Doctrinal Statement Of Faith

1. OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
   • We believe that God has revealed himself to man, through general and special revelation. General revelation is extra biblical evidence of God’s existence and comes from the world we see around us. Creation points to the existence of a creator (Rom 1:18-20). The design that we see in nature points to a Designer (Psalm 139:14). The fact that man has a conscience points to a Conscience-giver (John 8:9). The fact that man is innately religious points to a God-shaped vacum that God must have put there (Ecc 3:11). These are four proofs from general revelation that offer strong evidence that God exists.
   • We believe that God has more specifically revealed Himself and His plan of salvation through the special revelation of His written word and His Son Jesus Christ.
2. OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
   • We believe that the Bible was written by men who were divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3:16). This inspiration is defined as: "God’s superintendence of the human authors so that, using their own individual personalities, they composed and recorded without error His revelation to man in the words of the original manuscripts" -Charles Ryrie.
   • We believe that any true believer in Jesus Christ can accurately understand the scriptures because of the Holy Spirit’s illumination. Illumination is the work of the Holy Spirit which makes clear the truth of the written revelation of God to the believer (1 Cor 2:9-12).
   • We believe that in addition to the Holy Spirit’s illumination certain principles must be applied in order to determine the correct interpretation of each passage. Good Interpretation begins with a literal, historical, grammatical understanding of each verse, chapter and book of the Bible within it’s context (2 Pet 1:20). Let scripture interpret scripture and when good sense makes sense, seek no other sense, lest you create nonsense.
   • We believe that the Bible stands for absolute truth (John17:17). This is in stark contrast to the relativistic outlook that has prevaded society today. The postmodern society rejects absolute truth, but the Bible upholds absolute truth as it’s primary criteria. It does so because it has a divine Author, God, who Himself is truth. Because God’s word is truth it is therefore authoritative (2 Tim 3:16-17).
3. OF THE TRINITY
   • We believe that there is one God revealed in three persons as seen in scripture (Matt 3:16-17; 28:18:19). Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity may be defined as: "One true God revealed in three persons, within that unity of the Godhead there are three eternal and co-equal persons of the same essence and nature but distinct in role and function." -B.B Warfield
4. OF JESUS CHRIST
   • We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. From eternity past He has always existed as the Second Person of the Trinity (Micah 5:2) (Is 9:6). At the incarnation God the Son took on full humanity (1 Tim 3:16) while maintaining full deity (Heb 10:5) (Jn 1:1). He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, was crucified, buried and then rose again on the third day. He ascended into heaven and is sitting at the right hand of God the Father (Mark 16:19). Jesus Christ is Prophet (Matt 13:57), Priest (Heb 7:25), and King (Luke 1:31-33). He is coming again to rapture His church (1 Thess 4:13-18), Unleash His wrath (Rev 6:16-17), Judge (John 5:27), and Rule on this earth (Rev 19:11-16). Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. In Him we have the perfect union of two natures found in one person (Phil 2:5-11).
5. OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
   • We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He is not an impersonal force, but a person who possesses all the qualities and attributes of God. He is God (Acts 5:3-4). He has intelligence (1 Cor 2:10-11). He has emotions (Eph 4:30). He has a will (1 Cor 12:11). The Holy Spirit regenerates people (Jn 3:5-6), He begot the humanity of Jesus (Lk 1:35), and He is credited with creating the world (Ps 104:30). He indwells (1 Cor 6:19), baptizes (1 Cor 12:13), and seals (Eph 4:30) every believer at the moment of salvation.
6. OF GOD’S ATTRIBUTES
   • We believe that God is Omniscient (Matt 11:21), Omnipotent (Rev 19:6), Omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-12), Holy (1 Pet 1:15), Just (Rom 2:6-11), Loving (1John 4:8), True (John 14:6), Free (Is 40:13-14), Infinite and Eternal (Psalm 90:2), Immutable (James 1:17), and Sovereign (Eph 1:11).
