STATEMENT OF FAITH
(A) The Holy
Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments
to be the verbally and plenarily 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 Testaments 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 Peter 1:20-21; Psalm
12:6,7; Prov. 30:5,6).
(B) 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 are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs
man according to His purpose. Three of
these dispensations--the age of law, the age of the Church, and the age of the
kingdom--are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture (Gen. 1:28; I
Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10; 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25,27;
Rev. 20:2-6).
(C) The Godhead
We believe there is one and only living and true God, an
infinite Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth; inexpressibly
glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love.
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, co-equal 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; Exodus
20:2,3; I Cor. 8:6; Rev. 4:11; I John 5:7).
(D) The Person and
Work of Christ
(1) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ,
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 (Isaiah 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; I Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; I 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, I John 2:1-2).
(E) 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; I 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 saved to be filled with the Spirit (Eph.
1:17-18; 5:18; I 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; I 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 and the gift of healing, 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
(I Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22).
(F) 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; and, that man is totally 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).
(G) 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; I Peter 1:18-19).
Justification
We believe that the great gospel blessing which Christ secures
to such as believe in Him is justification;
(a) that Justification includes
the pardon of sin and the gift of eternal life, on principles of
righteousness (b) that it is bestowed not in
consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done; but solely
through faith in the Redeemer's blood, His righteousness is imputed to us (Acts
13:39; Isaiah 53:11; Zech. 13:1; Rom. 8:1; 5:8; 5:1).
(H) 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
6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Peter 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).
(I) The Church
(1) We believe that the invisible church,
which is the "body of Christ" and the espoused bride of Christ, is
solely made up of born-again persons (I Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph.
1:22-23; 5:25-27).
(2) We
believe that a local church is a congregation of immersed believers; associated
by a covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances
of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights and
privileges invested in them by His Word; that its officers are pastors and
deacons with qualifications, whose claims and duties are clearly defined in the
Scriptures; we believe the true mission of the church is the faithful
witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity. We hold that the local church has the
absolute right of self-government free from the interference of any hierarchy
of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only superintendent is
Christ through the Holy Spirit; that is scriptural for true churches to
cooperate for the furtherance of the Gospel; that each local church is the sole
judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; on all matters of
membership, of polity, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the will
of the local church is final. (Acts
2:41,42; I Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22,23; Eph. 4:11; Acts 20:17-28; I Tim. 3:17; Col.
1:18; Eph. 5:23,24; Acts 15:13-18).
(3) 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; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
(4) We believe in the autonomy of the local
church free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31;
20:28; Rom. 16:1,4; I Cor. 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; I Peter 5:1-4).
(5) We recognize water baptism and the
Lord's Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the Church in this
age (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; I Cor. 11:23-26).
(J) 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; I John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11).
(K) 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 (Psalm 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18;
Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6).
(L) 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).
(M) The Personality of
Satan
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and 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; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matt.
4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).
(N) Creation and Fall
of Man
(1) We believe that God created the universe
in six literal, 24 hour periods. We reject
evolution, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories
of origin (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11; Col. 1:16,17; John 1:1-3).
(2) We believe that man was created in
innocence under the law of his Maker, by voluntary transgression fell from his
sinless and happy state in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners,
not only by constraint, but by choice, and, therefore, under just condemnation
without defense or excuse (Gen. 3:1-6, 24; Rom. 5:10-19; Rom. 1:18,32).
(O) 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; I Peter
2:13-14; Acts 5:29).
(P) Human Sexuality
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual
activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a
woman. We believe that any form of
homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, incest, fornication, adultery and
pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex (Gen. 2:24; 19:5,13;
26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; I Cor. 5:1; 6:9; I Thess. 4:1-8; Heb.
13:4).
(Q) 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.
Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold
positions of service (to be defined by the Pastor and Deacons) 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; I Tim. 3:2,12; Titus 1:6).
(R) 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 mental well-being of the mother is acceptable (Job
3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1,5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke
1:44).
(S) 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 lost at home and abroad and
not wait for them to come to us (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48;
John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20).
(T) 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 (I Cor. 6:1-8; Eph.
4:31-32).
(U) 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 they have been made love
gifts, however, may be designated ( Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37;
I Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; I Tim. 5:17-18; I John 3:17).
AUTHORITY OF STATEMENT OF FAITH:
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.