What We Believe

We Believe That The Holy Bible Is The Word Of God, And That As Originally Written Was Verbally And Plenary Inspired, Being The Product Of Spirit-Controlled Holy Men Of God. It Is, Therefore, Truth Without Error, And As The Inerrant Word Of God, Is Our Only Infallible Authority In All Matters Of Faith And Practice. The Bible Is The Supreme Revelation Of The Will Of God For Man; Therefore, We Can Have Absolute Confidence In The Word Of God. The Scriptures Shall Be Interpreted According To Their Normal Grammatical-Historical Meaning. (Is 40:8; 1 Cor 2:12-13; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:19-21)

 -THE TRUE GOD:

We Believe That There Is Only One Living And True God, Who Is The Eternal, Self-Existing Creator, Sustainer And Supreme Ruler Of Heaven And Earth, An Infinite Spirit And Absolute Holiness, Worthy Of All Possible Honor, Confidence And Love. (Deut 6:4; Is 43:10-11; 44:6, 8; 45:5-6, 18, 21-22; 46:9; Jer 10:10; John 17:3; 1 Cor 8:4-6)

– THE TRI-UNITY (TRINITY):

We Believe That God Eternally Exists As Three Persons In One (Father, Son, And Holy Spirit), And That The Three Are Equal In Every Divine Perfection, Executing Distinct But Harmonious Offices In The Work Of Creation, Providence And Redemption. (Matt 3:16-17; 28:19; John 14:16; 15:26; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 John 5:7; Rev 1:4-6)

– THE PERSON OF CHRIST:

We Believe That The Lord Jesus Christ Was Conceived By The Holy Spirit And Born Of The Virgin Mary As No Other Man Has Ever Been Or Can Be, That As God Manifest In The Flesh He Lived A Sinless Life, And That Prior To His Human Existence He Had Always Existed As The Eternal Son Of God. As The Perfect God-Man, He Now Exists In The Undiminished Deity And Perfect Humanity, United Forever In One Person. (Is 7:14; 9:6; Matt 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1, 14; Phil 2:5-11)

– THE WORK OF CHRIST:

We Believe The Coming Of Jesus To Earth Was For The Purpose Of Providing Redemption For The Lost Mankind Through His Sacrificial Death, And That His Death Made A Full Vicarious (On Our Behalf) Atonement For Our Sins, Sufficient For Everyone, But Effectual Only For Those Who Respond In Faith. Upon His Bodily Resurrection From Death, He Ascended Into Heaven, Where He Now Sits At The Right Of God The Father As Our High Priest, Interceding For Believers Until The Time When He Will Come Again To Reign Forever. (Is 53:46; Gal 4:4-6; 1 Tim 1:15; Heb 4:14-16; 7:25)

– THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:

We Believe That The Holy Spirit Is Deity Possessing All The Characteristics Of Personality (Intellect, Emotion, And Will), And Is Not Merely A Force, Influence Or Power. (Acts 16:6-7; Rom 8:27; 15:30; 1 Cor 2:10-11, 13; 12:11; Eph 4:30)

– THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:

We Believe That The Holy Spirit Was Active In Creation, In The Lives Of Select People During Old Testament Days, And In Jesus Christ During His Lifetime On Earth. He Also Performs Several Specific Ministries On Earth, Including Convicting Of Sin, Restraining Evil, And Regenerating, Indwelling, Anointing, Baptizing, Sealing, Filling And Gifting Believers. He Is The Agent Of The New Birth, Bringing People Salvation Through Understanding Of Their Need As Portrayed In The Word Of God, After Which He Helps Them To Understand Further God’s Word By Illuminating That Word. (Gen 1:2; Num 24:2; John 3:3-8; 16:8-14; 1 Cor 6:19; 12:13; Eph 1:13, 17-18, 4:30; 5:18; 2 Thess 2:6-8; Titus 3:5; 1 John 2:20, 27)

– THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:

