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Statement of Faith
The Holy Scriptures
We believe that every word of the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testament (in
their original languages before translation), is equally and fully inspired. The
Holy Scriptures have by His particular care been kept pure. The Scriptures are
inerrant and infallible. They are therefore the supreme and final authority in
every matter they touch upon, as well as the standard for faith and life. The
sixty six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine
revelation of God to man. (2nd Pet. 1:20-21; Rom 3:2; Matt. 5:18; John 10:35;
Psa. 19:7-11; 2nd Tim. 3:15-17).
The Godhead
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. Each is co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in
power and glory, and has the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4;
2nd Cor. 13:14; 1st John 5:6-8; Ex. 3:14, Matt. 28:19; John 1:14-18; 14:10-11;
15:26).
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. He lived in sinless perfection in order that
He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (John 1:1-2,14; Lk.1:35; Phil. 2:5-8;
Isa. 7:14; 9:6; 2nd Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5).
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our
redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, substitutionary
sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical
resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:21-36; 1st Peter. 1 :3-5; 2:24; Rom.
3:24-25; Eph. 1 :7, 19-20).
3 . We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and now reigns at
the right hand of God "above all principality, and power, and might, and
dominion" where, also as our High Priest, He fulfills the Ministry of
Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (John 18:36-37; Acts 1 :9-10;
2:33-36; Eph. 1 :20-23; Rev. 1 :5; 3:21; Heb.9:24;7:24-27; Rom. 8:34; 1st John
2:1-2).
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 effectually calling, regenerating, and baptizing believers into the
body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John
16:8-11; 1st Cor. 2:8-14; Ez.36:26-27; Rev.22:17; 2n Cor.3:6; 1st Cor. 12:13;
Rom. 8:9; Eph.1:13-14; 4:40; Eph.4:30).
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,(John 16:13;
1st John 2:20,27; Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18).
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; 1st Cor. 12:4-11,28).
4. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as
speaking in tongues and the gift of healing were temporary. Speaking in tongues
was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy
Spirit. We also believe 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. (1st
Cor.13:8 14:21-22; 1st Peter 1:3-5; James 5:13-15).
The Total 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. Man is, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition or
receive the things of the Spirit. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:23; 5:12; Eph.
2:1-3;4:17-19; Jer. 13:23; Rom. 5:6; 1st Cor. 2:14).
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by divine grace
alone and received by repentance and personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. In the
salvation of man, the Father chose a people before the foundation of the world
according to the good pleasure of His will, the Son redeems them, and the Holy
Spirit regenerates them. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy
Spirit, are forgivable. (Eph. 2:8-10; Luke. 13:3; 1st John 1:9; John 1:12; 1st
Peter 1:18-19; Eph.l:4-5,7; Titus 2:14, 3:5; Matt. 12:31-32).
The Perseverance and Assurance of Believers
1. We believe that all the redeemed, those effectually called
and sanctified by Christ, are kept by God's power and can never fall from the
state of grace, but shall certainly persevere in grace to the end and be
eternally saved. (John 6:37-40,44, 65; 10:26-30; Rom. 8:1,38-39; 1st Cor. 1:4-8;
Phil.1:6; 1st Peter 1 :4-5).
2. We believe that all who truly believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ and love Him in sincerity, endeavoring to conduct themselves in all good
conscience according to His will, may in this life be certainly assured that
they are in a state of grace. This assurance of faith is based upon the blood
and righteousness of Christ as revealed in the Gospel, the inward evidence of
the graces of the Holy Spirit, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit as the
Spirit of adoption. (Titus 2:11-15; Rom.13:13-14; 1st John 2:3; 3:14, 18,
19,21,24; 5:13; 1st John 5:4-9; Rom.5:1-5; 8:14-16).
Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience
1. We believe that Christ has purchased for all believers a liberty
inherent in the Gospel. It includes freedom from the guilt of sin, from the
condemnation that follows guilt, from the wrath of God, and from the severity
and curse of God's law. It also' includes free access to God and obedience to
Him with a childlike love and readiness. (Rom. 8:3; Luke 1 :73-75; 1st Cor.
15:56-57; Gal. 3:13-14; Heb. 10:19-21; Acts 26:18; 1st John 3:3, 7, 9,4:18).
2. We believe that God alone is Lord of the conscience. He has set it free from
all obligations to receive or obey any such doctrines or demands of men as are
in any respect in opposition to His Word or are not contained in it. (Rom. 14:4;
James 4:12; Matt. 15:9; Acts 4:19; 1st Cor. 7:23; Col. 2:20-23; Acts 5:29).
3.We believe that to practice any sin, or to harbor sin's evil desire, on a
pretense of enjoying Christian liberty perverts the main purpose of gospel
grace.(Rom. 6:1-2; Gal. 5:13; 2nd Peter 2:1821).
The Church
1. We believe the universal church is invisible in respect to the internal work
of the Spirit in truth of grace. It consists of the whole number of the elect
who have been, who are being, or who yet shall be gathered into one under
Christ, who is the church's head. The church is the bride, the body, the
fullness of Christ who "fills all in all". (Heb. 12:22-23; Eph. 1:22-23;
5:23,27,32; Col 1:18).
