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Genesis Account of Creation
We
believe the Genesis account of creation. We believe
creation was a direct act of God, in literal days,
instantaneous, and miraculous. We believe man was created
in the image of God and all reproduction was “after their
kind.”
Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16-17; Job 26:7; Psalms 33:6, 9;
John 1:3
Trinity
We believe God is a person, eternally existing. One true God
but in the unity of the Godhead. There are three eternal and
coequal persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Spirit, the same in substance but distinct in
subsistence. One Godhead made up of three persons who are
the same in attributes, power, characteristics and desires.
Hebrews 1:8; Acts 5:1-3; Matthew 28:19; I Corinthians 8:6;
Colossians 2:9; Matthew 3:16-17
Deity
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God because of
His character, His miracles, His influence, His power to
forgive sins and to set people free from Satan. Jesus Christ
was God in the flesh because He claimed to be, died making
this claim, and arose victorious over death.
Matthew 26:63,66; John 14:9; John 1:1; John 10:3
Virgin Birth
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Spirit
and in miraculous manner; born of a virgin, Mary, as no
other person was ever born or can ever be born of woman. He
is both the Son of God and God the Son.
Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:30-35; Isaiah 7:14
Substitutionary Death of
Christ
Jesus took the saved sinner’s place, bore his sins, met the
penalty, through a substitutionary death for all men. Jesus
satisfied the law, becoming our accepted substitute; His
righteousness, His right doing, is imputed to us by faith
and so we through Him have kept the Law. The Blood of Jesus
Christ cleanses, instead of merely covering the sins of man.
Isaiah 53:5; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 3:18
Salvation by Grace Through
Faith
The sacrifice made by Jesus is the only basis of salvation,
the only means of reconciliation, and the only ground of
justification. We hold that the most important thing to
every individual is the personal salvation of their own
soul. God’s order is salvation first, then works.
Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5-8
Heaven and Hell
We believe that Heaven and Hell are real, literal places.
Heaven is a place of indescribable beauty and glory, just as
Hell is a place of indescribable torment and punishment. So
throughout all eternity Heaven is the final, eternal
dwelling place of the saved, Hell being a place of eternal
punishment and total separation from God for the lost.
Matthew 6:20; Luke 10:20; John 14:2; Matthew 25:46; Luke
16:19-31;
II Peter 2:4; Revelation 20:14-15
Depravity
Man is wicked, corrupt, and all are under sin. We believe
that man was created in the image of God but fell through
sin, bringing not only physical death but spiritual death,
or separation from God. Now all mankind is totally depraved,
having inherited a sinful nature through the blood, is bent
toward sinning, and has become sinful in thought, word and
deed.
Romans 3:10, 23; Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23; Psalms 14:3;
Genesis 3:6-19; Ecclesiastes 7:20
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the
Father and God the Son; that He was active in the creation;
that He convicts, seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses,
sanctifies, and helps the believer. We believe that these
ministries of the Holy Spirit happen instantaneously to the
believing sinner at salvation. The Holy Spirit not being the
author of confusion, we reject the claim made by the tongues
movement.
I Corinthians 14:33; John 14:16-17; John 16:7-15; Acts 1:8;
Matthew 28:19; Romans 8; John 15:26-27
Separation from the World
We believe that all the saved are called into a life of
separation from all worldly and sinful practices. A person,
once he has truly accepted Christ as Saviour, is a new
creature in Christ and should live a holy, consecrated life;
he should separate himself from the world and all its lust
in obedience to the command of God.
Romans 12:1, 2; I John 2:15-17; II Corinthians 6:14-18;
I Peter 2:9; II Corinthians 5:17; II Timothy 2:19
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Rapture and Second Coming
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is coming in the air at any
moment to catch up those that have received Him as Saviour.
Those saved of all ages will stand at the judgment seat of
Christ; following is the marriage supper of the Lamb. We
believe in the personal, bodily, visible, premillennial
return (second coming) of Christ. Those left behind will go
through a period called the Tribulation, after which Christ
Himself shall return to the earth visibly, bodily to set up
His Kingdom of one thousand (1000) years of righteous rule.
After this the unbelievers of all ages will stand at the
Great White Throne to be judged and cast into the Lake of
Fire, separated from God forever while the believers spend
eternity in the fullness of joy in Heaven with the Lord.
Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:16-18; Revelation 19:11-20;
Matthew 24:42
Baptism and the Lord's
Supper
We believe there are two ordinances of the local church:
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Scriptural baptism is
immersion in water of believers, in the name of the Father,
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, administered by the
authority of a New Testament Church and is a prerequisite to
the privileges of a church membership and to the Lord’s
Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial ordinance of the
local church members. The members of the local church, by
the sacred use of unleavened bread and the fruit of the
vine, grape juice, are to commemorate together the dying
love of Christ.
I Corinthians 11:17-34; Acts 8:38; Mark 1:9-10
Devil or Satan
We believe in the personality of Satan; that he is the god
of this world, blinding “the minds of them which believe
not,” and the author of all the power of darkness. We
believe that Satan was once holy, and enjoyed heavenly
honors, but through pride and ambition to be as the
Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of angels. Satan is
the author of all false religions, of apostasy, and lies.
However, he is destined to final defeat at the hands of
God’s own Son, and to the judgment of an eternal justice in
Hell, a place prepared for him and his angels.
Matthew 4:1-3; Revelation 20:1-3; II Corinthians 4:3-4; I
Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:10; Isaiah 14:12-15
Resurrection
We believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and that He arose bodily the third day according to
the scriptures from the tomb, and ascended bodily into
Heaven. Through His resurrection a sure hope of immortality
and everlasting life is given to all who have been saved by
His grace. He is at the right hand of God as our “Mediator,
merciful and faithful High Priest, and Advocate.”
John 20; I Corinthians 15:12-28; Luke 24:1-7; Hebrews 9:24
Eternal Security
We believe in the eternal security of all believers in our
Lord Jesus Christ. When a person is born again they have
everlasting life which cannot be taken away from them. God’s
children are kept by the power of God through faith unto
eternal salvation and are sealed unto the day of redemption
by the Holy Spirit.
John 10:27-30; I Peter 1:5; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:35-39;
John 5:24; Philippians 1:6
Soul Winning and Mission
We believe that the Great Commission to evangelize the world
was given by our risen Lord and that evangelization is the
mission of the church. The Great Commission was given to the
local church and is the duty of every saved person.
Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; John 20:21; Acts 1:8
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is a personal separation from
things that are unclean to things that are holy, clean, and
sacred. That it is a progressive work that is begun in
regeneration and that it is carried on in the hearts of the
believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The
sanctification of the believer will be complete at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then, and only then, will
we be sanctified wholly: body, soul, and spirit.
I Thessalonians 5:23; I Thessalonians 4:1-10; I Corinthians
6:11;
II Peter 3:18; II Corinthians 3:18; II Thessalonians 2:13;
Romans 8:5
Local Church
We believe that a scriptural church is a visible assembly of
baptized believers, covenanted together under New Testament
law for the purpose of carrying out the Great Commission,
with an unbroken history from the personal ministry of Jesus
on earth to this present day. That this church is a self
governed independent body having Christ as the head, the
Holy Spirit for its guide and the Bible as the only rule of
faith and practice. The only scriptural offices of the
church are the bishop (pastor) and deacons. The two
ordinances of the local church are Baptism and the Lord’s
Supper. On all matters of membership, of policy, of
government, of discipline, of benevolence, etc., the will of
the local church is final.
Mark 16:15; Ephesians 1:22-23; I Timothy 3; Titus 1; Acts
20:17:20; Ephesians 3:21 |