7. OF ANGELS
   • We believe in the existence of both angels and demons. Angels are spirit beings that possess intellect, will and emotions. The primary role of angels focuses on delivering messages for God (Dan 9:21) (Matt 1:20). They are not all powerful like God but are more powerful than man. Humanity receives preference from God in that the offer of salvation applies to humanity and not to the angelic realm (Heb 2:13-16). Angels are not objects of worship (Rev 19:10). There are at least 4 categories of angels. There are national angels (Dan 10:13). There are guardian angels (Heb 1:14) (Mat 18:10). There are cherubim that guard God’s holiness (Gen 3:22-24). And there are seraphim that worship God (Is 6:1-3).
   • We believe that Lucifer was created as a perfect cherub but rebelled against God in the original sin (Ez 28:12-17) (Is 14:13-14). Satan took a third of the angels with him in his rebellion (Rev 12:4), now he and his demons are bent on deceiving humanity. Their goal is to destroy (1 Pet 5:8) and their end will be the lake of fire (Matt 25:41). They know that they are headed to hell (Matt 8:28-29) and they want to take as many souls with them as possible.
8. OF THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
   • We believe that God created the universe in six literal days (Gen 1-2). The earth that we now see has been drastically changed by a world wide flood (Gen 7:19-22). A flood of that magnitude has created a fossil record where we see "billions of dead things, buried in rock layers that have been laid down by water all over the earth" -Ken Ham. That fossil record points to the biblical account of the flood and not to evolution. There are no missing links, no ape-men transitions, and no time frame for such changes in species. Science points to a first cause and to design which is what we see in the biblical record (Gen 1:1).
9. OF THE FALLEN STATE OF MAN
   • We believe that God created man in His image, innocent and holy. By voluntary transgression he has fallen from that happy state. Because of personal sin (Eph 2:1-3), an inherited sin nature (Ps 51:5), and imputed sin (Rom 5:12) man is utterly and totally depraved. Man is suseptible to three sources of temptation: the World (1 Jn 2:15-16), the Flesh (Rom 7:18), and the Devil (2 Cor 11:3). The Biblical history of the human race is a history of sin and rebellion against God. Because of this sinfulness man is separated from his holy Creator (Rom 3:23).
10. OF THE REALITY OF HELL
    • We believe in the existence of a real hell where eternal conscious punishment will be experienced by each unbeliever (1 Thess 2:7-9). Every sin both original and actual is a transgression of God’s holy and righteous law and thereby brings guilt upon the sinner. Because of this guilt he is bound over to the wrath of God and the curse of the law which is eternal hellfire (Matt 25:41). Those individuals whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire forever (Rev 20:11-15).
11. OF THE WAY OF SALVATION
    • We believe that man can be accounted as righteous before God only on the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ and not of his own works (Eph 2:8-9). Man can flee from the wrath to come and avoid the hell that he deserves by repentance from sin and faith in Christ who paid the price that the sinner should have had to pay.
    • We believe that on the cross Jesus Christ paid the redeeming price, and bought sinners so that they might become His own possession (1 Pet 1:18). Being fully man, Jesus was able to die. Being fully God, His death had infinite value. His death was substitutionary which means that He died in our place (1 Pet 3:18). His death was also propitiatory which means that it satisfied God’s wrath (1 Jn 2:2).
    • We believe that the Christian is forgiven because Christ’s death has removed the condemnation and guilt associated with sin (Eph 1:7). He has been justified, or pronounced righteous because he receives the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ (Rom 5:19). He has been reconciled, or brought into a right relationship with his Creator because Christ has changed him (2 Cor 5:17). He has been regenerated because the Holy Spirit has renewed him from a sinful state to a state of cleanliness and new life (Titus 3:5).
    • We believe in unconditional election which means that God chooses individuals to be voluntary partakers in Christ’s salvation (Rom 9:10-11). God has chosen before the foundations of the world those who would be saved (Eph 1:4-5). The elect cannot resist God’s grace and God’s call (John 6:37). This in no way removes man’s responsibility to respond to the gospel (Matt 23:37) (Matt 11:21) (Jonah 2:8). It is a paradox of scripture and one that the believer must accept in faith because the Bible teaches both doctrines.
    • We believe in unlimited atonement which means that Christ’s death paid for the sins of every person (1 Jn 2:2), but the benefits of His payment apply only those who respond in faith (2 Pet 2:1). Those who are saved by grace through faith will persevere until the end as God preserves them and refuses to lose a single one (Rom 8:35-39) (Jn 10:28-29).
