Doctrinal Statement

INTRODUCTION:


In light of the present apostasy in professed Christianity in which so many are departing from Biblical teaching, we feel the necessity to make the following doctrinal state­ment which we believe are consistent with the teachings of God's eternal Word. As a Church, we require all it's members to be in agreement with this statement.
 

SECTION 1 - THE HOLY SCRIPTURES


We believe that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, were written by holy men of old as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Their writ­ings were supernaturally given word for word by God and are free from all error. God has preserved His Word for all ages, and has given us an accurate record of His Word for our present day and language through the Authorized or King James Version of the Bible. We believe the Scriptures are the final and complete revelation of the will of God to man, and are the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried. (2 Tim.3:1617; 2 Peter 1:21)
 

SECTION 2 - GOD, THE FATHER


WE believe in the one true God, the creator and supreme ruler of heaven and earth, who in essence is a spirit. He is perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power. He exists eternally in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt.28:18-30; 1 John 5:7). We believe that God created the universe in six literal 24-hour days, and reject evolution, the Day-Age theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen.1-2; Exod.20:11)
 

SECTION 3 - GOD, THE SON


We believe that Jesus Christ is God manifested to man in the flesh. He is the eternal son of God, and equal in power and glory to God the Fa­ther. He willingly took upon Himself our human nature. Being conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary, He died upon the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sin of the world. He rose from the dead with a glorified body and ascended into Heaven, where He is now inter­ceding as our High Priest. We believe His second coming to be literal, bodily, personal, and visible. The dead in Christ shall rise first, the living saints shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David and Christ shall reign a thousand years on the throne of David until He hath put all enemies under His feet. (John 1:1; 8:46; 2 Pet.2:21-22; Eph.1:7; Phil.2:6-11)
 

SECTION 4 - GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT


We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person; equal with and of the same nature as God the Father, and God the Son. The work and ministry of the Holy Spirit involves the restraining of Satan; Convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He leads men toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ unto salvation; baptizes all believers, and gives them His own nature. He indwells, seals, guides, teaches, witness­es, sanctifies, and comforts, all believers. It is the privilege and duty of all Christians to be filled (controlled) by the Holy Spirit. (John 14-16; Eph.­1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18)

We believe the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to every believer for the purpose of edify­ing the local church. We believe the sign gifts given in the New Testament (Speaking in tongues, Apostles, healing, etc.) were temporary, and were never the common or necessary signs of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. The deliverance of the body from sickness and death will not be known until the great resurrection day, though God fre­quently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physi­cal healing. (Rom.12:3-8, 1 Cor.1:22; 13:8; 14:21-40)
 

SECTION 5 - SATAN / ANGELS


We believe that Satan is a created being who once was holy and enjoyed the Heavenly honor as one of the highest angels in Heaven. Because of his pride, he was cast out of Heaven, and took with him one third of the angels of Heaven being sealed unto eternal damnation. Satan is now the prince of the power of the air, the god of this world, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. His destiny is final defeat at the hands of Jesus, and the judgment of eternal justice in the lake of fire. (Isa.14:12-15; Ezek­.28:12-19; Rev.20:2,7­,10)

The angels of Heaven which chose not to follow Satan were sealed unto eternal holiness, and continual service to our God, for which they were originally created. We will stand with them be­fore Christ throughout all eternity. (Rev.5:9-14)
 

SECTION 6 - MAN


We believe that man was created as the crown of God's creation, and given dominion over all the works of creation. He was created with an eternal soul and made morally and physi­cally perfect in the image of God. Man voluntarily disobeyed God and fell into sin and is now lost, spiritually dead, totally depraved in his natural state. (Gen.1:26; 3:7-10; Rom.5:12)
 

SECTION 7 - SALVATION


We believe that salvation is wholly of grace through the finished work of Jesus Christ the Son of God; who by His death and shed blood made atonement for our sins, bearing them in His own body on the Cross. He arose bodily from the grave showing Himself alive to His disciples and others, then ascended up to Heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God as our faithful, interceding high Priest, and judge. (1 Cor.15, Heb.4­:14-16)

We believe that in order for sinners to be saved they must be born again by the Holy Spirit of God. This is not accom­plished by works or self-righteousness; but through a conscious real­ization of our sins penalty, Christ's sacrifice, and a person­al acceptance and repentance toward God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When a person is saved, the Holy Spirit indwells them and makes them a new creation in Christ. There is a definite change that takes place in their soul, which is revealed by their changed life and works. (John 3:3-8, Eph.2:8-10)

