Of the Scriptures
1. We believe in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as
verbally inspired by God and without error in the original writings;
that it has been preserved in the King James Version; that the
Bible is reliable in science, history, and every other matter
that it discusses; and that the Bible is of supreme and final
authority in faith and life. II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21.
Of the Triune
God
2. We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons
- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; co-eternal in being, co-identical
in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes
and perfections. Exodus 20:2-3; I Corinthians 8:6; I John 5:7; Matthew
28:19-20; II Corinthians 13:14.
Of His Attributes
3. We believe in God, the Father, perfect in absolute holiness, infinite
in wisdom, measureless in power; that He concerns Himself mercifully
in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and
that He saves from eternal death and from Hell all that come
to Him through Jesus Christ our Lord. Psalms 22:3; John 17:11;
Psalms 147:5; I John 3:20; Matthew 19:26; John 3:16; Matthew
6:26, 28-30; Psalm 65:2; Hebrews 11:6; Romans 5:8; I Timothy
2:5; John 14:6.
Of the Deity
of Jesus Christ
4. We believe in the absolute deity of the Lord Jesus Christ; His
eternal existence as God, co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit;
His incarnation by means of the virgin birth; His sinlessness; His
vicarious death through the shedding of His blood as an atonement
for the remission of sins; His literal bodily resurrection from the
dead; His ascension; His present high priestly ministry in Heaven
for believers; and His personal return to earth. I John 5:20; John
1:18, 14:9; Hebrews 1:8; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18 25; Luke 1:26-35;
I Peter 2:22; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:14; Luke 24:36-43; Acts 10:40-41,
1:9; Luke 24:51; Hebrews 8:1-2; I John 2:1; Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians
4:16.
Of the Holy
Spirit
5. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with
the Father and the Son, and of the same substance and nature; that
He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; that He
bears witness to the truth; that He is the agent of the new birth;
that He baptizes all true believers into the body of Christ, indwelling
and sanctifying all of them, sealing, and thus securing, unto the
day of redemption; that He endues, guides, teaches, directs, and
helps believers; and that it is the privilege and duty of all the
saved to be filled with the spirit, the evidence being soul-winning
power and not speaking in tongues. Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians
13:14; Acts 5:3-4.
Of the Creation
6. We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, including
all life, each after its own species, by direct act and not by
the process of evolution. Genesis 1-2; Colossians 1:16-17; John
1:3.
Of the Fall
of Man
7. We believe that man, in the person of the first Adam, was created
in the image of God, in innocence under the law of his maker, but
by reason of his voluntary sin, fell from his high and holy state;
that as a result the whole race plunged into condemnation and death,
so that now all human beings are born with a sinful nature; and that
all who reach the age of moral responsibility become willful sinners
in thought, word and deed, and so are without excuse before God.
Genesis 3; 1:26-27; Romans 5:10-19; Psalms 51:5; Romans 1:18-32;
3:10-23.
Of Salvation
8. We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through
faith in the blood sacrifice, death, and resurrection of our
Lord Jesus Christ; that all who receive Him are regenerated by
the Holy Spirit and become children of God; that no rite, ceremony,
or work can avail one whit for the sinners salvation or make
the believers more secure; that Christ is the only and all sufficient
Saviour; and all that are truly saved are kept forever. Ephesians
2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; John 5:24, 1:12; Romans 10:9-13; Acts 16:31,
4:12; II Timothy 1:12; John 10:28-29; Romans 8:35-39; Philippians
1:6.
Of the Plan
of Salvation
9. 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 them
by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith; and that nothing prevents
the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own inherent
depravity and voluntary rejection of the gospel, which rejection
involves him in an aggravated condemnation. John 3:16-21, 5:40; I
Timothy 1:15, 2:3-4; Hebrews 7:25; Revelation 22:17; Ezekiel 33:11;
II Peter 3:9.
Of the Two Natures
10. We believe that every saved person possesses two natures; that
he has the old nature for the duration of his earthly life; but
that provision is made for victory of the new nature over the
old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Romans
7:15-25, 6:11-14; Philippians 4:7-14, 3:7-14.
Of Sanctification
11. We believe that sanctification for the believer is immediate,
upon acceptance of Christ as Saviour, and progressive, continuing
to the end of earthly life; and that the progressive phase of
sanctification is carried on in the hearts of believers by the
presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the continual use of
the appointed means, especially study of God's work, self-examination,
self-denial, faithfulness in and through a fundamental local
church, prayer, and soul winning. I Corinthians 1:2, 6:11; Hebrews
10:10-14; 10:25; I Thessalonians 3:12-13, 4:1-12; II Peter 3:18;
Ephesians 4:11-16.
Of Separation
12. We believe that the saved are called into a life of separation
from religious apostasy, and from all worldly and sinful pleasures,
practices, and associations. Romans 12:1-2; 16:17-18; I Thessalonians
5:22; I John 2:15-17; II Corinthians 6:14-18; II John 7-11; Ephesians
5:11.