We Believe That The Holy Spirit Is The Agent Through Whom Each Believer Receives At Least One Spiritual Gift, And That These Gifts Are Given To Be Used For The Edification Of Other Believers. We Also Believe That The Bible Disavows The Authenticity Of The Sign Gifts Such As Prophecy, Speaking In Tongues, Interpretation Of Tongues, Miracles And Healing For Today*, And Repudiates The Experience-Oriented Theology And Ecumenically-Oriented Practice Of The Charismatic Movement. *(God Frequently Does Choose To Answer Prayers Of Believers For Physical Healing.) (Rom 12:3-8; 1 Cor 12:4-11, 28-30; 13:8-12; Eph 4:11-13; 1 Pet 4:10-11)

– HOLY ANGELS:

We Believe That The Angels Are Created Beings And Therefore Not To Be Worshipped. Each Angel Being Is A Direct Creation Of God. They Are By Nature Spirit Beings, Possessing All The Characteristics Of Personality (Intellect, Emotion, Will), And Are Superior To Man In Power. Their Purposes Of Existence Are To Praise And Glorify God, To Serve As Ministering Spirits On Behalf Of Believers, And To Serve God In Whatever Ways He Desires. (Ps 103:20-21; 148:2; Matt 22:28-30; Luke 20:36; Col 1:16; Heb 1:6-7, 13-14; 2:6-7; 2 Pet 2:11)

– DEMONS:

We Believe That Demons Are Fallen Angels Who Followed Satan In This Rebellion Against God, That They Are Unclean And Deceiving Spirits, And That They Continue To Serve Satan In Carrying Out His

Evil Purpose. Their Ultimate Destiny Is The Lake Of Fire. (Matt 10:1; 12:24; 25:41; Luke 4:36; Acts 5:16; 8:7; 1 Tim 4:1; Rev 12:9)

– SATAN:

We Believe That Satan Is A Created Angelic Being, Originally In A State Of Perfection And In The Highest Position Of Leadership In The Angelic World. He Is Now Fallen, Due To His Pride And Desire To Replace God, And Is The Ruler Of All Fallen Angels, Of The Present World System, And Of The Atmosphere Surrounding Earth. He Deceives Nations, Blinds The Minds Of Unbelievers, Opposes And Endeavors To Destroy Believers, And Continually Seeks To Frustrate The Purposes Of God. He Was Defeated At The Cross And Will Ultimately Be Cast Into The Lake Of Fire. (Is 14:12-15; Ez 28:12-19; Matt 25:41; John 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2; 1 Pet 5:8; 1 John 3:8; 5:19; Rev 20:3, 10)

– THE CREATION OF MAN:

We Believe That God Created The Heavens And The Earth As Stated In Genesis, Which Is A Literal, Historical Account Of The Direct, Immediate Creative Acts Of God Without Any Evolutionary Process. Man Is The Crowning Achievement Of Creation, Also The Result Of A Direct Creative Act, Made In The Image Of God. All Men Are Descended From The Historical Adam And Eve, The First Parents Of The Entire Human Race. (Gen 1:26-27; 2:7; 5:1-2; Ex 20:11; John 1:3; Col 1:16; 1 Thess 5:23)

– THE FALL OF MAN:

We Believe That Man Was Created Innocent And Free From Sin, But That When He Was Tested In The Garden Of Eden He Voluntarily Disobeyed The Revealed Will Of God And Became A Sinful Being. Because The Entire Race Was In Adam, All Sinned And Are Partakers Of The Fallen Nature, Totally Depraved And Under The Just Condemnation Of God. (Gen 3:1-7; Ps 14:1-3; Rom 1:27; 3:9-18; 5:12; 7:18; Eph 2:1-3)

– THE DESTINIES OF MAN:

We Believe That When Man Sinned He Lost His Spiritual Life And Became Dead In Trespasses And Sins, But That He Is Redeemable. The Final Destiny Of Each Person Is Thus Determined By Whether Or Not He Is Redeemed, With Those Not Redeemed Spending Eternity In The Lake Of Fire (Matt 25:41, 46; John 3:5, 18; Rom 6:23; 8:10; Rev 20:11-15; 21:8), And Those Redeemed Spending Eternity In Heaven. (Matt 25:46; John 3:15-16; Heb 12:22-23; 2 Pet 1:10-11

We Believe That Sin Is Anything That Is Opposed To Holiness And Everything That Is Contrary To The Character Of And Will Of God, And That Though Not All Sin Is Of The Same Degree, All Sin Is Sin Because Of Its Character. Because Of Adam’s Sin And The Resulting Depravity Of Mankind, No One Has Merit Before God Or The Capacity For Achieving Any Merit In His State Of Separation From God. Therefore, Every Person Automatically Stands Guilty Before God, With The Penalty Being Eternal Separation From God And The Only Hope Being Regeneration Provided By God Himself. Each Person Is Accountable For Personal Sins That He Commits, For Which There Is Forgiveness And For Which There Is Possible Victory Through The Holy Spirit And The Word Of God. Though Such Personal Sins Will Cause Loss Of Fellowship With God, They Will Not Cause Loss Of Salvation, For The Father And The Son Keep All Who Are Truly Born Again. (Is 59:2; 64:6; John 6:44; 10:27-30; Rom 3:10-12; 5:12-21; 8:31-39; 1 Cor 2:14; Gal 3:22; Eph 2:8-9; 4:18-19; 1 John 1:6-10)

– THE PROVISION FOR SALVATION:

We Believe That The Salvation Of Sinners Is Entirely A Work Of God And Wholly Of Grace, Accomplished Through The Sacrificial Death Of The Son Of God And By Personal Faith In Him As The Only Means Of Salvation. The Death Of Christ, In Which He Shed His Blood For Us, Fully Satisfied The Just Demands Of A Holy, Righteous God For The Payment Of Sin, And Since Christ Was A Voluntary Substitute In The Sinner’s Place, The Just For The Unjust, Faith In Him Becomes The Only Condition For Salvation. (John 3:16, 36; 14:6; Acts 4:12; Rom 3:21-28; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9; 1 Pet 2:21-24)

– THE RESULTS OF SALVATION:

We Believe That When Any Person Places His Faith In Christ And His Completed Work On The Cross, He Is Born Into The Family Of God, Delivered From Condemnation To Justification, Receives Divine Life, Becomes Separated From The World Unto God And Is Reconciled To God. (1 Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 5:17, 21; Gal 3:13; Eph 2:4-7; Col 1:13-14, 20-21; Titus 3:5)

We Believe That Justification Is The Judicial Act Of God Whereby He Pardons Sin And Declares The Person Righteous On The Basis Of The Imputed Righteousness Of Christ. It Is Accompanied By Sanctification, Which Is The Work Of God In Setting Apart The Believer Unto Himself. This Accomplished In A Threefold Manner: *Positionally—Each Believer Is Established In A Position Of Holiness At The Moment He Trusts Christ As Savior; *Progressively—Each Believer Enters A Process Of Continued Spiritual Growth Throughout His Lifetime As The Holy Spirit Applies The Word Of God To His Life; And *Ultimately—Each Believer Will Be Freed From The Presence Of Sin At The Return Of The Lord. (Rom 5:1-11; 2 Cor 7:1; Titus 2:11-13; Heb 10:10, 14; 2 Pet 3:18; 1 John 3:1-2)

– THE INVISIBLE CHURCH:

We Believe That The Invisible Church Is An Organism Composed Of All Saved People From The Time Of Pentecost To The Rapture, Is A New Testament Institution Unknown To The Old Testament Prophets, And Is Separate And Distinct From Israel, Composed Of Both Jews And Gentiles. Believers Become Part Of This Institution Through Baptism Of The Holy Spirit, Whereby He Places Them Into The Body Of Christ At The Moment Of Salvation. (Rom 6:1-10; 1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:27; Eph 1:22-23; 2:10-17; 3:3-6; Col 1:18, 24-26)

– THE LOCAL CHURCH:

We Believe That The Invisible Church Is Manifested Through The Local Church, Which Is An Organized Assembly Of Baptized Believers Who Meet Together Regularly For Purposes Which Include Prayer, Bible Study, Fellowship, And Observance Of The Two Church Ordinances Of Baptism And The Lord’s Supper. The Ministry Of The Local Church Is To Be Carried Out Under The Leadership

Of Men Filling The Two Offices Of Pastor And Deacon, With The Entire Operation Of The Church Being Under The Direct Leadership Of Christ And Apart From Any Other Human Hierarchy. Members Are To Be Born Again And Baptized By Immersion. (Matt 28:19-20; John 3:3-8, 16-18; Acts 8:36-39; 9:18; Phil 1:1; 1 Tim 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Pet 5:1-4)

– BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER:

We Believe That Christian Baptism Is The Immersion Of A Believer In Water, Under The Authority Of The Local Church, To Show Forth In A Solemn And Beautiful Emblem Our Faith In The Crucified, Buried, And Risen Savior, Through Whom We Died To Sin And Rose To A New Life; That Baptism Is Prerequisite To The Privileges Of Church Membership. We Believe That The Lord’s Supper Is The Commemoration Of His Death Until He Comes And Should Be Preceded Always By Solemn Self-Examination. We Believe That The Biblical Order Of The Ordinances Is Baptism And Lord’s Supper, And That Participants Should Be Immersed Believers. (Matt 3:16; 28:19, 20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41; 8:36, 38, 39; Rom 6:3-5; 1 Cor 11:23-28; Col 2:12)

– CIVIL GOVERNMENT:

We Believe That God Has Ordained And Created All Authority Consisting Of Three Basic Institutions: 1) The Home; 2) The Church; 3) The State. Every Person Is Subject To These Authorities, But All (Including The Authorities Themselves) Are Answerable To God And Governed By His Word. God Has Given Each Institution Specific Biblical Responsibilities And Balanced Those Responsibilities With The Understanding That No Institution Has The Right To Infringe Upon The Other. The Home, The Church, And The State Are Equal And Sovereign In Their Respective Biblically Assigned Spheres Of Responsibility Under God. (Matt 22:21; Rom 13:1-7; Eph 5:22-24; Heb 13:17; 1 Pet 2:13-14)

– HUMAN SEXUALITY:

1. We Believe That God Has Commanded That No Intimate Sexual Activity Be Engaged Outside Of Marriage Between A Man And A Woman. We Believe That Any Form Of Homosexuality, Lesbianism, Bisexuality, Bestiality, Incest, Fornication, Adultery And Pornography Is Sinful Perversion Of God’s Gift Of Sex. (Gen 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:6-9; Lev 18:4-25; Rom 1:26-29; 1 Cor 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess 4:1-8; Heb 13:4)

2. We Believe That The Only Legitimate Marriage Is The Joining Of One Man And One Woman. (Gen 2:24; Rom 7:2; 1 Cor 7:10; Eph 5:22-23)

3. We Believe That Men And Women Are Spiritually Equal In Position Before God But That God Has Ordained Distinct And Separate Spiritual Functions For Men And Women In The Home And The Church. The Husband Is To Be The Leader Of The Home And The Men Are To Be The Leaders (Pastors And Deacons) Of The Church. (Gal 3:28; Col 3:18; 1 Tim 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)

– DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE:

We Believe That God Hates Divorce And Intends Marriage To Last Until One Of The Spouses Dies. Divorce And Remarriage Is Regarded As Adultery Except On The Grounds Of Fornication. Although Divorced And Remarried Persons Or Divorced Persons May Hold Positions Of Service In The Church And Be Greatly Used Of God For Christian Service, They May Not Be Considered For The Offices Of Pastor Or Deacon. (Mal 2:14-17; Matt 19:3-12; Rom 7:1-3; 1 Cor 7:10-16, 39-40; 1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:6)

– ABORTION:

We Believe That Human Life Begins At Conception And That The Unborn Child Is A Living Human Being. Abortion Constitutes The Unjustified, Unexcused Taking Of Unborn Human Life. Abortion Is Murder. We Reject Any Teaching That Abortions Or Pregnancies Due To Rape, Incest, Birth Defects, Gender Selection, Birth Or Population Control, Or Mental Well-Being Of The Mother Are Acceptable. (Job 3:16; Ps 51:5; 139:14-16; Is 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

– MISSIONS:

We Believe That God Has Given The Church A Great Commission To Proclaim The Gospel To All Nations So That There Might Be A Great Multitude From Every Nation, Tribe, Ethnic Group, And Language Group Who Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ. As Ambassadors Of Christ We Must Use All Available Means To Go To Foreign Nations And Not Wait For Them To Come To Us. (Matt 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor 5:20)

– LAWSUITS BETWEEN BELIEVERS:

