We believe that our one aim in life and death should be to glorify God and enjoy him forever, and that God teaches us how to glorify him in his holy Word, the BIBLE (both the Old and New Testaments), which is given to us without error by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We believe that it is our sole authority and sufficient guide in all matters of faith and practice, and that it cannot be taken away from by means of denial or rejection, nor can anything be added unto it, whether by human teaching or further revelation. We believe that the Scripture is self-authenticating, that its authority depends not upon any church or human institution but wholly upon God, Who is the author thereof and Who is Himself truth. We believe that it is to be received, believed and obeyed, therefore, because it is the Word of God. We believe that the Scripture is the supreme judge in all matters of faith and practice, and that all other judgments, opinions and doctrines are subject to its pronouncements. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Jude 2; Revelation 22:18; 1 John 2:27)

We believe in one living and true GOD who is a Spirit, sovereign, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. We believe that He is incomparable in all that He is; one God but three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are the same in substance, equal in power and glory. We believe that God is in Himself all-sufficient, in no way dependent upon or in need of any creature which He has made; that He is sovereign, working all things after the counsel of His own will; that He is the fountain of all that is good; that He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them; that only He is able to save people from sin; and that He alone is the proper object of our worship (Romans 11:33-36; John 4:24; Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 28:19; Ephesians 1:11 Isaiah 46:10; James 1:17; Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 11:3; Jonah 2:9).

We believe in GOD THE FATHER, that He is a personal Spirit, infinite and perfect in all His being. We believe that He is sovereign, holy and merciful in His providential control of all the affairs of men, and that all things are directed by and governed by Him unto His own glory. We believe that He is the Author of salvation: choosing us unto salvation, sending His Son as the propitiation for our sins on the cross, and raising Him from the dead. We believe that He hears and answers our prayers. (John 4:24; Psalm 76:10; Proverbs 16:23; 21:1; Romans 8:28; Matthew 19:25-26; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 John 1:10; Acts 13:30; Matthew 7:7-11; Ephesians 3:20).

We believe in JESUS CHRIST, the only Redeemer of God’s elect, Who being the eternal Son of God became man, and so was and continues to be God and man in two distinct natures and one person forever. We believe in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles and His teachings. We believe that His voluntary death on the cross was a substitutional and sufficient payment of the penalty of sin which infallibly secured the eternal redemption of all those for whom He died. We believe in His bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension into Heaven where now He intercedes for His people, and His personal, visible return to this earth in glory. (1 Timothy 2:5; 3:16; Colossians 1:19; 2:9; Isaiah 7:14; Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 9:11-12; Romans 1:4; Hebrews 7:24-25; Acts 1:11).

We believe in the HOLY SPIRIT, a personal Spirit equal with the Father and the Son in power and glory; who came forth from the Father and the Son to affect the saving virtues of Christ in the hearts of His people. We believe that He indwells every true believer in Christ as the abiding Sanctifier and Teacher, Who intercedes for us in prayer and enables us to live in faithful service and obedience to the Scriptures, and Who sovereignly gives us spiritual gifts for service to God and others. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; John 14:26; 15:26-27; 16:7-11; Romans 8:9, 226; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Philippians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

Concerning MANKIND, we believe that male and female were created by the direct act of God and that He endued them with knowledge, righteousness and true holiness after His image. We believe that their created purpose and chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But by Adam’s transgression and sin all humanity is fallen from original righteousness and communion with God as His image bearers, and thus, though given life by God when conceived in the womb, they each are born into this world dead in sin and wholly defiled. We believe that, being fallen in sin, all humans are by nature children of wrath, under the condemnation of God, and corrupted in body and soul, prone to evil and liable to eternal death, and that from this dreadful state we cannot be delivered by our own works or merit, but only through the unmerited grace of God our Savior. (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-19; Ephesians 2:1-3,8-9)

Concerning SALVATION We believe that God has not left the world to perish in its sin, but out of His great love He has from all eternity graciously chosen unto Himself a multitude which no man can number from every nation under heaven, to deliver them out of their sin and misery, and of them to build up again in the world His kingdom of righteousness, and that in this kingdom we may be assured we have our part, if we hold fast to Christ the Lord.

We believe that God has redeemed His people unto Himself through Jesus Christ our Lord; who, though He was and ever continues to be the eternal Son of God, yet became human, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life in order to be our Redeemer. We believe that He bore the penalty due our sins in His own body on the cross and fulfilled in His own person the obedience we owe to the righteousness of God, and now presents us to His Father as His purchased possession, to the praise of the glory of His grace forever; therefore, renouncing all merit of our own, we put all our trust only in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ our Savior. We believe that Jesus Christ our redeemer, who died for our offences, was raised again for our justification, and ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty, continually making intercession for us and governing the whole world as head over all things, so that we may know surely that nothing can snatch us out of His hands or separate us from His eternal love. We believe that the redemption wrought by our Lord Jesus Christ is effectually applied to all His people by the Holy Spirit, who works faith in us and thereby unites us to Christ, renews us after the image of God, and enables us more and more to die unto sin and to live unto righteousness until, this gracious work having been completed in us, we shall be received into glory, in which great hope abiding, we must ever strive to perfect holiness in the fear of God.

