OUR BELIEFS
These are our beliefs as stated in our church's Covenant, Constitution and Confession of Faith.
DOCTRINE
We abide by the following statements of faith:
Section 1. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES: We believe the whole Bible (66 books) to be verbally inspired, infallible (in the original manuscripts), written by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. We believe it to be the only infallible rule for all human conduct, creeds and opinions (II Timothy 3:16,17; II Peter 1:19-21; Psalm 68:11).
Section 2. GOD: We believe that there is only one true and living God and that He has eternally existed. We further believe that in the unity of the Godhead there are three distinct personalities (Deuteronomy 6:4), Father (Isaiah 64:8), Son (John 1:1,2,14), and the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-26).
Section 3. JESUS CHRIST: We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, as the eternal Son of God, came into the world and was born of the virgin Mary after having been conceived by the Holy Ghost, thus receiving a human body with a sinless nature (Luke 1:30-35).
Paragraph 2. We believe that Christ is both true God and perfect man, a unique, supernatural manifestation of God in the flesh (II Corinthians 5:19; I Timothy 3:16).
Paragraph 3. We believe that He came to earth to give His life upon the cross as a representative, vicarious; substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of man, and that out justification is declared sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead, and that He is the only means of redemption for mankind (Acts 4:10-12; John 14:6).
Paragraph 4. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended literally and physically into Heaven, is exalted at the right hand of God, where as High Priest for His people, He has the ministry of Intercessor and Advocate. He is the Head over all things to the church, which is His body, that the Scriptures teach the personal, pre-millennial and imminent return of Christ in the air for the church saints, and after a seven year period, will come all the way to earth to be King over all the earth (Isaiah 52:13; Revelation 3:21; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:24; I John 2:1,2; Ephesians 1:22,23; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 19:11-16; Acts 1:10,11).
Section 4. THE HOLY SPIRIT: We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with the Father, and the Son, and of the same substance and nature; that He convicts men of sin, righteousness and judgment, bears witness to the truth, is the agent of new birth, that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies and helps the believer, indwelling every true child of God (John 14:17; John 16:12-15; Romans 8:14-27; II Corinthians 13:14).
Section 5. SATAN: We believe in the distinct personality of Satan, that he is the god of this age, author and prince of all the powers of darkness and sin, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire (Matthew 4:1-3; Matthew 25:41; II Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10).
Section 6. CREATION OF MAN: We believe that God created man by a direst act and not through evolutionary processes (Genesis 1:26,27; Genesis 2:7,8,21-23).
Section 7. THE FALL OF MAN: We believe that man, in the person of the first Adam, was created in innocence, but by voluntary transgression, fell into sin, thus plunging the whole race into condemnation and death, so that now all mankind is born in sin and shaped in iniquity; and become practical sinners with the first expression of personal choice, and so are without excuse before God (Genesis 3; Genesis 5:1-4; Romans 5:10-19; Ephesians 2:1-3).
Section 8. THE ATONEMENT: We believe that the only escape from the condemnation of sin is through the atonement wrought by Jesus Christ, when He voluntarily took upon Him a human body, being made in the likeness of men, yet without sin, and by His suffering, death and resurrection made full satisfaction to the justice of God for the sin of man; that the blessings of this salvation are given on the grounds of grace to all who believe (John 3:1-19; Acts 4:12; Acts 16:30-33; Romans 10:9-13; II Corinthians 5:17).
Section 9. SALVATION: We believe that faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ whose death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father is the only promise for salvation (Ephesians 1:7; Revelation 1:5), that this faith is begotten through hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17; I Peter 1:18-25), that it is the free gift of God, wholly apart from human works (Ephesians 2:8,9), that by new birth, one dead in trespasses and sins is quickened into life eternal, made righteous, justified (II Corinthians 5:2; I Corinthians 1:30; Romans 3:21-26), and is made partaker of the Divine nature (II Peter 1:4), eternally secured unto the praise of His glory.
Section 10. THE CHURCH: We believe every born again believer is by mystical act of God accorded a place in the body of Christ; and that this body is Biblically identified as "The Church" (Ephesians 3:3-7; Colossians 1:24; I Corinthians 12:12,13).
