The statement of faith described here is not comprehensive but does briefly cover the essential elements concerning what we believe the Bible teaches about God, man and salvation.
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The Holy Scriptures: We believe the Old and New Testaments make up the Bible and represent the completed Word of God as revealed to mankind through holy men of God who “spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). Being inspired by God the Bible is without error and is the final authority in things pertaining to faith and life. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
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The Godhead: We believe in a triune God who eternally exists in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each fulfills a different role in the Godhead and yet all are equal in power, authority, deity, perfection and glory. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 14:10, 26; 2 Cor. 13:14)
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Total Depravity of Man: We believe man was originally created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27) but through Adam's sin the human race inherited a sinful nature and became alienated from God. As a result man is depraved, incapable of ceasing from sin and thereby helpless to redeem himself back to God. (Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
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Salvation: We believe that salvation comes through the new birth (John 3:3), a work of God in the heart of the believer (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15) when he/she trusts in Jesus Christ as Savior. The new birth can only come through faith in Jesus Christ as the One who came to bear the punishment that we deserve on the cross. The wrath of God that our sin deserved was poured out on His own Son (Isa. 53:4, 5, 10, 11) so that we may have eternal life. Mercy, grace, forgiveness and all other blessings that we enjoy from God were purchased by the price that Jesus Christ paid on the cross. (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:9; Gal. 3:11-14)
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Eternal Security of Believers: We believe that once a person has been saved he/she is kept eternally by the Spirit of God. We can do nothing to merit salvation nor can we do anything to merit keeping it – the Bible calls it foolishness to think we can (Gal. 3:2-3). We simply trust Him to keep us in the same way we trusted Him to save us (Col. 2:6). However, this security does not give us license to continue to sin; if we love God, we will not want to sin. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5; Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)