Beliefs & Distinctives

Core Beliefs

Whereas the Holy Scripture is the only infallible and authoritative rule of faith and life, we do hereby subscribe to, as a subordinate document and confessional statement, The London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689.

This document is a most excellent summary of what we believe the Scriptures teach, and is a useful tool for instructing believers and refuting error.
While no historic confession can be expected to address all contemporary issues, however, the paragraphs that follow are intended to be both a summary of and an addendum to that fuller expression of what we believe.

1. The Holy Scripture was given by inspiration of God, and is the only sufficient, certain, inerrant, and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. The works of creation and providence continually manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God in such a way as to leave men without excuse; yet they are not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and His will which is necessary unto salvation. The unique authority of the Bible as the written Word of God is not affected by minor textual differences. (Psalm 19:1-11; John 14:26 & 16:13; Rom. 1:18-20; 2 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1:1,2; 2 Pet. 1:19-21)

2. The true and living God is one in His essence (the awesome Possessor of one infinitely holy intelligence, power, and will) while at the same time He mysteriously subsists in three Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who execute distinct but harmonious offices. (Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4,6; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).

3. In Adam, man was created in God’s image (Gen. 1:26,27), was beguiled by Satan (2 Cor. 11:3), and rebelled against his Creator. As a result, man lost his original righteousness, is born with a nature totally depraved (Rom. 5:12-19), and is exposed to the just wrath of God (Eph. 2:3).

4. Christ, the eternal Son of God, assumed our manhood in the womb of the Virgin Mary (Gal. 4:4), lived a holy life and died a substitutionary death (1 Pet. 3:18), rose physically from the grave (Luke 24:39), ascended bodily to the place of absolute authority (lordship) at the Father’s right hand (Phil. 2:9-11), where He intercedes for His own (Heb. 7:25), and whence He sent the Holy Spirit to unite His people with Him (John 7:39).

5. Christ’s redemption is applied to the elect in regeneration by the sovereign action of the Holy Spirit (John 3:6) who, by means of God’s Word (1 Pet. 1:23) works mysteriously and effectually so that the soul is enabled to repent of sin and trust in Christ. Justified by faith (Rom. 5:1), the believer receives the forgiveness of sins and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness.

6. Regeneration not only alters the legal position of the believer from guilt to favor with God, but also implants the principle of holiness in his heart so that he begins to hate and forsake sin (Rom. 13:14), and to delight in the law of God (Rom. 7:22). Progressive growth in evangelical holiness (otherwise known as sanctification) characterizes his entire Christian life.

7. Christ will one day return as He went away (Acts 1:11) to manifest His glory, to receive His own in resurrected and glorified bodies into everlasting fellowship with Himself in heaven, and to judge the wicked, condemning them to everlasting separation from Himself in hell (2 Thess. 1:8-9).

8. The true, invisible church includes all regenerate persons from all time. The visible church consists of local bodies of professed believers. It is the duty of Christians to associate themselves formally with a local congregation under God-given leadership (Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:2-3)

9. We believe that marriage is always to be between one man and one woman only. Homosexual unions and same-sex marriages, even if sanctioned by the civil authorities, are aberrations of God’s law (Genesis 1:28, 2:18; Leviticus 18:22, 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:10) and thus ungodly and not permissible; neither is it Biblical, godly or permissible for a man to have more than one wife at the same time or a woman to have more than one husband at the same time (Genesis 2:24, Malachi 2:13-15, Matthew 19:4-6), nor for a couple to live together as husband and wife outside of the covenant of marriage (Hebrews 13:4).

The 5 Solas

As we follow in the reformed tradition, we affirm the “Five Solas” of the Reformation:

Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone) – The Bible is the authoritative word of God and is sufficient for all matters of faith and practice.
Sola Christus (Christ Alone) – Christ alone is the way of salvation.
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone) – God saves by grace alone without reference to the sinner’s works.
Sola Fide (Faith Alone) – God saves by grace alone through faith alone – not a mixture of faith plus works.
Sola Deo Gloria (To the Glory of God Alone) – God’s glory is the goal in the creation and salvation of His people.

Distinctives

Note: Our doctrinal statement sets forth our beliefs in greater detail as does the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, with which we as a church subscribe to. Both of these documents are subordinate to Scripture.

We Are Evangelical

We proclaim the gospel that we are saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone. We believe sinners are fully and finally justified the moment they believe in Christ and no additional obedience is required to maintain that justification (Ephesians 2:8-9; I Corinthians 15:3f; Romans 3:21-26).

We Believe the Bible is Inerrant and Sufficient

While we recognize every believer has been given spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12:7; I Peter 4:10-11), we believe that revelatory spiritual gifts such as tongues and prophecy were foundational for the early church and are no longer given today (Ephesians 2:20; Hebrews 2:4; II Corinthians 12:12).