We Believe That Christians Are Prohibited From Bringing Civil Lawsuits Against Other Christians Or The Church To Resolve Personal Disputes. We Believe That The Church Possesses All The Resources Necessary To Resolve Personal Disputes Between Members. We Do Believe, However, That A Christian May Seek Compensation For Injuries From Another Christian’s Insurance Company As Long As The Claim Is Pursued Without Malice Or Slander. (1 Cor 6:1-8; Eph 4:31-32)

– GIVING:

We Believe That Every Christian, As A Steward Of That Portion Of God’s Wealth Entrusted To Him, Is Obligated To Support His Local Church Financially. We Believe That God Has Established The Tithe As A Basis For Giving, But That Every Christian Should Also Give Other Offerings Sacrificially And Cheerfully To The Support Of The Church, The Relief Of Those In Need, And Spread Of The Gospel. We Believe That A Christian Relinquishes All Rights To Direct The Use Of The Tithe Or Offering Once The Gift Has Been Made. (Gen 14:20; Pro 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor 16:2; 2 Cor 9:6-7; Gal 6:6; Eph 4:28; 1 Tim 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)

– THE RAPTURE:

We Believe In The Imminent, Pretribulational, Premillennial Return Of Christ For His Church, At Which Time The Dead In Christ Will Be Raised With Glorified Bodies And The Living In Christ Will Be Given Glorified Bodies Without Tasting Death, And All Will Be Caught Up Together To Meet Christ In The Air. They Will Then Appear Before The Judgment Seat Of Christ To Be Judged Regarding Their Service And Works, And Will Be Rewarded Accordingly. (Rom 14:10-12; 1 Cor 3:11-15; 15:51-58; 2 Cor 5:10; 1 Thess 4:13-18; 1 John 3:1-3)

– THE TRIBULATION:

We Believe The Rapture Will Be Followed By A Seven-Year Period Of Time During Which God Will Pour Out His Wrath Upon The Unbelieving World. During This Time, The Antichrist Will Be Revealed And, Empowered By Satan, And Will Endeavor To Take The Place Of God In Ruling The World. He Will Be Destroyed At The Battle Of Armageddon, When Christ Returns To Earth. ((Dan 9:24-27; 11:36-45; 2 Thess 2:3-12; Rev 13:10; 19:11-20)

– THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM:

We Believe The Tribulation Will Be Terminated By Christ’s Second Coming, At Which Time He Will Cast The Antichrist And False Prophet Into The Lake Of Fire, Bind Satan And Cast Him Into The Bottomless Pit For A Thousand Years, Judge Both Jews And Gentiles, And Inaugurate A One-Thousand-Year Kingdom On Earth, Over Which He Will Personally Reign. During This Time, God Will Fulfill For Israel The Conditions Of The Abrahamic, Davidic, Palestinian And New Covenants, And The Entire World Will Enjoy Peace, Equity, Justice And Prosperity As They Obey Christ. (Gen 12:1-3; 13:14-16; 15:18-21; 2 Sam 7:10-16; Jer 31:31-34; Ez 20:33-44; 34:11-22; 36:24-30; Joel 3:1-3; Matt 24:27-30, 36-44; 25:1-46; Luke 21:34-36; Rev 19:11-21; 20:4-5)

– ETERNITY:

We Believe Satan Will Be Released At The End Of The Millennium, That He Will Gather The Armies Of The Nations Against Christ And His Saints, And That He Will Then Be Cast Into The Lake Of Fire Forever. All The Unbelieving Dead Will Then Be Raised To Stand Before The Great White Throne And Be Sentenced To Their Eternal Punishment In The Lake Of Fire, Where They Will Be In Conscious Torment Forever. Believers Will Forever Enjoy The Blessedness Of God’s Presence After He Has Brought Into Existence The New Heaven And New Earth, Where Christ Will Be King Of Kings And Lord Of Lords. (2 Pet 3:13; Rev 20:7-15; 21:1-8, 22-27; 22:1-5

This Statement Of Faith Does Not Exhaust The Extent Of Our Faith. The Bible Itself Is The Sole And Final Source Of All That We Believe. We Do Believe, However, That The Foregoing Statement Of Faith Accurately Represents The Teaching Of The Bible, And Therefore, Is Binding Upon All Members.