Section 1 - The Holy Scriptures
We believe that the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God, His revelation to man, inerrant in the original writings, and that it is therefore the supreme and final authority in all matters of doctrine, faith, and life. We, therefore, believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of the Bible. (II Tim. 3: 16-17)
Section 2 - The Trinity of the Godhead
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matt. 28: 19)
Section 3 - The Pre-Existence, Diety, and Incarnation of Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ ever existed with the Father and Holy Spirit and that in His incarnation was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary and is true God and true man. (John 1:1-19; I Tim. 3:16)
Section 4 - Creation
We believe that the Scriptural accounts of Creation are to be interpreted literally. Therefore God created everything out of nothing. God spoke and it was done. We believe God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to have done the work of Creation within the six twenty-four hour days given in Genesis 1:1-27. We, thus, refute any evolutionary teaching, including Theistic Evolution and the "Gap Theory". (Gen. 1:1-31; 2:1-7; 2:2125; Psm. 33:6-9; John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17)
Section 5 - The Creation and Fall of Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, are totally depraved and for those who reach moral responsibility, become sinners in thought, word, and deed, and that they must be born again to be accepted of God. (Rom. 3:10; 3:23; 5:12; John 3:1-21)
Section 6 - The Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ
We believe that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and a substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are saved on the grounds of His shed blood. We believe that He arose bodily from the dead on the third day in the same body in which He suffered and died. We also believe that our Lord ascended into Heaven; that He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and is our High Priest and Divine Advocate with the Father. We believe that by His finished work of the Cross and His unceasing ministry of intercession in Glory,
that Jesus Christ has procured for every believer Eternal Redemption, Eternal Salvation, and Everlasting Life. (I Cor. 15:3; Rom. 5:9; 1 Cor. 15:4; John 20:27; Mark 16: 19; Heb. 8:1; 7:25; 1 John 2:1; Heb. 9:12; 5:9; John 3:16)
Section 7 - The Personality and Ministry of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person; that He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; that He regenerated the sinner by the Word of God, that He permanently indwells the Church and the body of each believer; that He seals, enlightens, instructs, and guides every born-again person, and that He is the sufficient power for godly living, Christian service and spiritual worship. (John 16:7-15; 3:5-7; I Pet. 1 :23; Eph. 4:30; John 14:16, 17,26)
Section 8 - The Nature of the Church
We believe that the Church of God was begun at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended from Heaven and indwelt the Church; that it is composed solely of born-again people who have been called out from among the Jews and Gentiles to become the Body and Bride of our Lord. Christ glorified in Heaven is its Head and the Holy Spirit on earth is the active agent of the Godhead who ever seeks to bring about within its ranks conformity and obedience to the Word of God and the Will of God. The one body unites believers to each other and all to Christ; and its chief purpose of existence is to proclaim the Gospel to the world. (Acts 2; Rom. 1: 16; Acts 15: 14; Eph. 5:23,24; I Cor. ]2:12, 13; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8)
Section 9 - Ordinances
We believe that three ordinances are significant above any other that Christians are commanded to observe; namely, Water Baptism, the Lord's Supper and the Washing of the Saints' Feet. While recognizing that Water Baptism has no saving merit, it is our conviction that after one is saved, Baptism is the next step in order to portray to the world the believer's union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. It is our conviction that the scriptural method of Water Baptism is immersion. We believe that Jesus Christ instituted the Lord's Supper to commemorate His death till He comes. We further believe that Water Baptism by immersion is observed but once, and is a sign of identification and a testimony to newness of life, but the Lord's Supper is commemorative and is to be observed often as a memorial of the Broken Body and the Shed Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Washing of the Saints' Feet portrays the deep humiliation of Jesus Christ and His great love to His followers. The characteristics portrayed by Christ in this act should be manifested in and through the life of every true believer. Happiness is promised to those who participate in this Ordinance. The Washing of the Saints' Feet and the Lord's Supper are observed together and always in the evening. (John 13:1-17; Matt. 28:19; 3:13-17; I Cor. 11:2333; Acts 8:31-38)
Section 10 - Our Lord's Second Advent
We believe in the Blessed Hope, the personal, pre-millenniaI, pre-tribulation, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which is known as the Rapture of the Church. We also believe in the personal, visible and glorious return of Christ to the earth with His Saints at the end of the Great Tribulation. This phase of His coming is known as the Revelation of Jesus Christ. When He returns to the earth with His Saints, we believe that Jesus Christ will establish His Millennial Kingdom and will reign for one thousand years. (Titus 2:13; I Thess. 4:13-17; John 14:3; Rev. ]9:]1-2]; 20:]-6)
Section 11- Israel's Place in God's Program
