IN ESSENTIAL BELIEFS WE HAVE UNITY

"There is one body and one Spirit...there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of us all..." [Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV]

In NON-ESSENTIAL BELIEFS WE HAVE LIBERTY

"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters... Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls... So then each of us will give an account of himself to God... So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God." [Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22 NIV]

IN ALL OUR BELIEFS WE SHOW CHARITY

"...if I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the faith that can move mountains --but have no love, I amount to nothing at all." [1 Corinthians 13:2 Phillips]

THE ESSENTIALS WE BELIEVE:

The Bible

The sole basis for our belief is the sixty-six books of the Bible, which is uniquely God inspired, without error in the original manuscripts, and the final authority on all matters of faith and practice.

2 Timothy 3:15-17
Hebrews 4: 12
2 Peter 1:20-21

God

We teach that there is but one true and living God, perfect in all His attributes, one in essence eternally existing in three persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--each possessing all the attributes of Deity and deserving of our worship and obedience. In the beginning God created out of nothing the universe and all things therein, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom, and goodness. By His sovereign power, He continues to sustain His creation. By His providence, He is operating throughout history to fulfill His plan of redemption.

Deuteronomy 6:4
Isaiah 45:5-7
Corinthians 8:4
Matthew 28:19
2 Corinthians 13:14

Jesus Christ

We teach that Jesus Christ-the second person of the Trinity-though being equal with God, surrendered His prerogatives of deity and came to Earth to pay the debt for man's soul. Having been born of a Virgin, Jesus lived a totally sinless life, and was therefore qualified to pay for our sins by dying on the cross as our Substitute. He literally and physically rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father where He now mediates as our Advocate and High Priest. We teach that Jesus will return to earth personally and visibly to consummate history and judge all mankind according to the eternal plan of God.

John 5:22-23; 10:15, 30
Philippians 2:5-8
Isaiah 7:14
Matthew 1:23-25; 28:6
Romans 3:24-25; 4:25; 8:34
1 Peter 2:24
Luke 24:38-39
Acts 1:9-11; 2:30-31
Hebrews 7:25
1 John 2:1
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
2 Corinthians 5:10

Holy SPirit

We teach that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, the third person of the Trinity, coequal with the Father and the Son in all the divine attributes. He enlightens the minds of sinners, awakens in them recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them. At the point of salvation, He permanently indwells every believer and equips him or her for personal growth and service to the church. The indwelling of the Spirit is a divine guarantee, which seals the believer unto the day of redemption. Christians are endowed with spiritual gifts through the sovereign act of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are intended to strengthen the church and glorify Christ.

Matthew 28:19
1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 13
2 Corinthians 3:18; 13:14
John 16:7-9, 13-14
Acts 1:8; 2:38
Romans 8:9
Ephesians 1:13-14; 2:22

Man’s greatest need

The central purpose of God's revelation in Scripture is to call all people into fellowship with Himself. God originally created humans to have fellowship with Him and to glorify Him, but they defied God by sinfully choosing to go their own way. As a result, man suffered alienation from God and the corruption of His nature. The salvation of mankind, therefore, is wholly a work of God's free grace, not the result in whole or in part of human works or goodness. This salvation is a gift, made available through faith in Jesus Christ and Him only.

Isaiah 43:7
Colossians 1:16
Psalm 51:5
Romans 3:23
Ephesians 1:7; 2:1-4, 8-9
John 1:12; 10:18-27
Acts 4:12
1 Peter 1:18-19

The church

We teach that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual body, the church, the bride of Christ, of which Christ is head. The Scripture commands believers to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of the ordinances, fellowship, service to the body, and outreach to the world. Wherever God's people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the church. Under the protection and oversight of elders, its members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ and making disciples of all nations.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13
2 Corinthians 11:2
Colossians 1:18
Acts 1:8; 2:38-42; 20:17, 28
Ephesians 1:22; 3:21; 4:12
Galatians 1:2
Hebrews 10:25
Matthew 28:18-20

Ordinances

We teach that two ordinances have been committed to the local church: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Because baptism is commanded by our Lord and His apostles, we teach that all professed believers must be baptized. We teach that baptism should occur as soon as possible upon confession of faith in Christ, as modeled for us in Acts. Baptism by immersion is taught in Scripture and symbolically portrays the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is also a sign of fellowship and identification with the Church, which is the visible body of Christ. We teach that the Lord's Supper is the commemoration and proclamation of His death until He comes, and should always be preceded by solemn-self-examination. We also teach that whereas the elements of communion are only representative of the flesh and blood of Christ, the Lord's Supper is nevertheless an actual communion with the risen Christ, who is present in a unique way, fellowshipping with His people.

Matthew 28:19
Acts 2:38-42; 8:35-39; 16:31-33
1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:28-32

Human Destiny

Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. For all mankind, there will be a resurrection of the body into the spiritual world, and a judgment that will determine the fate of each individual. The saved will be raised to eternal life and will be rewarded for works done in this life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.

John 5:29; 6:39
Romans 8:10-11, 19-23
2 Corinthians 4: 14
Daniel 12:2