Statement of Faith

The Scriptures:

We believe the Old and New Testament to be the inspired, infallible, inerrant, Word of God. We believe in the plenary (full, complete), verbal inspiration of Scripture in their original writings and the fact that God has preserved His pure word and words to every generation. (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16; Psalms 12:6-7) The King James Bible is the only authoritative Bible version we use and accept and do so as our sole authority for faith and practice.

The Godhead:

We believe in one God co-existing eternally, co-equal in power, co-equal in being, co-identical in nature manifesting himself in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe the Godhead possesses the same Divine attributes and perfections and is co-equal in power and glory. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

The Person and Work of Jesus Christ:

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be God’s only begotten Son conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We believe He is eternally the Son of God who became the Son of Man without ceasing to be God: He did so in order to reveal God and to redeem man. (Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:20-21; John 3:16; John 1:1-2; Philippians 2:5-8; John 14:10)

We believe the death the Lord Jesus experienced at Calvary was a vicarious or substitutionary death that accomplished our redemption and was a complete work never to be repeated. We also believe that He was buried and that according to the Scriptures, came out from among the dead making sure justification of all who believe. (Romans 3:24-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Galatians 4:4-5)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has ascended into Heaven where He sits on the right hand of God performing continual intercession as our High Priest and advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit:

We believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead co-existing, co-eternal, co-equal in power with God the Father and God the Son. We believe the Holy Spirit has been sent into the world to reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come. (John 16:8-11)

We believe the Holy Spirit baptizes into the body of Christ all who believe in Christ Jesus as Savior. We believe He provides comfort to all believers and will guide them in all truth. (John 16:8-11; 1 Corinthians 13:13; 2)

Man:

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God in a state of perfect innocence. We believe Adam, in a volition of his will, transgressed the command of God and, therefore, became alienated from God. As the federal head or representative of the entire human race, we believe that when Adam fell, we fell. We believe in the total depravity of man, meaning that, man is not as bad as he can be, but is as bad off as he can be and, in and of himself, is totally unable to produce a remedy for his lost condition. (Genesis 1:26; Romans 3:22-23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12; Romans 5:12)

The Salvation of Man:

We believe that mankind can be saved “by grace through faith.” We believe that salvation is a gift that cannot be earned and merits no other merit, meaning we are saved by grace and by grace alone. We believe that mankind is declared just by God when they place their faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that salvation is “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” We believe that eternal life is the present possession of all who believe. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 20:21; John 1:11-12; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Romans 8:1, 1 Peter 1:4-5; Jude 1,24; John 3:16, 5:34, 17:3)

The Church:

We believe the New Testament Church is a local assembly of baptized believers who have voluntarily joined themselves together to carry out the Great Commission. We believe in the autonomy of the local Church and that it is to be free from any and all external authority or control. We believe the Scriptures teach Christ to be the sole head of the very institution He purchased with His blood, the Church. (Acts 14:27; 20:17; 28:32; 1 Timothy 2:1-13, Titus 1:5-11; Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16;1-4; 1 Corinthians 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; 1 Peter 5:1-4)

The Ordinances of the Church:

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ gave the Church two commands referred to as ordinances: the baptism of the believer in water by immersion and participation in the Lord’s Supper. These ordinances were given to serve as living testimonies to each generation in which the Church has existed. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Biblical Separation:

We believe in both personal and ecclesiastical separation. We believe that Christians are to be separated unto God and from the world. We believe that all believers are to live in such a way as not to bring a reproach upon their Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that separation is to be from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations. We do not believe this to be an option but a command. (2 Corinthians 6:14-17; Colossians 1:13; John 17:11, 14; Romans 12:1-2; 16:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; Revelation 2:1-7 esp. 2, 6; Revelation 2:12-17)

Heaven and Hell:

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men. We believe the saved will be raised to eternal life and the unsaved to everlasting punishment. We believe that upon death, the souls of the redeemed become “absent from the body and present with the Lord” and the souls of lost mankind find themselves in a place that was originally prepared for the Devil and his angels. We believe that both the saved and the unsaved will face a judgment respective to their relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ and will either know the eternal bliss of being in the presence of the Lord Jesus or be cast into the lake of fire consciously and eternally suffer the punishments prescribed by God’s Holiness. (John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:23; 3;21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:41-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:11-15)

SALVATION

DO YOU WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN?