We Hold to a Reformed View of Salvation

We are convinced that God is sovereign in salvation. He has chosen us before the foundation of the world solely based upon His grace (Ephesians 1:4, 11). Christ came into the world to save those whom the Father chose to believe in Him (John 10:11; Ephesians 5:25; Revelation 5:9). We, by nature, were totally depraved and would never have sought Him if He had not irresistibly drawn us to Himself (Romans 3:10f; 8:7-8; John 6:37, 44; 10:27-29). We believe those who are truly saved will persevere until the end (Rom. 8:39, Phil 1:6).

We also believe that people are completely responsible for the choices they make. The gospel is freely offered to all. Whoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. (Romans 10:9-13; Acts 16:30-33) The relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility is a mystery to finite creatures. Both of these truths are taught by the Scriptures and we wholeheartedly embrace them.

We Believe Christ is Coming Again

We believe that God has appointed a day when Jesus Christ will visibly return in glory to judge the world in righteousness. Unbelievers will be cast into hell, to experience separation from God forever. Believers will be raised with glorified bodies to everlasting life in fullness of joy in the presence of the Lord. We live in light of that blessed hope which comforts us in our trials and motivates us to holiness. We do not require members or leaders to subscribe to a particular eschatological system such as premillennialism or amillennialism (Matthew 24:36, 25:31; John 5:28, 29; Mark 13:26, 27; Romans 8:18; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 21:8).

We Practice Believer's Baptism

Baptism is a symbol of our union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection and is only appropriately performed on someone who has made a personal profession of faith in Christ. Full immersion is the preferred method, consistent with the New Testament practice (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:10; Acts 8:36-40; Romans 6:3-4).

We are Non-Pentecostal

We Practice Credo-Communion

We believe that the Lord's Supper is a Christian meal that nourishes faith. Therefore, partaking of the Lord's Supper is reserved for professing believers only. Pre-requisite to come to the table is to be united to Christ by faith. This is evidenced by those who have been baptized and have the ability to "remember" what Christ has done for them and to "examine oneself," which would exclude infants and toddlers. We believe children are welcomed to the table who meet those pre-requisites. While there is no set age of accountability, those who are rightful precipitants, are those who have been baptized into the church and made a profession of faith, which can vary in age from person to person. (1 Cor 1:9, 10:16-18, 11:23-29, 2 Cor 13:5, 1 John 5:13).

We are Devoted to Worship

We believe Scripture regulates what we do in worship. We are not free to add or subtract from the essential elements of worship that God has revealed. The focus of our meetings is not to please men with entertainment but to glorify God by worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24; Leviticus 10:1-2).

Like the early church we are devoted to the apostle’s teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer (Act 2:42). Therefore, we seek to offer a balance of these elements every Sunday in our worship service by emphasizing the ministry of the Word, celebrating the Lord’s Supper, praying, and enjoying fellowship together. For more on how we worship see What to Expect page

We Practice Biblical Church Discipline

Christ wants His church to be pure from sin, error, and division. The procedures we use are set forth in our church Constitution and By-laws (Matt 18:15-20, I Corinthians 5:1-13; II Thessalonians 3:14-15; Titus 3:10).

We are Actively Involved in World Missions

The work of missions centers on the proclaiming of the gospel of Christ so that God will be glorified as people are converted and churches are established. We believe the local church is called to identify, train, send, and support missionaries (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

We are Evangelistic

We seek to proclaim the gospel at every worship service. We encourage people to get to know their friends, neighbors, and co-workers and find opportunities to invite them to church and share the gospel with them. We also desire to reach out to the community around us through outreach programs through which we share the gospel with them and invite them to church (Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:8).

We Cooperate with Other Churches

We believe that biblical churches should cooperate, not compete. We also believe in associating with other like-minded churches. We are a member of the Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals (FIRE), which is a network of like-minded churches. A separate brochure describing FIRE is available (II Corinthians 8 & 9; Romans 15).

We Encourage All Members to be Godly Citizens

We encourage the application of biblical principles to all spheres of the culture around us, and to all aspects of our Christian lives as citizens of heaven and of this nation (Matthew 5:13-16; Proverbs 14:34; Deuteronomy 4:6-8). We pray for the salvation of our government leaders and that they will lead righteously so that we may be free to fulfill our responsibilities to God and our families (I Timothy 2:1- 2).

We Help Train Future Church Leaders

We desire to build up and train future deacons, elders, and pastors. We have intern meetings to train and encourage these men in our congregation as they seek to prepare themselves for leadership in the church. (I Timothy 3:10; 6:18; II Timothy 2:2).

We Practice Biblical Counseling

All Christians struggle with sin and the effect it has on our lives and our relationships (Romans 3:23; 7:7-25). Whenever a Christian is unable to overcome sinful attitudes or behaviors through private efforts, God desires that he seek assistance from other members, and especially from the Elders who have the responsibility of providing pastoral counseling and oversight (Romans 15:14; Galatians 6:1-2; Colossians 3:16; II Timothy 2:15-26; II Timothy 3:16-5:2;
Hebrews 10:24-25; 13:17; James 5:16).

*We are thankful for and have benefited from the guidance and influence of various churches in the formulation of our church distinctives

​Our Beliefs and Distinctives

​Core Beliefs

​The 5 Solas

​Distinctives