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“We also believe, and therefore speak” (II Corinthians 4:13).
A. THE SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Holy Bible, as originally written, was verbally inspired and the product of Spirit-filled men and has been divinely preserved to date in the Authorized Version of 1611, and, therefore, is the truth without any admixture of error for its matter. We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried. We believe the interpretation and understanding of the Bible may be revealed to any believer by the Holy Spirit.
B. THE TRUE GOD
We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth: inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost or Spirit -equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. Isaiah 44:6, 57:15; I Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11, I John 5:7.
C. THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in our preaching and testimony; that He is the agent of the New Birth; that He seals, fills, leads, intercedes, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and comforts the believer. II Corinthians 3:17; John 14:16, 17; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:16,26; Luke 1:35; John 1:12,13; Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5-8; Ephesians 1:13,14; John 1:33; Romans 8:14-16, 26-17; I Corinthians 2:10-13; 6:11; 12:13.
D. JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner; born of Mary, a virgin; and that He is both completely man and completely God. He was subject to temptation, yet was without ANY sin. He is the Messiah for Israel, the Savior of the world, the ONLY way any man can come to God the Father for forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. He is to be worshipped and glorified as the LORD. Isaiah 7:14; 9:6,7; Luke 1:31-35; Matthew 4:1-11; Hebrews 4:15; I Peter 2:22; John 4:42; 14:6; 20:28; Luke 24:52; John 16:14; Philippians 2:9-11.
E. SATAN OR THE DEVIL
We believe he was created perfect, as a Cherub called Lucifer, in the original creation, and because of pride, rebelled against God and became the author of sin. After the re-creation of heaven and earth, he appeared as an angel of light to Eve in the garden of Eden and tempted her to willfully disobey God's command, resulting in the fall of man. We believe he was then cursed, to be henceforth referred to as a serpent, or the dragon. Now as a great red dragon he abides in the great deep and as the devil he appears on earth and in heaven as the god of this world to fulfill the ultimate will of God in judging, killing, deceiving, hindering, tempting and accusing. During the fulfillment of Daniel's 70th Week, or the Great Tribulation, he will come down to earth to indwell the antichrist: After the antichrist is destroyed, he will be chained in the bottomless pit for 1000 years, at the end of which he will be loosed to assemble an army of sinners for his last attempt to overthrow God. He and his army will be destroyed and he will be cast into a lake of fire forever. Ezekiel 28:12-19; Isaiah 14:12-15; II Peter 3:3-7; Genesis 1:1-3,28; II Corinthians 4:3,4; 11:14; Genesis 3:1-6; 14-19; Romans 5:12; Revelation 12:3,9; Job 41:31-34; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Jeremiah 51:20-25; John 8:44; I Thessalonians 2:18; II Thessalonians 2:3-9; Revelation 19:11-20; 20:1-10.
F. THE CREATION
We believe the Genesis account of creation as being neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate creative acts of God in the person of Jesus Christ without any evolutionary process; that man made up of spirit, soul, and body, was created by a direct work of God and not from previously existing forms of life; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race. Genesis 1 & 2; Colossians 1:16,17; Matthew 19:4; John 1:3.
G. THE FALL OF MAN
We believe that man was created in a state of innocence as a free moral agent under the law of his Maker; but by voluntary transgression Adam fell from his sinless and happy state, as a result of which all men are totally depraved (excluding the will), are partakers of Adam's fallen nature, and are sinners by nature and by conduct; and therefore, are under just condemnation without defense or excuse. Genesis 2:17: 3:1-6; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10-19; Ezra 7:13.
H. CHRIST’S ATONEMENT
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him a body of flesh, yet without sin, honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins by His death, which reconciles the sinner to God; that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner's place, the just dying for the unjust; Christ, the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that having risen bodily from the dead, He is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection. He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate and all-sufficient Savior and only High Priest for the believer. We believe this atonement is not limited but effectual to any sinner accepting it by faith. We believe this atonement is eternal and, therefore, covers all sins, past, present and future of the redeemed. Therefore, an individual under this atonement is eternally saved from eternal condemnation because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24-26; John 3:16; II Corinthians 5:18-21; Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 2:14; Isaiah 53:4-7; I John 4-10; I Corinthians 15:3,4; II Corinthians 5:21; I Timothy 2:5; I John 2:2; Hebrews 9:14; John 5:24; Romans 5:8-11.
I. THE NEW BIRTH
We believe that the new birth (being born again) is the regenerative act of the Holy Spirit upon a sinner when he repents of his sins and believes the Gospel according to the Scriptures, receiving the Lord Jesus Christ by faith as his personal savior. As a result of the new birth, the sinner is made a new creature in Christ Jesus, partaking of the divine nature and receiving eternal life as a free gift of God. Regeneration of the spirit, resulting in the "new man" and consequently partaking of the divine nature in the spirit is brought about in a manner above comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth. John 3:3, 6-8; II Corinthians 5:17; I John 5:1; John 1:12,13; I Corinthians 4:15; I Peter 1:23; II Peter 1:4; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1,15; 4:24; Colossians 2:13; Titus 3:5.
