Nowadays, when somebody says, “I believe…”, it is often taken to mean something similar to, “I suppose…” or, “This is my understanding.” It is not considered as firm a statement as, “I know…”

On the contrary, we believe these things because they are true. Some are historical facts. Others are spiritual realities. They aren’t “true” because we believe them. We believe them because they are true!

The Scriptures

We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men supernaturally inspired; that it is truth without any mixture of error; and therefore is preserved and shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man; the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried.

By “The Holy Bible”, we mean that collection of 66 books, from Genesis to Revelation, which does not only contain and convey the Word of God, but is the very Word of God.

By “inspiration”, we mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of old, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in such a definite way that their writings were supernaturally and verbally inspired and free from error, as no other writings have ever been or ever will be inspired.

By “preservation”, we mean that the 66 books of the Bible are preserved by the Holy Spirit in such a way that these writings are available to us today.

Since God is Holy, Sovereign, and Omnipotent; the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth according to His determinate counsel and faithfulness, we believe His Holy Word as originally spoken and written has endured and is preserved for us today and for all generations to come, in the Authorized King James Bible.

Psalm 12:6-7, 19:7-11, 119:89, 105, 130, 160; 138:2; Proverbs 3:5-6; Isaiah 8:20; Luke 16:31, 24:44-45; John 1:1, 5:39, 5:45-47, 12:48; Acts 1:16, 28:25; Romans 3:4, 15:4; Ephesians 6:17; II Timothy 3:16-17; I Peter 1:23; II Peter 1:19-21; Revelation 22:19.

The True God

We believe that there is One Living and True God, an Infinite, Intelligent Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of the heavens and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.

Genesis 17:1; Exodus 15:11, 20:2-3; Psalms 83:18, 90:2, 147:5; Jeremiah 10:10; John 4:24, 10:30, 15:26, 17:5; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 11:36; I Corinthians 2:10-11, 8:6, 12:4-6; II Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18, 4:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 1:17; I John 5:7; Revelation 4:11.

The Lord Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity. By His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, and His bodily resurrection, He became the physical manifestation of the Godhead to mankind. We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and in His ascension into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest interceding for us.

Matthew 28:6-7; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:2-6, 39; John 20:27; Acts 1:9-11; I Corinthians 15:4; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 2:17, 5:9-10, 7:25, 8:6, 12:2; I John 2:1; Revelation 3:21.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a Divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world, He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of judgment, of righteousness; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the person in the New Birth; that He seals, guides, endues, comforts, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer.

Genesis 1:1-3, 26-27; Matthew 3:11, 28:19; Mark 1:8; Luke 1:35, 3:16, 24:49; John 1:33, 3:5-6, 14:26, 15:26-27, 16:8-13; Acts 5:30-32, 11:16; Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 1:13-14; II Thessalonians 2:7, 13; Hebrews 9:14; I Peter 1:2.

The Devil and Satan

We believe that Satan was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors; but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of angels; that he is now the prince of the power of the air, and the unholy god of this world. We hold him to be man’s great tempter, the enemy of God and His Christ, the accuser of the saints, the author of false religions, the chief power back of the present apostasy; the lord of the antichrist, and the author of all powers of darkness; destined however, to final defeat at the hands of God’s Son, and to the judgment of an eternal justice in hell, a place prepared for him and his angels.

Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:14-17; Zechariah 3:1; Matthew 4:1-3, 25:41; Mark 13:21-22; Luke 22:3-4; John 14:30; II Corinthians 11:13-15; Ephesians 2:2; I Thessalonians 3:5; II Thessalonians 2:8-11; I Peter 5:8; II Peter 2:4; I John 2:22, 3:8, 4:3; II John 7; Jude 6; Revelation 12:7-10, 13:13-14, 20:1-3, 10.

The Creation

We believe in the Genesis account of creation, and that it is to accepted literally, and not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly in God’s own image and after His own likeness, that man’s creation was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary changes of species, or development through periods of time from lower to higher forms; that all animal and vegetable life was made directly, and God’s established law was that they should bring forth only “after their kind.”

Genesis 1:1-31, 2:1-25; Exodus 20:11; Nehemiah 9:6; Jeremiah 10:12; John 1:3; Acts 4:24, 17:23-26; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3; Revelation 10:6.

The Fall of Man

We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless state, in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, totally depraved and dead in trespasses and sins, not by constraint, but of choice and therefore under just condemnation without defense or excuse.

Genesis 3:1-24; Ezekiel 18:19-20; Romans 1:1-32, 3:10-20, 5:12-21; Galatians 3:22-29; Ephesians 2:1-3.