THE greatest question that anyone can be asked and answered correctly–regardless of age, sex, education, social status, or even religious affiliation–is, “If you die, do you know for sure that you will go to Heaven?”

That question can only be answered one way: from the Bible. Men have been asking and answering that question for millennium. Many clever titles for a simple Biblical truth have been given by men in hope of helping lost men and women understand what only the Holy Spirit can make understandable as it relates to personal salvation.

Therefore, I will assume that one of the reasons you are reading this entry is because you are interested in where you will spend eternity and that the Holy Spirit is convicting you of your sins and your need of Jesus as your Savior.

As you read what follows, remember the Bible makes no exceptions. What it says to one it says to all.

THE BIBLE SAYS:

Romans 3:22b-23: “…there is no difference: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” In this verse, “coming short” means missing the mark. Some people have come ‘closer’ to hitting the mark than others, meaning some people have not committed the same type of sin and the same number of sins as others. But the number and type of sin committed by an individual are not as important as the fact that in the sight of God all have been judged as sinners and are in need of a Savior. The Biblical doctrine of Human Depravity does not declare that mankind is as bad as it can be but is as bad off as it can be.

So, if you are willing to admit YOU are a sinner in the sight of a Holy and sinless God, you are well on your way to securing eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus.

THE BIBLE SAYS:

Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death…” All death is the result of sin, whether it is physical death, spiritual death, or eternal death. In this verse, Paul is referring to eternal death where all sinners who refuse to trust Christ’s work at Calvary will be eternally separated from God. You see, God’s plan of salvation demanded that Christ pay the sin debt for all mankind.

Therefore, potentially all of mankind can be saved. But actually, the ONLY ones who will be saved are those who put their trust in Christ as their personal Savior believing that when He died on Calvary He died not only for them but as them.

THE BIBLE SAYS:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have eternal life.” According to the Bible, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. If you have ever wondered “Why am I here? What is my purpose?” the answer to those eternal questions can only be answered as we received the gift of God’s Son by faith and the life that He gives when we receive Him as our Savior.

This verse is probably the most recognizable verse in the entire Bible and maybe too little understood. It is NOT complicated. Just do exactly what it says and God will do exactly what He said.

THE BIBLE SAYS:

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.” That’s it! Just believe and receive. That’s all you can do to be saved. Jesus has done all the work when He died for our sins on Calvary. Remember, when He died for us He also died as us. There is nothing for us as sinners to do, outside of believing on Christ as our Savior, in order to be saved.

Grace is a gift given and received. It is not something earned or even deserved, but given: given by someone who loves and desires to bestow on anyone and everyone who will believe on Christ the gift of sins forgiven and eternal life.

THE BIBLE SAYS:

John 6: “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Pretty simple isn’t it? Too simple you think? Well, let me challenge you. Try it and see what happens. God cannot lie. He has not. He will not. If you will call on Him in sincerity, He will respond by giving you salvation from all yours sins.

Why don’t you call on Him now. The words you choose to say are not as important as what you are saying in your heart. They can be as few as “Lord save me a sinner!”

Or they can be something like: “God, I know I am a sinner. I don’t want to pay for my sin debt. I don’t want to go to Hell when I die. As best I know how, right now I repent of my sins and trust Christ as my Savior. I believe that when He died on Calvary He took my place. By faith–and that’s all I have–I trust Him as my Savior and take my place with Him. Since He died for me, help me now to live for Him until I can live with Him in Heaven. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for saving me. I love you Jesus. I love you Jesus!”

THE BIBLE SAYS:

John “He that hath the Son hath life...” Everlasting life begins when you trust Christ as your Savior

If you have prayed this or another prayer making a decision to trust Christ as your Savior, I rejoice with you in your decision! If you would take the time to contact us and let us know about your decision, I would like to send you some information that will help you grow as a new believer in Christ. You may contact one of our pastors at the following numbers: 304.543.4901 304.553.9186 304.552.3920 304.744.8230

May God Bless You!

Pastor Tom