Doctrine
1. We believe the Bible is, in the fullest sense, the very Word of God, given by inspiration of God, inerrant, authoritative and sufficient in all matters which it touches (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
2. We believe in one (1) God, eternally existing in three (3) persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the same in substance, equal in power and glory (Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 28:19).
3. We believe in the holy incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who ever was the Son of God, but who, that He might do the will of His Father (John 6:38), condescended to become a man (Philippians 2:5-7), being sinlessly begotten of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary who was a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35), and of her brought into the world (Galatians 4:4), – very God yet truly man (Titus 2:13).
4. We believe in the Personality of God the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity (John 14:26,15:26), and that it is He who convicts of sin (John 16:8-11), quickens into life (John 6:63), and regenerates the sinner (John 3:5), making that person a child of God, through faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26).
5. We believe that God, as absolute sovereign, created man, the universe and all that is in it in six (6) literal twenty-four (24) hour days (Exodus 20:8-11). Man was created originally without sin (Genesis 1:31). However, man rebelled and sinned against God (Genesis 3:1-7); thereby sin was imputed to all mankind because in Adam all sinned (Romans 5:12).
6. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died, as a substitutionary sacrifice, for our sins (Mark 10:45), satisfying the demands of God’s holy law against us as sinners (1 John 2:2) making God both just and the Justifier of all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior (Romans 3:26). Therefore, because of the value that God attaches to the finished work of Christ, the sinner is now saved eternally from the penalty of sin, through personal trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross, not on the basis of his works or good deeds, but alone through the blood of Christ (Romans 3:24-25, 5:1-2, 8:1; Ephesians 2:8-9.
7. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the crucified Christ (1 Corinthians 15:12-19), of which He gave indisputable evidence, appearing unto many (1 Corinthians 15:3-8), and accompanying them for a period of forty (40) days, until He, in the presence of credible witnesses, ascended up to Heaven (Acts 1:3; 9-11), where He is now enthroned at His Father’s right hand (Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 1:3), and engaged for us there as our advocate and Great High Priest, “ever living to make intercession for us,” in the presence of God (1 John 2:1; Hebrews 8:1).
8. We believe this present Church Age began with the coming of the Holy Spirit of God on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:5, 2:1-4; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Colossians 1:24), and that it will continue until the coming of Christ for His Church, the time of which coming is not indicated in Scripture; but we believe it to be imminent, personal, pretribulationaland premillennial (Rev 1:3; John 14:1-3; 1Thessolonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-55).
9. We believe that all Christians are constituted by God, a “Holy Priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9; Rev 1:6), and, as such, are privileged to approach Him in worship, which, as God is Spirit, must be in Spirit and truth (John 4:24). Scripture teaches no distinction in the Church between clergy and laity, all saints being equal in their privilege of worship (Galatians 3:28), excepting that women are forbidden in Scripture to preach and teach the Word to men or exercise authority over men (1 Timothy 2:11-15).
10. We believe that all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are part of the Universal Church, which is His body (Ephesians 1:22-23), but that there are also local churches or assemblies on earth into which believers may be received for fellowship (1 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:2), subject to discipline according to Scriptural principles (Matthew 18:15-17).
11. We believe that reception into an assembly and the remembering of the Lord’s death in the breaking of bread and drinking of the cup as the right only of those who have been born again of the Spirit of God. This right should, however, be exercised only by those who are walking in fellowship with the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:20-34).
12. We believe that God, for the edification and perpetuation of the Church has, by His Spirit, distributed “spiritual gifts” among men. Every born-again believer in Jesus Christ receives at least one (1) spiritual gift at the point of salvation that he might do the work of service within the body of Christ, which is the Church. We believe that the spiritual gifts of “Apostle”, “Prophecy”, “Knowledge”, “Wisdom” and “Discerning of Spirits” were given for the foundation of the Church while in its infancy and they are no longer being given by the Holy Spirit to believers today. We believe also that the gifts of “Healing”, “Miracles”, “Tongues” and “Interpretation of Tongues”, were “sign” gifts, given by Christ in the infancy of the Church to authenticate the messenger and His message as from God, and that these gifts are no longer being given by Christ to His Church. We believe that the permanent gifts revealed in the Bible are “Faith”, “Teaching”, “Helps” (or serving), “Administration”, “Exhortation”, “Giving”, “Mercy”, “Evangelism” and “Pastor-Teacher” (Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:7-13; Hebrews 2:3-4; 1 Corinthians 12:27-31a; 14:20-22).