The Virgin Birth

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner; born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was, ever, or can be born of woman and that He is the Son of God, and God the Son. His mother Mary, although chosen and favored of God, was not miraculously conceived, and was a sinner in need of redemption through the blood of her own Son, Jesus Christ.

Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14, 11:1-2; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:14; I Corinthians 15:47; Galatians 4:4-5; I John 5:20.

The Atonement for Sin

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, Who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin, honored the Divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His atonement consisted no in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the just dying for the unjust, Christ, the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that, having risen from the dead, His now enthroned in heaven, and is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate and all-sufficient Saviour.

Isaiah 53; Matthew 18:11; John 3:16-17, 10:18; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:23-25; I Corinthians 15:1-4; II Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 2:14-18; Philippians 2:7-8; Hebrews 2:14, 7:25, 9:12-22, 12:2; I Peter 2:24-25, 3:18; I John 2:2, 4:9-10.

The New Birth

We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is in Christ Jesus, that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the Divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God, that the new birth is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, not by the will of man, but wholly and solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with Divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the fruits of repentance and faith, walking in the newness of life.

We believe that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was made to be sin, and made a curse for us, dying in our place and stead; His salvation is wholly of grace.

We believe that all who are born again by the Spirit through faith in Christ, to be assured of their eternal salvation from the very moment they take Him to be their Saviour.

We believe that Christ must be received by faith alone. The moment we trust Him as Saviour, we pass from spiritual death unto everlasting life.

Psalm 51:1-7; Isaiah 55:6-7; Ezekiel 33:11; Mark 1:15; Luke 12:8, 13:1-5, 18:13; John 1:12-13, 3:1-13; Acts 2:37-41, 3:19, 16:30-33, 20:21; Romans 6:23, 10:9-13; II Corinthians 5:7-19; Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13; II Peter 1:4; I John 5:1.

Salvation Conditioned upon Faith Alone

In the New Testament in over one hundred passages, the salvation of a sinner is declared to depend only upon believing and in over thirty passages to depend on faith, which is a synonym for believing. By believing, an individual will to trust Christ. It is an act of the whole man, not just his intellect or his emotion. God alone can save a soul, and God can save only through the sacrifice of His Son. Man can sustain no other relation to salvation than to believe God’s message to the extent of turning from self-works to depend only on the work of God through Christ.

Believing is the opposite of doing anything; it is trusting another instead. Therefore, Scripture is violated and the whole doctrine of grace confused when salvation is made to depend on anything other than believing.

Isaiah 55:1-7; John 1:12, 3:15-18, 6:37; Acts 2:38, 16:31; Romans 10:9-13; I Corinthians 15:10; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 2:4-9; I Timothy 1:15; Revelation 22:17.

Justification

We believe that the great Gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is justification; that justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life on principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood, His righteousness is imputed to us.

Isaiah 53:11; Jeremiah 23:6; Habakkuk 2:4; Acts 13:39; Romans 1:16-17, 4:1-8, 25, 5:1, 9, 8:1, 30-34; Galatians 3:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; Hebrews 11:4-7; James 2:20-26.

The Church

We believe that a local church is a congregation of baptized believers associated by a declaration of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its only scriptural officers are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures; we believe that the true mission of the local church is found in the Great Commission:

• to make individual disciples by one-on-one witnessing
• to build up the church
• to teach and instruct as He has commanded.

We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government, free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only Head is Christ, with the pastor as the shepherd. We believe that the Scriptures clearly teach that the pattern for the New Testament church is to meet on resurrection day, the first day of the week (Sunday), for the opportunity of worship, fellowship, and to bring the tithes and offerings.

Malachi 3:10; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:2-9; John 20:19; Acts 2:41-47, 6:5-6, 20:7, 17-28; I Corinthians 11:2, 12:4-11, 16:1-2; II Corinthians 8:23-24; Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:11, 5:23-24; Colossians 1:18; I Timothy 3:1-13; Hebrews 10:25; I Peter 5:1-4.

Israel

We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people, that she is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ, and that she will be regathered in the Holy Land and, after the completion of the Church, will be saved as a nation at the Second Advent of Christ, and receive the promises given to her.

Genesis 13:14-17; Ezekiel 37; Romans 11:1-32.

Believer’s Baptism

Baptism was first instituted by Christ. As we identify with the crucified, buried, and risen Lord, we publicly display the inward change that is wrought in salvation. We believe that immersion is the only form of baptism commanded in the Scriptures, that it is the first step in obedience after salvation, that it has no saving power, but is only for those who are already saved; and that the new birth, which comes through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Scriptural prerequisite to baptism; therefore, only those old enough to believe for themselves should be baptized.

