THE STATEMENT OF FAITH

1. We believe the entire Bible, both Old and New Testaments, to be
verbally inspired (“God Breathed”) of God, without error in the original
writings, and that they are our supreme and final authority in all
matters of faith and life (II Tim. 3: 16, II Peter 1:21).

2. a. We believe in one Triune God eternally existing in three
persons–Father, Son, Holy Spirit co-eternal in being, co-identical in
nature, and co-equal in power and glory, John 17:1-5 and having the
same attributes and perfections. (Matt. 3:16, Matt. 28:19,
II Cor. 13:14, Gen. 1:26, I John 5:7).
2. b. We believe Jesus Christ to be the eternal Son of God (Heb.
1:1,3). Who became flesh (Jn. 1:14, Col. 2:9), who was begotten by
the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man
(Luke 1:35) that He died for our sins upon the Cross (I Peter 2:24)
according to the scriptures, as a representative land substitutionary
sacrifice (II Cor. 5:21); and that all who believe in Him are justified by
faith in His shed blood, not of their own works (Col. 1:14, Eph. 2:8, 9
and Rom. 3:28). We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body
of our Lord (I Cor. 15:3-20), in His ascension into Heaven, (Acts 1:9),
and in His present life there for us as High Priest and Advocate
(I John 2:1,2).
2. c. We believe the Holy Spirit to be co-equal with the Father and
the Son (I Jn. 5:7). He is a person; He is come as the fulfillment of
Christ’s promise (Jn. 16:7). He regenerates (Jn. 3:3-5), indwells
(I Cor. 6:19), seals (Eph. 1l:13, 14), infills (Eph. 5:18) empowers
(Rom. 8:2); Guides (Gal. 5:16, 25), and illuminates (I Cor. 2:13, 14)
the believer.

3. We believe that man was created in the image of God
(Gen. 1:26, 27); that he sinned (Rom. 2:23, 5:12) and thereby
incurred, not only physical death (I Cor. 15:21, 22), but also spiritual
death which is not annihilation (Luke 16:23), (Rev. 21:8), but eternal
separation from God (Rev. 20:11-15). We believe that all men are
born with a sinful nature, totally depraved, and that all who reach
moral accountability and are not born again, are eternally lost,
(Rom. 6:23, Jn. 3:18).

4. We believe we are saved by grace (Eph. 2:8) through faith, and
faith alone in the shed blood of Jesus Christ and Calvary’s cross,
(Eph. 1:17), and that all who exercise saving faith in Christ are born
again by the Holy Spirit and thereby become the children of God
(Jn. 1:12, 3:5-6) possessing eternal life and eternal security.
a. We believe that repentance is a change of mind and purpose
toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit and not the work of man. It
is characterized by Godly sorrow for sin which is offensive to God and
ruinous to the soul; and that true repentance is inseparably related to
true faith. (Luke 13:1-3; 15:7; Acts 8:22; Rom. 2:4; II Cor. 7:10;
Acts 20:21.
b. We believe that every true believer should apply his life in service
for Jesus Christ. We are justified by faith in Jesus Christ (Titus 3:5);
works are the outgrowth of our salvation (Eph. 2:10). While we are
saved apart from works, this does not give license to sin. Grace
teaches good works (Titus 2:11, 12). We believe that every believer
will be judged according to his works (II Cor. 5-10), and over and
above the gift of salvation believers will receive rewards for all work
and shall abide (I Cor. 3:12-15).
c. We believe that those born again possess two natures and that
these persons may be victorious over the old through the power of
the new, but that the eradication of the old nature is unscriptural
(Rom. 7:15; Rom. 6:6; Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9; Eph. 4:24; II Peter 1:4).
d. We believe the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the new birth,
is that change wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit, by which a new
nature and a Spiritual life, not before possessed, are imparted, and
the person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus; a holy
disposition is given to the mind, and the will subdued, the dominion of
sin broke and the afflictions changed from a love of sin and self to a
love of holiness and God; the change is instantaneous, effected
solely by the power of God; in a manner incomprehensible to reason;
the evidence of it is found in a changed disposition of mind, the fruits
of righteousness, and a newness of life. And without it salvation is
impossible.

5. We believe in the blessed hope, the personal (Acts 1:11),
premillenial (II Thess. 2:1-4), and imminent (Matt. 24:27) return of our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ for His Saints (I Thess. 4:14-18). We
believe in the personal, visible and glorious return of Christ for His
Saints. We believe that between these two events shall occur the
seven years of Daniel’s seventieth week (Dan. 9:27), the last three
and one half years of which mark the “Great Tribulation” culminating
in the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19:11-16) in which Christ shall be
victor, whereupon He will establish his thousand year reign.

6. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust
(Acts 24:15).
a. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent
from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss
they await the first resurrection (Rapture), when spirit, soul, and body
are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43;
II Cor. 5:8; Phill. 1:23; 3:21; I Thess. 4: 16,17; Rev. 20:4-6).
b. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain after death, in
conscious torment, until the second resurrection, when the body and
soul reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment,
and shall be cast in the lake of fire, not to be annihilated,
but to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48;
Luke 16:19-26: II Thess. 1:7-9: Jude 6:7; Rev. 20:11-15).

7. We believe that Satan is a fallen angel, that he is the unholy god
of this world, and the author of all the powers of darkness. He is the
enemy of God, Christ, all mankind, and God’s angels (Matt. 4:1-11;
13; I Peter 5:8; John 14:30). We believe that He is destined to the
Judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire, (Rev. 20:10).

8. We believe that all in this dispensation who have been saved by
the new birth are members of the church, the Body of Christ, that
Christ is the Head (Col. 1:18) and we are members of His body,
(I Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 5:25-32). We believe every saved individual
should unite with a local visible church which is a congregation of
baptized believers (I Cor. 1:2, Acts 2:41-47), associated by local
church covenant in the faith and fellowship governed by His laws
(Matt. 28:20) of the Gospel, observing the ordinance of Christ
(I Cor. 11:2); exercising the gifts and privilege invested in them by
His word; that its only scriptural officers are Pastors and Deacons,
those qualifications, claims and duties are defined in the epistles to
Timothy (especially I Tim. 3:1-13, II Tim. 4:1-5) and Titus
(especially1:5-9). We believe in the principle of separation of church
and state (Matt. 22:21).

9. We believe that the ordinances of the church are baptism, which is
the immersion in water of the saved individual, in the name of the
Father, of the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19,20; Acts 2:14, 46,
47), thus portraying the saved individual’s union with Christ in his
death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:3,4), and the Lord’s Supper
which is a provision of bread, representing Christ’s broken body, and
the cup, representing His shed blood, partaken by all born again
believers in fellowship with Him, commemorating the death of their
Lord, showing their faith and participating in the merits of His
sacrifice, and their dependence on Him for spiritual life. It is to be
preceded by faithful self-examination (I Cor. 11:23, 24).

10. We believe that we should be active in the support of world-wide
missions, both at home and abroad, and that our support should be to
missions which have as their supreme motive the winning of souls to
Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-20) and the accomplishment of that through
the local church.

11. We believe that every saved individual should faithfully give of
his income to God for spreading of the gospel. God owns all that we
have (Col. 1:1-16); we are His stewards (I Cor. 4:1, 2); our giving is
not to be as unto men (Matt. 6:1-4), but as an act of worship to God,
(I Cor. 16:1-3).

12. We believe that God gives spiritual gifts for service to all
believers (Romans 12: 6-8; I Corinthians 12: 4-11; Ephesians 4: 11-
16). We believe that the apostolic age of signs and the gifts of
healing and tongues ceased with the ministry of the apostles chosen
personally by Christ and with the completion of the written Word of
God. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or
necessary sign of the baptism nor of the filling of the Spirit. The gifts
which remain are sufficient for the ministry and the perfecting of the
Church today. We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer
of faith, according to His will, for the sick and afflicted
(James 5:14, 15.)

13. Human Sexuality is a wonderful gift from God, sexual intimacy is
to be expressed between a man and a woman within the commitment
and love of a martial relationship. (Genesis 2: 24-25; Proverbs 5:18;
I Corinthians 7:5; I Thessalonians 4:3-5; Hebrews 13:4.)
Therefore, we believe that any other form of sexual intimacy is both
immoral and a perversion of God’s perfect gift. (Leviticus 18:1-30;
Proverbs 6:32; I Corinthians 6:18; Roman 1:26-27.)

14. We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural,
literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of
life which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages.
These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely
ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His
purpose. Three of these dispensations–the law, the church, and
the kingdom–are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture.
(Gen. 1:28; I Corn. 9:17; II Corn. 3: 9-18; Gal. 3: 13-25;
Eph. 1:10, 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25,27; Rev.20: 2-6.)

15. We believe in the autonomy of the local Church. The
Scriptures have established a form of function and government for
the local Churches to be autonomous. As a autonomous local
Church, we believe in maintaining the purity of the doctrinal beliefs
contained in our articles of faith. We believe in separation from those
whose teachings are contrary to our doctrinal integrity. However, we
are not against distributing funds through an organization for a
particular purpose, as long as the funds do not go in support of
expanding false teachings. ( I Tim. 3:1-13,Titus 1:5-9, Acts 14:23,
15: 2; Rom. 16:17; Eph. 4:14. I Tim. 1:3, 4:6, Tit. 1:9; II John 1:9-10.)