13. Although not required for salvation or to be a part of the fellowship of this Church, we believe the Lord Jesus left for the obedience of His people two (2) ordinances, memorial in character, which are to continue during the Church Age: Water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Water Baptism in the name of the Trinity is to show our union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Matthew 28:19-20). The Lord’s Supper, consisting of bread, symbolic of His body, and the cup, symbolic of His shed blood, is a remembrance of Him who died for us, to be observed according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 11:17-34).
14. We believe that the Scriptures teach that the work of God should be supported by the people of God alone (Genesis 14:21-24; 3 John 7), and that those not Christians are to hear the Gospel freely. The Scriptural way of raising money for the support of God’s work, whether in the Gospel or for the benefit of His saints, is by voluntary offerings by believers, all schemes violating this principle being wrong (2 Corinthians 8:3-5, 9:7).
15. Every child of God possesses eternal life by personal faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross (John 5:24), and, being justified (Romans 5:1-2), sanctified (1 Corinthians 1:2) and sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), is safe and secure for all eternity (Romans 8:35-39). However, a Christian can through sin, temporarily lose his fellowship, joy, power, testimony and reward, and incur the Father’s discipline (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; Hebrews 12:7-10). Fellowship with God may, however, be restored by confession of one’s sins to God (1 John 1:9).
16. We believe in the personality of Satan as a real, active and malicious being (Job 1:6-9), the arch-enemy of God and man (Matthew 4:2-11), who, having fallen from his estate in which God created him (Isaiah 14:12-14), accomplished the ruin of our first parents (Genesis 3:1-7), and he is now engaged in seeking to defeat God’s purpose in the world (1 Peter 5:8), and among His saints by the use of diabolical and subtle devices (Revelation 12:9). God’s judgment is that he shall be cast into the Lake of Fire forever (Revelation 20:10).
17. We believe in the conscious and eternal punishment of the unbeliever after death (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:46). The spirits of the believers, at death, go to be with Christ in Heaven (2 Corinthians 5:6-8), their bodies being left behind until at the pretribulation rapture of the Church, they are raised, incorruptible and reunited with their spirits to be forever with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54). Similarly, the spirits of those who die without Christ descend into Hades for torments (Luke 16:23; Matt 11:23), their bodies being raised and reunited with their spirits at the Great White Throne, their eternal destiny from thence being the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15). In either case, the departed spirit, in the interval between death and resurrection, is not asleep, but fully conscious, whether in bliss or in woe (Luke 16:22-31).
18. We believe the institutions of marriage (Genesis 2:20-25; Matthew 19:1-6; Mark 10:6-9), family (Genesis 2:24), responsible dominion of man over the earth (Genesis 1:28, Genesis 9:1, Hebrews 2:5-8), human government (Genesis 9:6; Romans 13:1-4), and national diversity (Deuteronomy 32:8; Acts 17:26; Rev 5:9) are established by God, are defined and limited by God in Scripture, and shall not be transgressed or altered by man.
19. We believe that God made us in His image; and that He made us male or female. Scripture denies the existence of any genders other than male or female. Any attempt to deny this is contrary to the express Word of God; and any attempt to transition (with or without physical modification) from male to female or from female to male is contrary to God’s design (Genesis 1:27; Deut 22:5). Marriage is a sacred binding union between one male and one female. Any other relationships that anyone may attempt to define as “marriage” are outside of God’s intended design (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11; 1 Timothy 1:9–10). Sexual intercourse is reserved for the union of one male and one female after they have been married (Gen 2:24; Matthew 19:4-5; 1 Corinthians 7:3-5; Hebrews 13:4).