What We Believe "Upon this Rock I will build My church."

01 GOD

God is the Creator and sovereign Ruler of the universe. He is the One true God, the Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. He is One God who exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

02 THE FATHER

The Father in heaven is the source of all that God is and does.

He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, all-loving, and all-wise. From the Father, the Son is eternally generated. From both the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds. The Father is the designer of creation, the speaker of revelation, the author of redemption, and the sovereign of history. He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Father of all those who become children of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father loves those who love and believe in the Son.

03 THE SON

The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, eternally begotten from the Father.

He is God, who became man. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He is the true promised Messiah of both the covenant people of Israel and of the whole world, Jesus is the revelation of God to man, 'God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

In His earthly ministry, Jesus perfectly revealed and demonstrated the will of God in word and deed Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing. He always did those things that pleased His Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ took upon Himself a sinless human nature, and identified Himself completely with mankind, yet without sin. He lived a holy, sinless life, fulfilling all righteousness in His own flesh through personal obedience to His Father, thereby fulfilling Biblical prophecies concerning Himself. Jesus Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin according to the will of the Father. Through His substitutionary death on the cross, the Son of God made perfect atonement by His blood. His death on the cross paid for the sins of all, providing for the redemption of mankind from sin. All who believe in the Son of God receive the gift of eternal life and are born again.

Jesus was buried, and on the third day was resurrected with a glorified physical body, forever victorious over sin and death. He appeared to His disciples, ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where He ever lives to make intercession for all believers. Jesus lives forever as perfect God and perfect man: two distinct natures inseparably united in one person. He is our Advocate, the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is accomplished the reconciliation between God and man. The Lord Jesus Christ will return in power and glory to judge the world and to complete His redemptive mission. He now dwells within all true believers as the living and ever-present Lord. His Kingdom is an ever-increasing Kingdom, and will have no end.

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04 THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son and is equal in deity, being fully divine.

He is the giver of all life, active in the creating and ordering of the universe. The Holy Spirit inspired holy men of God to write the Scriptures, He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit exalts Christ, and calls men to the Savior. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He is the agent of the new birth, effecting regeneration through the gift of the divine nature, which is received through faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit baptizes all believers into the one body of Christ, which is His church. He restrains sin and Satan. He baptizes, anoints, empowers, fills, indwells and sanctifies believers, sealing them unto the day of final redemption. He imparts spiritual gifts to believers for service. He illuminates the Word of God to believers, enabling them to understand the truth. He cultivates Christian character, and comforts, strengthens, and guides believers. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." (Rom. 8:14) The presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. The Holy Spirit enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, prayer, teaching, exhortation, evangelism, and service. The Scriptures exhort believers to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.

05 THE SCRIPTURES

The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God.

All of the words of the Holy Scriptures are the written true revelation of God, and are without error in the original autographs. All the various parts of Scripture, including its historical, poetic, doctrinal and prophetic aspects, are divinely inspired. The Scriptures are God-breathed, written by holy men of God who were moved to write the very words of Scripture under the supernatural inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures alone (Sola Scriptura), not the traditions of men, have final authority for faith and living in all matters. The Scriptures do not merely contain the Word of God; they are the Word of God. Jesus said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matt. 4:4) All Scripture testifies of and leads to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the focus of divine revelation, Jesus said, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." (John 5:39) The Word of God is properly understood through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. The meaning of Scripture Is to be determined by the historical, grammatical, and literary use of the author's language, comparing Scripture with Scripture.

06 CREATION

God created all things that exist both seen and unseen.

God created angels as ministering agents, though some, under the leadership of Satan, fell from their sinless state to become agents of evil. The universe was created by God and is continuously sustained by God; thus it both reflects His glory and reveals His truth. Human beings were directly created, not evolved, in the very image of God. As reasoning moral agents, they are responsible under God for understanding and governing themselves and the world.

07 MAN

Man was originally created in the spiritual image of God (imago Dei), to be like Him in character.
He is the supreme object of God's creation. Man was created to exist forever.

He is the supreme object of God's creation. Man was created to exist forever. In his original state, man was sinless. Man sinned through willful disobedience to God, causing separation between God and man. Through the sin of disobedience, man fell from innocence, and lost his spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses and sins. Through the fall of original sin, man retained a sin nature, becoming subject to the power of sin and the devil and becoming the object of God's wrath. This sinful, depraved nature has been transmitted to the entire human race, who were all in Adam when he fell (the only exception being Jesus Christ, who is the sinless Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary). As a result, all people possess a sin nature, and are in need of salvation through the grace of God in Jesus Christ. This sin nature is evidenced through the willful acts of sin committed by all men, for all have sinned. As a result of sin, man is subject to eternal punishment, being under the just condemnation of a holy God, God loves man, yet He is morally required to judge sin.

