1.  The Doctrine of the Bible

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The Bible is God’s Holy Word.  We believe in the verbal (words), plenary (all the words) inspiration of the Scriptures.  The Bible does not merely contain the Word of God; it is the living Word of God. Inspiration was a one-time occurrence when the Holy Spirit breathed into holy men of old the very words of the Almighty.  God has preserved His word for each generation.  We believe in and use the Authorized King James Version.  The Word of God is our absolute authority for faith and practice. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Ps. 12:6-7; Isa. 40:8)

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2.  The Doctrine of Salvation

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God’s perfect Word teaches that salvation is by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross.  It is God’s will that all should come to repentance, yet many reject this salvation.  At the moment of salvation, the sinner is forgiven from the penalty of sin through the atonement of Christ’s blood, the imputed righteousness of God’s own Son is put on his account, eternal life becomes his current possession, he is given the indwelling Holy Spirit, and he becomes a new creature in Jesus Christ.  This new believer becomes the child of God and no man can pluck him out of the Father’s hand. (Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Pet. 3:9; 2 Cor. 5:21; Jn. 10:28-29)

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3. The Doctrine of Sin

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All men are born with a sin nature.  Because of the sin of one man, the entire human race was plunged into sin.  The payment for sin is death in hell.  The only way to have this sin forgiven is to accept the payment of Christ on the cross.  He took our sin on Himself and made a way for all mankind to be released from the penalty of sin.  Every believer battles the power of sin because the new man is in direct opposition to the old man of sin.  Only in heaven, will the Christian finally be delivered from the presence of sin. (Rom. 3:23; Rom. 5:8,12)

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4.  The Doctrine of God

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Through creation, through our conscious, and through the Scriptures, we know that there is a God.  God makes Himself known to us through general and special revelation.  God is a person and He desires to be actively involved with His creation.  The natural attributes of God include: eternal, immutable, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.  Some of His moral attributes are: holiness, justice, righteousness, love, grace, and truth.  All people are born at enmity with God because man is a sinner and God is perfect.  However, God extends His wonderful mercy and grace and provides an opportunity for every person to establish a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. (Rom. 1:19-20; Eph. 2:12-15)

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5.  The Doctrine of Christ

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Jesus Christ is God.  He is the second member of the trinity.  He is equal to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.  Because He is God, He holds all the attributes of God.  He is called the Word of God and it is He that spoke all creation into existence.  Jesus Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  He left the glories of heaven to come and be our Savior.  He became man without ceasing to be God.  He was the virgin born Son of God.  He lived a sinless life and became our perfect substitute on the cross.  His shed blood was necessary for the remission of our sin debt.  He died, was buried, and then rose again from the dead the third day and now He has in His hands the keys of death, hell, and the grave.  He is the only way of salvation, and it is only through His name and through His precious blood that one can have his sins forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. (Jn. 1:1; Jn. 10:30; Col. 1:16; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Jn. 14:6)

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6.  The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

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The Holy Spirit is not a force or a power—He is God.  He is the third member of the trinity.  Therefore, He also holds all the attributes of God the Father.  He convicts of sin, comforts in trouble, intercedes in prayer, illuminates the Scriptures, empowers for service, and seals our salvation.  He is the down payment of the inheritance that God has promised to every believer.  He is received at the moment of salvation and the body of the new believer becomes His temple.  As the Christian submits to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, He in turn fills the believer and displays the fruit of the Spirit through that person. (I Jn. 5:7; Jn. 14:16-18; Eph. 1:13; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; Eph. 5:18)

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7.  The Doctrine of the Church

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The church is the vehicle through which God is doing His work in this present world.  The church started with Christ and His disciples and was empowered at Pentecost.  The church is a group of baptized believers who have voluntarily joined themselves together to carry out the Great Commission.  The church has one head—the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the Chief Shepherd and He guides and directs the church through the bishop or undershepherd.  Christ left the church with two church ordinances—baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  The church is the bride of Christ.  The church is made up of individual members that make up the body of Christ.  Each has a distinct and important function within the body.  Scriptures expresses clearly that the New Testament church was a local, independent body of believers. (Matt. 16:18; Ac. 2; Matt. 28:19-20; Eph. 5:23-33; I Cor. 12:12-31)

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8.  The Doctrine of Angels

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Angels are messengers.  They were part of the original creation and are therefore accountable to their creator, God.  They have great strength, but are not omnipotent.  They have great speed, but are not omnipresent.  They have great wisdom, but are not omniscient.  There are classes of angels—some are more powerful than others.  The angels minister to God and man.  Lucifer was the greatest of the angels, but fell through his pride.  When he did, a great host of angels also fell with him.  He is the enemy of God and he works day and night to blind the minds of the lost and to destroy the testimony of the saved.  He is our adversary, our accuser, and our tempter.  Christ defeated him on the cross in the past and will destroy him in the future when he is cast into the bottomless pit. (Matt. 2:13; Ps. 148;2,5; Heb. 1:13-14; Jude 9; Eze. 28:12-18; Gen. 3:15; Rev. 20:10)

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9.  The Doctrine of End Time

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I believe we are living in the “last days.”  The rapture of the church is the next major event on the prophetic timetable.  I hold the belief of a pretribulational rapture.  As soon as the saints are caught away, the tribulation will begin and the entrance of the antichrist will take place.  Midway through the seven years of the tribulation, the antichrist will break the covenant of peace, set up the abomination of desolation, and institute the mark of the beast.  These will be days of great judgments on the earth.  At the conclusion of these seven years, Jesus Christ will come and destroy all the armies of this world at the Battle of Armageddon.  Satan will be bound for a thousand years during the time period of the millennium.  I also hold to the premillenial view that the second advent of Christ precedes the millennial reign of Christ.  At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be loosed for a time and then cast into the lake of fire forever and ever.  Following this will be the great white throne judgment and the new heaven and earth. (Rev. 4:1; I Cor. 15:51-53; I Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 13: 1-10; Rev. 19:11-16; Rev. 20:4-6,12-15; Rev. 21:1-2)