STATEMENT OF FAITH

We believe that the Holy Bible as originally written was verbally inspired and the product of Spirit-controlled men, and therefore, has truth without any admixture of error for its matter. We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried. (2 Tim.3:16,17; 2 Pet.1:19-21)

We believe there is one and only one living and true God, an 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 (Ex.20:2,3; 1 Cor.8:6; Rev.4:11).

We believe that Jesus Christ is the virgin-born Son of God, who lived a sinless life, died a vicarious death, rose in bodily form, ascended into Heaven where He now ministers as our High Priest, and is coming back to this earth to establish His earthly kingdom (Gen.3:15; Isa.7:14; Matt.1:18-25; Lk.1:35; 24:39; 24:51; Jn.1:4; 20:27; 1 Cor.15:4; Acts 1:9-11; Mk.16:19; Heb.2:17; 5:9,10; 8:6; 12:2; Rev.3:21; 20:6; I Tim.2:5; I Jn.2:1; Isa.11:4,5; Ps.72:8).

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; 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; and baptizes the believer into the body of Christ; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. He bestows spiritual gifts some of which were of a temporary nature designed as signs to authenticate the message of the apostles and have ceased. Among these are the gifts of tongues and healing. (Matt.28:19; Mk.1:8; Lk.1:35; 24:49; Jn.14:16,26; 16:8-11; 3:5,6; 1:33; Acts 11:16; 5:30-32; Rom.8:14,16,26,27; 1 Cor.12:13; Eph.1:13,14; Gen.1:1-3; Heb.9:14)

We believe in the personality of Satan (who is also called dragon, that old serpent, the Devil, Lucifer and etc.), that he is the unholy god of this age, and the author of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgement of an eternal justice in the Lake of Fire (Matt.4:1-3; 2 Cor.4:4; Rev.20:2,10; Isa.14:12).

We accept the Genesis account of creation as being neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate, creative acts of God; that man was created by a direct work of God, and not from previously existing forms of life, and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race. We reject both theistic and naturalistic evolution (Gen.1 & 2; Col.1:16, 17; Jn.1:3).

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 constraint, but of choice; that he is totally depraved, and of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition, and under just condemnation without defense or excuse. (Gen.3:1-6,24; Rom.1:18,32; 5:10-19)

We believe election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life – not because of foreseen merit or foreseen faith in them, but of His mere mercy in Christ – in consequence of which choice they are called, justified and glorified. (Rom.8:28-30; 1 Cor.1:27-29; Eph.1:4, 11)

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin, honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins (the sins of His elect), that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust; Christ, the Lord, bearing our sin in His own body on the tree; that having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate and an all-sufficient Savior. (Matt.18:11; Jn.3:16; Acts 15:11; Rom.3:24,25; Eph.2:8; 1 Cor.15:3; 2 Cor.5:21; Phil.2:7; Heb.2:14; Isa.52:4-7; 1 Jn.4:10)

We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again (regenerated); that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a 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 it involves more than mere mental assent but is the personal reception of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life. We believe that Justification is that act of God whereby the believer is declared righteous upon the basis of Christ’s imputed righteousness. (Jn.3:3,6-8; Rom.6:23; 3:21-28; 2 Cor.5:17,19; Acts 16:30-33; Eph.2:1; Gal.2:16; Phil.3:9; Col.2:13; 2 Pet.1:4; 1 Jn.5:1)

We believe that all those whom God has regenerated, being sanctified by the Spirit, will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end; and though they may fall through neglect and temptation, into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the Church, and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance, and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. (Jn.6:37-40; 10:28-29; Rom.8:28-39; 1 Cor.1:8-9; Phi.1:6)

We believe in the security of the saints; that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father and Jesus Christ. (Jn.10:28,29; Rom.8:35-39; Phil.1:6; Jude 1).

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; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its officers are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scripture. We believe the true 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 Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of government, of discipline of benevolence, the will of the local church is final (Acts 2:41,42; 1 Cor.11:2; Eph.1:22,23; 4:11; 5:23; Acts 20:17-28; 1 Tim.2:1-7; Col.1:18; Acts 15:13-18).

1. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior. with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life, that it is pre-requisite to the privileges of a church relation.
2. We believe that the Bread and Cup is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination. (Acts 8:26-39; Jn.3:23; Rom.6:3-5; Matt.3:16; 28:19; Col.2:12; 1 Cor.11:23-28)

We believe that the Bible teaches that God established marriage as only between one man and one woman, and that all sexual conduct outside the bonds of marriage is sin.

We further believe that it is the duty of Christians to marry only in the Lord. Therefore those who profess the true faith should not marry unbelievers.

We believe that the physical condition in which a person is born, including their gender, is established by God. (Gen.1:27; 2:24; Ex.4:11; Lev.18:6-30; Deut.22:5; Matt.19:4,5; Jn.9:3; 1 Cor. 6:9,10; 7:39; 2 Cor.6:14)

We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; 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 conscience, and the coming Prince of the Kings of the earth (Rom.13:1-7; Acts 23:5; 4:19,20; 5:20; Matt.22:21; 2 Sam.23:3; Ex.18:21,22; Dan.2:17,18).

We believe that obedience to God’s Word will not allow cooperation in spiritual efforts with those who deny the historic Christian faith. We specifically repudiate the assumption that cooperation with apostates is justified if commendable spiritual results are obtained by so doing. We believe the Bible requires a church to be completely separated from associational fellowship with groups which permit the presence of theological liberals. (Rom.16:17,18; 2 Cor.6:14-18; 2 Jn.9-11)

We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that such only as through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God, are truly righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under the curse; and this distinction holds among men both in and after death, in the everlasting felicity of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost (Gen.18:23; Matt.25:34-41; Lk.6:25; Jn.8:21; Rom.6:17,18,23; 7:6; Mal.3:18; 1 Jn.5:19; Prov.14:32).

We believe that God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return bodily and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord. (Isa.2:4; 11:9; Matt.16:27; 18:8-9; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mk.9:43-48; Lk.12:40; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; Jn.14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; 1 Cor.4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Cor.5:10; Phil.3:20-21; Col.3:4; 1 Thess. 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thess.1:7ff.; 2; 2 Tim.4:8; Titus 2:13; Heb.9:27-28; 2 Pet.3:7ff.; 1 Jn.3:2; Jude 14-15; Rev.1:18; 20:1-22:13)