Beliefs

The Holy Scriptures

I believe the Scriptures—both the Old and New Testaments—to be the verbally inspired Word of God, written by men in God’s control, inerrant and infallible in the original manuscripts and the final authority in faith and life. I accept the literal, grammatical-historical system of interpretation of the Scriptures, and accept the historical record of the Bible as accurate and adequate (2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21; Ps. 19:7-9).

The Trinity

I believe in one God, the eternal, infinite and all-knowing Spirit in whom all things have their source, support and end (Deut. 6:4; John 4:24; Gen. 1:1). Within this one God three distinct persons exist—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—united, equal and perfect in all attributes (Matt. 28:19; Acts 7:55; Acts 10:38; 2 Cor. 13:14). The Godhead is one in essence, but within this perfect unity and equality exists order in function—first the Father, then the Son, and then the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 11:3; John 17:3-4; John 15:26; John 16:7).

The Person and Work of the Father

I believe God the Father to be the first person of the Trinity. As part of the Trinity, God the Father is distinct both in His relationship to the other members of the Godhead and in His works as part of the Trinity. Within the Godhead, the Father is distinct in that He begets the Son and the Holy Spirit proceeds from Him (John 1:14; 15:26). Although all works of God are the acts of a Triune God, some acts are especially ascribed to the Father, such as creation (Eph. 3:9; Heb. 12:9), election (1 Pet. 1:2; Eph. 1:4), redemption (John 6:37; 17:4-7), and the predetermining of all things (Eph. 1:5; John 5:30). God the Father is also distinct in that He is seen as the Father of the second member of the Trinity (John 1:18; 14:13) and the spiritual Father of all who believe in Him (Matt. 5:45; 1 John 3:1).

The Person and Work of Christ

I believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God; that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, that He might redeem sinful man. He accomplished this redemption by voluntarily giving Himself as a sinless substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, thereby satisfying God’s righteous judgment against sin. He gave proof that He accomplished that redemption by His bodily resurrection from the grave. He then ascended to the right hand of His Father where He intercedes on behalf of those who trust Him (John 1:1, 2, 14, 18; Luke 1:34,35; Rom. 3:24-26; 8:34).

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

I believe the Holy Spirit is the Divine Person who convicts the world of sin; that He alone brings new life to those who are spiritually dead; that He baptizes (or places) all believers into the one true Church, which is the Body of Christ; that He indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon them, and fills (controls) those who are yielding to Him (John 3:3-8; 16:7-11; 1 Cor. 12:13; John 14:16, 17; Eph. 4:30; 1 Cor. 12:7-11; Eph. 5:18).

The Condition of Man

I believe man was created in the image and likeness of God, in innocence and without sin. In Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, became spiritually dead and alienated from God. As a result, man is a sinner by nature, imputation, and practice. Man, of himself, is incapable of remedying his lost and depraved condition (Gen. 1:26; 3:1-24; Rom. 3:10-18; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3).

Salvation

I believe salvation is the gift of God’s grace given to all whom God has elected to salvation. It includes all that God does in saving the elect from the penalty, power, and presence of sin and in restoring them to a right relationship with God. As such, it is solely the work of God from initiation to completion. It cannot be gained by good works but is a free gift for all who put their trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. All who so trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are forgiven and saved from their sins and declared righteous by God and are born into the family of God by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. God’s purpose for saving His elect is so that they bring glory to Him by their lives (Eph. 1:7; 2:8, 9; John 1:12; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 1:6; Titus 2:11-14).

Security, Assurance and Responsibility

I believe all the saved, those in whom God has accomplished His transforming work of grace, are kept by His power and thus, are secure in Christ forever. This assurance, however, is not the occasion for sin, for God in holiness cannot tolerate persistent sin in His children, and in infinite love He corrects them. True faith in Christ is expressed by a fruitful, God-pleasing life (John 10:27-29; Rom. 8:29-39; 1 John 5:13; Heb. 12:6; Matt. 7:20; James 2:20).

Sanctification

I believe that God, in the Scriptures, has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness. This includes salvation from the penalty of sin and just as surely the provision of sanctification (separation) from sin. Sanctification from sin affects both the positional and practical aspects. Positional sanctification as a work of the Holy Spirit is complete and is without further growth; however, practical sanctification, a result of the work of the Spirit in regeneration using the Word of God, provides the nourishment for growth in maturity in Christ. While practical sanctification is assured by the Word and the Spirit, it is yet imperfect in this life. There is some element of corruption in every part of the fallen nature which is the source for the war between the flesh and the Spirit. The maturing to obedience is possible for believers as they feed on the Word, submit to the Spirit of God and are in fellowship with other believers for service and encouragement (John 17:17; 1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 6:19, 22; Heb. 10:25; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 1:3).

Angels: Elect and Fallen

I believe angels are spirit beings created directly by God (Ps. 148:2-5; Job 38:4-7). As created beings, angels were made to serve God and are not to be worshiped (Heb. 1:14; Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9). I believe Satan is a created angel, originally made perfect by God, who incurred the judgment of God when he introduced sin into the universe by rebelling against his Creator (Is. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:11-19). As a result of his rebellion, Satan and the angels who followed him (now known as demons), were removed from their exalted position in heaven (Ezek. 28:16). During this age, Satan and his demons actively oppose the plans of God and seek to deceive men from obeying God and His truth (1 Pet. 5:8; 2 Cor. 4:3-4). Though Satan and his demons are presently active in the world today, ultimately, they will be sent to the lake of fire for eternity (Rev. 20:1-3; 7-10).

The Church

I believe that the true Church, called in Scripture the Body of Christ, is a spiritual organism. Every person who has trusted Jesus Christ for salvation in this present age has been baptized (placed) into this organism by the Holy Spirit. The local church, as established in Scripture, is made up of redeemed individuals who have joined together for worship, instruction, fellowship, and service (Eph. 1:22; 1 Cor. 12:13; Acts 2:42; 13:1, 2).

Ordinances

I believe our Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances to be observed by all believers until His return—baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).

The Second Coming of Christ

I believe in the personal, pretribulational coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church and His subsequent premillennial return to earth to establish His kingdom (1 Thess. 4:13-18; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-6).

The Eternal State

I believe at death the souls of those who have trusted Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence and remain there in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at Christ’s coming for the Church, when soul and body will be reunited. All that Christ has called to Himself shall be with Him forever in glory. I also believe that at death the souls of unbelievers remain in conscious misery until the final judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the Millennium when the soul and body will be reunited and cast into the lake of fire—not to be annihilated, but to be separated from God forever in conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:11-15).

Marriage and Gender Identity

I believe that God has established marriage as a lifelong, exclusive relationship between one man and one woman and that all intimate sexual activity outside the marriage relationship, whether heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise, is immoral and therefore sin (Gen. 2:20-24; Ex. 20:14, 17; 22:19; Lev. 18:22-23; 20:13, 15-16; Matt. 19:4-6, 9; Rom. 1:18-31; 1 Cor. 6:9-10, 15-20; Jude 7). I believe that God created the human race male and female and that all conduct with the intent to adopt a gender other than one’s birth gender is immoral and therefore sin (Gen. 1:27; Deut. 22:5).