Our Beliefs
In essential beliefs – we have unity.
“There is one Body and one Spirit . . . there is one Lord, one faith,
one baptism, and one God and Father of us all.”
Ephesians 4:4-6
In non-essential beliefs – we have liberty.
“Accept Him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on
disputable matters . . . Who are you to judge someone else’s
servant? To his own master he stands or falls . . . So then each
of us will give an account of himself to God . . . So whatever
you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God.”
Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22
In all our beliefs – we show charity.
“If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the
very secrets of God, and if I have the faith that can move
mountains – but have no love, I amount to nothing at all.”
I Corinthians 13:2
Essential Beliefs:
We Hold to the Fundamentals of Faith
1. We believe that the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God and without mistakes as originally written. It is the complete revelation of His will for salvation and the only unfailing rule of faith and practice for life.
2. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, eternally existing in three persons…Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and that these three are co-eternal and of equal dignity and power.
3. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ; His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit; His virgin birth; His sinless life; His substitutionary death on a cross; His bodily resurrection; His ascension to the right hand of the Father; and His personal, imminent return.
4. We believe that man was created by and for God; that by man’s disobeying God, every person incurred spiritual death, which is separation from God, and physical death as a consequence; and that all people are sinners by nature and practice.
5. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins and that all who put their faith and trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of sins are declared righteous because of His sacrificial death and are, therefore, in right relationship with God.
6. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit indwelling all believers and thus enabling and empowering the life and ministry of the believer.
7. We believe in the bodily resurrection of everyone who has lived, the glorification of the redeemed into the likeness of Jesus Christ, to be eternally present with Him, and the everlasting punishment of those who have rejected God’s forgiveness in His Son.
We Observe Two Ordinances of the Church
Baptism – Acts 2:41
Baptism is an outward expression of an inward faith. Baptism in no way saves a person from their sins. It can be likened to a wedding band worn by a bride. The wedding ring is an outward expression; the band itself does not make her a married person.
Scriptural baptism is a total immersion in water. Lowering into the water signifies identification with Christ’s death. Coming up out of the waters signifies identification with Christ’s resurrection.
The church will receive for baptism any person who has received Jesus Christ as Savior by personal faith and who indicates a commitment to follow Christ as Lord.
The Lord’s Supper – I Corinthians 11:17-34
The Lord’s Supper is a memorial service. The bread is symbolic of the body of Christ which is broken for us. The grape juice represents the blood of Christ, which was shed for the remission of our sins. The Lord’s Supper is observed as an act of worship and commitment.
More About Essential # 1
The Bible!
We believe that the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God and without mistakes as originally written. It is the complete revelation of His will for salvation and the only unfailing rule of faith and practice for life.
The Bible is where we turn to get instructions for every area of our lives.
For example, how does the Bible affect our politics?
The Bible teaches me to be the best citizen possible
Our patriotism grows out of our biblical world view
We do not worship America
We are Biblical
Politics is an expression of our worldview
In order for a pastor to avoid being political, he has to stop being biblical.