The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments to be the plenary and verbal inspired Word of God. They
are inerrant in the original writings, infallible, and authoritative.
We believe that the Bible is the sole authority for faith, teaching,
and practice (2 Tim.3:16, 17; 2 Pet.1:20, 21; Matt.5:18; John 16:12,
13).
The Godhead
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three
persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are co-eternal
in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory having
the same attributes and perfections (Deut.6:4; 2 Cor.13:14).
The Person and Work of Christ
a. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal
Son of God. He became man, without ceasing to be God. He was conceived
by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He
might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1,2,14; Luke 1:35).
b. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished
our redemption through His death on the cross. Jesus died as a vicarious,
substitutionary sacrifice for man. Our justification is made sure
by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Rom. 3:24,
25; 1 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet.1:3-5).
c. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended
to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God. As our High
Priest in God's presence, He fulfills the ministry of Representative,
Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-11; Heb.9:24; 7:25; Rom.8:34;
1 John 2:1, 2).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
a. We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead,
convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He
is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers
in this age into the body of Christ, filling, 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; 5:18).
b. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who guides all believers
into truth. It is the privilege and duty of all saved to be yielded
to the Spirit (John 16:13; Eph.5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27).
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness
of God. In Adam's sin the human race fell, and each person inherited
a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Since the fall into
sin by Adam, man is totally depraved and, unable to remedy his lost
condition (Gen. 1:26, 27; Rom.3:22, 23; 5:12-21; Eph.2:1-3, 12).
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought
to man by grace and received solely by personal faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness
of our sins.
We believe that our redemption has been accomplished
solely by the substitutionary death of our Lord Jesus Christ on
the cross of Calvary. No resolutions, works, efforts, or submission
to rules or regulations of any church can add in the least to the
efficacy of His precious shed blood. It is solely the merit of His
finished work on the cross that provides the ground of our justification
(Rom.3:19-28; 4:4, 5: 2 Cor.5:21; Phil.2:6-8; Eph.2:8, 9; 1 Pet.
1:18, 19).
When we believe, put our total trust in Jesus Christ
and His finished work on Calvary, we then receive Christ as our
Savior. At that moment, we pass from death to everlasting life,
being justified from all things, accepted before the Father according
to the measure of Christ's acceptance. We are loved as He is loved,
have His place and portion, as we are linked to Him and one with
Him forever (John 5:24; Acts 13:39; Rom.5:1; Eph.2:4-10; 4:13; 1
John 4:17; 5:11, 12; 2 Cor 5:17).
The Believer's Assurance of Eternal Life
a. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved,
are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John
6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom.1:38,39; 1 Cor.1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:5).
b. We believe that it is the privilege of believers
to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony
of God's Word. Such a privilege does not give one the liberty to
continue in living in sin. (Rom.13:13, 14; Gal.5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such
a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God
directs the Christian believer to practice separation from the world
and worldly pleasures; separation from ecclesiastical apostasy;
and separation from the erring brethren. (Rom.12:1, 2; 1 Cor.6:19,
20; 2 Cor.6:14-17; Gal.1:6-9; Matt 7:15; 2 Tim.4:3-5; Acts 20:29-31;
Mark 13:22; Titus 1:10-13, 16; 1 Tim.6:5; 1 John 4:1-4; 2 John 10:11;
Titus 3:10, 11; 2 Pet. 2:1)
Missions
We believe that it is the obligation of the saved
to witness by life and by word to the truths of the Holy Scripture
and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind (Matt.28:18-20;
Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor.5:19, 20).
The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment
of all His gifts. He divinely selected the times as well as the
recipients of His gifts. The gifts of apostles, prophets, speaking
in tongues and other sign miracles and gifts, being only necessary
for the foundation of the church, gradually ceased with the completion
of the New Testament Scriptures. These gifts were utilized to authenticate
both message and messenger, and were also used as a sign to the
unbelieving. It is each believer's responsibility to use what God
has given in service for Him. (Rom. 12:4-8; I Cor. 12:12, 13:8-10;
Eph. 2:20-21, 4:7-16; I Pet. 4:10; Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:16-21; Rev.11:3-6)).
We believe that it is the privilege of believers to
pray to God the prayer of faith and that God will answer in accordance
with His will the requests made for the sick and afflicted (John
15:7; James 5:13-15; 1 John 5:14,15).
