Our Doctrine
Firmly rooted in Scripture.
1. Regarding the Bible
We believe that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are God’s written revelation to man, centered on the gospel message, and make us wise for salvation. The Word of God is verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit, inerrant in the original writing, clear and relevant for Christians today, and the supreme and final authority on faith and practice. The Bible is necessary to know God’s gospel, to grow in holiness, and to discern how to glorify and enjoy God (2 Tim 3:14-16; 2 Pet 1:19-21; Rom 10:17; Matt 4:4).
2. Regarding God
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, equal in essence, power, and glory, while distinct in roles. And so, each person of the Trinity carries out the one work of God distinctly and is uniquely involved in creating, sustaining, and saving creation. (Exod 20:2-3; Matt 28:19; 1 Cor 8:6; John 15:26).
3. Regarding Creation
We believe in God's direct creation of the universe in six literal and consecutive days, without the use of pre-existent material, and apart from any process of evolution whatsoever, according to the Genesis account (Gen 1:1-31; Col 1:16-17).
4. Regarding Humanity and Sin
We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His own image in order to fill the earth, work, worship, and enjoy Him. But they disobeyed God and thus fell from their sinless state and privileged status; with this first sin came death (Gen 1:26-30; 2:15; 3:1-6).
Therefore, all human beings are born with a sinful nature, wholly given to the desires of the flesh, spiritually dead, walking in the ways of the world, and serving the goal of Satan. Although still bearing the image of God, humanity became children of wrath and willingly sin in thought, word, deed, and being (Rom 5:12, 19; Titus 1:15-16; Eph 2:1-3).
5. Regarding God the Son
We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, is the only redeemer for sinful humanity. We believe He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true Man (John 1:1; Luke 1:35; Gal 4:4; Col 2:9).
We believe He was crucified, bore the wrath of God for sin, died and was buried. On the third day He rose bodily from the dead and has ascended into heaven where He continually serves as the great High Priest, prepares an eternal dwelling, and upholds the universe (John 14:3; 1 Cor 15:3-7; Heb 1:3; 4:14-16).
6. Regarding God the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is coeternal with the Father and the Son, the agent of the new birth through regeneration and conviction, and that He imparts faith, indwells, and unites every believer into the body of Christ at the moment of conversion (John 3:5; Eph 2:8-9;1 Cor 12:13).
After conversion, we believe that the Holy Spirit assures Christians of salvation, guides, sanctifies, gives spiritual gifts for the purpose of building up the church, and helps them understand God’s Word (Rom 8:9, 12-17, 26-30; 1 Cor 2:12-13; 12:7; 14:12; 2 Cor 3:18).
We believe that the "sign gifts" (such as speaking in tongues, working of miracles, prophesying) ceased with the Apostolic Period and no longer reside in individuals. However, we affirm that God can and still does miraculously intervene in the affairs of men in any way He should choose (1 Cor 13:8-13; Heb 2:4).
7. Regarding Salvation
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died as the all-sufficient, double, penal, substitutionary atoning sacrifice for the sins of humanity. The atonement He made was unlimited in its potential, yet only intended to be effective for the redeemed (2 Cor 5:14-21; 1 John 2:1-3; John 10:11).
We believe that salvation is first a work of God, entirely a work of His electing grace. God’s salvation-call always begins with the preaching of the gospel which becomes effective when the Holy Spirit regenerates the heart, convicts of sin, enlightens the mind to know and cherish Christ, and draws out the converting response of repentance and faith. At that moment, the new Christian is justified (declared righteous before God) and adopted into God’s family (Eph 1:4-7; Rom 8:16-17, 29; 9:15-16; John 6:44; Titus 3:5).
We believe that all genuine Christians will gradually grow in holiness and produce Christ-like fruit as evidence of their salvation. Genuine Christians cannot continually live a life of disobedience to God’s word nor deny the faith, so anyone who evidences such, proves that they never belonged to Christ (Jas 2:17; Luke 8:15; 1 John 2:19).
We believe that God who begins a good work in every Christian, will bring it to completion, and that He will never leave nor forsake His children, thus genuine salvation is always completely secure resting on the faithful nature of God (Phil 1:6; Rom 8:38-39; John 10:28-29).
8. Regarding the Local Church
We believe that the local church is the agency through which God has chosen to accomplish His work in the world and all other ministries should aim to establish or strengthen local churches. The local church is a Spirit-regenerated, New Covenant community of individuals united to Christ by faith, committed to one another, and Biblically organized into one local body of baptized believers, who gather together for corporate worship, to observe the ordinances, pray, read, sing, and preach God’s Word, serve one another, and engage in fellowship (Eph 3:10; Acts 2:41-47; 1 Cor 12:12-13).
We believe the local church should have male leadership in the office of pastor-elder (overseer) and deacon (1 Tim 2:12-13; 3:1-13; Acts 6:1-7).
We believe that the local church is under Christ's headship, free from any external hierarchy and should not associate itself with any ecumenical endeavor or any cooperative effort that compromises the centrality and clarity of the gospel. We are committed to the spread of the gospel worldwide and aim to help plant and strengthen local churches through mission’s support (Eph 1:22-23; 2 Cor 6:14-17; Acts 1:8).
We believe in the scriptural ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper to be administered by the local church. As visible signs reflecting God’s saving work, they unite Christians together as a local body in gospel harmony. Therefore, Baptism inaugurates membership into the church and the Lord’s Supper signifies our ongoing union. We only perform baptism by immersion and restrict it to those who have given testimony of faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 6:3-5; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 10:16-17; 11:23-26).
9. Regarding Society and Government
Because man is created in the image of God, we uphold the sanctity of human life and oppose the social evils of abortion, infanticide, suicide, and euthanasia (Gen 1:26-27; Psa 139:13-14; Deut 32:39).
We believe in the equality of the two genders as created by God, male and female. However, we affirm that God calls husbands to lovingly lead their homes and wives to willingly submit to that godly authority and are designed to complement one another. Marriage is God’s ongoing gift to humanity, always defined as the union of one man and one woman. Any attempt to subvert this definition, separate sexual intimacy from marriage, or reject God’s gift of gender rebels against God’s good design. We affirm the equality of all peoples and view all forms of ethnic or gender bigotry as sin (Gen 1:26-27; 2:18, 23-24; Eph 5:22-33; Rom 1:26-28; Heb 13:4; Gal 3:28).
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good of human society and that Christians are to regularly pray for civil leadership. Further, we are responsible, both individually and corporately, to honor and obey secular authorities –– except when asked to violate the clear teaching of God’s Word or conscience (Rom 13:1-7; 14:23; Matt 22:21; 1 Tim 2:1-2; Acts 5:29).
10. Regarding the Future
We believe in the blessed hope –– the personal, physical, pretribulational, and premillennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ –– at a day and an hour known only to God. We believe in the literal fulfillment of prophecies which assure the future regeneration and restoration of Israel as a nation (Titus 2:13; 1 Thess 4:13-18; Matt 24:26; Jer 16:14-15; Zech 12:10; 14:4)
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust: the eternal, conscious blessing for those united to Christ by faith in God’s new creation (heaven), and the eternal, conscious torment for those not united to Christ by faith in unquenchable fire (hell) (Dan 12:2; Isa 65:17-25; Rev 21:1-5; Matt 25:30, 41).