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(A)
The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the
Old and New Testaments 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
Testaments are the complete and divine
revelation of God to man. The Scriptures
shall be interpreted according to their
normal grammatical-historical meaning. The
1611 King James Version of the Bible shall
be the official and only English
translation used by the Church (2 Tim.
3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).
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(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, (current) and
the age of the kingdom, are the subjects
of detailed revelation in Scripture (Gen.
1:28; 1 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 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).
(D) 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).
(4) We believe that Christ while on
earth was impeccable, that he lived a
sinless life without any inward
temptation or ability to sin, and that
he vicariously became sin for us (Heb
4:15).
(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 at salvation,
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; 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 the 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 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 the
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, we do
not believe that in this present age,
any particular individual has the power
to heal (1 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 but possesses the free will
to accept or reject God's call to
salvation (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
and that it is God's will that no one
should perish, but that all should come to
repentance (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7, 2:8-10; 1
Pet. 1:18-19).
(H) The Eternal Security and Assurance
of Believers
(1)
We believe that all the redeemed, once
saved, are kept by God's power and not
their works, (good or bad) and are thus
secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40;
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).
(I)
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; II 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; I 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 13:1-4,
15:19-31, 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; I Cor.
3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Pet. 5:1-4).
(4) We recognize only 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 Saviour and Lord; that our
conduct, dress, and speech should be of
the highest standards to avoid offending
others around us, 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; II Cor. 6:14-17; II Tim.
3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II 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
(Ps. 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-41; 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; II
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 the
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; II 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 the cause of the Fall of
Man; that he is the open and declared
enemy of God and man; and, that he shall
eternally be punished in the Lake of Fire
(Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11;
25:41; Rev. 20:10).
(N) Creation
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; Exodus
20:11).
(O) Civil Government
We believe that God has ordained and
created all authority consisting of three
basic institutions: 1) the home; 2) the
Church; 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 Pet.
2:13-14).
(P) Human Sexuality
We believe that God has commanded that no
sexual activity including verbal, visual,
or physical stimulus should be engaged in
outside of a marriage between a man (born
and remaining male) and woman (born and
remaining female). We believe that any
form of homosexuality, lesbianism,
bisexuality, bestiality, incest,
fornication, pedophilia, adultery,
pornography, transvestitism, deviant
gender or transgender identity, or any
other deviant sexual behavior are sinful
perversions of God's gift of sex (Gen.
2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 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 between a man
biologically born and remaining a male and
a woman biologically born and remaining a
female to last until one of the spouses
dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded
in scripture as adultery. Although
previously divorced and remarried persons,
or previously divorced persons, may join
the Church after repenting of same and
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. The
Church property shall not be used for a
marriage ceremony that will constitute
adultery, the Pastor, nor any minister
ordained by this Church, shall not conduct
a marriage ceremony that will constitute
adultery, nor will the Church allow the
marriage or remarriage of a member that
will constitute adultery (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 (the
elective manmade death, ejection or
removal of the unborn child from the womb)
constitutes the unjustified, unexcused
taking of unborn human life. Abortion is
murder by any means whether surgical,
chemical, physical injury, or deliberate
conduct for the purpose terminating a
pregnancy. We reject any teaching that
abortions of pregnancy due to rape,
incest, birth defects, gender selections,
birth or population control, or the mental
well-being of the mother are acceptable
(Exo. 21:22 - 25; Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5;
139:14-16; Isa. 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 foreign nations 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; II 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 disputes between members. We do
believe, however, a Christian may seek
compensation for physical 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 (10% of
gross income) 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;
Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Cor.
16:2; II Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28;
I Tim. 5:17-18; I John 3:17).
Authority of Statement of
Faith:
This Statement of Faith does not exhaust
the extent of our faith. The King James
1611 version of the Holy 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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