The Church
a. We believe that the universal Church, which is
the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made
up of all born again persons of this present age. All who are united
to the risen and ascended Son of God are members of the Church,
The Church, Having begun at Pentecost, is the Body and Bride of
Christ, The Body of Christ is made up of all believers of this dispensation
regardless of their membership in organized churches on earth. Any
truly saved person is a brother or sister in Christ, and, as such,
we are to love one another fervently with a pure heart. (Mt. 16:16-18;
Acts 2:42-47; Rom. 12:5; I Cor. 12:12-27; 2 Cor.11:2; Eph. 1:20-23,
4:3-10; 5:25-27;
Col. 3:14-15; I Pet. 1:22).
b. 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; Titus1:5-11)
c. We believe in the autonomy of the local church
making it free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4;
15:19-31; 20-28; Rom 16:1,4; 1 Cor.3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; 1 Pet.5:14)
Ordinances
We recognize two ordinances of the church for this
age: The Lord's Supper and Water Baptism. They are not to be regarded
however, as a means of salvation, or as a means of grace by which
special merit is obtained.
The Lord's Supper
The Lord's Supper is a symbolic, memorial time to reflect on Jesus'
death and resurrection. The bread represents His body which was
given for us, and the cup of grape juice represents His blood which
was shed for us.
This ordinance shall be observed monthly and as often as the pastor
and elders shall decide on special occasions. All who have accepted
Jesus Christ as personal Savior and are walking in fellowship with
the Lord shall be welcome to join in this service (1 Cor.11:17-32).
Water Baptism
Water baptism is a picture sermon that identifies a believer with
Christ and the Church when the person is immersed in water. The
immersion pictures our death, burial and resurrection with Christ.
(Romans 6:1-11) When administered by this church, baptism shall
be by immersion at the request of those who have personally acknowledged
Christ as Savior thus making the individual a prospect for church
membership (Acts 2:40-42; 8:36-39; 10:47; 1 Cor.1:14-17).
Dispensationalism
We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their
natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations
or rules of life which define man's responsibilities in successive
ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather
divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according
to His purpose. Of the seven dispensations, these three; the age
of law, the age of the church, the age of the millennial kingdom,
are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture (John 1:17;
1 Cor.9:17; 2 Cor.3:9-18; Gal.3:13-25; Eph.1:10; Col.1:24, 25; Heb.1:1;
7:19; Rev.20:26).
The Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan is a spirit being, real, the
author of sin and the cause of the fall. He is the open and declared
enemy of God and man; and he shall be eternally punished in the
Lake of Fire (Job 1:6,7; Isa.14:12-17; Matt.4:2-11; 8:44; 25:41;
Rev.20:10).
The Second Advent of Christ
a. The next prophetic event is the imminent, personal,
pre-tribulation coming of Jesus Christ in the air to receive to
Himself His Bride which is the Church. Those who have died in Christ
and the living believers will be translated to heaven where we will
be forever with the Lord. (I Cor. 15:51-53; I Thess. 4:13-19; Titus
2:13; Rev. 3:10).
b. After the Tribulation and prior to the Millennium
Jesus will physically descend from heaven to the Mount of Olives
to set up His kingdom which will last for 1000 years. (Zech. 14:4-11;
Acts 1:11; Rev. 20:6).
The Eternal State
a. 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).
b. We believe that the souls of the redeemed, at death,
are absent from the body and present with the Lord. They remain
in conscious bliss while 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; 1 Thess.4:16,
17).
c. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain,
after death, in conscious misery in hell 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
(Luke 16:19-26; Matt. 25:41-46; 2 Thess.1:7-9; Jude 6,7; Mark 9:43-48;
Rev 2:11-15)
The Doctrine of Creation
We believe that God spoke the universe into existence
and made man (a special creation) from the dust of the earth. We
believe in the literal, historical record of the creation account
as recorded in the book of Genesis. We believe that God completed
His creative work at the close of the sixth day and that "all
was very good". We believe these were six literal, consecutive,
twenty-four hour days with no gaps of time before, between, or after.
God's creative work was entirely free of any form of evolutionary
process. We believe that all forms of evolutionary hypotheses are
serious errors that strike at the person and glory of God. (Genesis
1:1-31; Colossians 1:16; Nehemiah 9:6; John 1:1-3; Hebrews 11:3).
Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
We believe that God created man and woman as uniquely
created beings on the sixth day of the creation week. Both man and
woman are created in the image of God, and therefore possess special
qualities that distinguish the human race from all other creatures
that God made. While man and woman are equal in personhood and standing
before Him, His design is for each to function according to different
divinely ordained roles and responsibilities in a marriage relationship.
Those roles and relationships are defined, described, and illustrated
in Scripture. (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7, 18-25; Eph 5:22-33)
Marriage
We believe that God's Word establishes marriage as
a covenant relationship between one man and one woman, designed
to illustrate the relationship of Christ with His Bride, the Church.
We further believe that God has commanded that a man and a woman
should not engage in intimate sexual activity outside of a marriage
relationship. We believe that any form of incest, homosexuality,
lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, fornication, adultery and pornography
are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. (Eph 5:22-33; Rom 1:24-32;
1 Cor 6:9-10; Lev 18:1-30)
|