
We want people
to know what we believe. The following beliefs are what we consider
to be the doctrines and practices that are clearly specified in
the scriptures.
- We believe
that love one for another as Jesus loves the believer manifests
our discipleship, proves our love for God and symbolizes our authority
as New Testament churches. Love is therefore the great commandment
of the LORD Jesus Christ upon which all others are dependent (Matt.
22:35-40; John 13:34, 35; John 15:12; 1 John 4:7-21; 1 John 5:1-3;
Rev. 2:4, 5).
- We believe
in the infallible, verbal inspiration of the whole Bible and that
the Bible is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice (Psalm
119:160; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17).
- We believe
in the personal triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal
in divine perfection (Matt. 28:19).
- We believe
in the Genesis account of Creation (Gen. 1; 2).
- We believe
that Satan is a fallen angel, the archenemy of God and man, the
unholy god of this world, and that his destiny is the eternal
lake of fire (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19; Matt. 25:41; 2 Cor.
4:4; Eph. 6:10-17; Rev. 20:10).
- We believe
in the virgin birth and sinless humanity of Jesus Christ (Matt.
1:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22).
- We believe
in the deity of Jesus Christ (John 10:30; John 1:1, 14; 2 Cor.
5:19).
- We believe
the Holy Spirit is the divine Administrator for Jesus Christ in
His churches (Luke 24:49; John 14:16, 17; Acts 1:4, 5, 8; Acts
2:1-4).
- We believe
that miraculous spiritual manifestation gifts were done away when
the Bible was completed. Faith, Hope and Love are the vital abiding
Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor. chapters 12-14).
- We believe
that Man was created in the image of God and lived in innocency
until he fell by voluntary transgression from his sinless state,
the result being that all mankind are sinners (Gen. 1:26; Gen.
3:6-24; Rom. 5:12, 19).
- We believe
that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ was substitutionary
for all mankind and is efficacious only to those who believe (Isa.
53:6; Heb. 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John
2:2).
- We believe
in the bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ and the bodily
resurrection of His saints (Matt. 28:1-7; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor.
15:42-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
- We believe
in the premillennial, personal, bodily return of Christ as the
crowning event of the Gentile age. This event will include the
resurrection of the righteous to eternal heaven, and the Millennium
will be followed by the resurrection of the unrighteous unto eternal
punishment in the lake of fire and that the righteous shall enter
into the heaven age (John 14:1-6; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:8;
Rev. 19; Rev. 20:4-6; Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 21:8).
- We believe
that the depraved sinner is saved wholly by grace through faith
in Jesus Christ, and the requisites to regeneration are repentance
toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 13:3-5; John
3:16-18; Acts 20:21; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8, 9), and that the Holy
Spirit convicts sinners, regenerates, seals, secures, and indwells
every believer (John 3:6; John 16:8, 9; Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19,
20; Eph. 4:30; Titus 3:5).
- We believe
that all who trust Jesus Christ for salvation are eternally secure
in Him and shall not perish (John 3:36; John 5:24; John 10:27-30;
Rom. 8:35-39; Heb. 10:39; 1 Peter 1:5).
- We believe
that God deals with believers as His children, that He chastises
the disobedient, and that He rewards the obedient (Matt. 16:27;
Matt. 25:14-23; John 1:12; Heb. 12:5-11; 2 John 8; Rev. 22:12).
- We believe
that Jesus Christ established His church during His ministry on
earth and that it is always a local, visible assembly of scripturally
baptized believers in covenant relationship to carry out the Commission
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and each church is an independent, self-governing
body, and no other ecclesiastical body may exercise authority
over it. We believe that Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission
to the New Testament churches only, and that He promised the perpetuity
of His churches (Matt. 4:18-22; Matt. 16:18; Matt. 28:19, 20;
Mark 1:14-20; John 1:35-51; Eph. 3:21).
- We believe
that there are two pictorial ordinances in the Lord's churches:
Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Scriptural baptism is the immersion
of penitent believers in water, administered by the authority
of a New Testament church in the name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. The Lord's Supper is a memorial ordinance, restricted
to the members of the church observing the ordinance (Matt. 28:19,
20; Acts 8:12, 38; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 5:11-13; 1 Cor. 11:1, 2, 17-20,
26).
- We believe
that there are two divinely appointed offices in a church, pastors
and deacons, to be filled by men whose qualifications are set
forth in Titus and 1 Timothy.
- We believe
that all associations, fellowships, and committees are, and properly
should be, servants of, and under control of the churches (Matt.
20:25-28).
- We believe
in freedom of worship without interference from the government
and affirm our belief in civil obedience, unless the laws and
regulations of civil government run contrary to the Holy Scriptures
(Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15).
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