The following statement contains a summary of the Scriptural beliefs of this Church.
{1} The Scriptures. We believe the Holy Scriptures, being the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament from Genesis to Revelation to be the verbally inspired Word of God written by holy men of old, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The scriptures are without error, infallible, and God breathed, and therefore are the complete and divine revelation of God to man, the centre of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried. We furthermore believe the translation of the King James Version of the Bible is the only authoritative and preserved Word of God in the English language. (II Sam. 23:2; Josh. 1:8; Ps. 119:105; Prov. 30:5-6; II Pet. 1:19-21; II Tim. 3:15-17; Ps. 12:6-7).
{2} The Godhead or Trinity. We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Each is co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, and co-equal in power and glory. The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit have the same attributes and perfections, and executing distinct but harmonious offices. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 3:16-17; Matt. 28:19; John 14:10 & 26; II Cor. 13:14; I John 5:7).
{3} The Person and Work of Christ. We believe in the absolute deity of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; that He is the second person of the Godhead; that He is the only begotten Son of God, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, sinless in His life and nature, and ever obedient to the Father. That He in His vicarious death made full and complete payment for the sins of the world. That He was buried and arose bodily from the grave the third day according to the Scriptures. That He showed Himself alive after His bodily resurrection by many infallible proofs, and that He ascended into heaven and is even now seated at the Father’s right hand as our great High Priest and only mediator. (Jn. 3:16; Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:21-23; Hebrews 5:8; I Pet. 3:18; Rom. 5:11; I Cor. 15:3-4; Jn. 2:19-21; Acts 1:3; I Pet. 3:22, Heb. 4:14; I Tim. 2:5).
{4} The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. 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 convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and in testimony; that He is the agent in the New Birth; that He seals, endues with power, guides into all truth, teaches, bears witness of our salvation, sanctifies, and helps the believer. (Jn. 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-14; Matt. 28:19; Heb. 9:14; Luke 1:35; Jn. 3:5-6; Gen. 1:1-3; Acts 5:30-32; Rom. 8:14-16).
{5} The Virgin Birth. We believe that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner, born of Mary; a virgin, as no other man was born of woman. Mary is not an object of worship or of prayer, but just a chosen vessel that God used. Mary was sinner that needed to be saved just like everyone else. Mary also had other children. (Luke 1:46-47; Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14; Luke 1:26-38; Matt. 1:23; 13:55-56)
{6} The Fall of Man. We believe that man was created in the image of God, but that in Adam’s voluntary sin the human race fell, thus he inherited a sinful nature and brought death upon himself and all mankind, not only physical death, but eternal and spiritual death and became alienated from God. We believe that because of sin, man is a complete ruin and failure apart from the Lord Jesus Christ; that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and that in the case of those who reach the age of moral responsibility and accountability, we then become sinners in thought, word, and deed; therefore we are justly condemned without defense or excuse. We believe to die in this condition is to be damned for all eternity with out hope. The Bible refers to this as the second death. (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:15-17; 3:1-13; Ps. 51:5; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 1:18-32; 3:9-23; 5:10-19; Jn. 8:21; II Thess. 1:8-9; Rev. 20:15).
{7} Salvation.
(a) The Sovereignty of God. We believe that God is absolute sovereign, and in His sovereignty He gave man a free will to accept or reject the salvation that He has provided. It is God’s will for all to be saved, and that none should perish. God foreknows who will accept His salvation, but He does not predetermine any person to be condemned. God permits man’s destiny to depend upon man’s freewill choice. (I Tim. 2:4; II Pet. 3:9; Acts 10:34; Jn. 6:64-65; Rom. 8:28-29; I Pet. 1:2; Eph. 1:4-5).
