The inspiration of scripture

We believe that the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament are the inspired (God-breathed) word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). God used men in the process of creating the scriptures, but these men were carried along by the Holy Spirit thus making God the ultimate author of these books which we call the “Bible” (2 Pet. 1:19-21 & John 14:26). We also affirm the inerrancy and total reliability of these writings (John 10:35).

one God who exists in three persons

We believe that the God of Israel, Yahweh, has revealed Himself to be a God who is one in being and exists in three equally divine persons - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Deut. 6:4, Isa. 43:10, Eph. 4:6, John 20:28, Heb. 1:7-12, Acts 5:3-5, Acts 28:25-28).

God created man

We believe that God created man in His own image, and we affirm that He made them male and female (Genesis 1:26-27). God is not only the creator of man but is also the creator of the entire universe (John 1:3 & Acts 17:24-28).

Sin

The first man and woman disobeyed God and introduced sin into the world (Genesis 3:1-7). Anytime we disobey any of the commands of God or fall short of God’s standards then we are guilty of sin (1 John 3:4 & James 4:17). We affirm that each child is born innocent (Jer. 19:4 & Deut. 1:39), and when each individual person sins we fall short of the glory of God and are deserving of death and punishment in hell (Rom. 3:23, Rom. 6:23, Matt. 25:41-46).

jesus provides the way for salvation

We believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ and the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:15-16), and He is the only way that we can be saved from the punishment for our sins (Acts 4:12 & John 14:6). He died and paid the penalty for our sins so that we may be reconciled to God (Isaiah 53:5, Rom. 5:8, 1 Cor. 15:3-5, 1 John 2:2).

WE must obey the gospel

We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). The faith of the Bible is not a mere mental assent or affirmation of Jesus as the Son of God, but rather Biblical faith also includes being obedient to Jesus (John 3:36 & Heb. 2:18-19). When Christ returns he will return to punish those who have not obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 1:8). The Bible tells us that in order to be saved one must hear the gospel (Rom. 10:17), believe the gospel (John 3:16 & Rom. 1:16), repent of one’s sins (Luke 13:3), confess that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9), and be baptized in water for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, 1 Pet. 3:21).

Worship

As Christians, we believe in following the New Testament pattern in our worship. This includes gathering together on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7), singing songs of praise and worship (Col 3:16 & 1 Cor 14:15), giving of our means for the needs of the saints (1 Cor 16:1-2), partaking of the Lord's supper (Matt 26:26-29), and teaching (1 Cor. 4:17 & Acts 20:7).

Communion

The Communion (or the Lord's supper) is an item of worship in which we partake upon the first day of the week (Acts 20:7) in remembrance of Christ (1 Cor 11:24-25). In following the New Testament pattern, all members of the congregation partake of one loaf and one cup during the communion (1 Cor 10:16-17 & 1 Cor 11:24-25).

Acapella Singing

The Scripture speaks in both the Old Testament and the New Testament of worshipping God in song (Psalm 95:1, 1 Cor. 14:15, Eph 5:19, Col. 3:16), however we are no longer under the Old Covenant (Heb. 8:13). The New Testament makes no mention of the use of musical instruments in corporate worship but simply that we should sing (Ephesians 5:19 & Colossians 3:16). Therefore in all of our worship services we sing using only our voices (acapella) and without musical instruments.

The return of christ and the judgement

Christ is ascended into heaven and is currently seated at the right hand of God (Acts 1:9 & Eph. 1:20), but He will not remain seated at the right hand of God forever. Christ will return one day to judge all who have lived on the earth. Those who are dead will be resurrected, and Christ will then judge both the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1, 1 Cor. 15:20-24, Acts 24:15). At the final judgement, the wicked will go away into eternal punishment, and the righteous will receive eternal life with Christ (Matt. 25:41-46 & 1 Thess. 4:16-17).