BELIEFS
Purpose
The purpose of this church is to glorify the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the salvation of souls, the edification of Christians through the teaching of God's Word, the worldwide proclamation of the Gospel, the defense of "the faith once delivered," and cooperation with Christian activity functioning in harmony with the Bible, until the Lord Himself shall come.
The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed (II Tim. 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:20, 21; Matt. 5:18; John 16:12, 13).
The Godhead
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; II Cor. 13:14).
The Person and Work of Christ
a. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1, 2, 14; Luke 1:35).
b. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Rom. 3:24, 25; I Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5).
c. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9, 10; Heb. 9:24, 7:25; Rom. 8:34; I John 2:1, 2).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
a. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; II Cor. 3:6; I Cor. 12:12-14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13, 14).
b. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth; and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (John 16:13; I John 2:20, 27; Eph. 5:18).
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and, that man is totally depraved, and , of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:26, 27; Rom. 3:22, 23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3, 12).
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 2:8-10; John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; I Peter 1:18-19).
The Eternal Salvation and Assurance of Believers
a. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus safe in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38, 39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Peter 1:5).
b. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation, through the testimony of God's Word; which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13, 14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
The Two Natures of the Believer
We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit; and that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural (Rom. 6:13; 8:12, 13; Gal. 5:16-25; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:10; I Peter 1:14-16; I John 3:5-9).
Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded of God (II Tim. 3:1-5; Rom. 12:1, 2; 14:13; I John 2:15-17; II John vss. 9-11; II Cor. 6:14 - 7:1).
Missions
We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:19, 20).
The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
a. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and, that the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today; and, that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament scriptures were completed and their authority became established (I Cor. 12:4-11; II Cor. 12:12; Eph. 4:7-12).
b. We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; I John 5:14, 15).
The Church
a. We believe that the Church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born again persons of this present age (Eph. 1:22, 23; 5:25-27; I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 11:2).
b. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
c. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 6:1, 4; I Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4).
d. We recognize the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord's Supper as a scriptural means of testimony for the church in this age (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 2:41, 42; 18:8; I Cor. 11:23-26).
Dispensationalism
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 divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according tot His purpose. Three of these - the age of law, the age of the Church, and the age of the millennial kingdom - are the subjects of detailed revelation in scripture (John 1:17; I Cor. 9:17; II Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10; 3:2-10; Col. 1:24, 25; Heb. 7:19; Rev. 20:2-6).
The Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the fall, that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6, 7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).
The Second Advent of Christ
We believe in that "Blessed Hope," the personal, imminent, pre-tribulational and pre-miillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for his redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to earth, with His saints, to establish His Millennial Kingdom (I Thess. 4:13-18; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-6; I Thess. 1:10; 5:9; Rev. 3:10).
The Eternal State
a. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25, 26; Rev. 20:5, 6, 12, 13).
b. 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, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Rev. 20:4-6; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I Thess. 4:16, 17).
c. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and too be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; Matt. 25:41-46; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude vss. 6, 7; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 20:11-15).
Church Covenant
Having been born again by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and being justified on the ground of His shed blood, and having confessed our faith before men, we do now in the presence of God and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as in one body with Christ.
We engage, therefore, by the power of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in holiness, knowledge, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.
We also engage to maintain family and personal devotions; to educate our children in the Word of His grace; and to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances.
We engage, too, by the grace and power of God, that as strangers and pilgrims we will abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul; that we will put away from us all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking and be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake have forgiven us.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; and to aid each other in sickness and distress.
We moreover engage that, should we move from this place, we will, as soon as possible, unite with another church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.