WHAT WE BELIEVE
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The Bible We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments alone as the verbally (every word) and plenarily (entirely) inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, and is the sole authority of our faith and practice. (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21; Jeremiah 1:7-9; Acts 1:16; Acts 28:25; Proverbs 30:5,6; Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 29:29; Psalm 10:11)
God We believe in one God, an eternal Spirit existing in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is One in essence and equal in every divine attribute. (Romans 1:19-32; Acts 17:21-23; Psalm 8:3-4; Romans 2:14-15; Genesis 3:7-8)
Jesus Christ We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is truly God and truly Man. We believe Jesus is one Person with two natures: divine and human. (Luke 1:35; John 1:1,2,14) We believe the Lord Jesus Christ died as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all, according to the Scriptures, and His shed blood justifies all who receive Him. (Romans 5:12-19) We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His bodily ascension into Heaven, and in His present life there as High Priest for us. (Matthew 28:1-10; Matthew 1:18; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 4:14-15: I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11)
The Holy Spirit We believe that the Holy Spirit is one of the three Persons of the Trinity. We believe His ministries include the restraining of evil in the world to the measure of the divine will; the conviction of the world regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment; the regeneration of all believers; the indwelling of those who are saved; and the continued filling for power, teaching, and service of all who are yielded to Him. (Acts 5:3-4; John 16:8-11, 13, 14; Acts 1:7; Galatians 5:22; I Peter 1:23)
Salvation We believe all human beings were created in the image of God; they sinned and are thereby condemned to physical death, as well as spiritual death. We believe all human beings are born with a sinful nature. (Genesis 1:26, 27; 3:1-24; Romans 5:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-6) We believe salvation is the gift of God offered to all by grace and received through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose blood was shed on the cross of Calvary for the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is solely through faith in the blood of Christ, apart from any human merit. All those who believe are regenerated children of God and are secure in Christ forever. (Ephesians 2:8,9; 3:5-7; John 10:27-30; Romans 8:31-39) We believe God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Sanctification We believe all who are saved have been sanctified through the death of Christ, are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and will be completely sanctified at their glorification. Every believer has two natures, old and new, and the old will not be eliminated in this life. (Hebrews 10:10; John 17:17; Ephesians 5:25-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:18-25)
Separation We believe in the biblical doctrine of separation, which includes separation of the local church from all affiliations and fellowship with those who deny the orthodox teachings of Scripture and those who continue to walk in fellowship with unbelief and ecumenism. We believe in separating the individual believer from all worldly practices dishonoring the Savior and the separation of church and state. (2 Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; Matthew 22:21)
The Church We believe in the Church, which is a living, spiritual body of which Christ is the Head. All believers in this age are part of this body. We believe the Church is peculiar to the age of grace and is distinct from the nation of Israel. We believe that the local church is an organized body of immersed believers who meet regularly for worship, fellowship, observance of the ordinances (baptism and the Lord's supper), edification and exhortation of the saints, and the proclamation of the gospel until the return of Jesus Christ to rapture His bride. The church is to be autonomous and has as its biblical officers Pastors and Deacons. We believe the local church is the center of God's program for this age and that all believers are bound by Scripture to give their complete cooperation to the ministry of their local church. (Matthew 16:16-18; 1 Corinthians 12:12-17; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Timothy 3:15-16)
The Ordinances We believe there are two ordinances for the local church: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, identifying with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and is a prerequisite to church membership. The Lord's Supper commemorates the Lord's death until He comes, is a reminder of our fellowship with Him, and should be preceded by carefully examining oneself. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32)
Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality We believe God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Genesis 1:26-27) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. All conduct with the intent to adopt a gender other than one’s birth gender is immoral and, therefore, a sin. (Genesis 1:27; Deuteronomy 22:5) We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: uniting one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Genesis 2:18-25.) As such, it displays Jesus Christ’s relationship to His Bride, the Church (Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:7-9; Ephesians 5:22-33). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4) We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.) We believe God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) We believe every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity as defined and demonstrated in the Bible. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of HBC. We believe that to preserve the function and integrity of HBC as the local Body of Christ and to provide a biblical role model to the HBC members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by HBC in any capacity or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22)
Human Life We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image (Genesis 1:27). Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Psalm 139)
The Great Commission We believe the Lord Jesus Christ has commissioned us to take the Gospel to the world. Evangelism and church planting at home and abroad should be primary in the local church's program, including believers' baptism and discipleship. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8)
Last Things We believe in the bodily, personal, pre-tribulation, pre-millennial, imminent rapture of the church to Heaven. The believers will then appear before the judgment seat of Christ to be rewarded according to their works. The rapture will be followed by seven years of tribulation upon the entire Earth. At the end of this tribulation period, Jesus Christ will return to earth in power and glory with His Church to establish the promised kingdom. He will reign for one thousand years, during which peace and righteousness will cover the earth, Satan will be bound, and Israel will be re-established in its own land. At the end of this reign, Satan will lead a rebellion against Christ, shall be defeated, and will be forever punished in the Lake of Fire. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 24:21,22; Revelation 20:6; 20:1-3; 20:7-10) The unbelieving will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment and condemned to eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. The righteous will be eternally in the presence of the Lord. (John 14:3; I Corinthians 3:12-15; Matthew 24:21; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:11-15; 21:1-15; Ezekiel 39:25-29; 1 Thessalonians 4:17)
Final Authority of Faith and Practice This declaration of faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. Our Pastor and Deacons are this church’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application for church doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline. II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21; Jeremiah 1:7-9; Acts 1:16; Acts 28:25; Proverbs 30:5,6; Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 29:29; Psalm 10:11