This church holds to the following statement of faith as being a summary of Christian doctrine whose authority consists only in its agreement with the Word of God.
(A) The Bible We believe the Bible to be the revealed Word of God, fully and verbally inspired of God. We believe the Scriptures to be the inerrant, infallible Word of God, as found within the sixty-six books from Genesis to Revelation. We believe that God not only inspired every word, but that He has preserved them through the ages. We believe that the King James Version is the preserved Word of God for the English-speaking people and is the only acceptable translation to be used in this church. (Psalm 12:6-7; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
(B) God We believe in the one true God who is personal, spirit, and sovereign; perfect, infinite and eternal in His being, holiness, love, wisdom, and power; self-existent and self-revealing in three distinct 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 (Mark 12:29; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:9; Psalm 135:6; 18:30; 147:5; Deuteronomy 33:27; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7; Philippians 2:5-6)
(C) Jesus Christ We believe Jesus Christ to be the one and only Saviour of mankind. We believe Jesus Christ to be eternally God and to possess all the attributes of Deity. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was virgin-born, that He was God incarnate, and that the purposes of the incarnation were to reveal God, to redeem men, and to rule over God’s kingdom. We believe Jesus Christ never relinquished any attributes of His Deity, but merely veiled them. We believe He lived a perfect, sinless life, at the end of which He was offered for all mankind as a substitutionary sacrifice for man’s sin. This sacrifice was a just payment to God for the forgiveness of sin. It was activated by His death through the shedding of His blood on the cross and was accepted by God upon His resurrection. We believe He ascended into Heaven after His resurrection to be seated at the right hand of the Father and is now waiting for the time of receiving His church at the rapture, which is followed by His return seven years later to earth to rule and reign as King for 1,000 years. (Psalm 2:7-9; Isaiah 7:14,9:6,43:11; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:25; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1,1:3,14,18,29; Romans 3:19-25,5:6-15; Philippians 2:5—11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Timothy 2:5, 3:16; Titus 2:10-15; Hebrews 7:26, 9:24-28; 1 Peter 1:19, 2:2; 1 John 1:3; Revelation 20:1—6)
(D) The Holy Spirit We believe the Holy Spirit of God is a person who has personality and all the attributes of Deity. We believe the Holy Spirit has always been involved in the affairs of mankind; however, we believe He has a special ministry that began at Pentecost and will continue until the rapture. This ministry includes reproving the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit was also sent to regenerate, sanctify, seal, and fill all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:2; John 3:5-6,14:16; Acts 1:5, 11:15;1 Corinthians 3:16,6:19-20,12:13)
(E) The Fall of Man We believe that man, in the person of the first Adam, was created in innocence, but by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God man became a sinful creature, thus plunging the whole race into condemnation and death, so that now all mankind is born in sin and shapen in iniquity and become willful sinners with the expression of personal choice, and so are without excuse before God, and have within themselves no possible means of recovery or salvation (Genesis 3:1-6; 3:24; Romans 5:10-19; 7:18; Mark 7:21-23; Matthew 19:26)
(F) Redemption of Sin We believe that the only escape from the condemnation of sin is through the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ, when He voluntarily took upon Himself a human body and nature, yet without sin, and by His suffering, death, and resurrection made full satisfaction to the justice of God for the sin of man through His blood; that the blessings of this salvation are given on the grounds of grace to all who believe and confess; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept these offers of mercy (John 1:1-3,14; 3:1-7; Hebrews 10:4-14; Acts 16:30-33)
(G) The New Birth We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; 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 the Word of God, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life (John 3:3,6-8; II Corinthians 5:17,19; I John 5:1; Acts 16:30-33; II Peter 1:4; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13; James 1:18)
(H) Repentance and Faith We believe that repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit; that it is characterized by godly sorrow for sin as offensive to God and ruinous to the soul; and that true repentance is inseparably related to true faith. (Luke 13:1-3; 15:7; Acts 8:22; 20:21; 16:31)
(I) Salvation by Grace We believe that faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation from sin and this salvation is wholly by grace; that no works, however good, make that salvation more secure. We believe in the eternal security of the believer (Acts 16:31; Ephesians 1:3, 2:8,9; Titus 3:5-7; Romans 10:9-13; John 1:12, 10:27-30; I John 5:13; I Peter 1:15)
(J) Justification The great Gospel blessing, which Christ secures to such as believe in Him, is justification. Justification includes the pardon of sin and the promise of eternal life in principles of righteousness. It is bestowed not in consideration of any work of righteousness which we have done, but solely through the faith in the Redeemer’s blood, by virtue of which His perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us by God. Justification brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor with God. (John 1:16; Acts 13:9; Romans 4:4,5; 5:1,2,9)
(K) Sanctification Sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of His holiness. It is a progressive work. It is begun in regeneration and it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual use of the appointed means – especially the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, and prayer. (1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 John 2:29)
(L) The Devil or Satan We believe that Satan is a personal being, a fallen angel, prince of demons, the god of this age, the great enticer and deceiver, the adversary of Christ and His people, accuser of the brethren, whose end is the Lake of Fire (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12- 19; II Corinthians 4:3,4; I Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:9,10; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10)
(M) The Eternal State We believe in a literal Heaven and Hell. Heaven: the place of eternal conscious joy for all who receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Hell: the place of eternal conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire for all who reject Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:21;23; Psalm 9:17; John 8:24; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:10-15; Romans1:19-20, 2:1; Acts 4:12)
(N) The New Testament Church We believe that the church began with the calling out of the twelve apostles by Jesus Christ and was empowered on the day of Pentecost. We believe the local church is composed of members who have been saved and baptized according to the command of Christ, and have voluntarily united together for the purposes of worship, fellowship, service, and observance of the ordinances of baptism and communion. We believe all true believers will be taken up at the rapture, just prior to the tribulation. (Matthew 16:16-18; Acts 1:15, 2:41-43, 11:15, 20:28; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Ephesians 1:12-14, 5:25-30; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18;1 Timothy 3:4-15)