    • We believe that in order for a person to be saved he must know that he is a sinner in need of forgiveness and that Christ died for him. In addition to that understanding he must believe it. After understanding and believing the message he must repent of his sins and place his volitional trust in Jesus depending on Christ to save him from the eternal punishment he deserves. Another word for this volitional trust is Faith. "Faith is a transference of reliance upon ourselves and all human resources to reliance upon Christ alone for salvation…. It is trust in a person, the person of Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the lost." -John Murray
12. OF REPENTANCE AND FAITH
    • We believe that when one comes to a true saving faith in Christ they make him Lord of their life (Luke 9:23). A Christian is a person who has repented of their sins (Matt 4:17), turned from them (Prov 28:13) and trusted in Jesus Christ for forgiveness (Acts 16:31). This does not mean that the person will never again sin or that he has arrived at perfection. It simply means that a true believer will bear fruit (Mark 4:3-8) and will no longer live in sin as he did when he was an unbeliever (1 Jn 3:9). A true believer, who knows Christ as his Lord, is a new creation (2 Cor 5:17) and will grow in obedience as he matures.
    • We believe that there can be no true saving faith without genuine repentance of sin (Luke 13:3). True saving faith is more than mere intellectual assent to the facts (James 2:19). It must include a heartfelt coming to Christ in personal dependence upon Him for salvation. This is combined with a heartfelt repentance from sin (Acts 26:20). This is not a salvation by works but simply the gospel of free grace through faith in all it’s biblical fullness. The change of life that will result from genuine conversion does not save, but it will certainly result if the faith is genuine, "for faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead" (James 2:17).
13. OF GOD’S COVENANTS WITH MAN
    • We believe in the Biblical covenants which serve as a foundation to understanding God’s plan for humanity and creation. The Noahic covenant is a covenant where God promised to spare the world of another global flood (Gen 9:1-16). The Abrahamic covenant is a covenant where God promised Abraham land, offspring and a blessing (Gen 12:2). The Mosaic covenant is a covenant where God established His law over the nation Isreal (Ex 19:5). The Davidic covenant ties David to the promise of the Messiah. It is a covenant where God promises to David an eternal kingdom and throne (2 Sam 7:16). The New Covenant is originally found in Jeremiah 31:31. It is a covenant that promises salvation for Israel during the Millennium (Ez 36:27), the indwelling Holy Spirit (Heb 8:1-13), and blessing for the Gentile believers (1Cor 11:25).
14. OF THE CHURCH
    • We believe in both the universal (Matt 16:18) and local (Phil 1:1) aspects of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The universal church is made up of those who have been "called out" and are people who have been saved by grace, through faith in Christ. The church is God’s organization (1 Tim 3:15). It is God’s instrument for change in culture. It is the bride and body of Christ for which He sacrificed His life (Eph 5:23-27).
    • A local church may be defined as an assembly of professing believers in Christ who have been baptized and are organized to do God’s will. The church gathers for the purpose of worship, prayer, fellowship, and the teaching of God’s word (Acts 2:42). The church should equip it’s members for the purpose of going out into the world and reaching the lost with Christ’s message of salvation.
15. OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT
    • We believe that it is a divine requirement for the church to have leadership (Heb 13:7,17). Without doubt elders were the principle leaders of the N.T. church (1 Tim 5:17). They are to guard and teach the truth (Titus 1:9), and meet many high requirements such as be blameless and above reproach (1 Tim 3:1-7).
    • We believe that the deacons are subordinate in role to the elders. They function as helpers of the elders (Acts 6:1-6), and are an officially recognized group (Phil 1:1). The qualifications for deacons include some of the same requirements as those of elders (1 Tim 3:8-12).
16. OF THE ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH
    • We believe that there are two ordinances of the church. Baptism and the Lord’s supper. It is a command that all believers be baptized by water (Matt 28:19) as a symbol of what has happened to them spiritually: They have died to the old man, been buried and risen again to a new life (Rom 6:1-5). Baptism does not save people (Eph 2:8-9). The Lord’s supper is the second ordinance and is strictly a memorial to remember Christ’s broken body and poured out blood on our behalf (1 Cor 11:23-26). Christ is present at the service but is in no way in the elements as they remain unchanged (Heb 10:10).
