What We Teach…
We believe that God’s Word is sufficient and fully authoritative for all of life.
The gospel is the power of God for salvation. Soli Deo Gloria!
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:16-17
The Holy Scriptures
The Bible, both the Old and New Testaments in its entirety, is the infallible, inerrant, and inspired Word of God; it is divine revelation that conveys the full weight of God’s authority by which we grow to maturity –
(2 Tim 3:16). The bible doesn’t merely contain the word of God (as some would say), but all 66 canonical books are indeed the Word of God. God’s Word is eternal (Psalm 119:89) and alive and powerful, able to discern and reveal the heart of man. (Hebrews 4:11-12).
The Trinity
Within the Godhead, Elohim is One in essence, eternally existing in three persons distinct yet fully divine, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; these three are the One true eternal God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. (Gal 3:20, Col 2:9 & 2 Cor 3:13:14)
God The Father
God is Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being and nature. He is the creator of heaven and earth and all things are upheld (sustained) by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent (John 4:24).
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is absolutely God and absolutely man, having two natures inseparably united in one divine person without confusion, mixture, or division. Each nature retains its own attributes. In the incarnation, Jesus is the Messiah and was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a perfect life among us, was crucified, dead, and buried, rose on the third day, ascended to heaven and is now making intercession for His church, and will come again in glory and judgment. He is the only Mediator between God and man. (John 1:1- 4, 1Tim 2:5)
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is of one substance with the Father and the Son. He eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son, and He dwells in the hearts of believers, producing their regeneration and operating in their sanctification cooperatively. (John 3:5-6 , Titus 3:4-7, 2 Peter 1:5)
Man
After God made the other creatures, He created man, both male and female, in His own image, but because Adam sinned and woefully fell in his responsibility, he and his posterity entered into a state of moral corruption and moral inability and became estranged from their Creator, thus deserving death as wage for sin. Gen 1:31, Rom 5:12-21
Atonement
Because all have sinned (Romans 3:23-24) atonement must be made in order for man to be reconciled to the Father. Jesus Christ once for all made a complete atonement for His people through His substitutionary death on the cross. Salvation is the gift of God by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8). This is the greatest act of love in all of human history as Christ imputed His righteousness upon all would believe in Him and secured their redemption once for all. Eternal life is for all who repent of their sin and trust in Jesus the Messiah alone for salvation. (2 Cor 5:21).
The Church
The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local congregation (Ephesians 2:19-22) of baptized believers, associated by covenant in faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ (Baptism and communion), governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, discipline and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Every local church (assembly/congregation) is a part of the larger church (body of Christ) everywhere for all time.
The Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit has gifts to bestow upon Christians (1 Corinthians 12:1-11), and that we should exhibit and mature spiritual fruit as evidence of a Spirit-filled life. (Galatians 5:22-25).
The Spirit-filled Life
We believe and teach that it is the will of God that we daily walk in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30-32). The Spirit-filled life is one in which the power of the Holy Spirit (not a force or impersonal energy), as He works in us a life of personal holiness and devotion to Christ. Additionally, He empowers us to bold witness and gospel proclamation (Acts 1:8).
Biblical Statement on Marriage, Sexuality and Gender:
We believe and teach that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of the church. The church is to be a community of love consisting of regenerate believers who trust in Christ Jesus alone for their salvation (Roman 3:26). The church is a family of brothers and sisters united in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit displaying edifying relationships of Christlikeness through the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23; Rom 12:10; 1 Tim 5:1-2; 1 Cor 12:12-13). All stations in life including both celibacy and singleness are to be celebrated and affirmed within the church family.
We affirm and teach that as believers’ marriages are to illustrate Christ’s relationship with His church, believers should choose to marry those who share their faith and regenerate life (2 Cor. 6:14).
We affirm and teach that the term “marriage” has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in scripture (Gen. 2:23–24).
God created human beings distinctly as male and female (Gen1:27). The distinct and relational nature of the human race as “male and female” is based on the created order given by God when He created humanity “in His image” (Gen 1:26-27;5:1-3; 9:6; 1Cor 11:7; James 3:9; 2Cor 3:18; Eph 4:23-24; Col 3:10), and these establish a normative connection between biological sex and gender. The created distinctness and relational nature also establishes the basis for the marital relationship as being between one man and one woman (Gen 2:23-24; Eph 5:21-23).
The Bible affirms two options or giftings for sexual expression: monogamous marital relations between one and one woman (Gen 1:27-28; 2:18,21-24; Mt 19:4-6; Mk 10:5-8; Heb 13:4; Eph 5:22; 1 Tim 3:2, 3:12), or sexual celibacy if one is not in a marital monogamous marital relationship between one man and one woman (1 Cor7:7; Mt. 19:12).
Only weddings that fit the above description of marriage will be performed on the location(s) and premises and/or by church clergy.
The Final Judgment
We believe every person will one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive eternal life or death (Revelation 20:11-15; Hebrews 9:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10).