believe are the most central to the Scriptures regarding the various topics. For these topics, “In the essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity (love)” (author unknown).
Abortion is one of the major issues facing our country today. The news is consistently inundated with protestors and supporters of pro-life or pro-choice vehemently defending their position on the matter. We believe that abortion is wrong first because of God’s disdain for the killing of innocent people (Genesis 9:6, Exodus 20:13). Whenever God addressed any issues concerning murder of the innocent, He always required the killer’s life as punishment. Unborn children are not exempt from this same command and protection from God. The Bible (Psalm 139:13-16) negates the whole notion of an unborn child not being a living and valuable person. Even before conception, God has a plan for each one of us (Jeremiah 1:5). Because of this we believe that abortion is wrong, and that God considers it an act of premeditated murder.
Another hot button topic is that of homosexuality. Homosexuality is the sexual union or attraction between two individuals of the same sex. The Bible clearly speaks against this type of relationship in Genesis 2:24 where God declares that the sexual union of two individuals is reserved exclusively for a woman and a man. When a woman and another woman or a man and another man engage in sexual relations, it is considered homosexuality and homosexuality is a sin (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) and an abomination before the LORD (Leviticus 18:22). However, with abortion and homosexuality, God still loves and forgives the repentant person who has participated in these acts. Therefore, we as a church should also embrace them and demonstrate the love of Christ towards them. It is not our responsibility to condemn or change a person with same sex attraction for we too have sinned (Romans 3:10) and only God can change hearts (Proverbs 21:1). But with love and gentleness, we should challenge (Matthew 7:1-5), love (1 Peter 3:15-17), and pray (1 Peter 2:1-4) for them if they choose to live out a life of homosexuality. The Christian is obligated by the Word of God to stand against a lifestyle of homosexuality, but also required to extend them love (1 Peter 4:8).
Euthanasia (physician-assisted suicide) can be a touchy area when dealing with chronic pain. However, as much as God values life in children, He also values those whose lives are riddled with illness. In these cases, it is important to recognize two issues at play. One, because of the fall (Genesis 3:8-24) sin entered the world and one of the consequences is sickness which can ultimately lead to death. Second, and despite the sickness that can come into our lives, we still must trust in the sovereign nature of God (Deuteronomy 32:39). He still does not cease being God even in these challenging times. Third, our lives are not ours and our bodies do not belong to us (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19) and choosing to take our lives because of a debilitating sickness is not our right. Fourth; to have a person participate in an individual’s suicide places them in the position of being a murderer (Exodus 20:13). Above all else, suffering places us in an extremely vulnerable and dependable situation. When we are at the mercy of our illness, this is a time when we have no choice but to depend upon God and His will. As such, we have a wonderful opportunity, even in sickness to draw closer to the Father. This is illustrated in Paul the apostle’s life as he explains the thorn in his flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) and how it forced him to depend on and draw closer to God after three times being denied the requested removal of the thorn. Physician-assisted suicide is murder and if not observed properly through the lens of Scripture can cause a believer a missed opportunity to show how God can glorify Himself even during illness.
The Bible does not specifically tell us that a believer cannot be demon possessed. However, since a Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19) it is obvious that the Holy Spirit and demons cannot not indwell the same person at the same time. Knowing that once the believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit the believer can never be “unregenerated” (John 10:28-29, Ephesians 1:13), we strongly hold to the belief that a Christian cannot be possessed by a demon. We do believe there is a sharp difference between being possessed by a demon and being influenced by a demon. Demon possession involves a demon having direct control over the thoughts and/or actions of a person (Luke 4:33-35; 8:27-33; Matthew 17:14-18). Demon influence involves a demon or demons attacking a person spiritually and/or encouraging them into sinful behavior. Instead of being told to cast out demons from our lives, we should instead make strong efforts to resist the devil and his schemes which seem to be more consistent with what the Scripture teaches (1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7).
We believe in the Bible’s teaching that a woman should not pastor a church. 1 Timothy 3:2 emphatically states that “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife…” Being the husband of one wife negates the notion that a woman is ordained by God to shepherd a church. We also believe that women who have the gift of preaching and teaching should not teach in public settings where adult males believers are present (1 Timothy 2:12 & 1 Corinthians 11:5). We believe that women who have the gifts of preaching and teaching should preach and teach publicly only to women and children (Titus 2:3-4).
In Malachi 2:16 God plainly and bluntly states that “God hates divorce” and because He hates it; we should hate it and should do all we can to avoid it. Because of this, we should encourage others to do the same. The pain, confusion, and frustration most people experience after a divorce are surely part of the reason that God hates divorce. The Scriptures teach that there are certain instances in which divorce and remarriage are permitted without remarriage being considered adultery. These instances would include unrepentant adultery (Matthew 19:9) and abandonment of a spouse (1 Corinthians 7:15). In these cases, it is our view that the Bible teaches that God offers His mercy and grace to the innocent party in a divorce and allows that person to remarry without it being considered adultery. Again, God still offers grace, mercy, and love even in divorce but prefers the couple to do all that is necessary to avoid diverce.
Matthew 18:15-20 lay out a clear pattern for church discipline. When Jesus Christ returns, He wants His bride; the church, to be pure and holy (Ephesians 5:25-27) and church discipline is one vital way in which this happens. The Matthew 18:15-20 model of discipline instructs us that one individual (usually the offended party) is to go to the offending individual. If they repent, the matter is closed. If he/she does not repent, then two or three go to confirm the situation. If they refuse to repent after the second visit, the matter is then taken before the church and the person is to ultimately be excommunicated if they still refuse to repent. This process is never “desirable,” just as a parent never delights in having to discipline his/her children. However, it is necessary. The purpose is not to be mean spirited or to display a judgmental or elitist attitude. Rather, it is to be done in love toward the individual with an attitude of obedience and honor to God. The desired response is that the individual will repent and allowing them to be restored back into the fellowship of believers where they will be loved, encouraged, and held accountable thereby maintaining the purity of the local body of believers (2 Corinthians 2:5-8).
The Bible shows that miracles occurred during certain periods, for the specific purpose of authenticating a new message from God. Moses was given miracles to authenticate his ministry before Pharaoh (Exodus 4:1-8); Elijah was given miracles to authenticate his ministry before Ahab (1 Kings 17:1; 18:24) and the apostles were given miracles to authenticate their ministry before Israel (Acts 4:10, 16). Jesus’ ministry was also marked by miracles, which the Apostle John called “signs” (John 2:11). John’s point is that the miracles authenticated Jesus’ message. All these miracles were done, particularly in the New Testament because there was no Bible to authenticate the message of Jesus Christ as Savior of the world. Once the Holy Spirit came to indwell the believer on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) in the first century and the cannon of Scripture had been closed in the 4th century, there were no longer any use for the healings and miracles to authenticate the Gospel. We do not believe that the signs have completely ceased, but we do believe that they are not as prevalent today as they were in the first century. We believe that God heals, and we believe that God still performs miracles, but we do not believe that He performs them through the believer as He did in days of old. We now have the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to authenticate on our hearts the truths of God (2 Corinthians 3:3).
The Greek word translated “tongues” literally means “languages.” Therefore, the gift of tongues is the supernatural ability to speak in an unknown language in order to minister to someone to others. We believe that the gift of tongues is for today in a limited sense and that it is to be done only according to the mandates ascribed in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 14:20-33). If a person is moved to speak in a tongue when churches gather, the Bible is clear that if there is no interpreter, they should remain silent (1 Corinthians 12:30). Additionally, only one person at a time may speak. Because of the exposure to and availability of resources and persons equipped to speak multiple languages, we do not believe that this gift is as prevalent and necessary to communicate the Gospel as it was in the first century.
We hold fast to the pre-millennial and pre-tribulation view of the rapture. In other words, we believe that when Christ returns, those believers who are dead and believed in Him will rise first. Then those believers who remain alive will meet Him in the air along with the other believers to forever be with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). We have drawn this conclusion because in Revelation 20:1-7, Satan will be bound for one thousand years. In verse 4 of Revelation 20, believers will reign with Christ during that one-thousand-year period. Because Satan is not currently bound, we do not believe that we are currently in the time of peace (amillennialism). We believe that the Revelation 20:1-7 passages speak of a literal one-thousand-year period in which Satan will be bound and Christ will reign until the second resurrection and that we will reign with Him.