What We Believe
WE BELIEVE
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The Scriptures are inspired of God, authoritative, and without error. They are to be interpreted in a normal literal way, and are understood under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
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One God eternally exists in three equal persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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God the Father sovereignly orders and directs all things and all the affairs of men according to His own purpose, pleasure, glory and grace. This includes hearing/answering prayers and saving from sin/death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
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God the Son (Jesus Christ) took on flesh, begotten of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, and is fully God and fully man.
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Jesus Christ died for our sins as our substitute, and declares righteous all who believe on the basis of that shed blood.
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Jesus Christ rose again in bodily form, ascended to heaven, and is presently serving there as High Priest, Intercessor and Advocate on our behalf with God the Father.
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Jesus Christ will someday return (personal and bodily visible) to earth in the glory of His Father.
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The Holy Spirit is fully God with all His attributes. He does the following: convicts the world of sin/righteousness/judgment, regenerates/seals/sets apart/baptizes/indwells believers, and distributes to them spiritual gifts as He wills.
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Man was created in God’s image, but sin brought both physical and spiritual death to the entire human race. All humans are born with and live according to that sinful nature, and are absolutely sinful apart from divine grace.
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Whoever places his trust in Jesus Christ as Savior becomes a child of God, and this salvation is not the result of any human effort or merit.
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All true believers are kept eternally secure by God’s power through spiritual birth, sealing/indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Jesus Christ.
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Although all true believers still possess a sinful nature, God’s full provision – through identification with Jesus Christ, personal knowledge and application of Scripture, and the Holy Spirit’s indwelling power – gives them the resources to overcome this sinful nature and live for God.
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All humans will be bodily resurrected. Believers unto eternal joy and life in the presence of God, unbelievers unto eternal judgment and suffering apart from God.
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Satan is a fallen angel who attempts to defeat Christians, but they can overcome these schemes through the power of the Holy Spirit and application of Scriptural truth.
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Jesus Christ will return for His church imminently and physically, at which time all of its members – living or dead – will be caught up to be with the Lord forever.
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The church as a whole is the body of Christ, comprised of all believers from the day of Pentecost until it is caught up to be with the Lord. Local churches are a visible expression of Christ comprised of an assembly of believers, and they exercise God-given authority to do the following until they are caught up by Jesus Christ: ordain elders/deacons/missionaries, practice Biblical discipline, administer ordinances of water baptism and the Lord’s supper.
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The church’s purposes are to worship and glorify God, build up its members, and make the offer of salvation known to the whole world by fulfilling the command to believers to communicate God’s reconciliation of unbelievers to Himself through Jesus Christ.
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All believers are to give attention to becoming spiritually mature in order to function effectively in the local body and to grow in faith, hope, and love.
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God made both man and woman in the image of God. Man and woman were distinctly made for one another in all of created order, and God designed and ordained marriage to be only between one man and one woman. There is no distinction between male and female pertaining to the possibility of salvation and heirship in Jesus Christ. There is, however, distinction between male and female pertaining to God’s prescribed order of headship and roles both in relationships and church practice.
To read our entire Doctrinal Statement, including scripture references...