FAITH AND DOCTRINE

 A. The Holy Scriptures.   We believe that the Bible (KJV) is the Word of God, written by men divinely inspired of God. ( II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:20-21). 

B. The Godhead.   We believe in the one and only true Living God and that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (1John 5:7, Acts 5:3,4, John 10:28-30). 

C. The Person and Work of Christ.         

1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, (Heb. 1:1-3), became man, without ceasing to be God, (John 1:14, Col. 2:9), having been conceived of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man (Matt. 1:18-23).         

2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross (1Peter 2:24), as a representative, substitutionary sacrifice (2Cor. 5:21), and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 4:24-25, 5:9).         

3. We believe that the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven, and is now at the right hand of God, Mark 16:19, where, as our High Priest, he fulfills the ministry of Intercessor and Advocate. (Heb. 6:20, 1John 2:1-2).

D. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.         

1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who reproves the world of sin, righteousness, and 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, 1Cor. 12:12-14, Rom. 8:9, Eph. 1:13-14, Eph. 4:30).         

2. We believe that He is the divine  teacher who guides believers into all truth; and that it is the privilege and duty of all believers to be filled with the Spirit. John 16:13, Eph. 5:18. 

E. 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 race fell, inherited a sinful nature and became alienated form 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, Rom. 5:12, Rom. 6:23, Luke 16:23, Eph. 2:12, John 3:18, Rev. 21:8. 

F. Salvation. We believe the first step toward God is repentance.  Luke 13:3, Luke 15:7. We believe that faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died, was buried, arose from the dead, and was ascended to the right hand of the Father is the only hope of salvation (Eph. 1:7, Rev. 1:5) that this faith is begotten through the hearing the Word of God, wholly apart from human works (Eph. 2:8-9) that by a new birth one dead in trespasses and sins is quickened unto eternal life, made righteous, justified (II Cor. 5:21; 1Cor. 1:30; Rom. 3:21-26) and is made partaker of the Divine nature (II Peter 1:4) eternally secure unto the praise of His glory. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1). 

G. The Eternal Security of Believers. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:38-39; 1Cor. 1:4-8; 1Pet. 1:5). 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 excuse for willful sin. (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15; John 5:24). 

H. Separation. We believe that all the saved should live in a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior, Lord, and their Church; and that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God. (2Tim. 3:1-5; Rom. 12:1-2; 1John 2:15-17; 2John 9-11; 2Cor. 6:14; 2Cor. 7:1; 1Cor. 15:33). 

I. The Church.          

1. We believe that the universal Church is composed of all Born Again Believers who are called the Body of Christ, of which Christ is the Head. (Eph. 1:20-23; Eph. 5:23,24; 1Cor. 12:12-14,27)         

2.We believe that a local church is a congregation of immersed believers associated by the 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 it by His Word. (2Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:2; Rev. 2:1,8,12,18; Rev. 3:1, 7, 14).         

Primarily its officers are Pastors (Elders, Bishops), (Eph. 4:10-11; Acts 20:26-32; 1Tim. 3:1-7; 1Peter 5:1-4; Titus 1:5-9; Philippians 1:1), and Deacons (Acts 6:1-7; 1Tim. 3:8-13). We believe that the Church should be active in the support of worldwide missions, and that our support should go to missions both at home and abroad, which have as their supreme motive the winning of souls to Jesus Christ. (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

J. The Ordinances. We believe that there are two church ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.         

1. Mode of Baptism - The Pastor or some ordained person of the same faith and order authorized by the Church shall administer the ordinance of baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It symbolizes the believer being buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life with Christ. (Acts 8:36-38; Rom. 6:3-4; 1Peter 3:21).          

2. The Lord’s Supper - The Lord’s Supper is to be observed by those who have been truly saved by Christ, and is to be observed only after a solemn self-examination; that it is a commemoration of the dying love of our Lord Jesus; the bread symbolizing His broken body, and the Juice of grapes symbolizing His shed blood - these being taken together show forth His death until He comes again.To be enacted as often as the church sees fit. (1Cor. 11:24-34; Matt. 26:26-30).

K. 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. (Isa. 14:12-15; Matt. 4:2-11; John 8:44; Rev. 20:10).

L. The Eternal State. We believe in the “blessed hope”, the personal (Acts 1:11), premillenial (2Thess. 2:1-4) and imminent (1Thess. 1:10) return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for His Church (1Thess. 4:14-18) followed by His return to this earth in power and great glory with His saints, to set up His Kingdom (Rev. 19:11-16). 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 the spirit, soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; Rev. 20:4-6; 2Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; Phil. 3:21; 1Thess. 4:16-17).

We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body re-united, they shall appear at the great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. (Luke 16:19-26; 2Thes. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15).