Our Statement of Faith & Beliefs

There is One True God, revealed in the eternally existent Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 45:5
“I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me…”

Matthew 3:16-17
“When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'”

The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent, self-revealed “I AM,” and has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association, by simultaneously and eternally distinctly existing as Father, Son (Jesus the Christ), and Holy Spirit. (cf. Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29; Isa. 43:10-11, 45:5; Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; John 8:58; Rev. 1:8).

The Holy Scriptures are Inspired and Authoritative

2 Timothy 3:15-17
“…the Holy Scriptures… are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”

The whole of the Holy Bible — no other religious book, nor any newly discovered ancient writing(s) — is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to men, the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and superior to conscience and reason, but not contrary to reason (2 Tim. 3:15, 17; 1 Pet. 1:23-25; Heb. 4:12). Furthermore, we acknowledge the purpose of the scriptures are to continually lead us to and evermore further reveal the Revelation of God, Jesus Christ. The scriptures are not to be worshiped; rather we worship the Author; the One Whom the scriptures reveal.

Salvation of lost and sinful mankind – Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

Hebrews 11:3
“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

In the beginning, God created everything and everything was “good”. Even the original humans, Adam and Eve, were created good and upright, for God said, “Let us make mankind in our image and after our likeness.” However, while they had perfect communion with God, by voluntary transgression (free will), they disobeyed God, severing communion, came under the Curse, and Death came upon all things. From that day forward, the only hope of every person is redemption in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. (Gen. 1:26-31; Gen. 3:17; Ro. 5:12-21)

Deity and Humanity of Jesus Christ

1 Peter 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”

Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, Who loved us a gave Himself for us as a holy offering on the Cross as THE sacrifice for ALL sin. Apart from Jesus’ sacrifice, there is no other sacrifice for sin. Jesus is also the Messiah. God the Father has granted all judgment to Him as Judge of the Living and Dead. It is before Jesus Christ that every person will stand to give an account. (John 1:29; 3:16, Eph 5:1-2, 1 Cor 5, 2 Cor 5, 2 Tim 4:1, 1 Peter 4:5)

Furthermore, we believe in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His present rule as Head of the Church and in His personal return in power and glory

The Salvation of Mankind

Titus 2:11-15
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.”

Conditions of Salvation

The Grace of God, which brings salvation, has appeared to all men, through the preaching of repentance toward God and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe in the present and active ministry of the Holy Spirit, enabling a Christian to live a godly life. Each person is saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, and after being justified by grace, has become an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 2:11; 3:5-7; Ro. 10:13-15; Luke 24:47) and have their name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, having the Hope of Glory – the Hope of resurrection on the Last Day.

Evidences of Salvation

INWARD EVIDENCE (inward peace; desire for good fruit) – The inward evidence to the believer of his/her salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit of Christ (Ro. 8:16), a tangible peace, and a new inward nature. Jesus said that everyone who has an obedient, abiding love-faith relationship with Him will receive the the Father, His Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit; the will come to us and make their home in us; “Christ in us” (cf. John 14:15-24, Col 1:27).

OUTWARD EVIDENCE (outward peace; producing good fruit) – The outward evidence to all men is a noticeable fervent, obedient love-faith relationship with the Lord, an ever-increasing pursuit of holiness, a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and a love for the Word of God (cf. 1 Thess. 4:7, 2 Tim.1:9).

The Church

Ephesians 2:20-22
“…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

The church is the holy Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission.  Each believer is an integral part of the church, and their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (I Thess. 2:4)

Water Baptism

Matthew 29:19-20
Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

A more dynamic translation reads: Jesus said: “I am here speaking with all the authority of God, who has commanded Me to give you this commission: Go out and make disciples in all the nations. Ceremonially wash them through baptism in the name of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then disciple them. Form them in the practices and postures that I have taught you, and show them how to follow the commands I have laid down for you. And I will be with you, day after day, to the end of the age.”

