Beliefs

The written words of the Holy Scriptures are divinely inspired and authoritative and are the only writings containing the words of God Himself. The original manuscripts of the Scriptures are inerrant. The Scriptures are clearly understandable by all persons who will read them with a willingness to follow them, seeking proper understanding from the Lord. The Scriptures contain everything God intended to be known for salvation, and are profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness so the man of God may be adequate and equipped for every good work.

Adam and Eve were created by God in His own image as His highest creation. They were created with free will and without sin. God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden so that Adam and Eve might freely choose life with Him over sin and independence from Him. Satan in the form of a serpent tempted Adam and Eve to choose to disobey God. Because all humanity was in Adam and Eve when they sinned by disobeying God all humanity throughout time fell prey to sin, as well as the curse for sin—death. Each person, while still created in the image of God, sins; because all people sin death falls on all people. Only by God’s grace are people saved from sin and death, and brought into fellowship with God. Only through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, are people saved. The Lord Jesus Christ’s life, death, burial, and resurrection are able to redeem all who trust and receive Him from the power and penalty of sin and death.

A person who has experienced salvation is “born again” and is united with Christ in His death and resurrection, having crucified the old sinful self by appropriating Christ’s death on the cross, and having been delivered from bondage to sin. At the moment of salvation, the believer stands in a right relationship with God, and is adopted as a member of God’s family. As a result of salvation, the new believer has been spiritually transformed and begins walking in the Light of Truth as a child of God, and begins becoming more and more free from sin in obedience to the Lord, being guided by the Holy Scriptures with a desire to practice righteousness—in other words, righteous Christian living. As an example of practiced righteous Christian living, the Scriptures teach that the marriage covenant is reserved only for one man with one woman, and limit the expression of human sexuality to such a marital relationship only. And furthermore, the believer living in righteousness has a special love of one another as God’s love is perfected in the believer, who increasingly bears the fruit of the Spirit including love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and demonstrates faith through good works.