ARTICLES OF FAITH
This is not intended to be a complete statement of the doctrinal position of this church, but of the more basic beliefs on which it rests.
THE BIBLE. We believe in the Scripture of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired of God, and as without error in the original writings in all matters of which they treat.
2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
GOD. We believe there is one and only one living and true God, the infinite Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
Exodus 20:2; Isaiah 48:16; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11.
JESUS CHRIST. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became perfect man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born, or can ever be born of woman, and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son.
Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35.
We further believe that He was crucified on the cross, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins, the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, He was buried and on the third day rose again in a literal physical body of flesh and bones. He ascended up to Heaven where He now sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Intercessor.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:20-23; Colossians 1:12-19.
HOLY SPIRIT. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead, eternal, co-equal with the Father and the Son; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the new birth; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer.
Genesis 1:1-3; Matthew 28:19; John 3:5,6; 14:16,17; 16:8-11; Romans 8:9-27.
SATAN. We believe in the personality of Satan, that he is the unholy god of this age, and the author of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the Lake of Fire.
Matthew 4:1-3; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10.
CREATION. We accept the Genesis account of creation and believe that man came by direct creation of God and not by evolution.
Genesis 1, 2; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16,17.
SALVATION. We believe that, in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Jesus Christ; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruit of repentance, faith, and newness of life.
John 3:3; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1-10; Colossians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:13,14; 2 Peter 1:4.
We further believe that all who are truly born again are eternally kept by God the Father.
John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 5:8-10; 8:34-39; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:3-5.
FALL OF MAN. We believe that man was created in innocence, but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy state; in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not only by nature, but by choice, and therefore, are under just condemnation, without excuse or defense.
Genesis 3:1-6,24; Romans 3:23; 5:12-19; 6:23.
Genesis 2:24; 1 Corinthians 7:10-11; Ephesians 5:21-33.
HUMAN SEXUALITY. Legitimate sexual relations are exercised solely within marriage. Hence, sexual activities outside of marriage, including but not limited to, any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgender behavior, bestiality, incest, fornication, premarital sex, adultery, pedophilia, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex and are inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and the church.
Genesis 2:24; 19:5; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-32; 6:9-10;
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; Hebrews 13:4
LOCAL CHURCH. We believe that a local church is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ: baptism and the Lord’s supper; governed by His laws; and exercising the spiritual gifts as divided individually by the will of the Holy Spirit for the perfecting of the saints and the building up of the body of Jesus Christ; and exercising the rights and privileges invested in them by His word. We believe that its officers are pastor and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scripture. We believe that the 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 the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit and His word; that it is scriptural for true New Testament churches of like faith to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and the furtherance of the gospel; that each local church is sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation on all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of discipline, of benevolence; and that the will of the local church is final.
Acts 2:41,42; 15:13-18; 20:17-28; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-11; Galatians 1:1-5; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:4-9; Revelation 2:6.
ORDINANCES. We believe that there are two ordinances set forth in Scripture: baptism and the Lord’s supper. We believe that regeneration and baptism are prerequisites to church membership; that Christian baptism is immersion of the believer in water, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, to show forth in solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and to picture our death to sin and resurrection to a new life. We believe the Lords’ supper is the commemoration of the death of Christ until He comes again, to be preceded always by serious self-examination.
Matthew 28:19,20; John 3:23; Acts 2:40,41,46,47; 8:38,39; 18:8; Romans 6:4-11; 1 Corinthians 11:23-31.
SEPARATION. We believe modernism, liberalism, the social gospel, and any other gospel, other than the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, are not of God, but are of anti-Christ; that we as believers should have no fellowship with such unfruitful works of darkness; and that we are called upon to separate from all alliances, churches, groups, and organizations that sanction such doctrines. Romans 16:17,18; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 1:8-10; Ephesians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 2 Peter 2:1,2;
2 John 7-11; Jude 3,4.
We further believe in whole-hearted devotion to the cause of Christ and in personal separation from all worldly practices, which detract from a separated life, as the only scriptural basis for a joyful and useful Christian life.
John 15:18,19; 17:13-20; Romans 6:17?23; Galatians 1:4; Colossians 3:17; I John 2:15-17.
CIVIL GOVERNMENT. We believe the Scriptures teach that civil government is of Divine appointment for the interest and good of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except in those things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible, who is the Lord of the conscience and the coming King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Psalm 2; Daniel 3:15-18; 6:7?10; Acts 4:13-21; 5:17-29; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-3; 1 Peter 2:13; Revelation 19:16.
BODILY RESURRECTION, FUTURE LIFE, AND ETERNAL JUDGMENT. We believe that the spirits of the saved at death go immediately to be with Christ in Heaven where they abide in joyful fellowship with Him until He returns to gather all His saints unto Himself, when their bodies shall be raised from the grave and changed into the likeness of His own glorious body. Their works shall be brought before the Judgment Seat of Christ for the determination of rewards, a judgment which may result in the loss of rewards, but not in the loss of the soul. We also believe that the spirits of the unsaved at death descend immediately into Hades where they are kept under punishment until the final day of judgment at which time their bodies shall also be raised from the grave. They shall be judged according to their works and cast into the Lake of Fire, the place of final and everlasting punishment prepared for the devil and his angels.
Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-31; 1 Corinthians 3:8-15; 15:35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21-23; 3:20,21; 2 Peter 2:9; 1 John 3:2; Jude 13; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8.
THE PERSONAL, VISIBLE, PRE-TRIBULATIONAL, PRE-MILLENNIAL, AND IMMINENT RETURN OF CHRIST. We believe in the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ to gather His Church unto Himself before the ushering in of the Tribulation period; that after the Tribulation He shall return to reign on Earth during the Millennium, after which the dead will be resurrected and judged along with Satan and his emissaries, and cast into the Lake of Fire where they shall be punished forever.
John 14:1-3; Acts 1:10,11; Romans 8:23; Philippians 3:20,21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1-11, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-14; Revelation 3:10; 20:1-15; 21:7,8.