Anyone who truly repents and believes in Christ as their Lord and Savior has the promise of their sins washed away by Jesus’ blood, and this “washing away” is one aspect of what water baptism symbolizes. Water baptism is also a powerful display of the truth that in Christ we have been baptized by the Holy Spirit through faith, buried with Him, and also resurrected with Him to experience a new, regenerated life! Furthermore, water baptism is commanded by Christ and the apostles and is a cornerstone of the Great Commission. Baptism is the means by which believers have always entered the visible church. Water immersion baptism always followed very closely after the conversions in the New Testament. Therefore, we baptize according to Christ’s command when someone comes to believe in Jesus Christ and His bloody sacrifice on the Cross as the only atonement for sins.

To further clarify, being baptized inwardly by the Holy Spirit upon true faith is immediate and independent of the ceremonial baptism by water. This is evidenced clearly by the conversion of Cornelius and his family. (Acts 10). Forgiveness of sins, reconciliation to God the Father (being adopted as sons and daughters of God), the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the gift of Eternal Life are all given when one asks for forgiveness and begins trusting, loving, and serving God through Jesus Christ by grace through faith. He has always been interested in love, faith, and obedience from the heart.

Spiritual Unity of All Believers

Ephesians 4:1-6
“I… beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, with equality across racial, gender, class and nationality, and that we can walk in unity in the essentials while maintaining conscientious distinctions in the non-essentials of the faith. Love never fails!

The Resurrection of the Dead and Blessed Hope of Translation

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the barrenness of damnation. The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ, together with those who are alive and remain unto the Lord, is imminent and is the blessed hope of the church (1 Thess. 4:16; Ro. 6:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Cor. 15:51,52).

John 5:28-29
“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

The Final Judgment and Lake of Fire (Hell)

2 Corinthians 5:9-11
“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well-pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.”

Revelation 20: 11-15
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

John 5: 28-29
“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

The Final Judgment is by Christ Himself of all people ever born, small and great, rich and poor; of every tribe and tongue. For those found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (anyone who believes and follows Jesus), they will not suffer the second death but live forevermore with the Lord in Eternal Life. However, the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, and whosoever is not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life shall be consigned to everlasting punishment in a literal hell, the lake which burns fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Rev. 19:20; 20:10-15). These are those who are cast into outer darkness where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

To further clarify: whom one follows dictates one’s destination. If we follow Christ, we will not die but rather we will live in His presence, in glory, in what He terms as “paradise” (Luke 23:43). If we follow and serve Satan (denying Christ is serving Satan), we will be consigned to the eternal dwelling place of the devil and his rebellious angels, a place of great torment and punishment.

But the good news is that Jesus Christ came to save every single person who believes in Him from eternal torment by forgiving sins, cleansing them from all unrighteousness, and granting them eternal life! God does not delight in anyone perishing, so it is never God’s fault that judgment comes upon a person. It is only a person’s rejection of God’s saving power through the Gospel and “the still small voice of God” in His ongoing work in drawing all to Himself.

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

The New Heavens and New Earth

2 Peter 3:13
“Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

As promised in the Scriptures, every believer looks forward to the new heavens and a new earth wherein righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21). We hold that God’s convenant people (Jew or Gentile – all people who believe in Christ) await one of two events: a) going home to be in the presence of the Lord, and awaiting for Christ’s final return from heaven, or b) witnessing His return, final judgment, and restoration of ALL things on this earth, if the Lord should return in our lifetime.

While on this earth, God’s people (the church) are to be fearless missionaries and ambassadors; winning people to Christ. We should not fear death. We are commanded not to allow current events to cause us to tremble, fear, or doubt. On the contrary, Jesus Christ says:

Luke 21: 25-28
“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

He was speaking of the coming judgment of Israel and the Temple in 70AD, which Christ prophesied. Notice that those who do not believe have “hearts failing from fear.” But not so with the Christian. No matter how bad (or good) it looks on this earth, the peace of God guards our heart and minds through Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:7). We are to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12: 1-2) and seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).