GOD
THE WORD
We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, being both inerrant and perfectly attuned to speaking into every realm of human experience. It is immutable and unchanging, and does not change in accordance to culture, but culture should be changed according to the Word. We believe that all scripture is profitable for doctrine and that the Bible is a book written to mankind, for mankind, and that it is written in such a way as to be understood in clear human language.
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is a result of repentance and the remission (forgiveness) of sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. That it is a free gift for those who repent and turn towards God and away from their rebellion against God. We believe that there is only one way to Salvation through Jesus Christ, and that all men and women are born with a sinful nature that must be atoned for. We do not believe in “once saved, always saved,” but rather that our salvation must be walked through with fear and trembling, realizing that salvation is not just a one-time prayer, but a lifestyle of obedience to the Holy Spirit and God’s Holy Word. With that said, we believe that the only thing that can separate us from God, once being saved, is the willful turning away of the individual into sin or rebellion against God.
THE FAMILY
Apart from personal salvation, we believe that the family, as ordained by God through the marriage of one man and one woman, is the cornerstone to God’s plan for society, giving us a pure picture of the Godhead through love, respect, and proper submission to authority. We believe that marriage is to be a lasting covenant throughout one’s lifetime, and that the breaking of this covenant is sin. We believe that husbands are to love their wives, operating as leader, protector, and provider, being the head of the family as Christ is head of the Church. We believe that in conjunction with this, wives, being the ruler of the home, are to respect their husbands, being co-rulers together with him, but also submitted in honor of God’s word. We believe that children are to obey their parents, and that parents are the final authority over their children’s lives, with only God’s word taking precedence. Any society which rejects God’s institution of marriage and family will ultimately fall into disrepute and collapse.
BAPTISM AND THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe there is one baptism into Christ, and one baptism into His power by the Holy Spirit. We believe that Water Baptism is a symbol of the new birth which happens within someone’s spirit upon turning to Christ, and that it should be represented by full immersion in water. We also believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is the power of God, and that the power of the Holy Spirit is necessary in order to evangelize the world. We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is evidenced by speaking in tongues and the working of miracles.
SIN
We believe that the Bible is, without exception, the ultimate authority in all matters pertaining to human morality, and that any other standard of morality is invalid and incapable of curing the human condition. We believe that sin, as defined as disobedience to God’s commands, is the great separator between man and God, and that living in unrepentant sin will disqualify any individual from entrance into the kingdom of God. Such sins are fornication, sexual immorality, drunkenness, lewdness, hatred, revelries, homosexuality, envy, false lips, a lying tongue, slander, gossip, pride, gluttony, witchcraft, idolatry, greed, and anything else which is in rebellion to God’s stated commandments. Of such things, followers of Christ must turn away, not taking part in them, and separating themselves from the ways of this present world. In all this, we believe that God’s grace is the great empowerment to live above these sins, and that with Christ, all men and women can live pure and undefiled before God.
THE CHURCH
We believe that the Church, as defined as the organized gathering together of believers under the leadership of five-fold ministry gifts, is ordained by God as His plan for evangelism and discipleship. We believe that individuals should not forsake the assembly, thus treating the blood of Christ as common and trampling it underfoot.