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Our Statement of Faith
The Holy Scriptures.
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally
and plenary inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and
God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The
sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine
revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their
normal grammatical-historical meaning. The King James Version of the Bible shall
be the official and only translation used by the church (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet.
1:20-21;).
The Godhead.
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit - each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in
power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4;
Matt. 28:19: 2 Cor. 13:14; John 14:10, 26).
1. The Person and Work of God the Father
(1) We believe in God the
Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power.
(2) We rejoice that He
concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and
answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all that come to Him
through Jesus
Christ.
2. The Person and Work of Christ.
(1) We believe that the
Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing
to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary,
in order that
He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John
1:1-2, 14; 2 Cor.
5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8).
(2) We believe that the
Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through his death on the
cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our
justification is
made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36;
Rom. 3:24-25; 1
Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
(3) We believe that the
Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right
hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of
Representative, Intercessor,
and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).
3. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.
(1) We believe that the
Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness,
and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration,
baptizing all
believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of
redemption
(John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12- 14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14).
(2) We believe that He is
the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and
appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the
saved to be filled
with the Spirit (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27).
(3) We believe that God
is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God
uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the
assembly in order
that they can do the work of the ministry (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph.
4:7-12).
(4) We believe that the
sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, were
temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary
sign of
the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the
body from
sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection,
though God
frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing (1
Cor. 1:22; 13:8;
14:21-22).
The Depravity of Man.
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in
Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated
from God; and, that man is hopelessly depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable
to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph.
2:1-3; 4: 17-19).
Salvation.
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and
received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was
shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1
Pet. 1:18-19). We believe that salvation is a free gift available to all who
will call on Jesus Christ and accept this free gift. (John 3:15-16, John 12:46,
Rom. 10:9-13, Rev. 22:17) We believe that Jesus died for the sins of all the
world, and that through Him alone is salvation made possible. (1 John 2:2, 1
John 4:14, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1 John 5:12)
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers.
1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are
kept by God's power and are thus secure in
Christ forever (John
6:3740; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5).
2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to
rejoice in the assurance of their salvation
through the testimony of
God's Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty
as an occasion to the
flesh (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
The Church.
1. We believe that the local church, which is the body
and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely
made up of born-again
persons (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27).
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of
local churches is clearly taught and
defined in the New
Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free
of any external authority or control (Acts
13:14; 15:19-3 1; 20:28;
Rom. 16:1, 4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
4. We recognize water baptism by immersion, and the
Lord's Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of
obedience for the church
in this age (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:4 1-42; 18:18; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).
Separation.
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring
reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious
apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is
commanded of God (Rom. 12:1-2, 14:13; 2 Cor.6:14-7:1; 2 Tim.3:1-5;
l John2:15-17; 2 John 9-11).
The Second Advent of Christ
We believe in that "blessed hope," the personal, imminent return of Christ Who
will rapture His Church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end
of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints,
to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of
Israel (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; I Thess. 1:10; 1 Thess.
4;13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6).
The Eternal State
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men,
the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to
judgment and everlasting
punishment (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13).
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at
death, absent from the body and present with
the Lord, where in
conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body
are reunited to be
glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I
Thess.
4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6).
3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain,
after death, in conscious punishment and
torment until the second
resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the
Great White Throne
Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but
to suffer everlasting
conscious punishment and torment (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark. 9:43-48; Luke 16:
19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9;
Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15).
The Personality of Satan.
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall
of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he
shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt.
4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).
Creation.
We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We
reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as
unscriptural theories of origin (Genesis 1-2; Ex. 20:11).
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 (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph.
5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13-14).
Human Sexuality.
1. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate
sexual activity be engaged in outside of a
marriage between a man
and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism,
bisexuality, bestiality,
incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of
God's gift of sex. Any
employee of the church becoming pregnant or causing pregnancy as a
result of consensual
intercourse, outside of the marriage relationship, shall be terminated from
employment. Furthermore,
we believe that any sexual relationship with a minor is perverted and
deplorable, and totally
unacceptable before God. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev.
18:1-30; Rom 1: 26-29; 1
Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4).
2. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the
joining of one man and one woman. (Gen.
2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor.
7:10; Eph. 5:22-23).
3. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal
in position before God but that God has
ordained distinct and
separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the
church. The husband is to
be the leader of the home and men are to be the leaders (pastors and
deacons) of the church.
Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensing and ordination by the
church. (Gal. 3:28; Col.
3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)
Divorce and Remarriage.
We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the
spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the
grounds of fornication. God loves divorced people and although divorced and
remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the
church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be
considered for the offices of pastor or deacon. (Mal. 2: 14-17; Matt. 19:3-12;
Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Tim. 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, and inexcusable taking
of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions
of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or
population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable (Job
3:16; Psalms 5 1:5; 139:14-16: Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke
1:44).
Missions.
We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the
Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every
nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to the
foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15;
Luke 24:4648; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20).
Lawsuits Between Believers.
We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against
other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the
church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes
between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation
for injuries from another Christian's insurance company as long as the claim is
pursued without malice or slander (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32).
Giving.
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth
entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We
believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every
Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the
support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the
Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of
the tithe or offering once the gift has been made (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10;
Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1
John 3:17).
The statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible
itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe,
however, that the foregoing statement of faith accurately represents the
teaching of the Bible, and therefore, is binding upon all members.
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