The Scriptures
The church affirms belief in the infallible, verbal inspiration of the whole Bible as God's authorship, containing truth without any mixture of error. Scripture serves as the foundation for Christian unity and the supreme standard for evaluating all human conduct, creeds, doctrines, and opinions.
The True God
We believe in one eternal God — Jehovah — as Creator and Supreme Ruler of the universe. The Godhead comprises three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each possessing equal divine perfection while executing distinct roles in creation, redemption, and sanctification.
Jesus Christ
Christ was born of a virgin through the Holy Spirit's action, took human nature without sin, and was God incarnate. He fulfilled all divine and ceremonial law, bore humanity's sins through crucifixion as a substitutionary sacrifice, rose bodily on the third day, and ascended to God's right hand. As intercessor and mediator, He will return visibly to judge all people and reign eternally.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit functions as a divine person equal to the Father and the Son. The Spirit convicts the world of sin, enables spiritual rebirth, and seals, endures, guides, enlightens, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps all who believe.
The Devil
Satan exists as a personal being — the malignant prince of the power of the air — who tempts, opposes God, and orchestrates false religions. Ultimate defeat awaits him through Christ's judgment, resulting in eternal punishment in hell.
The Fall of Man
Genesis 1–3 records historical creation facts. Humans were made in the image and likeness of God, but through voluntary transgression fell from innocence. All humanity now consists of sinners by choice, deserving eternal ruin without defense or excuse before a holy God.
The Way of Salvation
Salvation comes wholly through grace by means of Christ's mediatorial work. The Father appointed Him as humanity's substitute, whose death provided complete atonement for sin. His resurrection and current exaltation make Him the all-sufficient Savior of all who trust in Him.
Justification
Justification represents God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of righteousness for believing sinners. It includes the forgiveness of sins and the grant of eternal life, given not through works but solely through faith in the Redeemer's blood, imputing Christ's righteousness freely to all who believe.
Sanctification
Sanctification means separation unto God, not merely the removal of sinful nature. All believers in Christ receive sanctification through His blood and the Holy Spirit. The saved are called to sanctify themselves through self-examination, denial, watchfulness, and prayer as they walk in obedience.
The Freeness of Salvation
Gospel blessings remain available universally to all people. Every person bears immediate responsibility to accept Christ through cordial, penitent, and obedient faith. Only personal depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel prevents any soul from receiving its benefits.
Grace in Regeneration
Spiritual rebirth occurs through Holy Spirit power, not through human effort or merit. This instantaneous transformation makes sinners partakers of the divine nature as new creatures in Christ, and is evidenced by the fruits of genuine repentance and living faith.
Repentance and Faith
Repentance and faith are both duties and graces worked by the Spirit of God. Genuine repentance involves deep conviction of guilt and spiritual danger, while faith means heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ and relying on Him alone as the only and all-sufficient Savior.
God's Purpose of Grace
Election constitutes God's eternal purpose to regenerate and save His people, fully consistent with human freedom and responsibility. This doctrine displays God's sovereignty and is intended to promote humility, love, prayer, praise, and active imitation of divine mercy toward others.
The Perseverance of Saints
True believers will not utterly fall away and perish, but will endure unto the end. A special providence protects them, for they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, culminating in final glorification in the presence of God.
The Harmony of the Law and the Gospel
God's moral law remains eternal and unchangeable — holy, just, and good. The purposes of the Gospel include delivering people from the guilt and power of sin and restoring them through Christ's mediation to sincere obedience through grace-connected means of the Spirit.
The True Church
A church constitutes a congregation of baptized believers covenanted together in Gospel faith and fellowship. Its only officers are pastors/bishops and deacons; Christ alone serves as Head. The Great Commission forms the church's scriptural mission, with complete self-government free from outside interference in spiritual matters.
Missionary Baptist Church
The Missionary Baptist movement did not originate at the Reformation or in the medieval period. Baptist principles trace to apostolic Christianity, with Jerusalem's church under Christ's earthly ministry representing the first congregation organized upon the New Testament pattern.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
Scriptural baptism involves the water immersion of a saved person by church authority, symbolizing faith in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, as well as the believer's death to sin and new life in Christ. It precedes church membership and participation in the Lord's Supper, where members commemorate Christ's death through bread and wine with solemn self-examination.
The Lord's Day
The first day of the week holds sacred status through abstaining from secular labor and sinful recreation, devoutly observing private and public means of grace, and preparing hearts for the eternal Sabbath rest that God has promised to His people.
The Righteous and the Wicked
A fundamental distinction separates the righteous from the wicked. Only those justified through the Holy Spirit possess true righteousness; those persisting in unbelief remain under condemnation. This distinction persists beyond death and will be made manifest at the final judgment of all humanity.
The Resurrection
Christ's actual bodily resurrection occurred on the third day according to the Scriptures. His glorified form ascended to heaven where He intercedes for His people. A future bodily resurrection awaits all people — the righteous receiving incorruptible, immortal bodies for eternal glory, and the unjust raised for eternal suffering in the lake of fire.
Religious Liberty
God alone governs the conscience, leaving it free from human doctrines that contradict Scripture. Church-state separation must be maintained; the state owes the church protection without favoring particular denominations. Christians owe civil authorities loyal obedience in non-spiritual matters. The Gospel employs spiritual means exclusively, and the state possesses no authority to impose religious penalties or taxes.
Marriage
Marriage represents a biblical covenant uniting one man and one woman for life, as established by God in creation. The church will not participate in or facilitate same-sex unions, nor support such practices through its property or resources (Genesis 2:15–24; Mark 10:1–9).
Human Sexuality
Legitimate sexual relations occur exclusively within the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. The church identifies as sinful all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, fornication, homosexuality, pornography, and attempts to alter one's biological sex. Those openly and unrepentantly practicing these behaviors may not assume membership roles within the church.