J. JUSTIFICATION
We believe that justification is the judicial act of God whereby He declares us to be just and righteous through faith in Christ Jesus; that justification includes the pardon of sin and the imputation of God's righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer's blood. Acts 13:39; Isaiah 53:11; II Corinthians 5:18-21; Romans 3:24-25; 5:1,9.
K. SALVATION
We believe that the salvation of a soul requires a belief in God, repentance towards God which involves genuine sorrow for sin and a willingness to turn from it; and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that this salvation is thereafter permanent and eternal to the believer. Hebrews 11:6; Acts 16:31; 20:20; II Corinthians 7:9,10; I Thessalonians 1:9; John 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30.
L. SANCTIFICATION
We believe sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God accomplished in a threefold manner; first, an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer's spirit, or "new man" in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Savior; second, a continuing process in the soul of the saint as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the inner man; third, the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord's return when the body, or old man, will then be changed and transformed into a perfect sinless body in the image of Christ. I Corinthians 1:30; 6:11; 15:51-54; Hebrews 10:10-14; I John 3:2,9; Ephesians 4:24; 5:25,26; John 17:17; I Thessalonians 4:3,4,13-17; 5:23,24; Philippians 3:21; II Corinthians 3:18; 4:16.
M. ADOPTION
We believe that adoption is the gracious act whereby the Father, for the sake of Christ, places new believers into the honored position of mature son, in contrast with regeneration whereby the believer receives the nature of God and becomes a child of God. The full benefit of the position accorded by adoption as the sons of God awaits the glorification of the believer at the coming of the Lord and the redemption of the body. Ephesians 1:5,13,14; Galatians 4:1-7; I John 3:1,2; Romans 8:15,23.
N. THE CHURCH
We believe in the unity of all true believers in the Church which is the Body of Christ, which was established on the day of Pentecost, and that all believers, from Pentecost to the Rapture, both Jews and Gentiles, are added to this Church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the exact time that they trust in Jesus Christ as Savior. We believe that this Church is manifested through the local church which is a congregation of baptized believers associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws in accordance with Pauline revelation, exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; and that its officers are pastors, also called elders, and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scripture. We believe the true mission of the church is for the edification, perfection, exhortation and comfort of its members in spiritual matters; the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; that the one and only head and shepherd of the local church is the God-called and Spirit-filled pastor, just as Jesus Christ is the Head and Chief Shepherd over the entire church; that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; and that on all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the influence of the pastor is PARAMOUNT and the will of the local church is final. Ephesians 1:10,22,23; 3:1-6; Galatians 3:26-28; I Corinthians 12:12,13; Acts 1:5; 2:4,41,47; I Corinthians 11:2; Titus 1:5-7; Ephesians 4:11-16; Acts 20:17-28; I Timothy 3:1-7; I Peter 5:1-4; Hebrews 13:7,17; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:23,24; Acts 15:13-18.
O. BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water, under the authority of the local church, to show forth in a like figure or emblem of our submission and faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior, through Whom we died to sin and rose to a new life; that this baptism is to be administered by the undershepherd or pastor and thereby is a witness that the believer is in subjection to the rule of the church; that only one baptism is necessary in the life of any believer; 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 serious self-examination and confession. We reject as heresy the doctrine of transubstantiation or any teaching implying that these ordinances are in fact sacraments imparting “saving grace” to those who will partake of them. Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; I Peter 3:21; I Timothy 1:1,6; Acts 9:18; I Corinthians 9:25; 10:1-2; 11:23-12; Matthew 28:19,20.
P. CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming King of Kings. Romans 13:1-7; I Peter 2:13-16; I Timothy 2:1-2; Matthew 22:2 1; Acts 5:29; 4:19-20.
Q. SPIRITUAL GIFTS, MIRACLES, SIGNS, AND WONDERS
We believe the gifts of the Spirit in I Corinthians 12 were of a temporary and transitional nature especially those known as revelational and those gifts which are specifically called "signs". Those gifts which are signs, wonders, or miracles were given by the Spirit during the beginning of the church in the book of Acts for these purposes: (1) to identify an “apostle” (2) to grasp the attention of Jews so as to gain opportunity to present the gospel and believe a new revelation (3) to confirm the Word of scripture that was being spoken by the apostles, but not yet in written form as we have the Scriptures today. Since there are NO apostles present today and that the gospel ministry is almost totally to the Gentiles and we have a complete Bible, we reject "speaking in tongues", "supernatural healing" as found in the apostolic ministry (we believe God heals today in accordance with His Word and divine will through faith and confession) and reject any other "sign or wonder" as heresy and "lying signs and wonders" produced by Satanic power in these last days to deceive the whole world. I Corinthians 12:1-11; Mark 16:17,18; Acts 2:4,5,43; 3:7,12; 5:12; II Corinthians 12:12; I Corinthians 1:21,22; 14:21,22; Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:3,4; James 5:14-16; I Corinthians 11:20-32; II Thessalonians 2:8,9; I Timothy 4:1,2; Matthew 24:5,11,24.
R. ISRAEL
We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God's eternal covenant people, that she is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ, and that she is being regathered to Palestine and, after the rapture of the Church, will be saved as a nation at the second advent of Christ. Genesis 13:14-17; Romans 11:1-32; Ezekiel 37.
S. THE RESURRECTIONS, JUDGMENTS, PRE-MILLENNIAL RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST AND RELATED EVENTS