Doctrinal Statement

We have sixteen articles of faith. Most of these are comparable to any evangelical Protestant church and will be merely listed. However, our distinctive articles will receive a somewhat fuller treatment.

I. The Triune God. There is only one God who exists, beyond our comprehension, as three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

II. Jesus Christ. Jesus, the second member of the Trinity, was fully man while at the same time being fully God. He is God's specific revelation of Himself and is the only way to Heaven. He was not created, but has always existed as the second person of the Trinity. For a brief time, He became a man on this earth to show us the way to God. We confess that He was born of a virgin, died for our sins and was raised from the dead by the miraculous power of God.

III. The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity. Like the Son He is a real personality that has existed as God, with the Father and Son, from all eternity. The Holy Spirit plays a major role in our salvation.

IV. The Bible. We believe in plenary inspiration, that is, the 66 books of the bible were divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, and inerrantly reveal God's will to us in regard to salvation. The bible is the only source for doctrine and practice.

V. Sin, Original and Personal. Every person is born in to this world with a propensity to sin, otherwise known as original sin. This inward desire to sin causes each one of us to commit acts of sin, called personal sin, thus making us rebels in God's kingdom. Our personal sin brings God's judgment on each of us.

VI. The Atonement. God loves us and does not want to punish us for our sin. Instead, He sent His Son, Jesus, to take our place. On the cross, Jesus took the punishment God measured out for our individual sins. This atonement is applied to a person when he/she responds to God in faith and in repentance.

VII. Free Agency. Every person has been gifted by God to choose between right and wrong, thus God is able to hold each one of us morally accountable for our sins on the day of judgment. We further believe the bible teaches us that God has extended the offer of forgiveness (the atonement) to all who will accept it. Everyone is free to accept or reject Christ's offer of salvation. Our free agency does not end when we are saved. We are still free to stay with Christ or to walk away from Him. God does not force us to be his children.

VIII. Repentance. Repentance is the attitude of a sinful heart that has been touched by the Holy Spirit. It begins with remorse for sins, and extends to turning away from a sinful life to begin a life that pleases God. It is impossible to become a Christian without repentance.

IX. Justification, Regeneration, and Adoption. When a person repents of sin, God justifies that person, clearing his/her name from all sin. At that same moment, He also regenerates the person, changing the heart from a heart of sin to one capable of faith, love and obedience to God. Also, at that same moment God adopts the repentant person into the family of God.

X. Entire Sanctification. Only after the heart has been regenerated is it possible to make a full surrender to the will of God. Through regeneration the believer is made spiritually alive. He/she can now fully consecrate him/herself to God. The Holy Spirit draws the believer into this consecration.

Our human part in all of this is to say, "yes" to God, that is, we give up our right to govern ourselves as free agents, and submit ourselves willingly to God's will and way of living. God's part in sanctification is to empower us to live holy and to take away original sin from our heart. Sanctification is a gift of the Holy Spirit, not a work we do. It is given only to the Christians who consecrate themselves to God.

Being sanctified helps us in our struggle against sin. Being born with original sin (the inward desire to sin) causes us to enjoy sin. It is difficult to let sin go, because it is such a part of us. Yet, in sanctification, the Holy Spirit takes away the inward desire to sin. Living holy now becomes possible because the Holy Spirit has completed what was started in regeneration. He has taken away our desire to sin and also empowered us to live above sin.

Being sanctified does not mean that we will be sinless, for we live in an evil world in which temptation is flaunted at us everyday and our minds and bodies are weak. It does mean that we are without excuse when we sin. Yet, if we do sin, and repent, God will forgive us and restore us. We will always need the grace of God.

XI. The Church. The church is the community of believers, also known as the body of Christ. It is the median through which He works. As the church, we are to be faithful, to love one another, serve one another, maintain unity, hold one another accountable for sin and be a witness for Christ in this world.

XII. Baptism. Baptism is a sign to all that a spiritual work has happened on the inside, namely that the old sinful lifestyle is being washed away. We honor three modes of baptism: immersion, sprinkling, pouring.

XIII. The Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper (also called Communion) was commanded by Christ that we observe it. It is symbolic of Christ's sacrificial death for us.

XIV. Divine Healing. We support the wonderful work of modern medicine, but do encourage believers to seek healing from God when needed. Some, but not all, will receive divine healing. It is still available to Christians.

XV. Second Coming Of Christ. There are many opinions of what will happen during the end times. We only find it necessary to confess that Christ will one day come again and no one knows when. His saints will be caught up to meet him in the air, and "so will we ever be with the Lord.

XVI. Resurrection, Judgment and Destiny. When Christ returns, there will be two bodily resurrections. The non-Christian will be resurrected to be damned in a lake of fire. This is their judgment. The Christian will be resurrected to live with Christ forever. This is their reward. Every person will have one of these two destinies.