The Bible

We believe the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, referred to as The Scriptures, are the Holy Spirit Inspired Word of God. We believe they are without error in the original writings. We believe they are the verbal revelation of God and they are the final authority in all areas of life and conduct.

John 17:17; Romans 16:25-26; 2nd Peter 1:19-21

 

The Trinity

We believe in God as a Trinity of three distinct persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit with one essence.       

Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19; Deuteronomy 6:4

 

God the Father

We believe God the Father is an everlasting, infinite, and personal being. He is sovereign and rules over all that exists with providential care. He is our Spiritual Father and acts with Fatherly care toward all of mankind.        

Isaiah 64:8; 1st Peter 1:17; Galatians 4:6

 

God the Son

We believe Jesus Christ is the eternal son of God. He is Fully God and Fully Man in one person. He is the promised Messiah, conceived in the flesh by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He lived a life without sin, was crucified died and raised on the third day, and is the only mediator between God and Man.

Isaiah 7:14; 1st Timothy 3:16; Matthew 1:18-23

 

God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit convicts men of sin, causes spiritual rebirth, indwells, seals, sanctifies, guides, equips, teaches, and fills the believer, thus enabling him to walk in obedience to God and His Word.    

John 4:24; John 14:26; Acts 2:1-4

 

The Condition of Man

Man is the creation of God. Made in God’s own image and likeness, man was originally created free of sin with an intelligent nature, volitional capabilities, and moral responsibility before God. In the beginning, man and woman were innocent before God and given the opportunity to either obey or disobey His command. By his own free choice, man disobeyed God and as a result, sin entered the entire human race and man's will fell into complete bondage to sin and evil.      

Genesis 1:26-30 Romans 1:19-32; Romans 5:6,12,19

 

The Salvation of Man

We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone; in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ for our sins and the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.      

Matthew 1:21; Romans 1:16-18; Romans 10:9-10

 

The Church

We believe a New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ includes all who believe in Jesus Christ. Local congregations of believers operate in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, and they hold themselves accountable and exercise the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by the word of God. Each local congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ submitting to Him and His Word and each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord and Master.      

Matthew 18:15-20; Ephesians 2:19-22

 

Baptism

We believe baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in the crucified, buried and risen savior. It is also symbolic of the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in the newness of life.      

Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-4

 

The Lord's Supper

The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through the partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.      

Matthew 26:26-30

 

Spiritual Gifts

We believe Spiritual Gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to every individual believer for the edification of the church body. They are not natural talents or strengths. All men and women have talents and strengths that characterize who they are. Only born-again believers possess spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit distributes gifts to each member of the body as He wills. Every member of the body, each with his or her own gifting, is needed for the health and growth of the body.

Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 4:7-16; 1st Peter 4:10-11

 

 Thithes and Offerings

God is the source of all blessings, temporal, and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Believers are therefore blessed with an opportunity to return His love through serving Him with their time, talents, and material possessions.      

Genesis 28:22; Deuteronomy 8:18; Malachi 3:8-12

 

Marriage

We believe that God created and ordained marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman.

Genesis 2:18-24

*Note: We only perform marriages for members of Higher Ground in good standing.

 

Last Things

We believe God in His own time and own way will bring the world to an appropriate end as it is laid out in His word. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return in glory personally and visibly to the earth. He will set up His millennial kingdom and those participating in the first resurrection will reign with Him for 1,000 years. After this Christ will allow Satan one last rebellion, the unbelieving dead will be raised and Christ will judge Satan’s his demons and all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to the lake of fire and the righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and dwell forever with the Lord.

Revelation 20:1-15; Revelation 21:1-3