We believe that our one aim in life and death should be to glorify God and enjoy Him forever; and that God teaches us how to glorify and enjoy Him in His holy Word, that is, the Bible. We believe that God has given us the revelation of Himself in the Bible, written by divinely inspired men who wrote in their own words and style as they were superintended by the Holy Spirit so that Scripture can truly be said to be “God-breathed”. We believe that the result is therefore infallible and, in the original, inerrant and is totally true and trustworthy. It has God as its author, salvation for its end and truth, without any mixture of error, as its matter. We believe that it is, consequently, the only standard for faith and practice and the final arbiter for all human conduct, creeds and religious opinions. All of Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. (Ex. 24:4; Dt. 4:1-2; 17:19; Jos. 8:34; Ps. 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Psa. 144:15; Is. 34:16; 40:8; 43:7; Jer. 15:16; 36:1-32; Mt. 5:17-18; 22:29; Lk. 21:33; 24:44-46; Jn. 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Rom. 15:4; 16:25-26; 1 Cor, 10:31; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Pt. 1:25; 2 Pt. 1:19-21)

We believe that God is Spirit, infinite, eternal and incomparable in all that He is; one God, but three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Sanctifier; in whose power and wisdom, righteousness, goodness and truth we may safely put our trust. (Jn 4:24; Jer. 23:24; Mal. 3:6; Isa. 46:9,10; Dan. 4:35; Deut. 32:4; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 1:30 )

We believe that the heavens and the earth and all that is in them were created in six literal days and are the work of God’s hands; and that all that He has made He directs and governs in all their actions; so that they fulfill the end for which they were created, and we who trust in Him shall not be put to shame but may rest securely in the protection of His almighty love. (Gen. 1,2; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Job 33:4; Heb. 11:3; 2 Cor. 4:7)

We believe God created man after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness and holiness, and entered into a covenant of life with him upon the sole condition of obedience: so that it was by willfully sinning against God that man fell into the sin and misery in which we have been born. (Gen. 1:26; 2:7 ; Gen. 6:5; Psa 51:5; Jer 17:9; Rom. 3:12,23; 5:12,19; 1 Cor. 15:22; Eph. 2:1-2 )

We believe, that, being fallen in Adam, our first father, we are by nature children of wrath, under the condemnation of God and corrupted in body and soul, having a will which is in bondage to sin, prone to evil and liable to eternal death; from which dreadful state we cannot be delivered except through the unmerited grace of God our Savior. ( Rom. 5, 6:23, 8; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:1-9 )

We believe that God has not left the world to perish in its sin, but out of His great love, has from all eternity graciously chosen unto Himself a multitude of sinners which no man can number, not due to anything existing or foreseen in the creature but only according to His eternal and immutable purpose and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, to deliver them out of their sin and misery, and of them to build up again in the world His kingdom of righteousness. (Matt. 22:14; 24:22,31; Jn. 6:37-66; 13:18; 15:16; 17:6-24; Acts 13:38; 22:14; Rom. 8-9; 11:5-10; 1 Cor 1:24-31; Eph. 1:4-11; Eph. 2:5,12; 1 Th 1:4-5; 5:9; 2 Th 2:13-14; 2 Tim 1:9; 2:10; 1 Pet. 1:1-3; 2:8-10; Rev. 17:14)

We believe that God has redeemed his elect unto Himself through Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son and our Lord; who though He was equal with God, humbled Himself, being made in the likeness of man; and as the perfect God-man He bore the penalty due to our sins in His own body on the cross, exchanging our sin for His righteousness and now presents us to His Father as His possession, declared righteous and holy through His shed blood, to the praise and glory of His grace forever: renouncing all merit of our own, we put all our trust only in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ our God and our Redeemer. (Matt. 1:21; 11:27; 20:28; Jn 5:21; 10:11-16, 25-28; 11:50-53; Rom. 3:26-28; 4:5-8; 5:1-17; 8:32-33; 10:9-10; Gal. 3:11; 5:5; Eph. 1:3-9; Eph 5:25; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 9:15; Rev 5:9)

We believe that Jesus Christ our redeemer, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, lived a perfect holy life fulfilling all righteousness, died for our sins, was raised again from the dead for our justification, and ascended into the heavens, where He sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty, continually making intercession for His people, and governing the whole world as head over all things for His Church. (Matt 1:20; Rom. 4:25; Eph. 1:20-23; 1 Cor. 15:1-8, 27; Heb. 7:25)

We believe that the redemption purchased by Jesus Christ is effectually applied by the Holy Spirit, who after raising us to life (New Birth) works faith and repentance in us and unites us to Christ, and renews us in the whole man after the image of God, and enables us more and more to die to sin and live unto righteousness. (Ezek 36:26; Jn 1:12-13; 3:3; 5:21; 6:63; Acts 16:14; 18:27; Rom. 6:1-23; 8:9-14; Gal. 5:16-24; Eph 2:1-10; Phil 1:6, 29; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 1:1-3; 1 Jn 5:1, 20)

We believe that having been effectually called, regenerated, and declared righteous by God for Christ’s sake, it is required that we walk by faith in the power of the Spirit who is at work in us to will and to act according to His good purpose. We believe it is the goal of the Holy Spirit to conform us to the image of Christ until we attain to the knowledge of the Son of God, to full maturity, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. We believe God has given us all the means necessary in our pursuit of holiness and mortification of sin. The means God has ordained for our sanctification are as follows: the diligent study of God’s Word; fervent prayer; worship and fellowship with God’s people; godly leaders who will instruct us and hold us accountable. (Rom. 8:29-30; 2 Cor. 5:7; Gal 2:20; 5:16; Eph 2:11-15; 6:18; 1 Thess. 5:17; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:15-17; Col. 4:2; Heb.10:24-25; 12:14)

