Statement of Faith
The Bible
We believe the Scriptures to be infallible and inerrant, meaning without contradiction or error, and was originally authored in both Hebrew and Greek. We believe God has preserved and delivered to us the 66 Books of the Bible.
We believe that the Scriptures we possess are the divine Words of God. The Scriptures were breathed out by the Holy Spirit through men which were chosen by God to communicate His Words to mankind. The Scripture is God’s appointed means through which He has chosen to reveal His character, attributes, commands, and plan of redemption to us. We believe that Jesus Christ viewed the Scriptures as completely infallible, inerrant, and quoted the Old Testament regularly as authoritative divine revelation.
(John 6:63, 2 Peter 1:19-21, Isaiah 40:8, 2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 19:7, Psalm 12:6, Mathew 19:4-6)
We believe the Scriptures are the means through which we come to know God and the means through which we are sanctified.
(2 Timothy 3:15, Romans 10:17, John 17:17)
We therefore believe that the Scriptures alone are our only rule of authority for all things, only basis of truth about God and man, and only rule for governing the lifestyle we live.
The Trinity
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
(Deuteronomy 4:39, Luke 9:34-36, Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark 12:29)
We Believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
(Psalm 45:6-7, Psalm 102:25-27, John 1:1, John 1:9, Colossians 1:16, Heb 1:8-13)
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. (Titus 3:4-7, 2 Peter 1:19-21, 2 Samuel 23:2, Isaiah 61:1)
We believe the three distinct persons of the God-head are in perfect unity fulfilling distinct roles in the all wise counsel of Almighty God.
Creation
We believe that God created the world and living things by His Word in six literal twenty four hour days, between six and seven thousand years ago. (Approximately 4000 years before the coming of Jesus Christ) He created mankind alone in His image. (Genesis 1, Exodus 20:11)
We believe that the creation was exceptionally good and without sin in its original state. We believe that Eve being deceived by the Serpent of Old, that is the devil, ate the fruit of the tree which God commanded them not to eat. We believe she gave the fruit to Adam, and he also knowingly transgressed God’s command by eating the fruit, this brought sin into the world. We believe that because of this original sin that sin spread to all men through Adam as a representative head of all mankind. Death is the result of sin. Because of this original sin we believe every person is born with a sinful nature being under the bondage of sin. We believe that all created things suffer under the curse of sin.
(Genesis 1:31, 1 Tim. 2:13-14, Romans 5:12-14, Romans 8:20-22, Genesis 3:17-19)
We believe that the curse of sin can only be removed through the substitutionary atoning work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. (Galatians 3:13)
We believe that all sin deserves the wrath and punishment of God…
Salvation and Justification
We believe that the salvation of man by God is totally a work of God, and no part can be attributed to a work of man. We believe man is totally incapable of seeking God on His own power, strength, or will. This ability being lost in the original sin and sinful nature inherited by all men from Adam. (Isaiah 64:7, John 1:12-13, Ephesians 2:1,8, Romans 3:10-11)
We believe that salvation originates in the eternal purpose and grace of God the Father to predestine individuals for salvation. These individuals are given to Jesus Christ by the Father according to His purpose in election. Justification is God regarding these individuals as if they have never sinned and granting them righteousness. This is based on the vicarious life and death of Jesus Christ imputed to their account. We believe that God chose to save His Elect people from their sins because of His own particular desire, love, and mercy for them individually and based on nothing naturally present in them.
(John 6:37,44,65, 2 Timothy 1:9, Ephesians 1:4-6 & 2:4-5, 2 Corinthians 5:21)
We believe that Jesus Christ is the merit and source of salvation by virtue of His fulfillment of the demands of the Law of God and Suffering as a substitutionary atoning sacrifice for sinners on the cross. This perfect work of Jesus Christ is imputed to the saints as righteousness. All men are under a curse due to breaking the Law of God, and that curse can only be removed by Jesus as a mediator to God on man’s behalf. Not only is the curse removed, but God is now pleased with and loves communion with those who are justified by Christ. (Galatians 3:10-13, Romans 3:21-26, 1 Peter 3:18, 2 Corinthians 5:17)
We believe that the Holy Spirit works to change a sinner’s heart from being dead in sin to being alive in Jesus Christ. We see the Work of the Holy Spirit to make men capable of believing in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit regenerates sinners and this is experienced in their lives by bearing fruit and fellowship with God. We believe that all three members of the Trinity play a particular role in Salvation.