(b) The Blood Atonement for Sin. We believe that the salvation for sinners is wholly of grace through the mediation of the Son of God, who by appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him humanity yet without sin, He honoured the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a full vicarious atonement for our sins with His blood; that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ, the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that, having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in heaven. He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate, and all sufficient Saviour. (Jn. 3:17; Acts 16:30-33; Rom. 3:25-26; 5:6-11; 10:9-13; Heb. 9:22; I John 2:1-2).
(c) The Grace in the New Creation. 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, not by culture, not by character, not by the will of man, but wholly and solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, thus securing our soul by our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life. (Jn. 3:3; II Cor. 5:17; Jn. 1:12-13; James 1:18)
(d) The Freeness of Salvation. We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept salvation through repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the complete and perfect Saviour; and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own inherited depravity and voluntary rejection of the gospel. (Jn. 3:18, 36; 5:40; Acts 20:21; Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 10:13).
(e) The Justification by Faith. We believe that the great gospel blessing which Christ secures to those that believe on Him is justification; that justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life on the principles of Christ’s righteousness; that it is not attained by any works of righteousness which we have done, but that solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood, His righteousness is imputed to us. (Rom. 3:25; 5:1,9; 8:1; Tit. 3:5-7; Isa. 53:11; Acts 13:39; Heb. 10:38).
(f) Repentance and Faith. We believe that repentance and faith are solemn obligations and also inseparable graces that are wrought in our souls by the quickening Spirit of God; thereby being deeply convicted of our guilt, danger, helplessness, and the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ and openly confessing Him as our only and all sufficient Saviour. (Luke 13:3; Acts 20:21; Heb. 6:1; Luke 18:13; Rom. 10:9-13; Ps. 51:1-4).
{8} The Eternal Security of the Saved. We believe that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour by faith are born again and are eternally secure in Christ; and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto eternal salvation; and that those that are saved can never lose their salvation. (John. 3:16; 5:24; 6:37-40; 10:27-30; 11:25-26; 17:9-12; Rom. 8:23-39; II Tim. 1:12; I Pet. 1:5; Jude 24).
{9} Creation. We believe the Genesis account of creation; that God created the universe in six literal, 24- hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. We believe that all animal and plant life was made directly by God, and that God’s established law was that they should bring forth only after their kind. We believe that all things were created by the Lord, and for His pleasure they are and were created. (Gen. 1-2; Col. 1:16-17; John 1:1-3; Rev. 4:11).
{10} The Personality of Satan (or the Devil). We believe in a personal Devil, Satan, who is thoroughly wicked and proud; that he is a created angelic being who once was without sin and enjoyed heavenly honours, 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 out to be man’s great tempter, the enemy of the Godhead, the hinderer of the Gospel, the accuser of the saints, the author of all false religions, the chief power behind the present apostasy, the lord of the antichrist; and the author of all powers of darkness; he is destined to the final defeat at the hands of God’s own Son, and to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. (Isa. 14:12-15; Eze. 28:11-19; Job 1-2; Matt. 4:1-8; Luke 22:31-32; Jn. 8:44; I Pet. 5:8; Eph. 2:2; 6:11; Rev. 12:4; 20:10).
{11} The Return of Christ and related events. 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; 9:24-27; Zech. 14:4-11; I Cor. 15:50-54; I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; Tit. 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
{12} Heaven and Hell. We believe that Heaven and Hell are actual literal places; prepared of God as the abodes of the saved and lost; that all that die without Christ are eternally lost, and following the Great White Throne judgment shall abide forever in the lake of fire. That those who are saved by Christ shall abide forever in the blessedness of Heaven. (Jn. 14:1-3; Luke 16:19-31; Matt. 25:41; 10:28; Mark 9:44; Rom. 6:16-23; Rev. 20:15; 22:1-5).
{13} The Local Church. We believe that the local Church is an assembly of born again, baptized believers, united in organization to practice the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to meet together for worship, prayer, fellowship, preaching, teaching, and a united testimony, and to actively engage in carrying out the great commission. We believe in the independence and autonomy of the local Church, and that no religious hierarchy has any scriptural grounds to dictate and run the affairs of the Church. (Matt. 16:18; Acts 13:1-3; 14:21-23; I Cor. 11:2; 12:12-13; Eph. 4:11-16; Col. 1:18; I Tim. 3:1-15; Heb. 13:7, 17; I Pet. 5:1-4).
