About

What We Believe

The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Bible was written by men supernaturally inspired; that it has truth without any admixture of error for its matter; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man; the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official translation used by the church.


 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.


By “inspiration” we mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of old, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in such a definite way that their writings were supernaturally and verbally inspired and free from error, as no other writings have ever been or ever will be inspired free from error, as no other writings have ever been or ever will be inspired.  (II Tim. 3:16; II Peter 1:19-21; Acts 1:16; Psa. 119:160; Luke 24:25-27; John 17:17; Luke 24:44-45; Prov. 30:5-6; Rom. 3:4; I Peter 1:23: Rev. 22:19; Eph. 6:17; Rom. 15:4; Psa. 19:7-11; John 5:39)

The Church

We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons. (I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; Eph. 5:25-27)


We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; Acts 20:17; Acts 20:28-32; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. (Acts 12:1-4; Acts 15:19-30; Acts 20:28; Rom. 16:1; Rom. 16:4; I Cor. 3:9, I Cor. 3:16; I Cor. 5:4-7; I Peter 5:1-4)


We recognize water baptism (by immersion) 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; Acts 18:18; I Cor. 11:23-26)

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. (Isa. 7:14; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2; 14; II 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 literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; I Peter 3:24; Eph. 1:7; I 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; Heb. 9:24; Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34; I John 2:1-2)

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. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29; John 11:25-26; Rev 20:5-6; Rev. 20:12-13)


We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where they consciously await their bodily 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; Phil. 3:21; I Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)


We believe that the souls of unbelievers 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. (Matt 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 1:6-7; Rev 20:11-15)

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. 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; Eph. 4:17-19)

Creation

We believe in the Genesis account of creation, that God created the universe in six literal, 24 hour periods, and that it is to be accepted literally, and not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly in God’s own image and after his own likeness. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen. 1-2; Exod. 20:11; Acts 4:24; Col. 1:16-17; John 1:3; Rev. 10:6)

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 Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, is forgivable. (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19; Matt. 12:31-32; I John 1:9)

Love

We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward both those who are not believers and those who oppose us. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up to strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat of the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35;

Rom. 12:9-10; Rom. 13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; II Tim. 2:24-26, I John 3:17-18)

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 possess 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. (I Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)

Family Relationships

We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in positions before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and in the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; I Tim. 2:8-15; I Tim 3:4-5; I Tim. 3:12)


We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are an heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Gen. 1:26-28; Exod. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; Prov. 22:15; Prov. 23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12; I Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; Eph. 6:1-4; Col. 3:18-21; Heb 13:4; I Peter 3:1-7)

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 law, the church, and the kingdom – are the subjects of detailed revelations in Scripture. (Gen. 1:28; I Cor. 9:17; II Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10; 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25; Rev. 20:2-6) 

The Godhead

We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent 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. (Exod. 20:2-3; Gen. 17:1; I Cor.8:6; Eph. 4:6; John 4:24; Psa. 147:5; Jer. 10:10; Rev 4:11; I Tim. 1:17; Rom. 11:33; Mark 12:30; Matt. 28:19; John 15:26; I Cor. 12:4-6; I John 5:7; John 10:30: Acts 5:3-4; I Cor. 2:10-11; Phil 2:5-6; Eph. 2:18; II Cor. 13:14)

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; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers in the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Rom 8:9; I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 3:6; 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; Eph. 5:18; I John 2:20; I John 2:27)


We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 12:4-11; I Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:7-12)


We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or the necessary sign of the baptism or 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; I Cor. 13:8; I Cor. 14:21-22)

The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan was once holy, and enjoyedheavenly 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 His Christ, the accuser of the saints, the author of all false religions, and the chief power back of the present apostasy; the lord of the anti-Christ, and the author of all the powers of darkness; destined however to final defeat at the hands of God’s own Son, and to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. (Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:14-17; Rev 12:9;

Job 1:6-7; Matt. 4:2-11; Rev. 20:10; I Peter 5:8; II Peter 2:4)

The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

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; John 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; Rom. 8:38-39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Peter 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)

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; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; I Thess. 1:10; I Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; Rev. 19:11-16; Rev. 20:1-6)

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. (Rom 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; I Peter 2:13-14; Matt. 22:21)

Abortion

We believe that human life begins at conception and 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 selections, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; Ps. 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24, Isa. 49:1; Isa. 49:5; Jer. 1:5; Jer. 10:15-18; Luke 1:44)

Human Sexuality

 We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a 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; Gen. 19:13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rm. 1:26-29; I Cor. 5:1; I Cor. 6:9; I Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)


We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; I Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)

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 and deacon. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; I Tim. 3:2, I Tim. 3:12; Titus 1:6)
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