We Believe:
EXPANDED & EDITED
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT – 8/7/2013
.......that the Holy
Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the verbally inspired Word of the Living God; that they are inerrant
in the original writings; that the Old and New Testament are to be considered the supreme and final authority
for creation, faith, conduct and all
matters pertaining to this life and the life to come. (Psalm 119:89;
Prov. 3:5; Isa.8:20; Isa. 40:7-8; Matt. 24:35; II Peter 1:19-21; II Timothy
3:16-17).
…… that God has promised to
preserve His true and perfect Word for all generations. We believe that He has fulfilled His promise
by preserving the very words of the inspired
prophets in the Masoretic Hebrew text of the Old Testament canon and the
Textus Receptus (or Byzantine) Greek
text of the New Testament canon. (Psa. 12:6-7; Psa. 19:7-10; 119:89 & 160).
…… that the word-by-word
equivalent of these divinely preserved Hebrew and Greek texts is the King James Version of the Bible,
and that it is the preserved Word of God in the English language. Our conviction is based upon the
historical record of its translation, its accuracy,
its endurance, and its miraculous manifestation of divine
power. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:21; Mat. 24:35; 1 Pet. 1:23; Isa. 40:8, 59:21).
.......that there is one
true God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy
Ghost. ( Genesis 1:1,26; Proverbs
30:4; Isaiah 9:6; 43:3, 10-12, 15;
44:6; 45:5, 11-12; 48:16; Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; John 8:58; 10:30; 17:1-3; Phil.
2:9-11; Col. 1:12-19; I Tim. 3:16; Rev. 1:17-18).
.......that man was
directly created by God in His own image and likeness, but that man sinned and thereby that all human beings
are born with a sinful nature and are now sinners
by birth and by choice, positively inclined to do evil, and are therefore under
just condemnation to eternal ruin
and damnation without defense or excuse. ( Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12-21; Psa. 51:5; I cor. 2:14; Rom.
1:20; Gen. 1:26-27; II Thess. 1:7-9).
.......that 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 as
prophesied in the Old Testament in
order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man as first prophesied in Genesis 3:15; (see also Jn 8:58; Isa.
7:14; Matthew 1:22-23; Jn 14:9; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 2:9).
.......that the Lord Jesus
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as our representative and substitutionary, vicarious
sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are
justified on the ground of His shed blood. (1 Cor. 15:1-4; 2 Cor.
5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; Rom. 5:9; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
.......that without the
shedding of blood there is no remission of sins and that God desires all men to be saved thus, His atonement is
unlimited in its efficacy for all mankind. (Genesis 3:21; Leviticus 17:11; John
3:16-18; 1 Timothy 2:4-6; Hebrews 9:22; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 1:7; 2:2).
.......that our
justification is made sure by His literal, bodily resurrection from the dead. (Rom. 4:24-25; Luke 24:6-7; 1
Cor:15-10-15; Luke 24:38-40).
.......that Jesus Christ
ascended to Heaven and is now exalted and seated at the right hand of the Father, where, as our High Priest,
he fulfills the ministry of Representative,
Intercessor, and Advocate for all who put their faith and trust in Him. ( Heb. 1:1-3; Heb. 7:25; 4:14-16; 1 Jn. 2:1-2).
.......that the return of
Jesus Christ to personally catch away His bride, the church, is imminent, pre-millennial and
pre-tribulational ; this event is called the “blessed hope”. (1 Thess.
4:13-18; Titus 2:13; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11).
.......that the
return of the Lord Jesus Christ to establish His Kingdom on earth is both sure and soon coming; that the second coming
will be a literal, bodily and personal return.
(Zechariah 14; Matt. 24; Rev. 22:20-21; Acts 1:11).
.......that all who receive
by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and are thereby children of God and are
eternally saved and shall never come into condemnation
for sin. While it is the believer’s privilege to rejoice in the assurance
of salvation, it is never the cause
for license or to use our liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (John 3:3-7; Jn.10:27-30; Rom. 8:1;
Gal. 3:24-26; 1 John 5:9-13; Galatians 5:1 & 13).
.......that Satan is
literal and personal, the agent of the fall, the prince and power of this world, and that he has been judged and
shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire. (Isa. 12:12-14; Gen. 3; Rev. 12:9-10; Eph.
2:1-4; John 12:27-32; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8; Rev.20:1-10).
.......that the Holy Spirit
is God and has been revealed as the third Person of the Godhead; and that as a Person He can be resisted,
lied to, grieved, quenched or obeyed. (
Matthew 3:16-17; Acts 5:3-4; Acts
7:51; Eph. 4:30; I Thess. 5:20; Heb. 10:29; Acts 5:32).
