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HERE WE STAND
STATEMENT
OF FAITH
(A) The
Holy Scriptures - We
believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of
God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and
God-breathed, and are therefore the final
authority for faith and practice. The 66 books
of the Old and New Testaments are the complete
and final revelation of God to man. The
Scriptures shall be interpreted according to
their normal grammatical-historical meaning. We
believe that God has preserved His inspired Word
for the English-speaking world in the King James
Version (1611). The King James Version shall be
the official translation of the church, and will
be the only translation used in preaching,
teaching, or any other capacity in the
church. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21).
(B) The
Godhead (Trinity) - We
believe in one Triune God, existing eternally in
three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
each coeternal in being, co-identical in nature,
co-equal in power and glory, and having the same
attributes and perfections (Deut 6:4; Matt
28:18-20; II Cor 13:14; Jn 14:10,26).
(C) 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. (Isaiah
7:14;9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-12;
Philippians 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)
- (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 Jn 2:1-2).
(D) 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, indwelling and
sealing them unto the day of redemption. (Jn
16:8-11; Rom 8:9; II 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
believers to be filled with the Spirit. (Eph
1:17-18; 5:18; I Jn 2:20,27).
- (3) We believe that God
is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual
gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses
pastors, evangelists and teachers to equip
believers in the assembly in order that they
might do the work of the ministry. (Romans
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 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).
(E) The
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).
(F) Salvation -
We believe that salvation is the gift of God
brought to man by grace and received by faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was
shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins.
We believe that sinners must be born again, and
that this new birth is instantaneous and not a
process. There is no hope of salvation without
Jesus Christ. (Jn 1:12; John 3:1-20; Eph
1:7;2:8-10).
(G) The
Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
- (1) We believe that the
redeemed, once saved, are kept by God' s
power and are thus secure in Christ forever.
(Jn 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom 8:1,38-39; 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).
(H) The
Church
- (1) We believe that the
Church is a called-out assembly of baptized
believers, who have covenanted together in
the faith for the purpose of carrying out
the Great Commission. (I Cor 12:12-14; Eph
1:22-23; Acts 2:42).
- (2) We believe that the
establishment and continuance of local
churches is clearly taught and defined in
the New Testament. (Acts 14:27; 20:17;
20:28-32; I Tim 3:1-13).
- (3) We believe in the
autonomy of the local church free from any
external authority or control. We will not
join or become part of any convention. (Acts
13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom 16:1,4; I Cor
3:9,16; 5:4-7; I Peter 5:1-4)
- (4) We believe that the
officers of ordination are pastors and
deacons, and the Scriptural ordinances are
water baptism and the Lord' s Supper. (I
Timothy 3; Romans 6; I Cor 11)
- (5) We believe that the
sole mission of the church is to win the
lost, baptize them, and teach and instruct
them in the Word of God so that they too
will win the lost. (Matt 28:19-20;
Mark 16:15)
(I)
Separation
- (1) We believe that all
the saved should live in such a manner as
not to bring reproach upon their Savior.
Every child of God should carefully guard
their testimony and refrain from all worldly
and sinful pleasures. (II Cor 6:14-7:1; Rom
12:1-2)
- (2) We believe that the
church and her members should be separate
from all affiliation and fellowship with
religious apostasy that deny the verities of
the "faith which was once delivered to the
saints." (Jude 3; II Jn 9-11; II Cor
6:14-7:1)
(J) The
Second Advent of Christ -
We believe in that "blessed hope," the personal,
imminent return of Christ Who will rapture all
believers prior to the seven-year Tribulation
period. At the end of the Tribulation Christ
will return personally and visibly, with His
saints, to establish His Messianic Kingdom on
the earth. (Ps 89:3-4; Dan 2:31-45; I Thess
1:10; Rev 19:11-16)
(K) Heaven
and Hell
- (1) We believe in the
bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to
eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment
and everlasting punishment. (Mt 25:46; Jn
5:28,29; 11:25-26; Rev 20:5-6)
- (2) We believe that the
souls of the redeemed, at death, are 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;
Philippians 1:23; 3:21)
- (3) We believe that the
souls of the unsaved 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. (Mt 25:41-46; Mark
9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; Rev 20:11-15)
(L) 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 be eternally punished in the lake
of fire. (Isaiah 14:12-17; Mt 25:41; Rev 20:10)
(M) Creation -
We believe that God created the universe in six
literal 24-hour periods. We reject evolution in
any form. (Genesis 1-2; Ex 20:11; Jn 1:1-3)
(N) 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 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)
(O) Human
Sexuality / Unchaste Conduct -
We believe that God has commanded that no
intimate physical activity be engaged in outside
of marriage between a man and a woman. We
believe that any form of homosexuality,
lesbianism, bestiality, bisexuality, incest,
fornication, adultery, and pornography is a
sinful perversion of God' s original intent for
a physical relationship between a husband and
wife. (Gen 2:24; Lev 18:1-30; Rom 1:20-32; I
Cor 5:1;6:9; I Thess 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
(P) 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, gender
selection, birth defects, birth or population
control, or the mental well being of the mother
are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Ps 51:5; 139:14-16;
Is 44:24; Jer 1:5; Lk 1:44)
(Q) Missions -
We believe that God has given the church a Great
Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all
nations. As ambassadors of Christ we must use
every means available to go to the foreign
countries and not wait for them to come to us.
(Mt 28:19-20; Mk 16:15; Acts 1:8)
(R) Giving -
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of
that portion of God' s wealth entrusted to him,
is obligated to support his 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. (Gen 14:20; Prov 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37;
Malachi 3; I Cor 16:2; II Cor 9:6-7; Gal 6:6)
THIS STATEMENT OF FAITH DOES NOT EXHAUST THE
EXTENT OF OUR FAITH. THE BIBLE ALONE IS THE
SOLE AND FINAL SOURCE OF ALL WE BELIEVE.
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