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WE BELIEVE IN
THE HOLY SCRIPTURE:
Accepting
fully the writings of the Old and New Testaments as the very
Word of God, verbally inspired in all parts and therefore
wholly without error as originally given of God, altogether
sufficient in themselves as our only infallible and
authoritative rule of faith and practice. –I Corinthians
2:13; 10:11, II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:21.
WE BELIEVE IN
THE ONE TRIUNE GOD:
Who is
personal, spirit, and sovereign; perfect, infinite, and
eternal in His being, holiness and love, wisdom and power;
absolutely separate and above the world as the Upholder of all
things: self-existent and self-revealing in three (3) distinct
persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each having
a distinct ministry in God’s relation to His creation and
people. –Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:2, 3; I Corinthians 8:6;
Revelation 4:11; John 10:30.
WE BELIEVE IN
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST:
Who is the
second Person of the Triune God, the eternal Word and Only
Begotten Son; that without any change in His divine Person, He
became man by miracle of the Virgin Birth, thus to continue
forever as both God and true Man, One person with two natures;
that as man He was tempted in all points as we are, yet
without sin; the perfect Lamb of God who gave Himself in death
upon the cross, becoming there the sin of the word, and
suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead; that
He arose bodily from the grave and was glorified; that as our
great High Priest he ascended into Heaven, there to appear
before the face of God as our Advocate and Intercessor.
–Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:30-35; John 1:1, 2,
14, 18; 3:16; Philippians 2:5-8; Romans 3:25-26; II
Corinthians 5:14; Hebrews 10:5-19; I Thessalonians 1:10;
4:13-18; Titus 2:11-14; Zechariah 14:4-11; I John 2:1.
WE BELIEVE IN
THE HOLY SPIRIT:
Who is the
third Person of the Trinity, and the divine Agent in nature,
revelation and redemption; that He convicts the world
concerning sin, righteousness and judgment; that he
regenerates, indwells, baptizes; seals and anoints all who
become children of God through Christ; that he further
empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies, and fills each believer
who daily surrenders to Him. –John 16:7-11; 2:6; 14:17; I
Corinthians 3:16; 6:10; 12:13; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; I John
2:20-27; I Peter 1:1.
WE BELIEVE IN
THE EXISTENCE OF SATAN:
Who originally
was created a holy and perfect being, but through pride and
wicked ambition rebelled against God, thus becoming utterly
depraved in character, the great adversary of God and His
people, leader of all other evil angels and spirits, the
deceiver and God of this present world, that His powers are
vast, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God, by
the blood of the Lamb and through the power of the Holy
Spirit. –Job 1:6-7; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-17;
Matthew 4:1-11; Ephesians 2:2; John 12:31; II Corinthians 4:4;
Revelation 20:10.
WE BELIEVE ALL
MEN ARE BY NATURE AND CHOICE SINFUL AND LOST:
That man was
the direct creation of God, made in His image and likeness;
that by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man
became a sinful creature, the father of a fallen race which is
universally sinful in both nature and practice, thus alienated
from the life and family of God, under the righteous judgment
and wrath of God, and has within himself no possible means of
salvation. –Genesis 1:26; 2:17; Psalms 14:1-2; 51:5; Jeremiah
17:9; John 3:6; 5:40; 6:53; Romans 3:10-19; 8:6-7; Ephesians
2:1-3; I Timothy 5:6; I John 3:8.
WE BELIEVE IN
SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH:
That salvation
is the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured in part
or in whole by any virtue of work of man, but received only by
personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all true
believers have as a present possession the gift of eternal
life, a perfect righteousness, son ship in the family of God,
deliverance an security from all condemnation, every spiritual
resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine
guarantee that he shall never perish; that this salvation
affects the whole person; that apart from Christ, there is no
possible salvation. –John 1:12; 13; 3:3-8; 5:24; Acts 16:31;
Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:7.