.......that the Holy Spirit
is a Person Who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment; that he regenerates, baptizes,
seals, indwells, fills, enlightens, guides and
empowers the believer for godly living and service. ( John 16:7-11; Titus 3:5; I Cor. 12:13; II Cor. 1:21-22; Romans 8:9; Gal.
5:16-18; Eph. 5:18; Eph. 1:17-18; Acts 16:6-7; Acts 1:8).
.......that God gives
spiritual gifts to all believers; that some gifts of the Holy Spirit are permanent and are to be used throughout
this Age; that other gifts were temporary, given to the Jewish Apostles ONLY (Isaiah 28:11-12) for the founding
of the Church and the affirmation
and confirmation of the New Testament Scriptures, that have now been completed as of the last and final Book
of the Revelation. Having fulfilled their purpose these temporary “sign gifts” are not necessary or given today.
These “sign gifts” include the
gifts of Apostleship, prophecy [new
revelation], miracles, tongues and interpretation of tongues. (Eph. 4:8-11; I Cor. 12:1-11;
Rom. 12:4-13; Mark 16:17-18; Heb. 2:4; I Cor. 13:8-13; Acts 1:21-22; I Cor.
9:1; Matt. 12:38-40; I Cor. 1:22; I Cor. 14:22; 2 Tim. 4:20).
.......regarding healing we
believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith according to His own will for the
sick and afflicted in accordance with James 5:13-15. (See also 2 Cor. 12:7-10; 2 Tim. 4:20; 1 John
5:14-15).
.......that the Church is
the body of Christ, of which He is the head; that the body is both total and local in perspective; that the
body which Christ returns for is composed of all born again believers in this present Age; that the Bible
teaches that our goal should always be
winning souls, confirming them in the faith and seeking to establish new local
churches throughout the world; that
each local church is to govern itself, make its own decisions and determine its own procedures in
accordance with the Word of God; that this independence in no way hinders fellowship between fundamental, Bible
believing churches of like faith and
practice. (I Cor. 12:18, 27; Eph.
5:23; I Cor. 12:12; Prov. 11:30; Daniel 12:3; Psalm 126:5-6; Acts 11:22; Acts
14:21-23; Acts 16:5; Titus 1:5).
.......that the local church
has two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and both should be exercised through the ministry
of each local church. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41; I Cor. 11:23-32).
.......that the local
church is a body of baptized believers, assembled for worship, service, and the spread of the Gospel into all the
world. ( Acts 2:41-47; Acts 1:8;
Matt. 28:19-20).
……that “every” local church
is to be autonomous, self-supported, and self-propagating and never to be dependent on other
sources for its maintenance or the spread of the Gospel worldwide. (Titus
1:5; Matthew 28:18-20).
.......that the Scriptures are clear in the financing of
the church through tithes and offerings (sacrificial,
love, faith and grace) of the members of that local assembly both for expenses and expansion of its own ministries and
the furtherance and propagation of the Gospel
worldwide. (Malachi 3:8-12; II Cor. 9:6-15; 8:1-15; I Cor. 16:1-2; Luke
6:38).
.......that immersion is the only form of baptism revealed
and commanded in the Scriptures; that
it has “NO” saving power, but it is only for those who are already saved; and
that the new birth, which comes
through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is the scriptural prerequisite to baptism;
therefore, only those who are old enough to believe for themselves should be baptized immediately upon salvation or as
soon as possible thereafter so as
not to hinder their personal spiritual growth. (John 3:23; Rom. 6:3-5;
Acts 2:38-41; 8:35-38; Acts 9:18;
10:47-48; 16:31-33; Eph. 5:18; Acts 5:32).
.......that the Bible
teaches there are two offices given to the local church and refer to men only, Pastors and Deacons. (I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Acts 6:1-7).
.......that all the saved
are called to separate themselves from all worldly and sinful practices unto a life of holiness to the Lord. ( Rom. 12:1-2; II Cor. 6:14-7:1; James
4:4; I Peter 1:13- 16; I John
2:15-17).
.......that it is the
responsibility of every Christian to strive to maintain purity and unity in spirit, practice and doctrine.
(Psalm 133; Mark 9:38-50; Eph. 4:1-4; II Cor. 7:1; I Tim.4:11-16).
.......that it is the
privilege and responsibility of every redeemed one to be a witness by life and word of the truths of this statement
and to proclaim the Gospel to all the world
beginning at home; that every Christian should seek to lead others to a
saving knowledge of Christ; that
missions is not only soul winning, but also discipleship. (Acts 1:8; Matt:
28:19- 20).
.......that the bodies of
both the just and the unjust shall be raised from the dead to join their souls from either heaven or hell;
that the redeemed in Christ shall enjoy eternal blessedness in the city of our God, the New Jerusalem; that the
sure destiny of the unsaved is the
eternal, conscious punishment in the lake of fire. (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29;
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 1 Thess. 4:16-18; Rev. 20-21).
END OF DOCUMENT
