Our Beliefs

The Holy Scriptures

We teach the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and that they compose the entire Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed; and therefore, are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21) God’s word is perfectly preserved in the surviving manuscripts available today, so that not a single jot nor tittle has been lost as Jesus promised (Matt. 5:18; Deut. 8:3; 1 Pet. 1:25). God has promised that His word will endure forever (Isa. 40:8; Ps. 119:160). There is no singular manuscript family, compiled text or translation that can be considered the only preserved Word of God. Furthermore, If a Bible translation faithfully represents the words of the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts, it is the authoritative word of God (Luk. 4:20-21; 2 Tim 3:15-16).

For a further in-depth study on inspiration, preservation and translation of Scripture, see these articles written by Pastor Dudding:

Understanding Biblical Inspiration

God's Promises Concerning Preservation

Providentially Preserved Manuscripts

Understanding Printed Greek Texts

The Necessity of Translation

Bible Versions - Their Differences and Solutions

The Godhead

We teach that there is one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each coeternal in being, coidentical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:10, 26)

The Person and Work of Christ

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; II Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8)

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5)

We teach that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministries of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2)

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

We teach that the Holy Spirit is a Person Who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14)

We teach that He is the Divine Teacher Who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 1:17-18; 5:18; I John 2:20, 27)

We teach that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12)

We teach that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (I Corinthians 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22)

The Fallen Nature of Man

We teach that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became at enmity with God; and, that all men are sinners by birth and by choice, and left to themselves, utterly unable to remedy their lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19)

Salvation

Salvation has always been by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone apart from any human works or efforts (Eph. 2:8-9). The source of salvation is in the ﬁ nished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and that salvation is available for all men (Rom 3:24-25; John 3:16-17). All men are called to believe in Christ for salvation, but only those who believe and repent will be granted salvation (Matt.11:28; 22:14, Acts 20:21). From man’s perspective, all of the components of salvation appear to be laid-out over a period of time, but from God’s perspective all of it is already done.

Conversion: All whom God has elected are effectually called by God, and the elect freely answer by believing in Christ as their Lord and Savior and choose to repent of sin (Rom 8:30, 9:11). Repentance is changing of one’s mind about his sin, which causes a change in attitude and action (1 Thes. 1:9). All who believe in Christ and repent are regenerated by the Spirit of God to be His sons and daughters (John 1: 13; 3:3-7; 1 John 5:1).

Adoption: The term adoption refers to the believer receiving all the rights and beneﬁts of sonship as joint heirs with Jesus (Rom. 8:15-17). This relationship begins at salvation (Gal 4:5; Eph. 1:5) and comes to full beneﬁt at the believer’s resurrection (Rom. 8:23) when his full inheritance is received.

Foreknowledge: The salvation of the elect began in the foreknowledge of God (I Pet. 1:2). This is not merely prescience, but rather a pre-determined, loving, intimate, saving relationship that God has with His people. God’s foreknowledge is the basis of their election (Rom. 8:29-30; Deut. 7:7-8).

Election and Predestination: Before the foundation of the world, God chose a people for Himself unto holiness for the praise of His glory, all of whom will be saved (Eph. 1:4-5; Rom. 8:30). All whom God has elected are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ and to come into the full standing of their adoption (Rom. 8:23). The purpose of predestination is that His Son might be the ﬁ rst in authority over many brethren (Rom. 8:29). His sovereign choice was not based on any works or foreseen response of the sinner, but purely on His good pleasure in His foreknowledge (Eph. 1:5; Rom. 9:11).

Justiﬁcation: When a person trusts in Christ by faith alone apart from works (Gal. 2:16), he is instantaneously declared righteous in his standing with God, because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to him and counted as the sinner’s own righteousness and God does not count his sins against him. We are legally declared righteous by means of faith in Christ’s merit imputed to us (2Cor. 5:21). It is necessary for Christ’s righteousness to be reckoned to us, because we have none of our own (Rom. 3:24-25). Without Christ’s imputed righteousness, God’s declaration of our righteousness would be unfounded (Prov. 17:15; Phil. 3:9).

Sanctiﬁcation: A believer is sanctiﬁed, which means that he is set apart unto God to be holy. Therefore, the believer is called a saint (1 Cor.1:2). The believer is immediately sanctiﬁed positionally when he is converted, but the rest of his life consists of a progressive sanctiﬁcation, which is a conforming to the image of Christ (I Thes. 4:3; Rom. 8:29). This process takes place in the believer’s life, as he is dependent on the Spirit of God to enable him to reckon himself dead to sin, to mortify the ﬂesh, to yield to the Spirit, to renew his mind and produce the fruit of the Spirit, gradually becoming more holy as God is holy (Rom. 6:6,11,13). The believers full sanctiﬁcation will occur when he receives his glorifed body (Rom. 8:30; 1 Cor. 15:53).

Preservation: All those who are saved are kept by the power of God until the day of redemption so that they can never lose their salvation and their standing in Christ (1 Pet. 1:5; Eph. 4:30; Jude 24). God will continue to work in and through His believers and never forsake them (Phil. 1:6; Rom. 8:39). A true believer cannot apostatize. When someone who has made a profession of faith apostatizes, it is only proof that he was never truly converted (1 John 2:19; Heb. 10:36-37). It is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through evidence of obedience to Christ's commands and the testimony of God’s Word which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (I John 1:5-6,2:3-6; Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

The Church

The church consists of the whole number of believers, that have been, are or shall be gathered into one, under Christ, the Head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fulness of Him Who filleth all in all. (Hebrews 12:23; Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:22-23)

We teach that the local church is the visible expression of Christ's body, which is the espoused bride of Christ, and is solely made up of born-again persons. (I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27)

We teach that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

We teach in the autonomy of the local church, free of any external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4)

We recognize water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; I Corinthians 11:23-26)

The Second Advent of Christ

We teach the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His Church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel. (Psalm 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-11; I Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)

The Eternal State

We teach the bodily resurrection of all men—the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13)

We teach that the souls of the redeemed are at death absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6)

We teach that the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection when, with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)

This doctrinal statement does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe.