Sandpoint Christian Fellowship
SCF Statement of Faith
We believe that the truth of God's word is to be treasured and held in high regard, for in the scriptures God has revealed to us who He is and how He is to be worshiped.  The scriptures tell us who we are, they reveal to us the reality of our fallen condition and they set forth so clearly our need for a Savior.  The scriptures contain the "words of life" illuminating us to the truth of the Gospel, that God became a man, the man Christ Jesus, He lived a sinless and perfect life and then laid down His life for His friends.  The word of God promises that it contains all that we need for life and godliness, so it is our endeavor to study, understand and rightly apply the word of God.  With this being our goal, we have spend time to formulate a fairly in depth statement of faith that we hope you will find gives a clear answer to he question of what we believe and what we teach.

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Statement of Faith Index
The Word of God Salvation and Justification Human Sexuality
The Godhead Regeneration and Sanctification Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage
God the Father The Church Abortion
God the Son Church Discipline Benevolence
God the Holy Spirit Ordinances for Believers Demonic Possession
Creation The Gifts of The Spirit Public Prayer
Angels and Satan Eternal Security Civil Government
The Fall and Nature of Man End Times Events  
     

The Word of God 

We believe that the Bible, consisting of the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, is God’s written revelation to man.  We view these 66 books as being inerrant and infallible in their original manuscripts as penned by the original authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; John 16:12-15

We believe that every part of the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that the inspiration of the scripture extends to the exact words that are used in the original.  God used men with their unique personalities, experiences and styles of writing and yet operated in such a way that their writing was without error and fully inspired to such a degree that it is the exact and precise Word of God. (Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-15; 2Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21, 3:15-16) 

We believe that the Bible is God’s complete revelation to man and constitutes the only infallible rule of faith and practice. (Psalm 19:7-11; John 17:17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16) 

We believe that for all scripture there is only one proper interpretation and extending from that proper interpretation there may be multiple correct applications derived.  Since the Bible is a written document, using human language and set in a historical setting, the proper method of arriving at the correct interpretation is to allow scripture to interpret scripture using the literal, historical, grammatical method of interpretation under the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:12-14) 

The Godhead 

We believe that there is one true and living God who exists eternally in three Persons referred to as the Trinity; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  All three Persons of the triune Godhead are co-eternal and co-equal in power, nature and glory. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-7; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-3, 14; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 1:20; 1 Corinthians 8:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Colossians 2:9) 

God the Father 

We believe in God the Father, the first Person of the Trinity.  His fatherhood involves both His designation within the Trinity and His relationship with mankind.  Creatively, He is the Father of all mankind.  Spiritually, He is the Father to all who believe in the atoning work of Jesus Christ. (John 1:12; Acts 17:22-29; Romans 8:14; 2Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 4:6) 

God the Son 

We believe that Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity and that He eternally exists as the Son of God.  He is fully God, begotten, not created, being of one substance with the Father. (Micah 5:2; John 1:1-3,14, 8:58, 10:30, 14:9; Hebrews 1:8; Revelation 22:12-16) 

We believe in the incarnation of Christ.  Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin.  He being God became Man, coming to earth in the flesh.  In the incarnation, Christ surrendered nothing of the divine essence, either in degree or kind.  He took on all the characteristics of humanity, apart from the sin nature, and so became the God-Man; fully human and fully God. (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1-3,14; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9)  Jesus Christ lived a life without sin, either in thought or deed, perfectly accomplishing the will of His Father.  During His earthly ministry, Jesus performed many miracles, signs and wonders as recorded in scripture, confirming that He was the promised Messiah. (Isaiah 53:9; Hebrews 4:15, 7:26-27; 1 Peter 2:22; John 4:34, 17:4; Acts 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21) 

We believe that the atoning, sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross was sufficient to take away the sin of the whole world and through His work He made open the way of salvation to all who would repent and trust Him for salvation.  Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  Jesus Christ was buried in a tomb and on the third day was literally and physically resurrected from the dead.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that His sacrifice was an acceptable atonement for sin.  Jesus subsequently ascended to Heaven in His resurrected glorified body and sat down at the right hand of God the Father. (Leviticus 17:11; John 1:29; 1John 2:2; John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 15:3-7; Luke 24:39,51; Acts 17:31; Mark 16:19; Acts 3:19-21; 1Timothy 2:5) 

We believe in the literal second coming of Jesus Christ.  For a more detailed declaration of this position please refer to the “End Times Events” section of this document. 

We believe in the lordship of Jesus Christ over all things in heaven and on and under the earth.  He is the only Mediator between God and man. (Philippians 2:9-11; 1 Timothy 2:5) 

God the Holy Spirit 

We believe in the Holy Sprit, the third Person of the Trinity, possessing such personality attributes as intellect, emotions and will.  Being God, one with the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit is eternal, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent and possessing only truth. (1 Corinthians 2:10-13, 12:11; Ephesians 4:30; Acts 5:3-4; Hebrews 9:14; Psalm 139:7-10; Isaiah 40:13-14; Romans 15:13; John 16:13)    

We believe that the Spirit is in the world to convict of sin, righteousness and judgment.  The Holy Spirit indwells and seals those who believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ unto the day of redemption, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ.  The Holy Spirit justifies, regenerates and sanctifies the believer.  His sanctifying work transforms believers to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.  The Spirit fills, enlightens, teaches and helps the child of God.  The Holy Spirit guides the believer into all truth and glorifies Christ.  He empowers the Christian for service to God.    The Holy Spirit yields the fruits of righteousness in the believer’s life and bestows spiritual gifts as He wills to further the purposes of God in the world, in the lives of believers and in the church. (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30; 1 Corinthians 12:13, 6:11; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 2:10-16; John 14:16-17, 16:13-15; Acts 1:8; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:1-21) 

We believe that the Holy Spirit guides or leads the Christian to walk after the Spirit in three ways.  First, He imparts newness of life to the believer, inclining the heart toward God and holiness and infusing new habits into the soul.  Secondly, He stirs our new life into action to pursue these new habits and principles.  Thirdly, He directs our actions by enlightening our understanding, guiding our inclinations and moving our wills to do that which is pleasing to God.  While the Holy Spirit’s gentle sway over us and His inward impulses or strivings brought to bear within us are real, this can also be used by some as an excuse for actions which ultimately dishonor God.  Such people will claim that they are prompted by the Spirit so to act when, in fact, they are influenced by their own restless spirit or an evil spirit.  However, the Holy Spirit never prompts anyone to act contrary to the Scriptures.  The Word is the sure criterion for that which is from Him and that which is not. (John 16:13, 14:16-18; Romans 8:4,13-14; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Romans 6:4, 7:6; Philippians 2:13; Isaiah 48:17; Psalm 25:4-9, 119:35-36,133; 2Corinthians 11:4; Ephesians 2:2; Romans 8:5-8) 

We believe that the Holy Spirit had sovereign activity in the Creation, the incarnation of Christ and the inspiration of scripture.  The Spirit is also essential to the work of salvation. (Genesis 1:2; Matthew 1:18; 2Peter 1:19-21; John 3:5-7) 

Creation 

We believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible in regards to the Creator, the Creation and the worldwide Flood in the days of Noah.  It was given to God the Son to create all things.  Man and the whole of creation were created in six (6) consecutive 24 hour type days on the order of 6000 years ago according to biblical chronologies, not millions of years. We find no basis for the ‘gap theory’, ‘progressive creation theory’ or the evolution of ‘kinds’ in scripture.  Man was created in God’s image and likeness.  The various original life-forms (kinds) were all created by God during Creation week.  We believe that God’s design of the original created kinds provided sufficient genetic potential to account for all of the diversity found in the fossil record and the various species of living things on earth today. (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:1-2; Genesis 1-11; James 3:9) 

As with all of God’s Creation, the first man (Adam) and woman (Eve) were created ‘very good’; and at the end of Creation week there was no sin, decay or death in God’s very good Creation. (Genesis 1:31) 

Angels and Satan 

Although the Bible does not specifically say when the angels were created, we believe the evidence in scripture indicates their creation at a point in time during the first three days of Creation Week; between God stretching out the heavens and His laying the foundations of the earth.  An earlier creation of angels lacks scriptural support. (Colossians 1:16; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 104:2-5, 148:2-5; Genesis 2:1; Job 38:4-7; Hebrews 1:14) 

