OUR DOCTRINE
Essential beliefs make up our doctrine, and as Christians we must agree and be in unity concerning these beliefs.
The Bible
We believe the entire Bible is the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God and should be the supreme and final authority in our lives and faith. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
One God
We believe in one God who exists and reveals Himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and is the creator of all things seen and unseen. (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16; Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
Jesus Christ
We believe Jesus Christ is God the son, the second person of the trinity. He was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, performed many miracles and died on a cross for our sins. He was raised from the dead on the third day in accordance with scriptures, ascended to heaven where he is at the right hand of the Father, and will return again to establish his eternal rule as King over the new heavens and new earth. (John 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:16; John 3:1; Matthew 1:18-25; Romans 9:5; Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 2:5-6; Revelation 1:7)
Humanity
We believe God created humanity, male and female, in the image and likeness of God. We believe life begins at conception and that our gender and sexuality are good gifts from God and likewise determined by God from conception. We believe every life is sacred because God is the originator of every life. We believe that sin separated man from God. Despite sin and separation, we believe all humans, male and female, from every tongue, tribe, and nation, are valuable to God, deserving of love and respect, and should be afforded the opportunity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:7; Psalm 139:13-16; Matthew 19:4; Romans 5:12-21)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is offered by grace through faith in accordance with repentance and belief in the death, burial, resurrection, and reality of Jesus Christ. His shed blood for our sins and resurrection from the dead means that we can be forgiven and restored into fellowship with God. (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23; 5:1; 6:23; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 10:9-10)
The Church
We believe that the Church is comprised of all those who acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior, and that scripture instructs believers to identify and regularly assemble with other believers to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Bible, fellowship, and works of service. (Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 2:42-47, 16:5)
Israel & the Jewish People We affirm that the Jewish people are God’s chosen covenant nation and that His covenant with Israel remains in effect (Genesis 12:1–3; Romans 9:4–5). We reject replacement theology and affirm that the Church has not supplanted Israel in God’s redemptive plan (Romans 11:1–2, 28–29). We believe salvation comes only through Jesus the Messiah (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and at the same time, believe that God’s promises to Israel are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). The Church, made up of both Jew and Gentile, has been grafted into Israel’s covenant heritage (Romans 11:17–18), and we look with hope toward Israel’s future redemption (Romans 11:25–26). We affirm and support Zionism, understood as the belief that the Jewish people have a God-given right to live in, govern, and defend their ancestral homeland, reflecting God’s faithfulness to His Word and covenant promises (Genesis 17:7–8; Ezekiel 36:24; Amos 9:14–15). We oppose antisemitism in all its forms and commit to praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), blessing the Jewish people (Genesis 12:3), and supporting the flourishing of Israel and Jewish communities worldwide in alignment with God’s purposes (Zechariah 2:8).
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the god-head, and at the point of salvation the Holy Spirit fills each believer as a down payment of salvation to be a source of strength, assurance, and wisdom for daily life. (1 Corinthians 2:9- 14, 6:19-20; Matthew 3:11; Acts 2:4, 38, 39)
The Infilling of the Holy Spirit
We believe in a subsequent experience where the Holy Spirit fills a believer to overflowing and is empowered to preach the gospel with boldness and operate in spiritual gifts. (Joel 2:28-19; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 10:38, 44-47)
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit has supernatural gifts to distribute to Christians for the instruction and empowering of every believer to demonstrate the power, reality and supremacy of God to the world. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the gifts of the spirit. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and when operated with balance and order, these gifts will bring glory to God and the light of truth to the lost. (1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 14:1-40; John 16:13-14; Hebrews 2:4; Ephesians 4:16; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6-7)
Water Baptism
We believe all believers should obey Jesus in water baptism, by immersion, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe baptism is both a public profession of their faith in Christ as well as a spiritual sacrament where the old man is buried with Christ and a new man is raised to life. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38, 8:36–38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38, 10:47-48; Romans 6:3-7)
Eternity & Second Coming of Christ
We believe in the personal and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the bodily resurrection of all people unto judgment. This judgment will bring everlasting life in the new earth for the saved and the punishment of hell and eternal separation from God for the lost. (Acts 1:11; 2 Peter 3:10-13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 1:7, 20:4-6, 11-15, 21:1-5)
Communion
We believe that the holy ordinance of Communion should be received regularly by believers walking in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ as a remembrance and celebration of what the broken body and shed blood of Christ accomplished for them on the cross. (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29)
Biblical Marriage
We believe marriage is a covenant relationship between God, one man and one woman, for life for the purposes of mission, companionship, procreation and demonstration of Christ’s relationship with the Church. The Bible limits the expression of human sexuality to a marital relationship between a man and a woman, which is the only legitimate and acceptable sexual relationship according to scripture. All sexual activity apart from this context should be abstained from. (Genesis 2:24; Leviticus 18:22; Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 7:2)
Tithing & Giving
We believe that Christians are called to be generous givers and to trust God with their finances. We believe the starting place for Christian giving is to return the first tenth of their income back to their local church as a way of honoring God and recognizing Him as first in their lives. Returning the tithe comes before the giving of other offerings and is the foundation of biblical stewardship. We believe all tithes and offerings should be given cheerfully, out of obedience and in response to God’s word and God’s goodness towards us. (Malachi 3:10; Proverbs 3:9-10; Leviticus 26:30; Matthew 23:23; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
Sanctity of Life We affirm that all human life is created by God in His image and is therefore sacred and worthy of dignity, protection, and care (Genesis 1:26–27; Psalm 127:3). We believe that life begins at conception and that God is the author and giver of life from its earliest moment (Psalm 139:13–16; Jeremiah 1:5).
We also believe in grace and restoration where abortions have occurred, and we affirm that forgiveness, healing, and redemption are found through repentance and in the finished work of Jesus Christ (Psalm 34:18; Romans 8:1; Ephesians 1:7). We are committed to the protection of life through biblical teaching and education, and through the pursuit of laws and public policies that defend the unborn (Proverbs 24:11–12). We believe the sanctity of human life is a central moral issue for all believers and one on which Christians must remain uncompromising in matters of civic responsibility, including elections and the political process (Proverbs 31:8–9; Matthew 5:13–16).