- In essential beliefs, we have unity.
- In non-essential beliefs, we have liberty.
- In all our beliefs, we show charity.
THE BIBLE
The Bible is God's inerrant Word to us, infallible as originally given by God through human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, and is absolutely true and trustworthy. Since God's Word is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, we accept the Bible as our manual for living. Our first question when faced with a decision is, "What does the Bible say?" We practice daily Bible reading, Bible study, and Bible memorization. It is our only standard of faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; Psalm 119)
GOD
There is one true and living God. God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He is infinite, eternal, unchangeable, and is revealed to us as the Godhead existent in three co-equal, co-eternal, and co-substantial Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:3-6, 13-14, 4:6; Matthew 28:19; Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; Genesis 3:22; Philippians 2:5-6; John 1:1, 3, 14, 18; Isaiah 9:6)
THE FATHER
The first Person of the Trinity, who orders and disposes of all things according to His own purpose and grace and who continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events for His own glory. Fatherhood denotes spiritual relationship: first, within the Trinity; second, toward humanity, creatively in relation to all people, but spiritually only in relation to those who have been saved by His grace from their sin and come to Him through Jesus Christ. (James 1:17)
THE SON
Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross, rose from the dead to provide justification for every believer, ascended to the right hand of God where He presently intercedes for all believers, and will again, in the fullness of the Father's time, return in visible, triumphant, and personal form to overthrow sin, judge the world, and establish His kingdom on earth. (John 1:14)
THE SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is sent from God to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, cleanse, and secure from sin. He lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily. (John 14:16-17, 16:8, 13)
MAN, SIN AND SATAN
People are created in innocence directly and immediately by God, in His spiritual image, to be like Him in character for the purpose of fellowship with Him. Thus, humanity is the supreme object of God's creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, but all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin" which separates us from God. Humanity was tempted by Satan and sinned, and because of this all of humanity has been born in sin since that time. Every person has a tremendous potential for good, but all are marred by a nature of rebellion and disobedience toward God which the Bible calls sin. Sin separates us from God, others, and all good things ultimately and eternally in hell. All persons need to be saved from their sin.
SALVATION
God has acted in Jesus Christ to deliver us from sin. Jesus Christ is the only Savior from sin. He provided forgiveness and atonement for our sins by shedding His blood on the cross, and rose again to provide life and justification. Apart from Christ, there is no salvation. All of humanity is under condemnation through personal sin, and deliverance from condemnation comes only by the righteousness of Christ and not human merit. This righteousness is credited to the believer by grace through faith. The Holy Spirit regenerates or gives new life to one who commits his life to Jesus, and he is kept by God’s power forever, never to be lost
THE CHURCH
Jesus established the Church to continue His mission and ministry on earth. Thus, Christ is the recognized head of our church, not any person, group, or religious organization. A New Testament church is a voluntary association of baptized believers in Christ who have covenanted together to follow the teachings of the New Testament in doctrine, worship and practice. We believe every local church should be self-governing and independent from any denominational control.
THE PRIESTHOOD OF EVERY BELIEVER
The Bible teaches that every Christian is called to “full time” Christian service, regardless of his or her vocation. We practice the truth that every believer is a minister by encouraging every member to find a place of service and ministry. Every believer has direct access to God through prayer and Bible reading. (Rev. 1:6; 1 Pet. 2:9)
SPIRIT-LEAD LIVING
We believe the only possible way to live the Christian life is by God’s power within us. So we seek to practice a daily dependence on God’s Spirit to enable us to do what is right. (Phil. 2:13; Eph. 5:18; John 15:5)
TELLING OTHERS ABOUT CHRIST
It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News with those God brings us into contact with. We practice personal sharing about Christ and inviting friends to join us. (1 Peter 3:15)
ETERNAL SECURITY
Since God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security. (John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10,14; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
DEATH, RESURRECTION AND LAST THINGS
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. Jesus Christ will return and God’s plan for eternity will be carried out. We believe in the imminent and bodily return of Jesus Christ to the earth. All of humanity will be bodily resurrected and will face judgment before God; the saved to the eternal state of glory with God, but the lost into eternal punishment and outer darkness prepared for the devil and his angels. Physical death involves no loss of consciousness but the soul of the redeemed passes immediately into the presence of Christ and there is separation of soul and body until the first resurrection when the spirit, soul, and resurrected body will be reunited in glorified form in heaven forever. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.