As created beings, angels are not to be worshipped.  Rather, angels serve God and worship Him. (Job 38:4-7; Revelation 19:10; Luke 2:9-14; Hebrews 1:6,14; Revelation 5:11-13)   

Lucifer is a created angel who was still perfect in all his ways when he first visited the Garden of Eden.  However, he subsequently became the author of sin and incurred God’s judgment by rebelling against his Creator, taking numerous rebellious angels with him and by introducing sin to the human race when he came in the form of a serpent to the Garden.  He is the enemy of God and man and he is a counterfeiter.  Lucifer is also known as Satan, the devil, the prince of the power of the air, the ruler of this world and the god of this age.  Satan has been defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and currently exerts power only to the extent allowed by God.  Satan will soon have no further access to heaven to accuse the brethren and at the end of the millennial reign of Christ on earth Satan and his angels will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night for eternity. (Genesis 1:31-2:1; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-15; Revelation 12:3-4; Genesis 3:1-15; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Corinthians 11:14; Ephesians 2:2; John 16:11; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 2:13-15; Job 1:12, 2:6; Luke 22:31; Revelation 12:7-12, 20:10; Matthew 25:41) 

The Fall of Man and the Nature of Man 

We believe that death (both physical and spiritual), corruption and bloodshed entered into this world subsequent to and as a direct consequence of Adam’s sin.  All people are sinners, inherently from Adam and individually by willful choice and are therefore subject to God’s judgment, condemnation and wrath.  Sin has damaged man’s likeness to God, but not destroyed it.  The lost are separated from God by their sinful condition.  Though they know of God through His Creation, they suppress this truth in unrighteousness.  Their fallen condition leaves them unable to please God and unable to come to God by their own self-effort.  Apart from God’s grace in drawing the fallen soul back into fellowship with Himself through the redemptive work of His Son, fallen man would remain dead in trespasses and sin. (Genesis 2:17, 3:1-19; Romans 5:12; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10-18,23; Ephesians 4:17-19; 1 John 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:1; Genesis 9:6; Matthew 9:12, 18:11; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 1:18-21, 8:7-8; Isaiah 64:6; 1 Corinthians 2:14; John 6:44,65; Ephesians 2:1-3) 

Salvation and Justification 

We believe that salvation is a gift of God received by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Saving faith is expressed in the individual’s repentance from sin, recognition of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the only payment for sin, and trusting only in Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior and God. (John 3:16; Romans 5:15-19, 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Peter 1:9; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 John 2:2; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; 2 Peter 1:1; Titus 2:13) 

God graciously justifies those who place their trust in Christ through faith.  Justification is a judicial act of God whereby He pardons the believer’s sin and declares him righteous solely on the merits of Christ’s perfect life and the shedding of His blood through His death upon the cross.  Jesus’ sacrificial death fully appeased the righteous requirements of God and is a completed and total payment for the sins of all who would come to God by faith in Jesus Christ.  His sacrifice is the only means of atonement for fallen man’s sin and the only means by which man can be forgiven his sins and reconciled to God.  Faith, as defined in the previous paragraph, in Jesus and His atoning work is the only way that one can be saved and go to heaven for eternity.  All other ways lead to eternal separation from God in the lake of fire. (Romans 3:21-30, 5:1,6-8; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19, 3:18; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Revelation 20:15) 

We believe that the Bible teaches both the absolute sovereignty of God in man’s salvation and also the condition for man to receive salvation; his faith in the Jesus Christ.  We believe that all aspects of salvation are a gift of God and that man can take no credit for any part of his salvation.  God’s sovereignty over man’s salvation includes His choosing, calling, foreknowledge, election and predestination as well as His initiating, pursuing, persuading and saving grace without which no one would ever be saved.  Yet the Bible says that God desires that none would perish but that all would come to repentance.  God has given man sufficient revelation of His existence, power and Godhead in both creation and the conscience and has given man the opportunity to either respond to or reject that revelation.  While faith and repentance are gifts granted by God, man is responsible to receive Jesus Christ by choosing to exercise that faith and repentance.  God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility to freely respond to the call of the gospel without being compelled, forced or coerced are both taught in the scriptures and neither one should be diminished.  The two are not a contradiction but, rather, a mystery. (Romans 8:28-30, 3:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 John 4:19; John 6:44; Romans 9:16; Ephesians 1:4-11; John 15:5; 2 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Peter 3:9; Acts 17:26-30; 1Timothy 2:4,6; 1John 2:2; Hebrews 2:9; Ezekiel 18:32; Matthew 23:37; John 1:12-13; Deuteronomy 30:19; John 3:16-18; Revelation 22:17) 

