What We Believe
Beliefs
In all essential beliefs, we shall have unity.
"There is one Body and one Spirit... there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all ..." Ephesians 4:4-6, NKJV
In non-essential beliefs, we shall have liberty.
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters ... Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his master he stands or falls... So then each of us will give an account of himself to God... So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God " Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22, NIV
In all our beliefs, we shall show love.
"... If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the faith that can move mountains-but have no love, I amount to nothing at all. " 1 Corinthians 13:2 (Ph.)
The essentials we believe:
About God - God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal as the Godhead and yet are one God.
(Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 2:3; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
About Jesus Christ - Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate his power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven's glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
(Matthew 1:18-25; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; John 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:1; 4-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13)
About the Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to convict humanity of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer at least one spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians we are to seek to live under His control daily.
(2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13; John 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13, 5:8; Galatians 5:25)
About the Bible - The Bible is God's Word to us. It is written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error in its original form thereby constituting the "inerrancy" of Scripture.
(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105, 119:160,12:6; Proverbs 30:5)
About Human Beings - People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character and person. People are the supreme object of God's creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, everyone is marred by a fallen nature and has an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin". This separates people from God and causes many problems in life.
(Genesis I:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23)
About Salvation - Salvation is God's free gift given to us by His grace, but it must be accepted by each individual. No one can ever make up for sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. When a person turns from his/ her self-ruled life and turns to Jesus Christ in faith, that person is saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his/her life by faith.
(Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; John I:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1)
About Eternal Security - Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in his salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot "lose" it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.
(John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10: 10, 14; I Peter 1:3-5)
About Eternity - People were created to exist forever. People will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is to exist in hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life in Heaven. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence as is taught by the Bible.
(John 3:16; John 2:25; I John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 25:44-46)
These statements are not exhaustive; they are given in order to emphasize the foundations of our faith. Our sole authority for faith, practice, and beliefs as a body of believers is the Bible, the inerrant Word of God. We do recognize the Southern Baptist Convention Baptist Faith and Message statement as revised in 2000 as a basis for clarification of basic Biblical beliefs that does not supersede this document. {In case of disagreement between this document and the Baptist Faith and Message, this document will prevail).