|
Article I: PURPOSE
The purpose of this church is to evangelize the lost at home and abroad, to edify Christians through the teaching of God's Word, to promote Godly worship, to defend "the faith once delivered unto the saints", and in everything, to glorify God.
Article II:
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
Paragraph A:
Inspiration
of
Scriptures
We accept
fully the
writings of
the Old and
New
Testaments
as the very
Word of God,
verbally
inspired in
all parts
and
therefore
wholly
without
error,
altogether
sufficient
in
themselves
as our only
infallible
and
authoritative
rule of
faith and
practice.
(Matthew
5:18; John
10:35;
17:17; 2
Timothy
3:16; 2
Peter 1:21)
Paragraph
B: Trinity;
Section
1. GOD
We believe
in one God
who is
spirit,
sovereign,
infinite,
holy,
loving, all
wise, and
all
powerful. He
is
self-existent
in three
distinct
eternal
persons...the
Father, the
Son, and the
Holy Spirit.
(Mark 12:29;
John 4:24;
John 14:9;
Psalm 135:6;
18:30;
147:5;
Deuteronomy
33:27;
Genesis 1:1;
Matthew
28:19; 2
Corinthians
13:14)
Section
2. JESUS
CHRIST
We believe
in the deity
of Jesus
Christ, Who
without any
change in
His divine
person,
became man
by the
miracle of
the virgin
birth. He
will
continue
forever as
both true
God and true
man, one
person with
two natures.
As man, He
was tempted
in all
points as we
are, yet
without sin;
as the Lamb
of God, He
suffered the
full penalty
of divine
wrath, and
died in our
stead. After
three days,
He arose
bodily from
the grave
and ascended
into Heaven.
There, as
our Great
High Priest,
He appears
before the
face of God
interceding
for us.
(John 1:1;
John 3:16;
John 1:14;
John 1:29;
John 9:46;
John
20:25-28;
Titus 2:13:
Romans 9:5;
Matthew
1:23;
Matthew
20:28; 1
Corinthians
2:9;
Revelation
22:16;
Hebrews
4:15;
Hebrews
9:24; Isaiah
53:5,6;
Galatians
3:13; 1 John
2:1)
Section
3. THE HOLY
SPIRIT
We believe
the Holy
Spirit is
the divine
agent in
nature,
revelation,
and
redemption.
He convicts
the world
concerning
sin,
righteousness,
and
judgment. He
regenerates,
indwells,
baptizes,
seals, and
anoints all
who become
children of
God through
Christ. He
further
empowers,
guides,
teaches,
sanctifies,
and fills
believers
who daily
surrender to
Him. (Acts
5:3,4;
Genesis 1:2;
Psalm
104:30; 1
Corinthians
2:10; 1
Corinthians
6:19; ; 1
Corinthians
12:13; ; 1
Corinthians
6:11; 2
Corinthians
3:18; John
6:8-11; John
14:26; 3:5;
Ephesians
4:30; 3:16;
Romans 8:14;
John 14:26)
Paragraph
C: Man
We believe
all men are,
by nature
and choice,
sinful and
lost. Adam
was the
direct
creation of
God, made in
His image
and not by
process of
evolution.
By personal
disobedience
to God, Adam
became a
sinful
creature and
the father
of a fallen
race which
is
universally
sinful in
both nature
and practice
and thus
alienated
from the
life and
family of
God. Under
the
righteous
judgment and
wrath of
God, man has
within
himself no
possible
means of
salvation.
(Genesis
1:26:28;
Genesis 2:7,
18-24;
Genesis
3:1-24; 5:3;
Matthew
19:4; 1
Thessalonians
5:23;
Ephesians
2:3; 4:18;
Romans 3:23;
5:12; John
8:42-44)
Paragraph
D: Salvation
We believe
salvation is
the free
gift of God,
neither
merited nor
secured in
part or in
whole by any
virtue or
work of man,
but received
only by
personal
faith in the
Lord Jesus
Christ. In
Him all
believers
have as a
present
possession,
the gift of
eternal
life, making
them
children in
the family
of God and
giving them
deliverance
and security
from all
condemnation.
(Romans
6:23; Romans
4:4,5;
Romans
11:16; Titus
3:5-8; John
6:28,29;
John 5:24;
John
10:27-30;
Acts
16:30,31;
4:12;
Ephesians
2:8-10; 1
John 5:13;
Galatians
3:26; 2
Peter 1:3)
Paragraph
E: Works
We believe
in righteous
living, not
as a means
of salvation
in any
sense, but
as its
proper
evidence.
Therefore,
we should
obey the
Word of our
Lord,
seeking
things which
are above
and walking
as He
walked. We
should
conscientiously
accept our
responsibility
of bearing
the Gospel
to a lost
world;
remembering
that every
spiritual
resource
needed for
life and
godliness is
available as
we implement
the great
commission.
