| 1. INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE |
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| We believe that the Bible in the original writings, consists of sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, was given by divine inspiration and is the Word of God. (2Tim.3:16-17; 2Peter 1:19-21; 1Thess. 2:13) That it reveals man's state by nature and presents the only means of his salvation, (Romans 3:10-12; Acts 4:12); That it constitutes the only perfect rule and final authority in all matters pertaining to Christian faith and practice (Acts 17:11; Isa. 8:20) and that it sets forth the principles by which man will be judged (Romans 2:1-3). |
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| We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matt. 28:19; 1John 5:7. |
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| We believe in God the Father, Creator and sustainer of all things visible and invisible, who is true holiness, eternal power infinite love, perfect justice, absolute truth, the Alpha and Omega, the " I AM THAT I AM " Ex. 20:2-3; Gen. 1:1; Lev. 19:2; Rom. 1:20; 1John 4:8-9; Rom. 3:26; Titus 1:2; Rev. 22:13; Ex. 3:14. |
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| We believe in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His bodily ascension to the right hand of the Father, where He ever liveth to make intercession for His saints, in His pretribulational, premillenial coming for His saints and in His return to earth to reign in power and glory. John 1:14; Matt. 1:18; 22; 23; Heb. 4:15; Acts 10:38; 1Peter 1:19; Matt. 28:6; Acts 1:9; Heb. 7:25; 1Thess. 4:13-18; Acts 1:10-11; and Zech. 14:4-9. |
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| We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person who moved holy men of God to write the Scriptures, who places the believer into the body of Christ at salvation, who seals and is the earnest of our inheritance, and who indwells the believer with power for holy living and service. John 14:16-17; 2Peter 1:21; John 16:8-9; Rom. 8:11; Eph. 1:13-14; 1Cor. 12:13 |
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| 3. MAN: HIS CREATION, FALL, AND NEED OF REDEMTION |
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| We believe that man was created by an immediate act of God in His own image as given in the Genesis account and not by process of evolution; that through disobedience to God, man lost his first estate and thereby became a sinner in need of a Saviour, and that since that time, all men are born sinners, spiritually dead, alienated from God, and stand in need of personal redemtion that is in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Gen. 1:26-27; Gen. 3:1-24; Rom. 5:12; Psalm 51:5; Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13; Eph. 4:18; Col. 1:21; Rom. 3:23-24; Col. 1:14; and Heb. 9:12 |
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| 4. BLOOD ATONEMENT FOR SIN |
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| We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly by grace; that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, shedding His blood on the cross as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who repent and believe in Him, receiving Him by faith as personal Saviour, are thereby justified on the ground of His shed blood. Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 4:4-5; 1Cor. 15:3; Isa. 53:6; Acts 17:30; Acts 10:45; Acts 13:38-39; John 1:12; Col. 2:6; Rom. 5:9; Eph. 1:7 |
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| We believe that in order to be saved, all men being sinners must be born again. We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again by the Holy Spirit. We believe that this new birth is instantaneous, not a process; and that it is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We believe that in the new birth God justifies the believer and writes his name in the Lamb's Book of Life, and that the Holy Spirit indwells the believer with power for holy living and service. We further believe that every believer stands as a priest before God. Rom. 3:10,23; John 1:12,13; Rev. 3:20; 1Cor. 6:19,20; 2Cor. 5:17; Acts 16:30-34; John 16:7,8; 1Peter 1:23; Tit. 3:5-7; Rom. 8:33; Rev. 21:27; Gal. 5:22,23; John 3:3-8; 1Peter 2:5; Rev. 1:6 |
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| We believe that justification is a judicial act of God by which He imparts to the born-again believer complete pardon of sins, the gift of eternal life and imputes to the believer His own righteousness. We believe that justification is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which the believer has done, but solely because of his faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rom.4:6-8; Acts 13:38,39; John 5:24; 6:47; Phil. 3:8,9; Rom. 3:21,22; Tit. 3:5; Rom 3:25; 5:9 |
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| 7. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RIGHTEOUS (SAVED) AND WICKED(UNSAVED) |
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| We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and wicked. We believe the righteous to be those who have been born of the Spirit of God through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the wicked to be those who have never been born of the Spirit of God. We believe that the righteous are assured of eternal life with the Lord Jesus Christ, whereas the wicked are destined to everlasting conscious suffering in a real and literal hell, eternally separated from God. Psalm 1; Mal. 3:18; John 1:19-23; Gal. 3:26; John 3:3,5; Rom. 8:9; John 3:18; 1John 5:11-13; Rev. 20:15; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-31 |
