WHAT WE BELIEVE

1.   We believe the Holy Bible consisting of the 66 books that make up the Old and New Testaments constitutes the inspired Word of God.  We would clarify that the Holy Bible is the only written revelation from God to man.  We further believe that the original autographs of Scripture that God gave to man (in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) were inerrant--without any error--and that a careful study and comparison of the manuscript copies we have today make it possible for us to be confident we have a reliable Bible today.

2.   We believe that there is only one God and that this God is the Creator of the entire universe.  We further believe that this God has a unique nature as a Triune God--the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  This Triune God--known as Yahweh in the Old Testament--is eternal, without beginning and without end.  He is perfectly holy and righteous, being defined by His attributes.  Some of these attributes are love, mercy, compassion, and justice; He is all-powerful, and all-knowing.

3.   We believe that this Triune God created man and placed the original couple (Adam and Eve) in the Garden of Eden.  Though they were initially righteous and without sin, through their disobedience they became sinners and gained a sin nature.  We believe this sin nature has been passed down to each and every individual born since Adam and Eve.  The only exception to this is the Lord Jesus Christ, who by His virgin birth was able to take on human form apart from any sin nature.

4.   We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ (the 2nd person of the Trinity) lived a perfect life on earth without ever committing a single sin.  As a result, He was qualified to become a substitutionary sacrifice on man's behalf.  As He died on the cross, He bore the wrath of a holy God against our sin.  His death on the cross was for every human being who has ever lived, but it is only efficacious for those who believe in the Gospel.

5.   We believe that no man--no matter how good he might live or how righteous he might be--can ever be found acceptable by God so as to merit Heaven apart from Christ's saving work.  Thus every man (and woman) needs a Savior, and only Jesus Christ is qualified to be a Savior.

6.   We believe that salvation is "by grace through faith."  Since it is "by grace," there is nothing in man or about man that qualifies Him for salvation.  Grace means that one receives what he in no way deserves!

7.   We believe that the Gospel is the message that one must believe to receive God's salvation.  The core of the Gospel message is that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for sins and rose again.  One is saved when he or she believes (trusts in) Christ alone to be their Savior--recognizing that His work on the cross fully paid for all their sins.

8.   We believe that when a sinner believes in Christ and His saving work on their behalf (trusting in nothing else but Christ alone), they receive a "new birth" and are made a "new creation."  As such, they are eternally forgiven of all their sins--past, present and future.  At the moment of faith, they are baptized into Christ, that is, made one with Him.  God also gives the believer the Holy Spirit as a pledge until he receives his full inheritance from God in the future.  As a new creation, the believer possesses "eternal life"--being able to enjoy spiritual life now (fellowshipping with God) and able to live with God forever after death.

9.   We believe that repentance is not a separate step leading to salvation but is an inherent part of faith itself.  Repentance occurs in a non-Christian when he recognizes who God is and that he stands guilty as a sinner before this holy God while deserving eternal judgment and wrath.  We reject the teaching of what is popularly known as "lordship salvation," knowing that the unregenerate man lacks the power and capability to live righteously.

10.   We believe that salvation, once received, cannot be lost.  When one becomes a Christian through faith in Christ, he has the privilege of knowing he can never lose this salvation.  That is, he has "assurance of salvation."  He did not deserve it in the first place, and he does not retain it by any future effort that might make him deserving of it.  Salvation is a gift from God . . . freely given and divinely secure.

11.   We believe that all those who refuse the offer of the Gospel will be eternally "lost."  At the Great White Throne judgment described in Revelation 20, they will be sentenced to spend eternity in hell.  There is no second chance after death.  We reject the teaching of annihilationism--that the unsaved will simply cease to exist.  They will live for all eternity, only separated from the presence of the living God.

12.   We believe in the resurrection of the body.  The glorious hope of every believer is that Christ--upon His return in glory--will resurrect him (or her) from the grave, giving the believer a new body capable of enduring for all eternity.

13.   We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will return again to earth--physically and in glory--at the end of the age.  This, His Second Coming, will be preceded by a distressful time on earth that the Bible calls the "Great Tribulation."  During this time, a future world ruler (the Antichrist) will arise who will oppose God and seek to lead all those dwelling on earth to worship him and Satan.  This will be a terrible time of persecution for true believers, but will be climaxed by the personal return of Christ to deliver the earth.  Following Christ's return, He will rule on earth for a thousand years (the Millennium).  After the millennial rule of Christ, God will destroy the present heavens and earth, and bring about a new creation in which all believers of all the ages will be able to dwell in His glorious presence forever.

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