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 man.
(John 1:1-3;
Luke 1:35)
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.
(Romans 3:24—4:25;
I Peter
2:24;
Ephesians 1:7;
I Peter 1:3-5)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ
ascended to heaven and now is 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;
Hebrews 9:24;
Hebrews 7:25;
Romans 8:34;
I John 2:1-2)
Return to top
4. The
Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person
who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment; and that He
is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all born-again
believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the
day of redemption.
(John 16:8-11; I Corinthians
3:6; I Corinthians 12:12-14; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14)
We believe that He is the divine teacher who
guides believers into all truth, and that it is the privilege and
responsibility of all born-again believers to be filled with the Holy
Spirit.
(John 16:13; I John 2:20; I
John 2:27; Ephesians 5:18)
5. The
Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image
and likeness of God and by the direct act of God. But because of Adam’s
sin, the entire human race fell, inherited a sinful nature and became
alienated from God. Therefore man is totally depraved and, of himself,
is utterly unable to remedy this lost condition.
(Genesis 1:26-27; Romans
3:22-23; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12)
Return to top
6.
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 the cross for the
forgiveness of our sins.
(Ephesians 2:8-10; John
1:12; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:18-19)
7. The
Eternal Security and Assurance of the Believer
We believe that all the redeemed, once
saved, are kept by God’s power and thus are secure in Christ forever.
(John 6:37-40; John
10:27-30; Romans 8:1; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:5)
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 sin.
(Romans 13:13-14; Galatians
5:16; Titus 2:11-12)
Return to top
8. The
Believer
A. The Believer’s Two Natures—We believe
that every saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for
victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the
indwelling Holy Spirit; and that all claims to the eradication of the
old nature in this life are unscriptural.
(Romans 6:13; Romans
8:12-13; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:10; I Peter
1:14-16; I John 3:5-9)
B. The Believer and Separation—We believe
that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach
upon their Savior and Lord; that separation from worldly pleasures and
activities should be practiced; that everything we do should be to bring
honor and glory to the Lord.
(II Timothy 3:1-5; Romans
12:1-2, 14; I John 2:15-17; II John 9:11; II Corinthians 6:14—7:1;
Colossians 3:17)
C. The Believer and Missions—We believe the
obligation of the saved is to witness—by life and by word—the truths of
the Holy Scriptures and to seek to proclaim the gospel to all mankind.
(Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; II
Corinthians 5:19-20)
9. The
Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
We believe that God is sovereign in the
bestowment of all His gifts; that the gifts of pastors and teachers are
sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today; and that speaking in
tongues and the working of sign miracles ceased as the church moved out
of her infancy and the New Testament Scriptures were completed and its
authority became established.
(I Corinthians 12:4-11; II
Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12; I Corinthians 13:8-12; I
Corinthians 14:22)
We believe that God does hear and answer the
prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and
afflicted.
(John 15:7; I John 5:14-15)
Return to top
10.
Marriage and Home
We believe that God has established and
sanctified marriage for the procreation, welfare and happiness of
mankind; that marriage is between one man and one woman and that all
sexual activity outside the marital relationship is sinful.
(Genesis 2:18, 24; Matthew
19:4-6; I Corinthians 7:1-4)
11.
The Church
A. We believe that the church is the body
and bride of Christ, who is the bridegroom, and is made up of all
born-again persons of this present church age.
(Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27;
I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2)
B. We believe that this church is
manifested through the local church, which is a congregation of true
believers who have been baptized by immersion upon their confession of
faith in Christ and associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of
the gospel; that it observes the ordinances of Christ; that it is
governed by His laws; that it exercises the gifts, rights and privileges
invested in it by His word; and that its officers’, pastor’s and
deacons’ qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the
scripture. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of
self-government free from the interference of any hierarchy of
individuals or organizations—ecclesiastical or political—and that the
one and only superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Return to top
12.
The Ordinances
We believe that the ordinances committed to
the visible church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the
immersion, in water, of a believer in Christ, in the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit, and that it symbolizes his/her spiritual
resurrection to newness of life and identification with Christ. The
Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of His sacrificial death, and it
symbolizes the fact that the believer is continuously fed and nourished
by Christ.
(Matthew 3:6, 13-17;
28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; Acts 8:36-38; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12;
Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; I
Corinthians 11:23, 29)
13.
The Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan is a person, the
author of sin and the cause of the fall; 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;
Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10)
Return to top
14.
The Eternal State
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all
men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and
everlasting punishment.
(Matthew 25:46; John
5:28-29, 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-15)
A. We believe that the souls of the
redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and immediately present
with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first
resurrection, when the spirit, soul and body are reunited to be
glorified forever with the Lord.
(Luke 23:43; Revelation
20:4-6; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; I Thessalonians 4:16-17)
B. We believe that the souls of unbelievers
remain after death in conscious misery until the second resurrection and
judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the millennium, when,
with the soul and body reunited, they shall be cast into the Lake of
Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious
punishment.
(Luke 16:19-26; Matthew
25:41-46; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:11-15)
Return to top
15.
The Lord’s Day
We believe that the first day of the week is
to be observed as the Lord’s Day, and that it is a day of rest,
Christian fellowship, worship and communion with God.
(John 20:10, 26; Acts 20:7;
I Corinthians 16:1-2)
16.
Civil Government
We believe that the civil government is
ordained by God for the interest and good order of human society, and
that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and
obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the only Lord of the conscience and the Prince of the Kings of
the Earth.
(II Samuel 23:3; Matthew
22:21; Titus 3:1; I Timothy 2:1-8; Romans 13:1-7; Acts 4:18-20;
Revelation 19:16)
17.
The Second Advent of Christ
We believe in the “Blessed Hope,” the
personal, imminent, pretribulational and premillennial coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones, and in His subsequent return to
Earth with His saints to establish His Millennial Kingdom.
(I Thessalonians 4:13-18;
Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6;
I Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9; Revelation 3:10)