The New Birth (Regeneration) and Sanctification 

We believe the new birth, or the washing of regeneration, is the act of God which yields eternal life and occurs instantly at the time that one turns to Christ in repentant faith, placing their trust in Him for salvation.  At that point in time the new believer is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ and indwelt, sanctified (set apart to God) and sealed for the day of redemption by the Holy Spirit.  Simultaneously, God imparts a new nature to the born again believer, the evidence of which will be the fruit of the Spirit, responsive obedience to the Word of God and good works. (John 1:12, 3:3-7; Titus 3:5; Acts 16:31; 1Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:9; 1Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:22-23; John 14:15; James 2:14-26; Ephesians 2:8-10; Matthew 5:16) 

We believe that every believer is sanctified (set apart) unto God by justification, is declared to be holy, and is therefore identified as a saint.  This sanctification is positional and instantaneous and should not be confused with progressive sanctification.  This sanctification has to do with the believer’s standing, not his present walk or condition. (Acts 20:32; 1 Corinthians 1:2,30; 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 2:11; 10:10,14; 13:12; 1 Peter 1:2) 

We believe that there is also, a continued work of grace that God does through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.  This continued work is a progressive sanctification by which the state of the believer is brought closer to the standing the believer enjoys positionally through justification.  Through obedience to the Word of God and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, the believer is able to live a life of increasing holiness in conformity to the will of God, becoming more and more like our Lord Jesus Christ. (John 17:17,19; Romans 6:1-22, 8:29; 2Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; 5:23; 2 Peter 3:18) 

We believe that the born again believer will be involved in a daily battle against the flesh and the temptations of the world, but God has given to every believer adequate provision to have victory over these temptations through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Nevertheless, this battle against sin will be with the believer all through this earthly life.  All claims to the eradication of sin in this life are unscriptural.  Eradication of sin is not possible, but the Holy Spirit does provide for victory over sin. (Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Philippians 3:12; Colossians 3:9-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16)   

The Church 

We believe that all who place their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ are immediately placed into one united spiritual body, the church (universal), which is, at once, the body of Christ and the bride of Christ.  Individual Christians are members, with Christ as the head.  The church is more than just a building or a gathering of people.  It is a body, living in relationship and harmony under the direction of Jesus Christ.  The church is distinct from Israel and has not in any way replaced Israel in regards to the promises of God to Israel. (1 Corinthians 6:15, 12:12-14,27; Ephesians 1:22, 5:23-32; Revelation 19:7-8; Ephesians 2:19-22; Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 10:32; Romans 11:1-35; Genesis 17:7) 

The structure of leadership in our local church follows the scriptural framework for the early church.  The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the assembly are elders (also called bishops, pastors/pastor-teachers and overseers).  All who serve as elders must meet the biblical qualifications for that position. We also have within the body those serving in the position of deacons.  This is a position of practical service to the body of Christ and all serving as deacons must meet all of the requirements of this position as set out in scripture. (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 14:40; Ephesians 4:11; Acts 14:23; 1 Peter 5:1-2; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9) 

We believe in the importance of the regular gathering of the local body; that we are called as Christians to be in consistent fellowship with one another as well as sit under the teaching and authority of biblically qualified leadership.  We believe that the local body should meet regularly as a whole for the purpose of worship, prayer, instruction in the Word of God, keeping the ordinances of Christ and when necessary to practice church discipline.  We also believe that there can be great benefit gained from the additional gathering of small groups, but that those groups should remain under the authority of the church leadership and should be led by people who are not necessarily elders but have been found to be sound in doctrine. (2 Corinthians 1:1; Acts 2:42; Matthew 28:19; Hebrews 10:24-25) 

