WHAT WE BELIEVE

By conviction and choice we stand in the main stream of Biblical Christianity.

THE BIBLE

God has revealed himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all his words are true. On the cross he died in the place of sinners, bearing God's punishment for their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He rose from the dead and in his resurrection body ascended into heaven where he is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for his people in the presence of the Father.

STATEMENT OF FAITH

We believe in:

The verbal inspiration and the all and sole-sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as originally given, being in its entirety the Word of God.

The trinity in unity of the God-Head.

The essential deity and perfect humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ;

* His virgin birth;

* His substitutionary sacrifice;

* His bodily resurrection;

* His ascension into heaven;

* His present priestly intercession for His people.

The Personality of the Holy Spirit;

* His indwelling of the believer;

* His baptism at conversion;

* His gifts given when and to whom He sovereignly decides.

The depraved and fallen state of man.

The justification of the sinner through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

The personality of the devil.

The natural immortality of the soul.

The second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The resurrection of the body.

The eternal security of the believer.

The conscious eternal punishment of those who die impenitent.

The binding character of the ordinances as instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ of the Lord's Supper (but not being a sacrifice for sin or involving any change in the bread or wine), and Christian Baptism being by the immersion of believers (but not conveying regenerating grace).

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MOTTO TEXT 2008

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus -

Philippians 3: 13b-14 (NIV)