Discover the foundational principles that define our faith and guide our spiritual journey. From the profound mystery of the Trinity to the transformative power of salvation, each belief we hold dear is a testament to the richness of our tradition and the depth of our convictions. Explore with an open heart as you dive into the core beliefs that shape our community and inspire our actions.
The Church and Salvation
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We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world for their joy and God’s glory, and, while doing so, to care for the poor and needy, to welcome strangers, and to visit those in prison.
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Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23-25; Matthew 25:31-46.
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We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual, and eternal death, which is separation from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. We believe that God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, that He takes no pleasure in the death of anyone, and that He implores all people to turn from wickedness and live. We believe that those who repent and forsake sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, united to Christ, and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation and receive eternal life so that they may glorify and enjoy their God forever.
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Genesis 1:26; 5:2; Genesis 3; Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Ecclesiastes. 2:11; John 3:14; 5:24; John 5:30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; Romans 9:22; II Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 19:3, 20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:18; Psalm 51:7; Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:14; Romans 3:19; 5:19; Proverbs 28:13; I John 1:9; John 3:16; John 1:13; II Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1; I Timothy 2:3-4; Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:1.
Sacraments and Practices
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We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed by members of the Church and administered by the Elders until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-26.
Foundational Beliefs
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We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, that He exists for the furtherance of His own glory, He concerns Himself mercifully and lovingly in 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.
Luke 10:21,22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; I Timothy 1:1, 2; 2:5, 6; I Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6.
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We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth. We believe that He is the perfect union of two natures, being both fully God and fully man in full perfection.
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Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 8:32; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30, 31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9, 10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; I Timothy 3:16.
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We believe in the Holy Spirit who was sent by the Father and Son to convict the world 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 Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide.
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John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26, 27; John 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26.
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We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.
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Genesis 1:1, 26; John 1:1, 3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19, 20; Ephesians 4:5,6.
Key Doctrines
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We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
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II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20, 21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31, 32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32.
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We believe that God, from all eternity, in order to display the full extent of His glory for the eternal and ever-increasing enjoyment of all who love Him, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His will, freely and unchangeably govern and foreknow whatever comes to pass.
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2 Timothy 1:9; Ephesians 3:11; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8; Romans 11:36; Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14; Isaiah 60:21; 43:7; John 12:27-28; John 17:1; John 17:4; Philippians 2:11; Psalm 37:4; Philippians 4:4; Matthew 25:23; Revelation 21:4; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11; Numbers 23:19; 1Samuel 15:29; Isaiah 46:9-10; Proverbs 16:33; Proverbs 19:21; Isaiah 41:21-23; Isaiah 42:8-9; Genesis 15:13; 40:13,19; Exodus 3:19; Deuteronomy 31:16; Psalm 34:20; Isaiah 44:6-8; 44:24-28; 45:11; 45:20-21; 46:8-11; 48:1-6; Zechariah 12:10; John 6:64; 19:36-37.
We believe that God upholds and governs all things – from galaxies to subatomic particles, from the forces of nature to the movements of nations, and from the public plans of politicians to the secret acts of solitary persons – all in accord with His eternal, all-wise purposes to glorify Himself, yet in such a way that He never sins, nor ever condemns a person unjustly; but that His governing all things is compatible with the moral accountability of all persons created in His image.
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Job 9:7; Isaiah 40:26; Matthew 10:29-30; Colossians 1:16-17; Job 37:6-13; Psalm 147:15-18; Mark 4:39-41; Psalm 33:10-11; Amos 3:6; Lamentations 3:37-38; Genesis 50:20; Revelation 17:16-17; Proverbs 21:1; Proverbs 16:33; Proverbs 20:24; Proverbs 16:9; Psalm 104:24; Romans 16:27; 1 Corinthians 1:21; Deuteronomy 32:4; 1 John 1:5; James 1:13; Romans 3:4; Romans 1:20; Romans 2:11-12; Daniel 4:37; Romans 3:19.
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We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless punishment of those who reject God’s offer of salvation through repentance from sin and faith in the atoning sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.
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Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:15; II Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 4:5; I Corinthians 15; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15.