SECTION 2.01 - STATEMENT OF FAITH
The following comprise the Scriptuaral beliefs of this church and its members.
|
(A) The Holy Scriptures:
We believe the Authorized King James Bible (KJB1611) hearafter noted
as the King James Bible - old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenarily inspired
Word of God. The King James Bible is inerrant and infallible and, therefore, is the final
authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete
and divine revelation of God to Man. The King James Bible shall be the official and only Bible used
by the church.
(II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21)
|
(B) The Dispensationalisms:
We believe that the King James Bible, interpreted in its 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.
(Genesis 1:28; I Corinthians 9:17; II Corinthians 3:9-18; Galations 3:13-25;
Ephesians 1:10; 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24-25, 27; Revelation 20:2-6)
|
(C) The God Head:
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons -
Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power
and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections.
(Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:10,26)
|
(D) The Person and Work of Christ:
a. 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
through His shed blood.
(Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2,14; II Corinthians
5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 9:22)
b. 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; Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7;
I Peter 1:3-5)
c. 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; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2)
|
(E) The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit:
a. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the
world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent
in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and
sealing them unto the day of redemption.
(John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6;
Ephesians 1:13-14)
b. 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.
(Ephesians 1:17-18; 5:18; I John 2:20, 27)
c. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual
gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to
equip the believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry.
(Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12)
d. 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
necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. 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 Corinthians 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22)
|
(F) 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. That man is totally depraved, and of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost
condition.
(Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23;
Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
|
(G) 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.
(John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 John 1:9;
I Peter 1:18-19)
|
(H) Eternal Security of the Believer:
a. We believe that all the redeeemed, once saved, are kept by God's
power and are thus secure in Christ forever.
(John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1,38-39; I Corinthians
1:4-8; I Peter 1:4-5)
b. We believe that 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 give in to the flesh.
(Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
|
(I) The Church:
a. We believe that the Local Church, which is the body and espoused
bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons.
(I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23;
5:25-27)
b. We believe that the establishment and the continuance of local
churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures.
(Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28, 32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
c. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external
authority or control.
(Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1,4; I Corinthians
3:9,16; 5:4-7; 13; I Peter 5:1-4)
d. We recognize water baptism
(immersion only) and the Lord's Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the
for the church in this age.
(Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42;
Acts 8:18; 8:38; I Corinthians 11:23-26)
|
(J) Separation:
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as to
not bring reproach upon their Savior 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.
(Leviticus 19:28; Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; I Corinthians 6:19-20;
II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; II Timothy 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17: II John 1:9-11)
|
(K) 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 persoally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly
Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel.
(Psalms 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-11; I Thessalonians 1:10;
4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelations 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
|
(L) The Eternal State:
a. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life,
and the unsaved to judgement and everlasting punishment.
(John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Revelations 20:5-6,12-13)
b. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, 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 Corinthians 5:8; Philipians 1:23; 3:21;
I Thessalonians 4:16-17 Revelations 20:4-6)
c. 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 Judgement, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire , not to be
annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment.
(Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thessalonians 1:7-9;
Jude 6-7; Revelations 20:11-15)
|
(M) The Personality of Satan:
We believe in 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.
(Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10)
|
(N) Creation:
We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24 hour periods.
We reject evolution, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin.
(Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11)
|
(O) Civil Government:
We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting
in 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 sovereign in their respective
Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God.
(Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 2:13-14)
|
(P) Human Sexuality:
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged
in outside of marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality,
lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, pedophilia
and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex.
(Genesis 2:24; 13; 19:5 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30;
Romans 1:26-29; I Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; I Thessolonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
a. We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one man
and one woman.
(Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; I Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23)
|
(Q) Family Relationships:
a. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before
God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spifitual functins for men and women in the home
and 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.
(Galations 3:28; Colossians 3:18; 1 Timothy 2:8-15; 3:4-5; 12)
b. 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 tot he
headship of Christ. Children are an heritage from the lord. Parentsare responsible for teaching their
children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consisten lifestyle example and
appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction.
(Genesis 1:26-28; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalms 127:3-5;
Proverbs 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mark 10:6-12; 1 Corinthians 7:1-6;
Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7)
|
(R) 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.
(Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; 1 Timothy 3:2; 12;
Titus 1:6)
|
(S) Love:
We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward
believers, but also toward both those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those
who engage sinful actions. 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 of
the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtraining 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)
|
(T) 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 he church
possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members.
(1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32)
|
(U) 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 greatg 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)
|
(V) 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. 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.
(Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Corinthians 16:2;
2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17-18;
I John 3:17)
|