We believe that it is the responsibility of the church to advance and communicate the gospel both locally and when possible through other forms of mission outreach beyond the local area, either through the sending of missionaries or through financial support of missionaries. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8; Philippians 4:18) 

Church Discipline 

In the event that discipline of a member of our body becomes necessary due to sin, we adhere to biblical guidelines in its administration.  Church discipline should be administered in a spirit of meekness, gentleness and, when appropriate in confidentiality.  The threefold purpose of church discipline is to glorify God by maintaining purity in the local church, to edify believers by deterring sin, and to promote the spiritual welfare of the offending believer by calling him or her to return to a biblical standard of doctrine and conduct.  Specific procedures for church discipline are delineated in the church Bylaws and are in accordance with scripture.  (Galatians 6:1; Matthew 18:15-22; Acts 5:1-5; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 1Timothy 5:20; 2Corinthians 2:4-11, 7:9-11; 1Timothy 1:19-20; Romans 16:17) 

Ordinances for Believers 

We believe that there are two and only two ordinances instituted and commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ for the Church; baptism and the Lord’s Supper (communion).  Neither is required for salvation but rather both are outward visible signs of an inward spiritual reality in regards to the believer. (Acts 2:38-42) 

Baptism – Whenever possible, we desire to baptize born again believers by their immersion in water.  As commanded by Christ, we baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Baptism is an act of obedience to Jesus Christ and a public testimony of faith in Him.  Baptism is also a symbol of identification with Christ; the death of the old man and the birth of the new man in Christ.  As baptism is only for believers, we believe the teachings of infant baptism and baptism of the dead to be false.  (Romans 6:1-11; Matthew 28:18-19; Matthew 10:32-33; Ephesians 2:8-9) 

Lord’s Supper (communion) – Communion is observed in remembrance of our Lord and His sacrifice on the cross in saving us from our sins.  The Church celebrates the Lord’s Supper with the bread and the cup (fruit of the vine), symbolizing the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ according to scripture.  While the elements of communion are symbolic of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, the elements in no way become the body and blood of Christ.  We believe that the teachings of transubstantiation and consubstantiation are false. (Matthew 26:20-30; 1 Corinthians 11:23-30; Luke 22:19; Acts 2:42)  

The Gifts of the Spirit 

We believe that the Holy Spirit bestows gifts upon whom He wills as He wills, as defined by scriptures, to further the purposes of God in the world and in the lives of believers.  We believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today (e.g. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11) and that those gifts listed in the scriptures are not necessarily an exhaustive list.  Spiritual gifts are to be for the edification of the body of Christ and their proper use should not exceed instruction found in Scripture.  We do not believe that any particular gift today is a primary evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  We are told in 1 Corinthians 14:3 that prophecy speaks forth edification, exhortation and comfort to men.  We do not believe that the gift of prophecy signifies a foretelling of events nor will it be new revelation.  We do not believe that God is operating through so-called “faith-healers” and the “Word of Faith” movement today but that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, according to His will, for the miraculous healing of the sick, suffering and afflicted. (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 4:8; 1 Timothy 4:14; 1 Peter 4:10; 2Timothy 3:16-17; James 5:16; Luke 18:1-6; 1 John 5:14-15) 

We believe that the receiving of direct authoritative revelation ceased with the Apostles.  We possess God’s completed revelation of Himself and His plan of salvation in the Bible. (Acts 2:43, 5:12; Romans 15:19; Hebrews 2:1-4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17) 

We do not believe that the working of miracles is a test of the authenticity or validity of a man’s message.  We are warned that there will be false prophets, false Christs and ultimately the antichrist who will work great signs and wonders with the intent to deceive and lead people to follow a false message and a false gospel.  Therefore, we believe that the sole test of the authenticity of a person’s message is found in the scriptures alone.  (Matthew 24:24; Galatians 1:6-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:13-14, 19:20) 