(1 John
3:9-11; 1
John 4:19; 1
John 2:6; 1
John 5:4;
Ephesians
2:10; Titus
2:14; 3:8; 2
Corinthians
5:19; Romans
12:1,2)
Paragraph
F: Satan
We believe
that Satan
was
originally
created
holy, but as
a result of
pride, he
rebelled
against God.
He then
became an
utterly
depraved
leader of
evil angels
and spirits
and the
deceiver and
god of this
present
world. His
powers,
though vast,
are strictly
limited by
God. He was
defeated and
judged at
the cross,
and
therefore
his final
doom is
certain. We
are able to
resist and
overcome him
only in the
armor of
God, by the
blood of the
Lamb, and
through the
power of the
Holy Spirit.
(Ezekiel
28:13-17;
Isaiah
14:13,14; 1
Timothy 3:7;
John 8:44;
Matthew
4:1-11;
Matthew
12:24-26;
Matthew
25:41; Luke
22:31,32;
Ephesians
6:12-18; 2
Corinthians
4:4; Job
1:1-22;
Revelation
12:10;
Revelation
20:10)
Paragraph
G: The
Rapture of
the Church
We believe
the rapture
is the
blessed hope
for which we
should
constantly
watch, the
time being
unrevealed
but always
imminent. At
this event,
Christ will
remove His
church from
the earth
and then
pour out the
righteous
judgments of
God upon the
unbelieving
world in a
period of
time known
as the
tribulation.
(Titus
2:11-13; 1
Thessalonians
4:16-18; 1
Corinthians
15:24-28)
Paragraph
H: The
Second
Coming of
Christ
We believe
Christ will
return in a
body and
will be
visible.
This event
will follow
the
tribulation
when Christ
will descend
with His
church and
establish a
glorious and
literal
kingdom over
all nations
for a
thousand
years. (Acts
1:8-11;
Daniel
7:13,14;
Revelation
19:14;
Revelation
20:4-6; 2
Thessalonians
1:3-10)
Paragraph
I: The
Future Life,
Bodily
Resurrection,
and Eternal
Judgment
We believe
the souls of
the saved at
death go
immediately
to be with
Christ in
Heaven and
their works
shall be
brought
before the
judgment
seat of
Christ for
the
determination
of rewards
which will
take place
at the time
when Christ
comes for
His own. We
believe the
souls of the
unsaved at
death
descend
immediately
into Hades
where they
are kept
under
punishment
until the
final day of
the Great
White Throne
Judgment at
which time
their bodies
will be
raised from
the grave,
judged, and
cast into
the Lake of
Fire, the
place of
final and
everlasting
punishment.
(Philippians
1:21-23;
Philippians
3:20,21; 2
Corinthians
5:8; 1
Corinthians
15:35-58; 1
Corinthians
3:8-15; 1
John 3:2;
Luke
16:19-31;
Revelation
20:11-15;
Mark
9:43-48;
Jude 13)
Paragraph
J: The
Priesthood
of the
Believer
We believe
Christ is
our great
high priest
and through
Him every
born again
person has
direct
access into
God's
presence
without the
need of any
other
intercessor.
Every
believer has
the right
and
responsibility
to study and
interpret
the
Scriptures
guided by
the Holy
Spirit and
to offer up
spiritual
sacrifices.
(Hebrews
4:14; 1
Peter 2:5,9;
1 John 2:1)
Paragraph
K: The Local
Church
We believe a
New
Testament
church is a
local
assembly of
born again,
baptized
believers
united in
organization
to keep New
Testament
ordinances,
to meet
together for
worship,
prayer,
fellowship,
and
instruction,
to present
to the world
a united
testimony,
and to
actively
engage in
carrying out
the great
commission.
We believe
that each
New
Testament
church is
free to
govern
itself
without
ecclesiastical
interference,
though it
should
cooperate
with other
churches of
like faith
as the Holy
Spirit
leads. The
local church
is directly
accountable
to God. We
also believe
in the
separation
of church
and state,
with each
having
definite and
distinct
spheres of
responsibility.
(Acts
2:41-47;
Acts 14:27;
Acts 20:17;
Matthew
22:17-22;
Matthew
28:19-20; 1
Corinthians
12:27; 1
Timothy
3:1-13;
Hebrews
10:25)
Paragraph
L: The
Ordinances
We believe
Christ has
commanded
two
ordinances:
baptism and
the Lord's
Supper.
Baptism is
by immersion
of believers
only, both
identifying
the believer
with Christ
and
portraying
the death,
burial, and
resurrection
of Jesus
Christ. The
Lord's
Supper is
the
partaking of
the bread
and cup by
the believer
as a
continuing
memorial of
the broken
body and
shed blood
of Jesus
Christ.
(Matthew
28:20;
Romans
6:3,4; 1
Corinthians
11:23-32)
Top
| 