Paragraph 2. We believe that a local church is a congregation of believers who have been baptized by immersion; associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising the gifts, rights, and priveleges invested in it by His Word, carried out by its officers. That it has absolute right of self-government, directed by the Holy Spirit, and it is answerable only to Christ, and that in all matters of membership, polity, government, discipline, and benevolence, the will of the local church is final (Acts 2:41,42; I Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22,23; Ephesians 5:22-24; I Timothy 3:7; Colossians 1:18; Acts 20:17,18).
Paragraph 3. We believe in the absolute seperation between church and state (Matthew 22:21).
Section 11. CHURCH ORDINANCES: We believe there are only two church ordinances: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Paragraph 2. We believe that the mode of baptism is by a single act of immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This symbolically sets forth the believers' faith and participation in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of a local church relation (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; by application).
Paragraph 3. We believe the Lord's Supper to be a remembrance service commemorating the death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, until He comes, and our continual fellowship with Him. It should only be observed by those who have been born again, and with careful self-examination (Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 11:23-32).
Section 12. RESURRECTION: We believe in the resurrection of the bodies of the dead; that believers who sleep in Jesus will be raised at the coming of Christ in the air for His Church and be caught up with the transformed living saints to meet the Lord, and that the wicked dead will be raised at the end of the millenial reign of Christ and stand before the Great White Throne of Judgment to receive their final sentence to doom (John 5:21-30; I Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 20:1-5).
Section 13. THE TRIBULATION; We believe that the rapture of the church saints will be followed by a seven year period called the Tribulation, or Daniel's seventieth week. The church will be in Heaven during these seven years. The last three and a half years of the Tribulation is called the Great Tribulation or Jacob's Trouble. The whole seven years will be a time of severe judgment upon the whole world (Daniel 9:27; Jeremiah 30:7; Matthew 24:15-21; Revelation 6:1-19,21).
Section 14. THE LORD'S SECOND COMING; We believe the tribulation will be terminated by Christ's coming in judgment upon the Western and Eastern armies (Zecharia 14:1-5; Revelation6:15-17; Revelation 19:15,17-19), final restoration of Israel into the land (Matthew 24:31; Jeremiah 30:12-31; Deuteronomy 30:3; Ezekiel 37:1-28), judgment on individual living Gentiles (Matthew 25:31-46), resurrection of Tribulation saints (Isaiah 26:19-21; Daniel 12:2; Revelation 7:14; Revelation 20:4-6), binding of satan (Revelation 20:1-3), rebuilding of the Millenial Temple (Ezekiel 40:48; Zechariah 6:13), and the Kingly rule of 1000 years over all the earth (Isaiah 54:5; Psalm 72:8; Zechariah 14:9; Revelation 20:4,6).
Section 15. LIFE AFTER DEATH; We believe that both the saved and the unsaved shall live forever though in different Places. We believe the immaterial part of the saved at death passes immediately into Christ's presence and remains there in conscious bliss until the resurrection where soul, spirit, and body reunited forever be with Christ (II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, I Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Paragraph 2. We believe that the immaterial part of the unsaved at death goes immediately into Hades where they remain in conscious misery until they are resurrected and judged at the Great White Throne, which is at the close of the Millennium. The resurrected unsaved, as well as the living unsaved, shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished forever (Luke 16:19-26; II Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 14:10-11; Revelation 20:11-15).
Section 16. BELIEVER'S WALK, GIFTS, AND STEWARDSHIP: We believe that the believer's standing is perfect before God, but that his state may vary. He is to walk by means of the Holy Spirit, not bringing reproach upon either the Lord or the Church, and that separation from worldly pleasures and practices is a command of God (Romans 12:1,2; Galations 6:15,16; II Corinthians 6:14; II Corinthians 7:1; I John 2:15-17).
Paragraph 2. We believe that every believer has one or more spiritual gifts given at regeneration. This gift, or gifts, may be dormant until later in the Christian life, but that each believer is to develop this gift, or gifts, to the glory of Christ (Romans 12:6-16; I Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:11).
Paragraph 3. We believe that every believer is responsible to Christ, the local church, and to mankind. Being a member of a local church, the believer is to faithfully support his own local church in attendance, service, and finances.
If you would like more information or have any questions about what our church believes, please feel free to ask for a copy of our Covenant, Constitution and Confession of Faith at one of our church services or contact the church.