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| We believe in the reality of satan, a living personality who is the unholy prince of this world, the author of all powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgement of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. Matt. 4:1-3; 2Cor. 4:4; Rev. 20:10 |
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| 9. THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER |
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| We believe that all who are truly born again are eternally secure since they have been saved by believing on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, have been sealed in the Holy Spirit, are kept by the power of God unto salvation, and can never be lost. 1John 5:1; Acts 16:31; John 10:26,29; Rom. 10:9,10,13; Eph. 1:13; 2Cor. 1:22; 1Peter 1:3-5; Rom. 8:31-39 |
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| We believe that the church is the body of Christ, a living organism made up of born- again believers, including those who have gone to be with the Lord, and that this spiritual body is made manifest through the local church, 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 officers are Pastors and Deacons whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures. We believe that the church is a body peculiar to the present dispensation and entirely distinct from the nation Israel. Acts 2:41; 1Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22,23; 4:11; 5:30; Acts 2:47; Col. 1:18; 2Tim. 3:17; 1Thess. 4:13-18 |
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| 11. THE ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH |
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| We believe that Christ, as the head of the church, commanded two ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper. |
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| We believe that baptism, as taught in the Scriptures, is by immersion, and is not necessary for salvation, yet it is the privilege and duty of every child of God to follow the Lord in baptism as an open confession of his identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. Mark 1:9; John 3:23; Acts 8:38,39; Luke 23:39-43 |
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| We believe that the Lord's Supper is to be observed by the born-again immersed believers in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ, that its observance shows forth His death till He comes, and it should always be preceded by self-examination. Matt. 26:26-29; Luke 22:19,20 |
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| 12. ATTITUDE TOWARD CIVIL GOVERNMENT |
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| We believe that civil government is ordained of God for the punishment of evil-doers and for the protection of the good (Rom. 13:1-7). We therefore consider it our duty to pray for rulers and magistrates (1Tim. 2:1-3), and to be submissive and obedient to their authority, except in things opposed to the will of God. Tit. 3:1; 1Peter 2:13,14; Acts 4:19; 5:29; Matt. 23:10. We believe in the separation of church and state. |
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| 13. THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST |
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| We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, and in His bodily ascension into heaven, where He now is at the right hand of God as our High Priest, Mediator, Intercessor and Advocate. Mark 16:5-7; Matt. 28:5-7; John 20:27; Luke 24:36-40; Acts 1:9; Luke 24:50,51; Heb. 8:1; 9:15; Rom. 8:34; 1John 2:1; Heb. 1:3 |
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| 14. CHRIST'S SECOND COMING |
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| We believe in the personal, visible, pretribulational, premillenial, and imminent return of Christ (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:10,11; Mark 13:34-37). This will be accomplished in two stages: First the rapture, Christ's coming for His saints, when Christ will descend into the air to catch away His waiting bride, the church (1Thess. 4:14-18; 1Cor. 15:22,23; Rev. 3:11). Second, the revelation, Christ's descending with His saints (Jude 14; Rom. 8:16-19; Col. 3:4; Rev. 19:14), to establish the long-promised kingdom and to reign upon the earth for a thousand years (Dan. 7:13,14; Luke 1:32,33; Rev. 5:9,10; & 20:4-6). Between these two stages the great tribulation judgements are visited upon the apostate and rebellious world. (Matt. 24:21; 2Thess. 1:3-10; Rev. 6:17) |
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We believe that this local church is obligated to separate itself from the ecclesiastical apostasy and compromise which is characteristic of this age, and that the members are obligated to observe personal separation from the things of the world. Rom. 16:17-18; 1Cor. 5:1-13; 1Cor. 6:19-20; 2Cor. 6:14-18; 1Tim. 4:1-6; 2Tim. 3:1-5; 2Peter 2:1-3; Jude 3-4 |
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