Statement of Faith
A. THE SCRIPTURES
We believe in the verbally, plenary, inspired and preserved Holy Bible: (II Peter 1:19-21; II Timothy 3:16-17, Ps. 119:89)
By “The Holy Bible” we mean that collection of sixty-six books, from Genesis to Revelation, which, as originally written, does not only contain and convey the Word of God but IS THE VERY WORD OF GOD.
We further accept the Masoretic and Textus Receptus manuscripts from which the King James Bible (Authorized Version) was derived and that the King James Bible is both perfectly preserved and inspired and passed down to us. It is the final authority in all matters for this institution.
B. THE TRINITY (GODHEAD)
We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each coeternal in being, coidentical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 14:10, 26; 2 Cor. 13:14, I John 5:7)
C. THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST
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. (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)
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 blood sacrifice and by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
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; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 9:24-26; 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2)
D. THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Eph. 1:13-14)
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; 1 John 2:20, 27)
E. THE DEVIL (SATAN)
We believe that Satan was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors, but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of angels, that he is now the malignant prince of the power of the air, and the unholy god of this world. We hold him to be man’s great tempter, the enemy of God and Christ, the accuser of the saints, the author of all false religions, the chief power back of the present apostasy, the lord of the Antichrist, and the author of all powers of darkness — destined however to final defeat at the hands of God’s Son, and the judgment of and eternal justice in hell, a lake prepared for him and his angels. (Isa. 14:14-15; Eph. 6:11-13; I Peter 5:8; John 16:11)
F. 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; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:9)
G. SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
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; 1 Cor.1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5)
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)
H. HEAVEN AND HELL
We believe that Heaven and Hell are real, literal, and physical places. Heaven is a place of indescribable beauty and glory, just as Hell is a place of indescribable torment and punishment. Throughout all eternity Heaven is the final eternal dwelling place of the saved, and Hell is the final eternal dwelling place of punishment of the lost including total separation from God. (Matthew 6:20; Luke 10:20; John 14:2; Daniel 7:10; Isaiah 33: 14; Matthew 13:42; Mark 9:41-48; Revelation 14:10)
I. CREATION
We believe the Genesis account of creation, and that it is to be accepted literally, and not allegorically or figuratively; and that man was created in God’s own image and after His own likeness. We also believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. (Geneses 1:1-31; Exodus 20:11; Col. 1:16-17)
J. THE VIRGIN BIRTH
We believe that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner, 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 ; John 1:14)
K. THE RAPTURE & SECOND COMING
The Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, is coming at any moment and as many as receive Him as Savior will be caught up in the clouds to meet him in the air. The saved of all ages will stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ and enjoy the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. We believe in the personal, bodily, visible, premillennial return (second coming) of Christ. Those left behind will go through a period called the Tribulation, after which Christ, Himself, shall return to the earth, visible in body, to set up His kingdom of one thousand years of righteous rule. After this the unbelievers of all ages will stand at the Great White Throne to be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire, separated from God forever, while the believers spend eternity in the fullness of joy in Heaven with the Lord. (Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:16-18; Revelation 19:11-14; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 24:42; Matthew 25:31-34)
L. THE LOCAL CHURCH
We believe that a scriptural church is a visible assembly of baptized believers, covenanted together under New Testament law for the purpose of carrying out the Great Commission, with an unbroken history from the personal ministry of Jesus on earth to this present day. This church is a self-governed independent body having Christ as the head, the Holy Spirit for its guide, and the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice. The only scriptural offices of the church are bishop (or pastor) and deacons. The two ordinances of the local church are baptism and Lord’s Supper. On all matters of membership, policy, government, discipline, or benevolence, etc., the will of the local church is final. (Mark 16:15; Ephesians 1:22, 23; I Timothy 3; Titus 1; Acts 20:17-20)
There are only two Scriptural offices in the local church (Pastor and Deacons); however as an accommodation to legal relationships outside the church, we accept the legal office of trustee in the absence of Deacons or as appointed by the church and approved by the Pastor (Acts 6:3).
M. 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. We believe that we must obey the state unless it requires us to act contrary to our faith at which time we must obey God rather than the state. (Matt. 22:15-22; Acts 5:29; Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Titus 3:1-2; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13-14)
N. SEPARATION
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain from all immodest and immoderate appearances, piercings, and bodily markings. (Lev. 19:28; Rom. 12:1-2; 13:12-14; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11)
O. HUMAN SEXUALITY
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, 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. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)
We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-33)
P. THE FALL AND 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 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)
Q. SOUL WINNING AND MISSIONS
We believe that the Great Commission to evangelize the world was given to the church by our risen Lord and that this evangelization is the mission of the whole church. The Great Commission was given to the local church which was commanded to “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” Christ commanded His church to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; John 20:21; Acts 1:8)
R. THE GRACE OF GIVING
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his local church. 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 his tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Mal. 3:10Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6-10; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)
S. 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. (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)
T. DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE
We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may 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. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)
U. 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 are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)