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08 ANGELS, UNFALLEN AND FALLEN

Angels are God's ministering spirits, "sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation." Heb. 1 :14

Scripture teaches that God created angels. One angel, Lucifer, sinned through pride, thereby becoming Satan, the devil. A great number of the angels followed him in his moral fall, some of whom became demons and are active as his agents and associates in the furtherance of his unholy purposes,while others who fell are "reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." (Jude 1:6) Satan is the originator of sin.Through deceit, Satan tempted Eve into transgression, who in turn tempted her husband, Adam. Through his deceit, Satan thereby instigated their moral fall, subjecting them and the entire human race (Christ excepted) to his own power. Satan is the enemy of God arid the people of God, exalting himself above God.Satan was judged at the Cross, although his judgment has not yet been fully executed. As a usurper, he continues to resist God, rebelling against God and asserting himself as the "god of this world". At the second coming of Christ, Satan will be bound and cast into the abyss for a thousand years, and after the thousand years he will be loosed for a little season and then "cast into the lake of fire and brimstone," where he "shall be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Col. 2:15; Rev. 20:1-3,10)



Scripture affirms that a great number of angels kept their holy estate. These are before the throne of God, from whence they are sent forth as ministering spirits to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. (Luke. 15:10; Eph. 1:21; Heb. 1:14; Rev. 7:12) Mankind was made lower than the angels. In His incarnation, Christ took (for a little time) this lower place, in order that He might lift the believer to His own sphere above the angels. (Heb. 2:6-10)

09 SALVATION

Salvation is a gift from God to man. "For grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Eph. 2:8-9

We affirm that each person can be saved only through the work of Jesus Christ, through faith in Him alone as Savior. Jesus Christ accomplished our salvation through the shedding of His sinless blood upon the cross for the remission of our sins. God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, dying in our place, in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21) Through faith in Christ, the believer is declared righteous and is regenerated (born again) by the Holy Spirit, becoming a partaker of the divine nature. Eternal life begins the moment a person believes in Jesus Christ. Through faith in Christ, we become the children of God.

10 ETERNITY

Man was created to exist forever.

He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God, through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally joined in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are not allegorical or fictional places, but are real places of eternal existence.

11 ETERNAL SECURITY

Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." John 10:27-28

Salvation is a free gift from God to man, and is received by faith. The apostle Paul wrote, "For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." (2 Tim. 1:12) He further wrote: "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His,' and, 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.' (2 Tim. 2:19) Eternal life begins the moment a person is born again by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. God knows those who are His, and He sustains the believer by His grace through the power of His Spirit.

12 SANCTIFICATION

Sanctification is the separation or "setting apart" of one's self unto God.

Every believer in Christ is legally or "positionally" sanctified, upon salvation, as we are declared righteous through faith in Christ. We also receive the impartation of a new nature through regeneration. Nevertheless, because we carry this treasure "In earthen vessels", we also retain our sin nature, which resides in our members (that is, in our flesh). (Rom. 7:18-23) Therefore, while the legal standing of every believer in Christ is perfect, our natural state is nevertheless imperfect and still subject to temptation. There is, therefore, a progressive sanctification wherein the Christian is to "grow in grace," and to experience ongoing transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18) As children of God, we shall be perfectly sanctified when we see the Lord and become like Him.

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13 CHURCH

The Church is the corporate manifestation of Christ's body on earth. Christ is the head of the church, which is His body. The Universal Church includes all believers who have lived from the past to present.

The Local Church is the present, visible church. It is a voluntary, localized assembly of baptized believers, submitted to the authority of the Word of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ, organized for the purposes of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism. Local churches are autonomous and self-governing, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Local Church functions through the ministry of gifts given by the Holy Spirit to each believer.

14 WORSHIP

Jesus said that the Father is seeking worshipers to worship Him in Spirit and truth. The true One God is worthy to be worshiped by all people everywhere. Jesus alone is the way to the Father.

The worship of God must be the primary motive for all human endeavors. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. Jesus Christ is inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love. As the appropriate response to Christ and the gospel, the scriptures exhort every believer to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Rom. 12:1)

15 MINISTRY

God calls every believer into the work of ministry. The Holy Spirit bestows divine, enabling gifts for service upon all who are born again.
see Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12, et aI.

Although a diversity of spiritual gifts exists, each believer is empowered by the same Holy Spirit, and each believer is called into his own divinely appointed service as the Spirit chooses. Scripture affirms that God has given to the Church the leadership roles of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. God has appointed these leadership roles for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry. (Eph, 4:11-12) God has also promised rewards according to the faithfulness of each believer in his service for his Lord. These rewards will be bestowed at the judgment seat of Christ after Jesus Christ returns to receive His own to Himself.