WHAT WE BELIEVE:

1.  The Bible is God-breathed, without error, and completely trustworthy.  It is our soul source and authority on how to live as a believer and how to please God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

2.  There is one God eternally self-existent in three co-equal and co-eternal persons: the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit (Trinity) (Matthew 3:13-17; Ephesians 1:1-14).  God, as a Spirit being (John 4:24) is perfect in holiness, personal in relation to His creation, sovereign in authority, and self-revealing in His purposes.  God the Father is the head of the Trinity.

3. Regarding God the Father: we believe that He is the head of the Trinity (1 Cor. 11:3).  He is the sovereign Lord of the universe and thus, orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose (Eph. 1:11; 3:15).  He is the author of the work of redemption and has chosen and predestined His spiritual children to eternal life (Eph. 1:3-6).  He hears and answers prayer and delivers from the condemnation of sin those who come to Him through Christ (John 5:24; 16:23; Rom. 8:1).  He is the spiritual Father of the nation of Israel (Ex. 4:22).

4.  Regarding the person and work of Christ: He is God in human flesh (John 1:1-14).  We believe wholeheartedly in His miraculous incarnation and virgin birth (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-21), sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), substitutionary death (Romans 6:1-14; 2 Corinthians 5:21), satisfactory atonement, bodily resurrection (John 20; Romans 6:9; 1 Corinthians 15), headship over believers (Ephesians 4:15; 5:23), pre-tribulational return for His church age saints (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), and pre-millennial return to reign on earth on the throne of David in Jerusalem (Revelation 19:11-20:6) .

5.  Regarding the person and work of the Holy Spirit it must first be stated that we believe that He is a Person.  He possesses emotions, intellect, and will and must be referenced as “He” and not “it.” He assists the work of Christ (Ephesian 1), convicts of sin (John 16:8), enables the process of new birth (Romans 8:12-17), comforts and teaches the believer (John 14:25-26; 16:12-15), guides the local church (John 16:13), and restrains sin (2 Thessalonians 2:5-7).

6.  Angels are spirit beings created sinless by God. Most have remained so, however Satan, the highest angel fell away from God (Isaiah 14:12-15 ;Ezekiel 28:11-19), led other angels to follow him, deceived mankind into moral failure (Genesis 3), constantly opposes the work of God (1 Peter 5:8), and is destined for eternal punishment (Revelation 20:7-10).

7.  Man was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26), free from sin, yet morally responsible (Genesis 2).  Mankind in Adam fell into sin resulting in total depravity and universal guilt (Genesis 3; Romans 3).  Mankind is composed of body, soul, and spirit.

8.  Sin is the willful refusal to obey God, either by omission (not doing what God has commanded to do) or commission (doing what God has commanded not to do) (James 1:12-15) , and unchecked will lead to eternal punishment and separation from God.  Sin is inherited, imputed, and personal.

9.  Salvation is the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1).  God initiates the work of grace and the sinner responds in repentance and faith (Romans 10:9-13).  The genuine believer is eternally secure in Christ (Romans 8:31-39).

10.  We believe in the spiritual unity of all church-age believers in the Universal Church (1 Corinthians 12:12-31).

11.  We believe in the assembly of groups of believers in the Local Church and their practice of the ordinances (baptism & communion), evangelism, discipleship, ministry, and fellowship (Acts).

12.  We believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in all its stages:  The rapture of believers (1Thessalonians 4:13-18), the believer’s judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10), the great Tribulation (Revelation 5:1-19:10), the return of Christ to the earth (Revelation 19:11-21), the Millennium (Revelation 20:1-6), the final judgment of unbelievers (Revelation 20:11-15), and the final state of all believers in the presence of God forever.

 *This is an abbreviated statement of faith.  If you have questions please email Pastor James at scbchurch1410@gmail.com