17. OF THE DIFFERENT DISPENSATIONS
    • We believe that since the creation of the world God has progressively revealed Himself to people. The Bible records seven distinct stages, or dispensations, of God’s revelation to human beings. The dispensations are seven periods of time in which God tests humanity regarding obedience to Him. Each dispensation ends in failure as man rebels against God.
    • The way of salvation is the same in every dispensation. It is always by grace through faith in Christ. Those that lived before the cross looked forward to the coming of the Messiah and the salvation that He would bring. We, who have lived after the cross, look back to the Messiah who came and has now accomplished that salvation which has been, and is offered to the peoples of all times.
    • Dispensation #1 The age of innocence (Gen 1-3) In this period of time God tested man with just one rule: "Don’t eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil." Man immediately rebelled by eating from the tree and as a consequence was kicked out of the garden.
    • Dispensation #2 The age of conscience (Gen 4:1-8:19) In this period of time God tested man by leaving him to obey his own conscience, internal restraint: "Sin is crouching at the door it’s desire is for you but you must master it." Man rebelled and corrupted the earth, filling it with violence (Gen 6:11). As a consequence God flooded the earth.
    • Dispensation #3 The age of human government (Gen 8:20-11:9) In this period of time God tested man through external restraint or human government. God gives man the authority of capital punishment (Gen 9:6). Man abused that power and once again rebelled by becoming proud and opposing God’s divine rule at the tower of Babel (Gen 11:4). As a consequence God confused their language and they were separated into nations.
    • Dispensation #4 The age of promise (Gen 12:1-Ex 19:4) In this period of time God chose Abram and the nation of Israel through which He revealed Himself to the world around. They were to point the world to the one true God. The nations, including Israel itself, rebelled against God and followed false gods. As a consequence Israel found itself in slavery to Egypt.
    • Dispensation #5 The age of law (Ex 19:5-Matt 27:56) In this period of time God gave an extensive, strict system of law with the purpose of driving men to the promised Messiah (Gal 3:24). Israel rebelled against God and murdered that Messiah when He arrived on the scene. As a consequence Israel has been set aside for a time.
    • Dispensation #6 The age of grace (Acts 2:1-Rev 19:21) In this period of time God is using His church to point people to Himself. Man is rebelling and will show his ultimate rebellion when he follows the Antichrist (Rev 13 and 17). As a consequence God’s wrath will be poured out upon the earth during the second half of the Great Tribulation.
    • Dispensation #7 The age of the kingdom (Rev 20:1-Eternity) In this period of time God will have His Son Jesus Christ rule this world with a rod of iron (Rev 19:15). While Satan is bound for 1000 years this will be a great success (Rev 20:1-5), but after the 1000 years Satan is released and man’s rebellious heart shows up once again. Many follow and rebel with the Devil (Rev 20:7-10). As a result God defeats them, throws them in the Lake of Fire, and creates a new heaven and earth to be enjoyed by the redeemed for all of eternity (2 Pet 3:10-13).
18. OF THE END TIMES
    • We believe that concerning things yet future the following will come to pass:
      1. Jesus Christ will rapture His church at which point all church age saints that have died will rise from their graves (1 Thess 4:16-17).
      2. The rapture will then be followed by 7 years of tribulation ( Rev 6-19).
      3. During the tribulation period on earth church age saints will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10)
      4. The church will be presented to Christ as His bride at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:6-10).
      5. Upon the completion of the tribulation period Christ will return to earth with His saints (Matt 24:30).
      6. The O.T. and Tribulations saints will rise from their graves (Dan 12:2,13) (1 Cor 15:23) (Rev 20:4).
      7. Christ will then set up His millennial kingdom and reign for a thousand years on this earth (Rev 20:1-6).
      8. After the thousand years Satan is released, he raises up a rebellion against God, which is in turn quickly defeated (Rev 20:7-9).
      9. All unsaved peoples from all times are raised from the dead and judged (Rev 20:5) at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20 :11-15) (Jn 5:22,26-29).
      10. God creates a new heaven and a new earth wherein righteousness dwells for all of eternity (2 pet 3:10-13) (Rev 21:1 - 22:5).