We believe that the Holy Spirit has a very active role in the life of the believer.  The Holy Spirit, in tandem with the Word of God works within the heart and the mind of believers.  By their very nature most spiritual gifts are subjective (i.e. bringing something or someone to mind, burdening the heart, the application of rightly understood scripture, granting wisdom in particular situations, etc.) and therefore there is to be no divine authority (i.e. on par with scripture as a command) given to such things.   The only authoritative rule for life and practice is the Scriptures; therefore we cannot place the subjective in a place that supersedes the objective Word of God and all must be tested by the Scriptures and are subject to being judged by other’s within the church. (1Corinthians 12:8-11, 14:32; 1 John 4:1)   

Eternal Security for the Believer 

We believe in the eternal security of the believer and in the perseverance of the saints.  A true saint will persevere. (John 5:24, 6:37-40, 10:28-29; Romans 8:1; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Jude 24) 

End Time Events

We believe that the soul of the unbeliever at death is kept under punishment in Hades until reunited with the body at the resurrection of condemnation.  The unsaved will then appear at the great white throne judgment where their name will not be found written in the Book of Life and they will incur eternal torment in the lake of fire in outer darkness, separated from God, which is the second death. (John 5:28-29; Luke 16:19-26; Daniel 12:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:11-15; Matthew 8:12, 25:30, 41-46; 2 Peter 2:17; Mark 9:47-48; Revelation 20:6,12-15, 21:8) 

Conversely, we believe that when a believer dies during the present church age their soul and spirit immediately go to be with the Lord, while their decaying dead body is described by scripture as asleep (i.e. picturing a temporary state), awaiting the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the resurrection to eternal life. (Genesis 35:18-19; Matthew 10:28; Psalm 49:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Job 32:8; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Acts 7:59; 1Corinthians 11:30; 2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23; John 5:28-29)  No one knows the day or the hour when Jesus will return.  When He does return, first for His church, Jesus will bring with Him those (the souls and spirits) who sleep in Jesus.  They will be reunited with their resurrected bodies at that time and, together with those who remain alive in Christ, will be “caught up” or raptured to meet the Lord in the air (‘rapture’ is from the Latin translation ‘rapturo’ of the original Greek ‘harpazo’, meaning caught up or snatched up, as in 1Thessalonians 4:17).  All believers from the church age will thus be in their new, glorified bodies forever with Christ. (Matthew 25:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Romans 8:22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:35-55; Philippians 3:20-21) 

We believe that with the church indwelt by the Holy Spirit removed from earth, the son of perdition who is the antichrist, will be revealed and arise to world power.  Concurrently, the righteous judgments of God will be poured out upon an unbelieving world during a seven (7) year period of tribulation. The tribulation period is the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy.  The tribulation period will conclude with the return to earth and the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ with His bride.  It will be then that the Lord takes victory over the enemies of God at the battle of Armageddon. (Revelation 3:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-9; Daniel 12:1; Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 24:15-31; Titus 2:11-13; Revelation 19:7-8, 11-16; Zechariah 14:3-5; Jeremiah 25:30-33) 

At this time all of Israel remaining at that time will believe in Messiah Jesus Christ and be saved.  However, the antichrist and his false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire and Satan and his angels will be imprisoned for 1000 years.  Also, it appears that at this time the remaining righteous of Old Testament times, together with the dead tribulation saints, will be resurrected to eternal life.  Then those remaining alive from all the nations at the end of the tribulation period will be separated – believers from unbelievers, the sheep from the goats, the former to eternal life and the latter to everlasting punishment in the lake of fire. (Zechariah 12:9-10, 13:1,6-9; Romans 11:25-29; Revelation 19:19-21; 20:1-3; Isaiah 24:21-22; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3; Daniel 12:2-3; Revelation 20:4-6; Matthew 25:31-46) 

This will usher in the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on the present earth (the Millennium).  The saints from the church age will reign with Christ during this period.  Also God’s covenant promises will be fulfilled to Israel after being temporarily set aside during the church age.  The nation Israel will be the chief nation of the world and it will be from His throne in Jerusalem that the Lord Jesus Christ, King of Kings, will rule and reign. (Daniel 7:14; Psalm 72:8-19; Revelation 5:10, 20:4; 1 Corinthians 6:2; Genesis 15:18-21; Ezekiel 37:21-28; Romans 11:1-29; Micah 4:1-3; Zechariah 14:16,20-21) 

