Our Statement of Faith
There will be no more Bible studies
until further notice. Thanks!
We believe that Jesus Christ alone deserves the pre-eminence in the church (as He is the Head, Savior, and Creator). No person, philosophy, nation, ideal, or otherwise deserves to be glorified by God’s people. Christ alone deserves the pre-eminence! This must be a central philosophy of any biblical church, or else it becomes merely a place of dead religion that worships the flesh (Luke 14:25-35; Col 1:1-20).
We tend to be Baptistic in our beliefs (especially in consideration of the Historic Baptists such as Edwards, Spurgeon, etc.), but understand that the Baptists as a whole have swayed from the Faith (through politics, greed, and general moral/doctrinal corruption). Thus, we just call ourselves “Bible Believers”.
We accept the biblical aspects of both Calvinism and Arminianism, without claiming the titles of either, and respect the godly men of the past that held to either theological mindset. (see below)
We believe in evangelism, discipleship, & fulfilling the Great Commission, but are not Evangelicals (as those have embraced Modernism, Emotionalism, & Ecumenicalism). (see below)
We believe in the Fundamentals of the Faith, but are not Fundamentalists. (see above)
We reject the emphasis on Emotionalism in our day: understanding that God made us emotional beings, but also that the Spirit ought to be in control, not our emotions. We believe that true worship is obeying the Word of God in Spirit & Truth, and not limited to singing a song or attending a church service. (see below)
We believe in praying for and obeying our national/regional/local leaders (as the scriptures put forth), but are not Christian Nationalists and do not promote any sort of politics. (see below)
The Holy Scriptures:
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Bible (66 books), “as it is in truth, the Word of God…” (I Thessalonians 2:13). We believe in verbal, plenary inspiration in the original writings, and God’s preservation of His pure words to every generation (II Timothy 3:16, Psalms 12:6-8). We believe that the scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed.
We reject the Apocrypha as any sort of holy text, though it may have some historic use. It is not considered to be Scripture.
The Masoretic Text of the Old Testament and the Received Text of the New Testament (Textus Receptus) are those texts of the original languages we use. We exclusively use the King James Version of the scriptures in our teaching and believe it to be the preserved Word of God for English-speaking people, but understand that many versions of the Bible do exist and will not harass or look down upon others that choose to use them for themselves.
The Godhead:
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; II Corinthians 13:14). We believe that God created the entire universe in six literal, twenty-four-hour days (Genesis 1:1-27). The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1-14; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; 7:14; Philippians 2:5-8; Galatians 4:4-5).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His finished work on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was raised bodily and that He ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24, 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Person who reproves the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, indwelling all believers and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; II Corinthians 3:6; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14).
We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayer of believers for physical healing. (II Corinthians 12:12; I Corinthians 13:8; Hebrews 2:3-4; Mark 16:17-20; I Corinthians 1:22, 14:21-22).
Satan:
We believe in the reality of the person of Satan and that he and the fallen angels wage a spiritual warfare against the plan and purposes of God (John 13:2; Acts 5:3; Ephesians 6:11-12). We believe that Satan is a created angelic being who rebelled and who tempted man to join him in rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Genesis 3:1-5). We believe his power is supernatural, yet limited; and that he cannot act without the permission of God (Job 1:6-12; I John 4:4). Satan’s eternal end is everlasting torment in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10).
Man:
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and therefore man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26- 27; Romans 3:22-23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12).
The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image and is mindful of him, and in that Christ died for man; therefore every individual possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. (Psalm 8:4-9; Colossians 3:9-11).
Statement on Gender Identity & Marriage:
We believe that the only marriage recognized by Scripture is the joining of one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23) We believe that God expressly forbids intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman.
We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are perversions of God’s intended purposes and therefore, sin. We believe that God forbids any attempt to alter one’s God-given gender identity by any means, including surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24; Genesis 19:5, 13; Genesis 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
The Way of Salvation:
We believe that the clear message of salvation is “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). We believe that salvation is “by grace” plus nothing minus nothing. We believe that Jesus Christ died for every man, and that each individual chooses to accept or reject the grace of God (Hebrews 2:9; I John 2:2). We believe that men are justified by faith alone and are accounted righteous before God only through the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; I Peter 1:18-19)
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We believe that eternal life is the present possession of every believer (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:4-5; Jude 1, 2).
The Church:
We believe that the New Testament church is a local assembly of baptized believers who have voluntarily joined themselves together to carry out the Great Commission. The Lord is doing His work in this world through local churches. The establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. Christ is the only head of the church (Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; I Peter 5:1-4).
We recognize the ordinances of baptism by immersion in water and the Lord’s Supper as a Scriptural means of testimony for local churches in this age (Matthew. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42, 18:18; I Corinthians 11:23-26).
True Worship:
We believe that true worship is obeying the Word of God in Spirit & Truth (John 4:24). Worship is “proving to God that He is worthy of our adoration and obedience”. It should not be bound to music, though that can play a part in it. True worship is to be accomplished throughout the week, not just on a Sunday.
Music:
We understand that we live in a day of deception and confusion. Some of this surrounds the topic of music. We believe that music is not a secondary issue, but a primary one. We know that the world understands the influence of music upon the soul of the individual, and will not ignore that God created us to be musical creatures.
As such, we determine to keep music within boundaries that please and honor God in an appropriate fashion. We refuse the instruments that promote beats (such as drums), and music written & performed by ungodly individuals (such as the Gettys).
Please see examples on the Helpful Resources Page.
Biblical Separation:
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (II Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1, 2, 14:13; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1).
The Return of Christ:
We believe the “Blessed Hope” of our Lord’s return is literal, personal, visible, imminent, premillennial, and pretribulational. Believers will be caught up to be with the Lord prior to the seven years of tribulation, and at the end of the tribulation Christ will return with His saints to establish His thousand-year reign on the earth (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; I Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 3:10; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6; Psalm 89:3-4).
Our Eternal State:
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28, 29, 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13).
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Revelation 20:4-6; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17).
We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:41-46; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:11-15).
The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all we believe. We do believe, however, that the preceding Statement of Faith accurately represents the teachings of the Scriptures.