WE BELIEVE IN
THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS:
That Christ is
our Great High Priest and through Him every born-again person
has direct access into God’s presence without the need of a
human priest; that the believer has the right and
responsibility to personally study and interpret the
Scriptures guided by the Holy Spirit. –Exodus 19:6; Isaiah
61:6; I Peter 2:5; Revelation 1:6, 20:6.
WE BELIEVE IN
RIGHTEOUS LIVING AND GODLY WORKS:
Not as means
of salvation in any sense, but as its proper evidence and
fruit; and therefore as Christians we should obey the Word of
our Lord, seek the things which are above, walk as he walked,
accept as our solemn responsibility the duty and privileges of
bearing the Gospel to a lost world; remembering that a
victorious and fruitful Christian life is possible only for
those who in gratitude for the infinite and undeserved mercies
of God have presented themselves wholly to Christ. –Matthew
5:16; 16:16-18; Luke 24:47; Ephesians 1:13-14; Titus 2:7-14;
3:5, 3:9; Revelation 1:5.
WE BELIEVE IN
THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST:
That He alone
is Head of the Body of Christ, into which all true believers
are immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit; that all members
of this one spiritual body should assemble and identify
themselves in local churches. –Acts 2:47; I Corinthians 6:15;
12:12-14; Colossians 1:18-25; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:16; 4:4-5;
Hebrews 1:3, 13; I Peter 3:22.
WE BELIEVE IN
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LOCAL CHURCH:
That a New
Testament church is a local assembly of born-again, baptized
believers united in organizations to practice New Testament
ordinances, to meet together for worship, fellowship, teaching
and a united testimony, and to actively engage in carrying out
the Great Commission. –Matthew 16:16-18; Acts 2:42; Ephesians
5:25-27; Hebrews 10:25.
WE BELIEVE IN
THE INDEPENDENCE AND AUTONOMY OF THE LOCAL CHURCH:
That each New
Testament church is free to govern itself without
ecclesiastical interference, and should cooperate with other
New Testament churches as the Holy Spirit leads; that it is
responsible to follow the pattern of the New Testament church
and is directly accountable to God. –Romans 16:17, 18;
Philippians 3:17-19; Titus 1:9-14.
WE BELIEVE THE
ORDINANCES GIVEN TO THE LOCAL CHURCH ARE TWO: BAPTISM AND THE
LORD’S SUPPER:
That Baptism
is by immersion of believers, thus portraying the death,
burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that the Lord’s
Supper is the partaking of the bread and cup by the believer
as a continuing memorial of the broken body and shed blood of
Christ. –Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 10:47; 19:5; Luke 22:19, 20;
I Corinthians 11:23-26.
WE BELIEVE IN
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST:
That His
return from Heaven will be personal, visible and glorious, a
blessed Hope, for which we should constantly watch and pray,
the time being unrevealed but always imminent; that when He
comes He will first by resurrection of the dead and
translation of the living, remove from the earth His waiting
church, then pour out the righteous judgments of God upon the
unbelieving world, afterwards descend with His church and
establish His glorious and literal kingdom over all the
nations for a thousand years. –John 1:1-3; I Corinthians
15:51-52; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18;
Titus 2:11-14; II Thessalonians 2:7-10; Zechariah 14:4-11.
WE BELIEVE IN
FUTURE LIFE, BODILY RESURRECTION AND ETERNAL JUDGMENT:
That the
spirits of the saved at death go immediately to be with Christ
in Heaven, that their works shall be brought before the
Judgment Seat of Christ for the determination of rewards which
will take place at the time when Christ comes for Hs own; that
the spirits of the unsaved at death descent immediately into
Hell here they are kept under punishment until the final day
of Judgment, at which time their bodies shall be raised from
the grave, that they shall be judged and cast into a lake of
fire, the place of final and everlasting punishment. –Matthew
25:32; Luke 16:19-31; Romans 14:12; II Corinthians 5:10;
Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8.
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