2.We believe that the local church is to be composed of people who profess to
believe the gospel and render obedience unto God by Christ. (Rom. 1:7; 1st Cor.
1:2; Acts 15:22,28-30).
3.We believe that the establishment and continuance of the local churches is
clearly taught in the New Testament Scriptures. (Titus 1:5; Acts 2:42, 46-47;
Heb. 10:25).
4.We recognize the Lord's Supper and water baptism by immersion as the two
ordinances of obedience for the church. (1st Cor. 10:16; Ist Cor. 11
:23-26; Acts 2:41-42; Matt. 28: 19-20).
The Lord's Day
We believe the Lord's Day is a Christian institution for regular observance
which should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both
public and private, and in resting. Works of necessity and mercy are permitted.
(Matt. 28:1; Ex. 31:12-17; Acts 20:7; 1st Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10; Gen. 2:2-3; Ex.
20:10-11; Luke 13:15-16; Matt. 12:11-12).
Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring
reproach upon their Saviour and Lord. God commands His people to separate from
all religious apostasy and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations. (Psa.
4:2; 1st Tim. 6:1; 2nd Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2nd Tim. 3:1-5; 1st John 2:15-17; 2nd John
9-11).
The Second Advent of Christ and the Eternal State
We believe that Jesus Christ will literally and physically return to earth. (Job
19:25; Matt. 24:36-51; 25:31-34. 1st Cor. 15:23-26; Phil. 3:20; 1st Thess. 1:10;
4:13-18; 2nd Thess. 1 :7-10; Titus 2:13).
2. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men: the saved
to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Job
14:12; 19:25-27; John 5:28-29; 1st Cor. 15:5054; Dan. 12:2, 13: Matt. 25:46;
John 6:39-40,44,54: Rev. 20:12-13).
3.We believe that the souls of the redeemed are at death, absent from the body
and present with the Lord, where they consciously await their bodily
resurrection when soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the
Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2nd Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1st Thess. 4:16-17; 1st Cor.
15:51-53).
·4. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious
punishment and torment until their resurrection, when with soul and body
reunited they shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to
suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Luke 16:19-26; Matt.
25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; 2nd Thess. 1 :7-9; 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; Matt. 4:2-11; John 8:44;
Isaiah 14:12-17; Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10).
Creation
We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour days. We reject
evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as
unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11; Psa. 33:6-9; Psa. 89:47;
Mk. 10:6; Mk. 13:19; Acts 4:24; Rom. 1:20; 2nd Cor. 4:6; Heb. 1:2; Heb. 11:3;
Rev. 4:11; Rev. 14:7).
Civil Government
We believe that God has ordained and created all authority. Every person is
subject to three basic institutions: (1) the home, (2) the church, and (3) the
state. All (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and
governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical
responsibilities. (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 st Peter 2: 13-14; Heb. 13:17; Eph.5:22-24)
Human Sexuality
1. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual
activity be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. We believe
that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bi-sexuality, bestiality, incest,
fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of
sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one's
gender by surgery or appearance. (1st Thess. 4:1-8;Gen. 2:24; Lev. 18:1-30;
Rom.l:26-29; Matt. 5:8;lst Cor. 5:1; Heb. 13:4; 1st Cor. 6:9).
2. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining
of one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; 1st Cor. 7:2,39; 1 st Tim. 3:2,12).
Family Relationships
1. 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 in 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 licensure and ordination by the church. (Gal. 3:28;
Col. 3:18; 1st Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5,12).
We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of
human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The
wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the
church submits to the leadership of Christ. We believe that God hates divorce
and intends marriage to last until one spouse dies. Children are an heritage
from the Lord and are to obey their parents. Parents are responsible for
teaching
their children spiritual and moral values, and leading them through consistent
lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal
correction. (Gen. 1 :27-28; Eph. 5:21-33; 1st Pet. 3:1-2, 5; Mal. 2:14-16; Mk.
10:4-12; Co!. 3:18-21; Psa. 127:35; Ex.20:12; Eph.6:1-4; Deut. 6:4-9;
Prov.19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14).
Abortion
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a
living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused 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 emotional or mental well-being of the mother are
acceptable. (Luke 1:31-57; Psa. 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1,5; Jer. 1:5; Ex.
21:22-29).
Love
We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow
believers, but also toward those who are not believers. We are to deal
graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly with those who oppose us. God forbids
the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or use of
violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal
justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and
pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Lev. 19: 18; Luke 6:31
John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10, 17-21; 13:8-10; 1st John 3:17-18; Matt. 5:44-48;
1st Cor. 13:4-8; Titus 3:2; Phil. 2:2-4; 2nd Tim. 2:24-26).
Missions
We believe that God has given the church a great commission to "Go and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you". As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to spread the
Gospel in this country and in foreign nations. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mk.16:15; Luke
24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1 :8: 2nd Cor. 5:20).
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 initially established the tithe as a basis for giving, and
every Christian should give sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the
church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. (Matt.
25:14-30; Provo 3:9-10; Gal. 6:6 1 st Tim 5:17-18; Gen 14:20; 1st Cor. 16:2; 2nd
Cor. 9:6-7; Eph. 4:28; 1st John 3:17).
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