We believe that "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance" and, therefore, His covenant people Israel, now blind and scattered, shall be redeemed and regathered to the Land of Promise which is commonly known as Palestine; and under the personal and millennial reign of Christ upon David's throne in Jerusalem, shall become the head of the nations and "The Gentiles shall come to their light and kings to the brightness of their rising". (Rom. 11 :25-29; Psm. 72; Isa .. 60:3)
Section 12 - The Resurrection of the Dead
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just at the Rapture; (I Thess. 4:16; I Cor. 15:51-57) and of the unjust at the end of time. (Rev. 20:11-15; John 5:28-29)
Section 13 - The Eternal State of the Saved and the Lost
We believe in a Heaven and a Hell; Heaven the place of eternal conscious joy for all who receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Hell the place of conscious punishment for all who reject Jesus Christ and those dying in their sin until the final judgment at which time death and Hell are cast into the Lake of Fire which is the place of eternal conscious punishment. (John 14:1-6; Psm. 16:11; Phil. 1:21 and 23; Psm. 9:17; John 8:24; II Thess. 1:7-9, Rev. 20:10-15)
Section 14 - The Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan is a personal being, a fallen angel, prince of demons, the god of this age, the great enticer and deceiver, the adversary of Christ and His people, and the accuser of the brethren; whose end is the Lake of Fire. (lsa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:12-19; II Cor. 4:3-4; I Pet. 5:8; Rev. 12:910; Matt. 25 :41; Rev. 20: 10)
Section 15 - 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. It is not God's will that any should perish and we believe salvation is given to all who call upon the Name of the Lord to be saved. Therefore, we believe the Gospel is for "whosoever will". (Rom. 10: 13; Eph. 2:8-10; John 1: 12; Eph . 1:7; I Pet. 1:18, 19; II Pet. 3:9)
Section 16 - The Assurance of Believers
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 occasion to the flesh. (Rom. 13:13, 14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15; I John 5:13)
Section 17 - The Two Natures of the Believer
We believe that every saved person possesses two natures with provision made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit; and, that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural. (Rom. 6:13; 8:12,13; Gal. 5:16-25; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:10; I Pet. 1:14-16; I John 3:5-9)
Section 18 - Law and Grace
We believe the grace of God to be sufficient for the maintenance of a godly walk and that Christ and not the law is the believer's rule of life. (Gal. 3:11; 2:16; Rom. 3:28; Rom. 3: 19-20; 11 :6; I John 1:9)
Section 19 - Separation and Sanctification
We believe that the Scriptures clearly teach non-conformity to the world for every believer; that born-again people should be separated from the world unto Christ; that it is clearly commanded of God to all believers to live lives of separation from all worldly and sinful practices and to be Holy as He is Holy. We believe that positional sanctification occurs at the moment of regeneration and that practical sanctification is to be progressive throughout the entire life span of a believer here on earth. God's provision for Holy living is in the believer's identification with Christ in His death, resurrection, and ascension; the indwelling person and power of the Holy Spirit and the believer's yieldedness to Him; and by the powerful Word of God. (Col. 3:1-4; II Cor. 6:14-17; Titus 2:14; I Pet. 1:]4-16; CoLl:13; Heb.1O:1,14; II Cor. 7:1; 3:18; II Pet. 3:18; Rom. 6:1-14; Eph. 1:15 to 2:6; John 17:17; Heb. 4:12; Eph. 5:25-27; I Cor. 6:19 and 20; Gal. 5:16-23; Rom. 6:13)
Section 20 - Sanctity of Marriage and Family
We believe that the covenant of marriage and the institution of the family have been designed by God and is therefore to be maintained to the highest degree and preserved at all cost. We believe the Scriptures teach the following:
(a.) The sanctity of marriage is set forth in Scripture. Scripture plainly states that a man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife. Scripture also states that marriage is a covenant before God that is to only be broken by the death of one of the partners. (Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:4-6).
(b.) A marriage between two individuals of the same sex as determined by birth, is definitely not the design of God and therefore it is forbidden in Scripture. (Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:4-5; Romans 7:1-4).
(c.) The Scripture states in Malachi 2: 14-16, "The God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away". We also are told by our Lord "That from the beginning it (divorce) was not so" (Matthew 19:8).
Instead of remarriage the Scripture points to the pursuit of reconciliation of the marriage. (Matthew 19: 3-9;
I Corinthians 7: 10-11; I Corinthians 7:39).
Section 21 - Moral Purity
We believe that God has designed and evidenced the Scriptural standards regarding moral sexual behavior in the original creation of Adam and Eve, and that it is to be obeyed or there will be dire consequences for violating the standards. We believe that the physical union is to be only between a man and woman who have been united in the covenant of marriage. We believe the following to be toe moral sexual behavior standards which we find in Scripture:
For a person to be involved or engaged in the practice of fornication (I Cor. 5:9-13; I Thess. 4:3), adultery
(Ex. 20: 14; Matt. 5:32; Matt. 19:9), homosexuality (Romans 1 :27), lesbianism (Rom. 1 :26), incest
(Lev. 18:6-18), and bestiality (Lev. 18:23), is in violation of the moral standard of God and is forbidden to those who claim the Name of Christ.
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