We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also the spiritual death which is separation from God; that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, and in the case of those who reach moral responsibility, become sinners in thought, word, and deed. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,3:6;7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11; Gal 3:22

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of Grace, through the office of the Son of God as a mediator, who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Himself our nature (yet without sin); honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the just dying for the unjust.

Christ the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree, having risen from the dead, is now enthroned in heaven and uniting in His wonderful person the Garland tenderest sympathies with divine perfection. He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior.

Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.

Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.

Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.

Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; 1 John 4:10; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5; Eph. 2:8-9; Matt. 18:11; Isa. 53:4-7; 1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:21.

We believe that a local church is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant in faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word: that its officers, their qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures. We believe that the true mission of the Church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have the opportunity. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government, free from the domination of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only superintendent is Christ, through the Holy Spirit: that it is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation.

1 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:11; 5:23-24; Col. 1:18; Acts 15:13-18; 20:17-18; 1 Tim. 3:17.

Universal Church

We believe that the Church is composed of all who are united by the Holy Spirit to the risen and ascended Son of God and that by the same Spirit we are all baptized into the Body, whether we be Jew or Gentile; and thus being members one of another, we are responsible to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, rising above all sectarian prejudices and denominational bigotry, and loving one another with a pure heart fervently.

Matt. 16:16-18; Acts 2:32-47; Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 1:20-23; Col. 3: 14-15.

We believe in the imminent coming of Christ for the Church, to be followed by a period called the Great Tribulation, after which He will return with His saints to this earth, where He will sit on the throne of David and will subdue all enemies and reign in righteousness for a thousand years, and that after this shall be the Judgment of the Great White Throne when the wicked dead shall be raised and condemned to eternal punishment in the lake of fire which is the second death. The righteous shall then enjoy eternal glory with God.

John 14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; Zech. 14:4-5,9; 1 Thess. 5:2; Matt. 24:27-31; Rev. 1-7; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 1:7; 2 Thess. 2:6; Rev. 22:12; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Thess. 1:7-8; Matt. 24:36; Rev. 22:20; Luke 21:28; Luke 12:35-42; Mark 13:34-37; Luke 21:3; Rev. 20:6; Isa. 32:15; Isa. 35:1; Rev. 20:10; Rev. 20:11-15.