(O) The Ordinances We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one time backward, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior, as a testimony to our death to sin and resurrection to a new life, and that it is pre- requisite to the privileges of church membership. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He returns, and should be preceded always by salvation, baptism, and solemn self-examination as to the believer’s relationship to God and others. We believe that the elements of the Lord’s Supper consist of unleavened bread and the unfermented fruit of the vine (Acts 8:26-29; John 3:23; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 3:16; Colossians 2:12; I Corinthians 11:23-28,12:13)
(P) The Lord’s Day The first day of the week is the Lord’s day and it is to be kept sacred to Biblical practices by abstaining from secular labor, except works of mercy and necessity, and is a day of spiritual activity to set the pace for the rest of the week. (Psalm 118:24; Acts 20:7; Hebrews 10:24-25)
(Q) Missions We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20)
(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 local church financially. We believe that God has established generous grace giving, and as such every Christian should give 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 offerings once the gift has been made. (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37;1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)
(S) Separation We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour 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. (Romans 12:1-2,14:13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; Leviticus 19:28; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
(T) Apostasy We believe that deviation from the doctrines listed herein and consistent with the Word of God constitutes apostasy, which includes participation in the ecumenical movement. All forms of theological liberalism constitutes apostasy. We accept the fact of divine healing; but reject the modern concept of divine healers. We list the following as cults: Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, Christian Science, Seventh Day Adventist, Armstrongism (Worldwide Church of God) and all Eastern religions claiming a Biblical base. (Acts 21:21; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Peter 2:20-22; 1 Timothy 4:1; Deuteronomy 13:6-11; Hebrews 6:4-8; Galatians 1:8-9; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 2 Timothy 4:3)
(U) Creation We believe the Genesis account of creation as being a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate creative acts of God in six solar days without any (organic or theistic) evolutionary process: that man (spirit, soul and body) was created the sixth day 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 (Genesis 1-2; Colossians 1:16,17; John 1:3)
(V) The Last Days We believe the Scriptures teach that at death the spirit and soul of the believer pass instantly into the presence of Christ and remain in conscious joy until being reunited with the body at the resurrection when Christ comes in the air for His own; the blessed hope of the believer is the imminent, personal, pre-tribulation, premillennial appearance of Christ to rapture all believers. His righteous judgments will then be poured out on an unbelieving world during the Tribulation (the seventieth week of Daniel), the last half of which is the Great Tribulation. The climax of this fearful era will be the physical return of Jesus Christ to the earth in great glory to introduce the Millennial Davidic kingdom; Israel will be saved and restored as a nation; Satan will be bound and the curse will be lifted from the physical creation. Following the Millennium, the Great White Throne judgment will occur, at which time the bodies and souls of the wicked shall be reunited and cast into the Lake of Fire. Following this, God will create the New Heavens and the New Earth (II Corinthians 5:8; I Corinthians 15:51-57; Titus 2:13; I Thessalonians 4:14-17; Matthew 24:21; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:2,3, 11-15; Romans 11:26,27)
(W) 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 these 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. (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-14)
(X) Human Sexuality 1. 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. (Genesis 2:24, 19:5, 13, 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4) 2. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23) 3. In keeping with our beliefs regarding human sexuality as expressed in this statement of faith and in keeping with our purpose as expressed in Section 1.02, we have the following practical policies: a. All people are welcome to attend our regular worship services. b. Those who attend may not display behavior that is indicative of the sinful behaviors listed in (Y)(1) of this section in church services, at church functions, and on the church grounds. c. Church representatives are not to display overt disrespect for those who are involved in the sinful behaviors listed in (Y)(1) of this section. d. The pastor of the church will preach consistently against all forms of sinful behavior as listed in (Y)(1) of this section, as well as other sinful behaviors.
(Y) Family Relationships 1. We believe that men and women are spiritualty equal in position 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. (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:18;1 Timothy 2:8-15,3:4—5;12) 2. 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. (Genesis 1:26-28; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 127:3-5; Proverbs 19:18, 22:15, 23:13-14; Mark 10:6-12; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-4, Colossians 3:18-21; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7)
(Z) Divorce and Remarriage We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. 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 or those administrative positions within the church that would consist of pastoral duties. (Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; 1 Timothy 3:2,12; Titus 1:6)
(AA) Sanctity of Life 1. 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 an 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, or the physical or mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5, 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24, 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44) 2. Euthanasia We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift of God and must be respected from conception until natural death. Thus, we believe that an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murderer contrary to the will of God. Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment. (Exodus 20:13, 23:7; Matthew 5:21; Acts 17:28)
(AB) 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 of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or 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. (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Romans 12:9-10,17-21,13:8-10; Philippians 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)
(AC) 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 I malice or slander. (1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32)
(AD) The Christian Walk and Conduct The walk of the Christian should at all times be a testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ and should never be a stumbling block to others, saved or lost. This includes proper conduct in all matters relating to the church. The church has the right to deal with destructive behavior, whether by church members or visitors or invitees or others, at any church meeting, service, or activity. This right is in addition to church discipline under Matthew 18 and is intended to avoid the need to use such discipline. (Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 8; 1 Timothy 3:15; Titus 2)