Matthew 3:1-17, 28:1-9, 19-20; Mark 16:9; John 3:23; Acts 2:41, 8:36-39, 10:44-48, 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 16:2; Colossians 2:12.

Communion

The bread and juice of the communion service are a memorial of the death of Christ and that only those who have been saved through faith in His atoning blood and are walking in obedient fellowship with Him ought to partake of it, following careful self-examination.

Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; John 13:1-4; Acts 2:42; I Corinthians 10:16-22, 11:23-34.

The Saved and The Lost

We believe that there is an essential difference between the saved and the lost; that such only as through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God, are truly righteous in the sight of God. Therefore, we believe that the saved are resurrected unto eternal life, and those that are lost unto the resurrection of eternal damnation.

Genesis 18:23; Proverbs 11:31, 14:32; Malachi 3:18; Matthew 7:13-14; Acts 10:34-35; Romans 1:17, 6:17-19, 23; I Corinthians 15:22; I Peter 4:18; I John 2:29.

The Government

We believe that the civil government is of divine appointment, that civic leaders are to be prayed for, honored, and obeyed; except only in things opposed to Biblical teachings.

Exodus 18:21-22; II Samuel 23:3; Psalm 72:11, Daniel 3:17-18; Matthew 22:19-21, 23:10-12; Acts 5:29, 23:5; Titus 3:1; I Peter 2:13-17.

The Return of Christ, & Subsequent Events

We believe that Christ rose bodily “the third day according to the Scriptures” and that He ascended to the right hand of the throne of God; that He alone is our high priest; that this same Jesus shall so come in like manner–bodily, personally, and visibly; His imminent coming, our blessed hope, will precede the seven-year tribulation period and before the millennial reign of Christ; that the dead in Christ shall rise first, and that the living saints shall all be changed in a moment, to meet the Lord in the air. We believe that the unsaved dead will be raised at the close of the Millennial Kingdom and stand in their bodies at the Great White Throne Judgment to receive their final doom.

Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 24:27, 42, 25:13, 28:6-7; Luke 24:1-6, 50-53; John 14:2-3; Acts 1:9-11; I Corinthians 15:51-58; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 2:17, 5:9-10, 8:1-6, 9:28, 12:2; James 5:8; I John 2:1; Revelation 3:21, 20:1-6.

Missions

The command to give the Gospel to the world is clear and unmistakable. This commission was given to all believers through the local church. Our priority in missions is to help establish gospel-preaching Baptist churches throughout the world. It shall be the policy of this church to support missionaries and schools that shall be known to be in agreement with our Declaration of Faith, both in doctrine and practice.

The entire Bible declares the need that others should be told about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Giving and Stewardship

Scriptural giving is one of the great privileges of the believer. We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion entrusted to him, is scripturally obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God established the tithe as a pattern for proportionate giving. Every Christian’s privilege is to give sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the local church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel.

Malachi 3:10; Acts 2:42-47, 4:35-37; I Corinthians 8:1-7, 9:1-15, 16:1-2; Philippians 4:10-19.

Separation

We believe that the principle of separation runs through the entire Bible. We believe there are several aspects of Biblical separation:

• Political separation – The separation of the church from the state.
• Personal separation – The separation of the believer from the world and sin, in order to serve God.
• Religious separation – The separation of the church from religious organizations that are not in keeping with the doctrines of this church.

Matthew 22:21; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25, II Corinthians 6:14-7:1, I Timothy 4:1-9; II Timothy 4:3, 6:3-5; II John 7-11; Jude 4-6.

Moral Issues

Abortion – We believe that human life begins at conception, and that the unborn child is a living human being. There is no scriptural justification for abortion.
Human Sexuality – We believe that sexuality is a gift from God, to be enjoyed only in the bonds of marriage between a man and a woman.
Divorce – We believe that marriage is a divine institution and God’s intent from the beginning was for one man and one woman to be faithful until death. We do not believe that divorce is ever inevitable; however, we certainly believe that divorce is forgivable.
Substance Abuse – Since the body of a believer is the dwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, one should never willingly use a substance that could harm his/her body or Christian testimony.

Genesis 2:7; Job 31:15; Psalm 139:13-14; Isaiah 44:2, 24, 49:5, Genesis 2:18-25; Proverbs 5:18-19, 18:22; Song of Solomon 1:13; I Corinthians 7:2-5; Ephesians 5:25-33; Hebrews 13:4, Matthew 5:31-32, 19:3-9, I Corinthians 6:19-20.