We believe that God has established His Church, the Body of Christ, made up of many members who all have unique spiritual gifts and abilities to build up the Body. We further believe that the true church is comprised only of those persons who give evidence of a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ based solely on faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ’s finished work of atonement alone, as revealed in the Scriptures, and that there is no other way whereby we must be saved. We believe that all persons who have been sovereignly regenerated by the Holy Spirit will be in the process of relinquishing total control to Christ as Lord of their lives and will be growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ as they are being conformed more and more to the moral likeness of Christ. We believe that any and all other religions, sects, cults or movements that do not ascribe to the essentials of the faith as revealed in the Bible and contained in this Statement of Faith are false and contrary to the Word of God although the individuals of said groups remain those whom we are called to evangelize. These essentials include: the persons and work of the triune Godhead; the deity of Jesus Christ and His incarnation in the flesh; His vicarious and substitutionary death on the cross for sinners; the absolute requirement of faith in the completed work of Christ, and Him only, plus nothing else, for salvation; the work of the Holy Spirit in conjunction with the believer in the process of sanctification and the future return of Christ for His bride, the church. We believe God has ordained that men be set apart as Elders (Pastors), to lead the Church through the ministry of the Word and Prayer, and as Deacons (Servants), to care for the needs of the Church through the ministry of mercy, helps, and giving. We believe God has ordained only two ordinances to be administered in the church:
1. Baptism: A believer’s public declaration of faith union with Christ, both in His death and His resurrection to newness of life, thus immersion in water being the proper mode to depict such a union.
2. The Lord’s Supper: A remembrance of the Death and Resurrection of our Lord until He comes again.
(Rom 12:4-8; 1 Cor.12; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 3; Titus 1)

We believe that as Jesus Christ has once come in grace, so also is He to come a second time in glory, to judge the world in righteousness and assign to each his eternal reward: and we believe that if we die in Christ, our souls shall be, at death, immediately made perfect in holiness and go home to the Lord, awaiting a resurrected body to be given us at the Lord’s return when we shall be raised in glory and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity. (Matt. 24; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor 15; 1 Thess 4:13-18; 2 Thess 2; Jude; Rev.)

We believe that it is the duty and privilege of every true believer and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all peoples of all nations. We believe that, at regeneration, the Holy Spirit births, in the hearts of His children, a love for others and a sincere recognition of the absolute necessity of regeneration in salvation as it is expressly and repeatedly taught in Scripture. As we believe that Christ has commanded the preaching of the Gospel to all nations, we also believe that it is incumbent upon every child of God to constantly seek to witness to the lost by a consistent Christian lifestyle, a bold verbal testimony and any and all other such methods as may be in harmony with Scripture. (Gen. 12:1-3; Ex. 19:5-6; Is. 6:1-8; Mt. 9:37-38; 10:5-15; 13:18-30, 37-43; 22:9-10; 24:14; 28:18-20; Lk. 10:1-18; 24:46-53; Jn. 14:11-12; 15:7-8,16; 17:15; 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2; 8:26-40; 10:42-48; 13:2-3; Romans 10:13-15;Eph. 3:1-11; 1 Th. 1:8; 2 Tim. 4:5; Heb. 2:1-3; 11:39-12:2; 1 Pt. 2:4-10; Rev. 22:17)

We believe that God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. We believe that Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions and are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer’s cause on earth. (Gen. 14:20; Lev. 27:30-32; Dt. 8:18; Mal. 3:8-12; Mt. 6:1-4,19-21; 19:21; 23:23; 25:14-29; Lk. 12:16-21,42; 16:1-13; Acts 2:44-47; 5:1-11; 17:24-25; 20:35; Rom.6:6-22; 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 4:1-2; 6:19-20; 12; 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8-9; 12:15; Phil. 4:10-19; 1 Pt. 1:18-19)

We believe that God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom, no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. We believe the church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work as the gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power. (Gen. 1:27; 2:7; Mt. 6:6-7,24; 16:26; 22:21; Jn. 8:36; Acts 4:19-20; Rom. 6:1-2; 13:1-7; Gal. 5:1,13; Phil. 3:20; 1 Tim. 2:1-2; James 4:12; 1 Pt. 2:12-17; 3:11-17; 4:12-19)

We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society and it is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. We believe that marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman, in marriage, the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. Any sexual relationship between any persons outside of the context of biblically defined marriage is sinful. We believe that, in the relationship of biblical marriage, the husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people such that a husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her own husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God, as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation. We believe that children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage and are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents. (Genesis 1:26-28;2:15-25; 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 127; 128; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15,17;31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 18:2-5; 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8,14; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7)

We believe that all Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in their own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose all things contrary to the letter and the spirit of the word of God including, but not limited to, racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We believe that all believers should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring the Word of God to bear upon the conscience of industry, government, and society as a whole. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth as revealed in the Scriptures. (Ex. 20:3-17; Lev. 6:2-5; Dt. 10:12; 27:17; Ps. 101:5; Mic. 6:8; Zech. 8:16;Mt. 5:13-16,43-48; 22:36-40; 25:35; Mk. 1:29-34; 2:3ff.; 10:21; Luke 4:18-21; 10:27-37; 20:25; Jn. 15:12; 17:15; Rom. 12–14; 1 Cor. 5:9-10; 6:1-7; 7:20-24; 10:23-11:1; Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 6:5-9; Col. 3:12-17; 1 Th. 3:12; Phil.;James 1:27; 2:8)

Approved by unanimous consent of the Elders, October 8,2007.