{14} Baptism. We believe that believers’ baptism is the immersion of the believer in water, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is to be administered by the Church, only to those who have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. (I Cor. 12:13, Matt. 28:19; Acts 8:36-39; 16:13-15,29-34; Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:12).
{15} The Lord’s Supper. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of His death until He comes, the bread speaking of His broken body, the fruit of the vine speaking of His shed blood; that it is preceded always by solemn self-examination; that the Lord’s Supper did consist of unleavened bread and unfermented fruit of the vine, and that the elements used are to be the same as is practical. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is only to be observed in the church by saved, baptized believers. (I Cor. 11:2, 23-28; Matt. 26:26-30)
{16} Separation and Sanctification. We believe in Bible separation; that is, to be set apart from the evil of this world and set apart to the glory of God and His service; that any thought, word, or deed that would hurt the cause of Christ and His Church is sinful, and should be dealt with immediately, and put away from the lives of each member. We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon our Lord and Saviour. 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. We stand in opposition to liberalism, modernism, new-evangelicalism, ecumenicalism, and the charismatic movement. We unashamedly stand as fundamentalist for Biblical separation from all doctrinal error. (Lev. 19:28; Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; I Cor. 6 19-20; II Cor. 6:14-7:1; II Tim. 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11).
{17} Spiritual Gifts. 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; Eph. 4:7-12).
{18} Miracles, Signs, and Wonders. We believe that the gifts of the Spirit in I Corinthians 12 are given, today, for ministry and edification to the body of Christ with the exception of those gifts which are specifically called signs. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, miracles, prophecy, and the gift of healing, were temporary miraculous sign gifts; that these sign gifts were given by the Spirit during the beginning of the Church for these purposes; (1) to identify an apostle, (2) to get the Jews to listen to the Gospel or believe a new revelation, and (3) to confirm the Word of Scripture that was being spoken by the Apostles, but was not yet in written form as we have the Scriptures today.Since there are no Apostles present today, and we have the completed Bible, we reject “speaking in tongues†and “supernatural healing†as found in the apostolic ministry. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit, and that the ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits 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; II Cor. 12:12; Mark 16:17-20; Heb. 2:3-4; II Tim. 4:20; III Jn. 2).
{19} Missions. We believe that God has given the Church the 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, 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. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:20).
{20} Tithes and Offerings. We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is encouraged to financially support his local Church. We believe that God has established the tithe as the basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the Church, to 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 his tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Cor. 16:2; II Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:7; Eph. 4:28; I Tim. 5:17-18; I John 3:17).
{21} 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 malice or slander. (I Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)
{22} 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 another; We therefore believe in the separation of the Church from political and state entanglements; We recognize that civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good order of human society, however, 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; I Pet. 2:13-14; Acts 4:19-20; 5:27-29; Dan. 3:17-18; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17).
{23} 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. We believe that the only scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; I Cor. 5:1; 6:9; I Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4; Rom. 7:2; I Cor. 7:10, Eph. 5:22-23).
{24} Divorce and Remarriage. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to lasts 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 (if there is a repentant spirit) and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; I Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6). We believe that the Church should not shun divorced persons, but show them love and acceptance, with godly counsel. (Eph. 4:32)
{25} 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 selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).
{26} Euthanasia. We believe that God alone has the right to determine the termination of human life; that every person has an appointed time on earth and therefore we believe that any form of mercy killing or in any way assisting persons to die who are apparently terminally ill, is contrary to the will of God. (Ex. 20:13; Job. 7:1; 14:5-6; Ecc. 7:17; Ps. 90:10-12; Matt. 5:21; Acts 17:28; Heb. 9:27).