STATEMENT OF FAITH

(see also the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith)


1. Scriptures:
 We believe the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God. These scriptures are verbally inspired by God and are infallible and inerrant in their entirety in the original manuscripts. These same scriptures are to be the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct. (II Timothy 3:16,17; II Peter 1:19-21; Psalm 119:105; Revelation 22:18,19)

2. The Trinity:
 We believe that there is one God eternally existent in three distinct Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each Person of the Godhead has all the attributes of God and they are equal. (Matthew 28:19; John 17:22; II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:16-26)

3. God the Father:
 We believe in God the Father, an infinite personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself with the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer and that He saves from sin and death all who come to him through Jesus Christ. (Psalm 99:9; Isaiah 57:15; Matthew 10:29; I Peter 1:15,16; Psalm 9:2; Malachi 3:6)

4. Jesus Christ:
 We believe in the Deity of Jesus Christ, The Son of the living God, that He is fully God and fully man. We believe in His virgin birth, His miracles, His sinless life, His substitutionary atoning death (through His shed blood), bodily resurrection, ascension to the right hand of the Father, perpetual intercession for His people and His personal visible glorious return to earth. (I Corinthians 15:3,4; Acts 1:11; John 1:14; Matthew 1:20,21; John 1:1-14; Acts 4:8-12; Romans 4:21-24)

5. The Holy Spirit:
 We believe that the Holy Spirit is invested with the power to convict of sin, righteousness and judgment; and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ. He is the source of all spiritual power and is an abiding helper, teacher and guide. We believe that the Spirit has come to make known the things of God and glorify Jesus Christ, not Himself. (John 14:26; Ephesians 5:18; John 16:7-15; II Corinthians 13:14)

6. Man:
 We believe that man was created in the image of God, but fell from his original state through his disobedience to God. All succeeding members of the human race are sinners by nature and by choice. These are alienated from God through the guilt of sin and are unable to save themselves. (Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12; Genesis 1:26,27)

7. Salvation:

a. Regeneration  We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. (John 3:3; II Corinthians 5:17; John 3:8)

b. Justification  This is the legal act of God whereby He declares a person righteous by the shed blood of Christ. A man is justified apart from works by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1; Romans 5:9, Romans 3:26; Romans 5:12-21; Ephesians 2:8,9)

c. Sanctification  After a person is regenerated, he is further sanctified by the Word of God, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and other means of grace. Through the strength of the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the believer grows in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (Romans 6:19; Romans 6:22; Philippians 1:6)

d. Glorification  We believe the believer will be finally and totally freed from the presence and power of sin at the second coming of Jesus Christ, after which he shall stand spotless before the throne of God. (Romans 8:30; Jude 24)

8. The Church:
 The Church consists of the whole number of elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ, who is the Head thereof. The gathering of the believers is for the purpose of the worship of God, edification of the saints, administering of the holy sacraments and for the spreading of the Good News of God throughout the world. (Colossians 1:18; Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:14-22; Ephesians 5:22-33)

9. Sacraments:

a. Baptism  Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ to be to the believer a sign and seal of the covenant of grace signifying his identification in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection to the newness of life, and his covenant relation to the body of Christ. (Matthew 28:19,20; Acts 2:41)

b. Lord’s Supper  The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament of the New Testament instituted by Jesus Christ which proclaims the Lord’s death until He returns, and is a means of the grace whereby the believer confronts the reality of the finished work of Christ by partaking of the elements, being the bread symbolizing the broken body and the cup symbolizing the blood of Jesus. (Matthew 26:26-28; I Corinthians 11:23-27)

10.Satan:
 We believe that Satan is a person, not an influence. He is a fallen angel, the instigator of the fall of man, the god of this age, but that he is a defeated foe and that his destiny is eternal punishment. Although Satan is a defeated foe ultimately, he is presently the great deceiver and powerful enemy of the believers, using many means to achieve his ends. (Ephesians 2:2; Hebrews 2:14; Genesis 3:1-7; II Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12)

11. The Future:
 We believe in the personal, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead. The condition of the saved is conscious bliss. They will forever be with the Lord. The condition of the unsaved in the eternal state is conscious torment. They are forever separated from the presence and power of the Lord. God has appointed a day wherein He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ. (Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:17; Matthew 25:41; Acts 17:31)

12. The Intermediate State:
 The state of the unsaved in the time between their death and resurrection is conscious torment. The state of the saved in the time between their death and resurrection is conscious bliss. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. (Luke 16:23; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; Mark 9:2-4)