Satan will be released at the end of 1000 years and will deceive the nations to fight against the saints and Jerusalem.  Satan and his army will be defeated by fire from heaven and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire.  This will be followed by the great white throne judgment of the resurrected unsaved people of all the ages by Jesus Christ.  With their names not found in the Book of Life and having been judged by their works, they will all be cast into the lake of fire to experience eternal, conscious punishment for eternity. (Revelation 20:7-15) 

Following this, the present earth and heavens will be burned up and God will replace them with new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells and the New Jerusalem.  Thus, the saved will be with the Lord forever. (2 Peter 3:10-13; Ephesians 5:5; Revelation 21:1-27, 22:1-5; 1 John 2:17)    

Human Sexuality  

We believe that God has given sex to the human race for the purposes of procreation and mutual enjoyment and that no intimate sexual activity is to be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. (Proverbs 5:15-23; 1 Corinthians 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 19:4-6; Genesis 2:21-25)  Any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, pornography, rape, molestation, etc. are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex.  Involvement in any of these practices will be grounds to refuse employment or further employment, continuation in volunteer ministry in this church or, if necessary, the curtailment of freedom of movement within the church facility.  Also, we believe that God rejects any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 19:4-5,13; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)   

Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage 

We believe that marriage is to be between one man and one woman only and is intended by God to last a lifetime, until the death of one of the spouses.  We believe that scripture teaches that God hates divorce and that hardness of heart is the root cause of all divorce.  The bond of marriage can be scripturally dissolved, but does not have to be, when an unbeliever has left his or her spouse or because of adultery.  Married couples should do all possible to pursue reconciliation, but we do understand that divorce may be outside of the control of one or the other persons in a marriage. (Genesis 2:21-25; 1 Corinthians 7:39; Romans 7:1-3; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 19:3-8; 1 Corinthians 7:15; Matthew 19:9) 

Jesus taught that divorce and remarriage for reasons other than that stated above constitutes adultery.  Also, scripture teaches that marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and His church and is to be held in high esteem.  Therefore, divorce and remarriage for reasons outside of what the New Testament allows is not to be among God’s people. (Matthew 5:31-32; 19:9; Mark 10:11-12; Ephesians 5:22-33; Hebrews 13:4) 

Being involved in a divorce before becoming a born again believer will not constitute disqualification from consideration for the offices of elder or deacon or for any other position of service in our church.  Being involved in a divorce after becoming a born again believer will constitute disqualification from consideration for the offices of elder or deacon, but not necessarily for other volunteer positions of service in our church if the individual has repented. (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Timothy 3:2,12; Titus 1:6) 

Abortion 

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being.  Abortion constitutes the unjustified, inexcusable taking of unborn human life and is murder.  We do not believe that an abortion of pregnancy due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable or justified. (Exodus 21:22-25; Job 3:16; Psalm 139:13-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1,5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44) 

Benevolence 

We believe that scriptures are clear concerning helping those in need, with a special emphasis upon fellow Christians.  This is true for our local church as well as for the individual members of the church.  Where God guides, we will share our material goods with those in need and will minister to them to the best of our abilities. (Romans 12:13; Galatians 6:10; 1 Timothy 6:18-19; Hebrews 13:16) 

Deliverance From Demonic Bondage 

We believe that there may be an occasional need to pray in the name of Jesus Christ to deliver an unbeliever who is possessed by an unclean spirit, that they would be set free and trust in Christ.  Also, prayer may be required for a believer who may be oppressed by our spiritual enemy. (Mark 16:15-18; Ephesians 6:12; Acts 16:18) 

Public Prayer Within The Body 

We believe in engaging in public prayer as a body of believers as needs arise.  For example, we pray corporately for the sick and needy, for those going out from our body and for new elders and deacons.  We will also accommodate the parent’s request for a Pastor led prayer on behalf of an infant or small child; that their life would be dedicated to the Lord and blessed by Him. (Acts 2:42, 6:1-6, 13:1-3, 14:23, 20:36; Romans 15:30-32; James 5:13-16; Mark 10:16)   

Regarding Civil Government 

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state.  Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word.  God has given each institution specific biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other.  The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective biblically-assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; 1Peter 2:13-14)