Of the Local
Church
13. We believe that the local New Testament church is composed of
regenerated baptized believers, voluntarily united together for the
purpose of worship, edification, observing the ordinances, fellowship,
and service; that the officers of the local church are pastors and
deacons whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined
in the scriptures; that the true mission of the church is the faithful
witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity in the local
community and unto the uttermost parts of the earth; that the local
church has absolute right of self government, free from the interference
of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations, religious or political;
that the one and only superintendent is Christ, through the Holy
Spirit; that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with
each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of
the gospel, with each local church as the sole judge of the measure
and the method of its cooperation; and that, in all matters of membership,
policy of government, discipline, and benevolence, the will of the
local church is final. Acts 2 : 41-47; 4:4; 20:7; 11:26; 1:8; 6:1-8;
15:1-27; 11:29-30; 13:1-4; 20:28, 31; Romans 1:7; Colossians 1:2;
1:18; I Corinthians 1:2; 5:1-6:11; Hebrews 10:25; 13:7, 17; Philippians
1:1; 4:14-16; I Timothy 3:1-16; Titus 1:5-8; I Peter 5:1-5; Matthew
28:18-20; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23-26.
Of the Ordinance
of Baptism
14. We believe that Bible baptism is the burial of a believer in
water, thus setting forth in symbol his union with Christ in his
death, burial, and resurrection; that every believer should be baptized
because of the example of our saving power in water baptism, it is
an act of obedience by those who are already saved to picture that
they are dead, buried, and raised spiritually with Jesus Christ by
faith in Him. We reject infant baptism as unscriptural. John 5:24;
Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 3:13-17; 28:19-20; Acts 8:36-39; Ephesians
2: 8-9; Titus 3:5.
Of the Ordinance
of the Lord's Supper
15. We believe that the Lord's Supper is a commemoration of the Lord's
death until He comes again; and that, in this ordinance, the Lord's
table should be open to all regenerated persons living in fellowship
with, and obedience to Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 11:23-32; Luke
22:14-20.
Of the Return
of Jesus Christ
16. We believe in the literal, bodily, personal, premillennial, and
imminent coming of our Lord into the air to catch away all believers
unto Himself before the tribulation period; also, in the personal,
visible, and glorious return of Christ to the earth, with believers,
at the close of the tribulation period to judge the living nations,
and to set up His millennial kingdom on earth. Acts 1:11; John 14:3;
I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 4:1; Matthew 24: 42-44; II Thessalonians
2:7-8; Matthew 24:29-31; 25:31-46; Revelation 19: 11-21; 20:1-6.
Of the Resurrection
of the Dead
17. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, the saved
to everlasting blessedness at the coming of Christ, (pre-tribulational
for all, except tribulational saints) and, one thousand years later,
the lost to the judgement at the great white throne, and then to
everlasting, conscious punishment in the lake of fire. John 5:21-30;
I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Corinthians 15:42-52; Philippians 3:20-21;
Revelation 20:5-6,11-15.
Of the Two Resurrections
18. 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; and that the souls of the
lost remain after death, in conscious misery until the second
resurrection. II Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23, 24; Luke
16:19-31.
Of the Institution
of Government
19. We believe that civil government is of divine appointment, for
the interests and good order of human society; and that magistrates
are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed, except
only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans
13:1-7; Genesis 9:5-6; Exodus 18:21; Acts 4:19-20; 5:27-29; I Timothy
2:2-3.
Of the Lord's
Day
20. We believe that in this age of grace, the Lord's day, which is
the first day of the week, the day of our Lord's resurrection, is
the proper day for Christian worship and service; and that it ought
to be kept sacred to spiritual purposes, by abstinence from all unnecessary
secular labors and other activities unbecoming to such a day. Acts
20:7; I Corinthians 16:1-2; John 20:1, 19, 26; Colossians 2:13-17;
Hebrews 10:25.
Of the Covenant
People of Israel
21. We believe that God's covenant people, Israel, shall be redeemed
and regathered to Palestine from their world wide dispersion and
under the personal and millennial reign of Christ upon David's throne
in Jerusalem and shall become head of nations. Genesis 12:2-3; 13:14-15;
Jeremiah 7:7; Deuteronomy 28:63-66; 30:1-6; Ezekiel 36:22-28; 37:11-28;
Romans 11:25-27; Luke 1:30-33; Jeremiah 23:3-6; 33:14-17; Acts 3:19-21;
Revelation 20:4-6.
Of Satan
22. We believe that Satan, a fallen angel, is a distinct and real
personality, the god of this age, the adversary of Christ and
all believers , and that his destiny is eternal punishment in
the lake of fire. Ezekiel 28:1-19; Job 1:6-9; I Peter 5:8; Matthew
4:1-11; I Timothy 3:7; James 4:7; Revelation 20:10.