We believe that God requires of us, under the gospel, first of all, that, out of a true sense of our sin and misery and apprehension of His mercy in Christ, we should turn with grief and hatred away from sin and rest upon Jesus Christ alone for salvation and not upon human merits or activity of any kind; that, being so united to Him, we may receive pardon for our sins and be accepted as righteous in God’s sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone; and thus and thus only do we believe we may be received into the number and the privileges of the sons of God. We believe that, having been pardoned and accepted for Christ’s sake, it is further required of us that we walk in the Spirit whom He has purchased for us, and by whom love is shed abroad in our heart; fulfilling the obedience we owe to Christ our King; faithfully performing all the duties laid upon us by Him; and ever reflecting in our life and conduct, the perfect example that our Lord Jesus has set for us.

We believe in the existence of ANGELS. We believe that the elect angels are ministering spirits from God who serve and worship Him, watch over us, and who will accompany our Lord in His glorious return. We believe that the evil angels are the demonic hosts under the direction of Satan, whose purpose is to hinder and destroy the saints in their service for God. (Matthew 18:10; 1 Timothy 5:21; Hebrews 1:14; Matthew 25: 31, 41; Luke 8:12; 1 Timothy 2:18; 1 Peter 5:8).

We believe that God has established his CHURCH in the world and endowed it with the ministry of the Word, the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s supper and the fellowship of believers. In baptism we pledge our undying allegiance to Christ the Lord and testify of our identification with him in his saving work for us, and that by the mode of immersion we represent the Lord’s death, burial & resurrection unto new life. In our observance of the Lord’s supper we remember the Lord Jesus and the great cost of our redemption, that is, the giving of His body & the shedding His blood in death for the remission of our sins. In our preaching we learn from Him and come to know Him as He is graciously revealed to us in God’s holy Word. And it is our continual duty and blessing to seek regular fellowship with and ministry to the people of God: praying for one another; striving to love, edify, strengthen and exhort one another to holiness through the application of Scripture to our lives. It is our privilege, by these means, to make known to the world the riches of God’s grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ, thereby making disciples of all people, for his eternal glory. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; Romans 6; 1 Cor 11:23-32; 1 Peter 1:22-25; 1 John 4; Romans 12:3-21; Heb 12:3-13).

We believe concerning CHRISTIAN LIVING that as believers in Jesus Christ, every Christian is to manifest the fruit of repentance, turning from sin and sinful lifestyles, and submit himself or herself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, pursuing holiness in every area of life. This will include things such as the Christian’s sexuality and family life. With regard to sexuality, we believe as the Scriptures clearly teach, that having created the two genders (male and female), God designed all human sexual activity as being between one man and one woman in the context of the marriage bond. This was God’s original and good design for mankind. But we recognize that, as a consequence of the Fall, all men and women are sexually broken and thus relate in twisted ways to God, self, others, and nature. Therefore, all expressions of sexual activity outside of the bond of marriage are sinful, condemned by God and are a distortion of God’s good design. This includes all involvement with pornography, sexual fantasy, sexual addictions, adultery, homosexuality, gender distortions and any other sexual activity outside of marriage. All sexual sin grieves God and is offensive to His Holiness. Concerning family life, we believe that marriage is between one man and one woman with the husband loving his wife as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it, and as the God appointed head of the family the husband is to rule over the household in gentleness, love, wisdom and firmness; the wife is to be in subjection to her husband in all things as his appointed helper. The husband with the wife must nurture their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord by setting a godly example before them, by consistently teaching them in the Scriptures, and by wise and firm chastening as Scripture affirms. And children are to honor and obey their parents in all things. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; Ephesians 5:1-7; Colossians 3:1-7; Hebrews 13:4; Ephesians 2:1-3,8-9; 5:22-6:3)

We believe with regard to FUTURE THINGS, that as Jesus Christ has once come in grace, so also will He come a second time in glory, to establish His eternal kingdom and to judge the world in righteousness and assign to each his eternal reward; and we believe that if we die believing in Christ, our souls shall at death be made perfect in holiness and go home to the Lord who created us and saved us; and when He shall return in his majesty we shall be raised in glory and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity. Encouraged by this blessed hope we willingly take our part in suffering hardship here as good soldiers of Christ Jesus, being assured that if we die with Him, we shall also live with Him. (Acts 1:9-11; Acts 17:31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Timothy 2:3,11).

March 2020