We believe Salvation is an eternal gift of God; that is, it can never be lost or taken away. We are fully forgiven and declared righteous in the eyes of God at the moment of salvatio­n, and sealed for all eternity. We realize this doctrine is basic and essential to true Christianity, and will recognize any false presentation of the Gospel as the work of Satan. (John 6:37-40; Gal.1:6-9)
 

SECTION 8 - THE CHURCH


We believe that the Church (or New Testament assembly), which is joined together as the body of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons. The Bride of Christ includes all the saved, and will be assembled at the time of the rapture which is the first resurrection (this assembly will not be the same in nature or purpose as the New Testament assembly). The preeminence and establishment of local Churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament. These Churches are to be self governing and free from any outside control or authority. Local Church member­ship consists of persons who have shown evidence of personal salva­tion, followed the Lord in water baptism, and have submitted themselves to the authority and doctrine of that local Church. There are two ordinances given by Christ to be practiced in the local Church: water baptism, and the Lord's table. The work of the ministry, the fellowship and edifica­tion of believers, and the evangelism of the world are the responsibility and the central purpose of the local Church. (Acts 2:41-47, Mat.18:18-30, Eph­.1:22-23; 4:10-13)
 

SECTION 9 - THE ETERNAL STATE


We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men; the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to eternal damnation. The souls of the saved, at death, are absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrec­tion, when Spirit, Soul, and Body will be reunited to be glori­fied forever with the Lord. The souls of the unsaved, at death, remain in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (John 3:36, 1 Cor.15:50-57, 2 Cor.5:8, Rev.20­:11-21:8)
 

SECTION 10 - LAST THINGS


We believe that at any moment the Lord will return to catch away His Bride, which is made up of all born again believers both living and dead in Christ. No man can know the time of this the first resurrection. After the rapture of the believers, will come the seven years of tribula­tion in which God will pour out His wrath on the unbelieving world. This time will be marked by unrestrained wickedness, the man of sin or "anti­christ" being revealed, and Israel as a nation turning back to God. At the close of the tribula­tion, Satan will be bound for 1,000 years and the saints will reign with Christ. Satan will then be loosed for the time of his final judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment will then take place. God will create a new Heaven and earth where we who are saved will live eternally with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (1 Thes.4:16-18, 2 Thes.­2:1-7, Rev.20-22)
 

SECTION 11 - SEPARATION


We believe in Biblical separation which applies to three areas: 1) Governmental (State) separation. The State cannot license or dictate to the Church matters of faith and practice and obedience to God's Word. Nor does the Church dictate to the State matters of governing it's people. 2) Eccle­siastical (Church) separation. The Bible clearly instructs us to oppose and separate ourselves from all forms of apostasy and heresy. We reject the unscriptural philosophy of the modern ecumenical movement (joining of all churches into one body regardless of doctrinal differences). 3) Personal Separation (holiness). In separating ourselves unto God, we are separating ourselves apart from the world. As Christians, we are to pattern our thinking and conduct according to God's standard of holiness rather than the trends, philosophies, and styles set by the world. (2Cor.6:14-18, 1Pet.2:7-16)
 

SECTION 12 - CIVIL GOVERNMENT


We believe that God has created all authority and has established three basic institutions to administer His authority: 1) The Home, 2) The Church, and 3) The Government or State. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and are to be governed by His Word. No institution has the right to infringe upon the other. (Rom. 13:1-7)
 

SECTION 13 - DIVORCE & REMARRIAGE


We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses die. Divorce is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the Church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the office of Pastor or Deacon. (Mat.19:3-12; Rom.7:1-3; 1 Tim.3:2­,12)
 

SECTION 14 - HUMAN SEXUALITY


We believe that God has command­ed that no intimate sexual activi­ty should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We be­lieve that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexual, bestiality, incest, fornication, adul­tery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. (Gen.2­:24-25, Lev.18, Rom.1­:26-29)
 

SECTION 15 - ABORTION


We believe that human life begins at concep­tion and that the unborn child is a living human being. The purposeful ending of that life is therefore murder. (Psa.139:13-16)

 

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