We believe that Jesus suffered under the wrath of God, that wrath being poured out on Him as a substitute for our sin, and that we are therefore saved from the wrath of God past, present, and future by the one blood sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.
We believe one benefit we enjoy based on Jesus Christ’s literal, physical, bodily resurrection of the dead, is that we enjoy freedom in Christ from the penalty, pleasure, and slavery to sin. We believe as Christians we are now made slaves of Jesus Christ and delight to obey Him because of that change of nature called regeneration. We believe this to be the true definition of Christian Liberty. We are now free, at liberty, to serve and love the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe that salvation is by faith and that faith is the gift of God which He implants in each of His elect at the time of regeneration. Salvation involves faith and repentance; both graces are given by God and do not originate with man nor is man able to produce them himself. Faith and Repentance are exercised by Christians throughout their lives.
Sanctification
Sanctification properly means purification, holiness, or to be set apart by Gods gracious influence in the Christian’s life. We believe that all people who are saved, that is justified, by Jesus Christ have been, are continually being, and will be sanctified. We believe the goal of sanctification is to bring Glory to God by holiness of thought and conduct.
We believe that there are two primary and distinct branches of sanctification doctrine taught by Scripture. The first is definite or definitive sanctification. The second is progressive or ongoing sanctification.
In definitive sanctification, we believe this totally a work of God where he categorically sets us apart to Himself and His Will. In a sense, prior to salvation we were set apart to the world, sin, and the devil. God’s work to save us involves Him categorically setting us apart to a life of holiness for Himself. This branch of sanctification is a change of life from being a slave of sin to a slave of righteousness with a new nature. We believe that as surely as a person is justified and saved from the penalty, punishment, and power of sin, they will also be definitely sanctified and changed from their nature as living in sin, unto living in submissive obedience to Christ Jesus. (1 Corinthians 1:2, 30, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Hebrews 10:10, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Luke 1:74-75)
In progressive sanctification, we believe that because of the definite act of God to sanctify the Christian, there will be visible and observable actions in their life, practice, and conversation of life. This will grow by steps and degrees. Here a little, there a little. Sometimes the Christian will grow rapidly other times more slowly. We believe this sanctification process will grow further and in greater degrees resulting in our lives becoming more like Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit is chiefly at work to bring this about in our lives through the Scriptures. This will be ongoing for their entire life of a Christian after being saved. We believe that God disciplines, trains, corrects, and rebukes Christians to transform them more and more into submissive and obedient saints reflecting His Glory in their lives. We believe that this results in actual changes of life that are contrary to worldliness and sin and are very agreeable to the patterns of conduct described of saints in the Scriptures. We believe that the Lord chastens those whom He loves for their faults and sins.
(Revelation 2:19, Ecclesiastes 7:8, Romans 6:5-6, Romans 6:18, 1 Corinthians 6:20, Hebrews 12:6)
We believe that although the work of sanctification is definitely and progressively active in the life of the elect, that the Christian will never be fully without the influence of sin in their life. We believe that Christians are capable of and do commit sin. We believe that God actively works to cleanse, teach, train, and correct them for these faults. We believe that great progress will be made in gospel obedience to Christ, however the Christian is never fully without sin. We deny the heresy of any form known as sinlessness, or sinless perfection in this life. We believe a mature Christian will have a humble mind, low opinion of themselves, a recognition of their not having yet attained to that perfect state, and they are ever pressing forward to put off the old man and put on the new man.
(1 Corinthians 11:32, Galatians 5:17, 6:1, Philippians 3:12-16, Hebrews 12:3-11)
Last Things
We believe in the physical return of Christ and the bodily resurrection of the dead. At the last judgement those who have believed in Christ and have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter into their eternal reward and those that have not believed or received the love of the truth, to eternal damnation. We believe that hell is literal and physical. We believe Satan and the demons will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
We also believe the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 to be a good general summary of doctrine and believe its content so far as it is agreeable to Scripture. We recognize there are and will be minor differences in understanding to the above written statements and only Scripture is without error.