Doctrinal Statement

The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenarily inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical - historical meaning. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the Church (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21).

 

The Godhead

We believe there is one and only one living and true God (I Tim. 1:17; I Cor. 8:6; Isa. 44:6-8; I Thess. 1:9), an infinite intelligent Spirit (Jn. 4:24), the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth (Isa. 45:18; Dan. 2:21-22; Rev. 4:11), inexpressible glorious in holiness (Isa. 6:1-4; Rev. 5:12,13), and worthy of all possible confidence, honour, and love; that in the unity of the God-head there are three persons, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; Luke 1:35), equal in every divine perfection (Jn. 6:44; 14:6; 16:8), and executing distinct, but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.

 

The Person and Work of Christ

  1. 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; 9:6; Luke 1:35; Jn. 1:1-2,14; II Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8).
  2. 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 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:3-5).
  3. 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, 7:25; Rom. 8:34; I Jn. 2:1-2).

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

  1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person (Jn. 14:16,17), equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature (Matt. 28:19; Heb. 9:14), that He was active in the creation (Gen. 1:2; Ps. 104:30), that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God's purpose is fulfilled (II Thess. 2:6,7), that He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (Jn. 16:8-11), that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony (Jn. 14:26; 16:13; Acts 5:32), that He is the agent in the new birth (Jn. 3:5,6; 1:12,13), that He seals (Eph. 1:13,14), endues (Jn. 20:22; Luke 24:49), guides (Jn. 16:13), teaches (I Jn. 2:20-27), witnesses (Rom. 8:14,16), sanctifies and helps the believer (Rom. 8:26,27; II Thess. 2:13, I Pet. 1:2).
  2. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or 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, 13:8; 14:21-22).

 

Devil or Satan

We believe in the personality of Satan (Matt. 4:1-3; Jude 9), that He is the unholy god of this age (II Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:12), and the author of all the powers of darkness (Eph. 6:12; Col. 1:13), and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice of the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

 

Creation of Man

We believe the Genesis account of Creation and believe that man came by direct creation of God (Gen. 1, 2) and not by evolution (Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16,17).

 

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; and that 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; 4:17-19).

 

Virgin Birth

We believe the Scriptures teach that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born, or can ever be born of woman, and that he is both the Son of God and God the Son. (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18,25; Jn. 1:14).

 

The Way of 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, who lived a sinless and perfect life, died as our substitute and atonement for sins, shed His precious blood on Calvary, was buried, and rose again for our justification. (Rom. 4:25; Jn. 1:2; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; I Pet. 1:18-19; II Cor. 5:21).

 

 

Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

  1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever (Jn. 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1,38-39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Pet. 1:4-5).
  2. 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).

 

Local Church

We believe the Scriptures teach 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 only Scriptural officers are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Epistles of Timothy and Titus. We believe the true mission of the Church is the faithful witness of Christ to all men as we have the opportunity, and the building up and edifying of the saints. 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 head is Christ through the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:41-42; 8:1; I Cor. 4:17; Acts 2:47; I Cor. 11:2; Mat. 28:20; Jn. 14:15; 15:10; Acts 14:23, 15:22; II Thess. 3:7; Rom. 16:17-20; I Cor. 11:23; Mat. 18:15-20; I Tim. 3; Titus 1).

 

Baptism and the Lord's Supper

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 Saviour, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life, that it is prerequisite to the privileges of a Church relation. (Acts 8:36-38; Rom. 6:4-5; Col. 2:12; Acts 10:47).

 

We believe that the Lord's Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination (I Cor. 11:23-28).

 

Civil Government

We believe that civil government is of divine appointment, for the interest and good order of human society, that magistrates are to be prayed for, honoured, and obeyed except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming Prince of the Kings of the earth (Rom. 13:1-7; I Tim. 2:1-3; Dan. 3:17-18; Acts 4:18-20; Rev. 19:13-16).

 

The Resurrection, Personal, Visible, Pre-Millennial Return of Christ, and Related Events

  1. We believe in the bodily resurrection. (Matt. 28:6-7; Luke 24:39; Jn. 20:27; I Cor. 15:4; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:2-6).
  2. The Ascension (Acts 1:9-11; Luke 24:51; Mark 16:19; Rev. 3:21; Heb. 12:2).
  3. The High Priesthood (Heb. 8:6; I Tim. 2:5; I Jn. 2:1; Hebrews).
  4. The Resurrection of the Righteous Dead. (I Thess. 4:13-18; I Cor. 15:42-44,52).
  5. The Change of the Living in Christ. (I Cor. 15:51-53; I Thess. 4:13-18; Phil. 3:20-21).
  6. The Throne of David. (Luke 1:32; Isa. 9:6-7; Acts 2:29-30).
  7. The Millennial Reign. (I Cor. 15:25; Isa. 32:1; 11:4-5; Ps. 72:8; Rev. 20:14; 20:6).

 

Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord; and that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded of God. (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; II Cor. 6:14; 7:1; II Tim. 3:1-5; I Jn. 2:15-17; II Jn. 9-11).

 

Grace of Giving

We believe that scriptural giving is one of the fundamentals of the faith. We believe that proportionate and positive command in the Scriptures and pledge ourselves to a systematic contribution for the support of the Church of such a portion of our income as we believe God requires of us according to the principle laid down hereby as in I Cor. 16:1,2. (I Cor. 16:1,2; II Cor. 8:1-16; Mal. 3:8-11).

 

Human Sexuality

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged outside of marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. (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).

 

This doctrinal statement does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe.