Statement Of Faith
The
following comprise the Scriptural beliefs of this church and its members.
(A)
The Holy Scriptures. We believe the Holy
Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary 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 Testament are the complete and divine revelation of
God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal
grammatical-historical meaning, and all issues of interpretation and meaning
shall be determined by the pastor. The King James Version of the Bible
shall be the official and only translation used by the church. (2 Tim.
3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)
(B)
Dispensationalism. We
believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal
divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define mans
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. Three of these dispensations-the law, the
church, and the kingdom-are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture.
(Gen. 1:28; 1 Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor.
3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10; 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25, 27; Rev. 20:2-6)
(C)
The Godhead. 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, coequal in power and glory, and
having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 14:10, 26)
(D)
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; John
1:1-2, 14; 2 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; 1 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7;
1 Peter 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; 1 John 2:1-2)
(E)
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.
1. We
believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of
righteousness, and of judgment; 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; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph.
1:13-14)
2. 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 (Eph. 1:17-18;
5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27)
3. 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; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12)
4. 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, 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. (1 Cor.
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
Adams sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated
from God. 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)
(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. We believe that all sins, except
blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are forgivable. (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7;
2:8-10; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Matt. 12:31-32; 1 John 1:9)
(H)
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers.
1. We
believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by Gods power and are thus
secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 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 Gods 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)
(I)
The Church
1. We
believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of
Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons. (1 Cor.
12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)
2. We
believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly
taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17,
28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
3. 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; Rom. 16:1, 4; 1 Cor.
3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet. 5:1-4)
4. We
recognize water baptism and the Lords Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of
obedience for the church in this age. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18;
1 Cor. 11:23-26)
(J)
Separation. We believe that
all the saved should live in such a manner as not to 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, piercing, and bodily
markings. (Rom.
12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Cor.
6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; Lev. 19:28; 1 Cor. 6:19-20)
(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 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; Zech. 14:4-11; I Thess.
1:10; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
(L)
The Eternal State.
1. We
believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and
the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John
5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6,
12-13)
2. 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; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21;
I Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)
3. 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 Judgment, and shall be
cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting
conscious punishment and torment. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke
16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)
(M)
The Personality of Satan. We
believe 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; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev.
20:10)
(N)
Creation. We believe 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. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11)
(O)
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 the other. 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; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13-14)
(P)
Human Sexuality.
1. 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 Gods gift of sex. We
believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter ones gender
by surgery or appearance. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev.
18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)
2. We
believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one
woman. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph.
5:22-23)
(Q)
Family Relationships
1. We believe
that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God
has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions 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. (Gal.
3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)
2. 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 to the headship of Christ. Children are a
heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their
children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent
lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal
correction. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12; I Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4;
I Pet. 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. Although divorced and
remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the
church 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; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)
(S)
Abortion. We believe
that human life begins at conception and that 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)
(T)
Love. We believe
that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers,
but also toward both those who are not believers and those who oppose us. 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 or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or
obtaining 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.
(Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10;
Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)
(U)
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 Christians insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without
malice or slander. (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph.
4:31-32)
(V)
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 great 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. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15;
Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)
(W)
Giving. We believe that every Christian, as a
steward of that portion of Gods wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to
support his local church financially. 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. We believe that a
Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once
the gift has been made. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10;
Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor.
9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)