We Believe...

• The Scriptures - The Bible is the inspired Word of God, the product of holy men of old who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.  The New Covenant, as recorded in the New Testament, we accept as our infallible guide in matters pertaining to conduct and doctrine. (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thes. 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21)
• The Godhead - Our God is one, but manifested in three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, being co-equal (Phil. 2:6).  God, the Father, is greater than all; the sender of the Word (Logos) and the Begetter (John 14:28; 16:28; 1:14).  The Son is the Word who came in human form, the One Begotten, and has existed with the Father from the beginning (John 1:1, 14, 18).  The Holy Spirit proceeds from both, the Father and the Son, and is eternal (John 15:26).
• Man, His Fall, and Redemption - Man is a created being, made in the likeness and image of God, but through Adam's transgression and fall, sin came into the world.  "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."... "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one."  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was manifest to undo the work of the devil and gave His life and shed His blood to redeem and restore man back to God. (Rom. 5:14; 3:10, 23; 1 John 3:8).  Salvation is the gift of God to man, separate from the works and the law of the Old Testament, and is made operative by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, producing works acceptable to God. (Ephesians 2:8)
• Eternal Life and the New Birth - Man's first step toward salvation is Godly sorrow that works repentance.  The New Birth is necessary to all men, and when experienced, produces eternal life. (2 Cor. 7:10; 1 John 5:12; John 3:3-5)
• Water Baptism - Baptism in water is by immersion.  It is a direct commandment of our Lord, and it is only for those who have made Jesus their Lord and Savior.  The ordinance is a symbol of the Christian's identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.  (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12; Acts 8:36-39  Acts 2:38  Acts 10:47,48
• Baptism with the Holy Spirit - The Baptism with the Holy Ghost (Spirit) and fire is a gift from God as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to all believers in this dispensation and is received subsequent to the New Birth.  This experience is accompanied by the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit Himself gives utterance. (Matt. 3:11; John 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 2:4,38-39; 19:1-7)
• Sanctification - The Bible teaches that without holiness, no man can see the Lord.  We believe in the Doctrine of Sanctification as a definite yet progressive work of grace, beginning at the time of the New Birth and continuing until the Lord's return. (Heb. 12:14; 1 Thes. 5:23; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:12-14; 1 Cor. 1:30)
• Divine Healing - Healing is for the physical ills of the human body and is wrought by the power of God through the prayer of faith, and by the laying on of hands.  It is provided for in the atonement of Christ, and is the privilege of every member in the Body of Christ today. (Mark 16:18; James 5:14; 1 Peter 2:24; Matt. 8:17; Isaiah 53:4-5)
• Resurrection of the Just and the Return of Our Lord - The angels said to Jesus' disciples, "This same Jesus shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."  His coming is imminent.  When He comes... the dead in Christ shall rise first... then, we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air...  (Acts 1:11; 1 Thes. 4:16-17)
• Hell and Eternal Retribution - The one who physically dies in his sins, without accepting Jesus Christ, is hopelessly and eternally lost in the Lake of Fire, and therefore, has no further opportunity of hearing the Gospel and repenting.  The Lake of Fire is literal.  The terms "eternal" and "everlasting," used in describing the duration of the punishment of the damned in the Lake of Fire, carry the same thought and meaning of endless existence as used in denoting the duration of joy and ecstasy of saints in the presence of God in Heaven. (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 19:20)