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DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
THE BIBLE
We believe in
the verbal-plenary inspiration by the Holy Spirit of the Old and New Testaments,
which are completely inerrant in the original writings, infallible, and the
final authority for faith and in practice.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13)
GOD
We believe in
one God, eternally existing in three Persons – The Father, The Son, and The Holy
Spirit – that these three have precisely the same nature, perfections, and
attributes, which make them worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and
obedience. (Matthew 28:18-19; Mark
12:29; John 1:1-2, 14; 4:24; 10:30; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews
1:1-3; Revelation 1:4-6)
THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST
We believe in
His eternal deity, virgin birth, vicarious atonement, bodily resurrection,
present intercession; and in His personal, pre-millennial, pre-tribulational,
and imminent return. (Matthew
1:18-25; Romans 4:25; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10)
THE HOLY
SPIRIT
We believe in
the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit, and that certain ministries have
been committed to Him in this age – (1) to convict the world of sin, of
righteousness, and of judgment, and (2) the regeneration, indwelling,
enlightening, sealing unto the day of redemption, and the baptizing into the one
body of Christ of each of the saved.
(John 3:6; 16:7-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18; 2
Thessalonians 2:7; 1 John 2:20-27)
MAN
We believe
that man was originally created in the image and likeness of God; that he sinned
by disobeying God; that he thereby incurred spiritual death, which is separation
from God; that he thereby became subject to the power of Satan; that this
spiritual death has been transmitted to the entire human race, the man Christ
Jesus being the only exception, so that all are sinners by nature and practice. (Genesis 1:26; 2:17; 6:5; Psalms
14:1-3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:6; 5:40; 6:53; Romans 3:10-19; 8:6-7;
Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 Timothy 5:6; 1 John 3:8)
SALVATION
We believe
that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins vicariously and substitutionally
according to the Scriptures; that our redemption from sin has been accomplished
solely by His blood/death; that He was made to be sin for us, dying in our place
and stead; that no repentance, no feeling, no faith, no good resolutions, no
sincere efforts, no submission to the rules, ordinances or regulations of any
church can add in the least degree to the value of the finished work of Jesus
Christ at Calvary. (Leviticus 17:11;
Isaiah 64:6; Matthew 26:28; John 1:29; 3:5, 18; Romans 3:25-26; 5:6-9; 2
Corinthians 5:14, 21; Galatians 3:13; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 3:4-9;
Titus 3:5; Hebrews 10:5-14; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:18-19, 23)
We believe
that when an unregenerate person exercises that faith in Christ which is
portrayed and described in the New Testament, he passes from spiritual death
into spiritual life; that he is immediately justified from all things; that he
is immediately accepted before the Father as Christ, His Son, is accepted; and
that he is loved by the Father as Christ is loved, having his place and portion
linked to Him, and is one with Him forever.
Salvation is by grace alone, by faith alone in Christ alone. (John 5:24; 17:23; Acts 13:39; Romans
5:1; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23; Ephesians 1:3; 2:8-9; Colossians 2:10; 1 John 4:17;
5:11-12)
ETERNAL
SECURITY OF BELIEVERS
We believe
that every one who is born again is kept by God’s power and is thus secure in
Christ forever; that the assurance of salvation through knowledge of God’s Word
is the privilege of every believer.
(John 5:24; 10:27-30; 13:1; 14:16-17; 17:11; Romans 8:29, 35-39; 1 Corinthians
1:4-8; Galatians 5:13; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Peter 1:5; 1 John 2:1-2; 5:13; Jude 24)
SATAN
We believe in
the personality and subtlety of Satan; that he is the devil, the author of sin,
and the adversary of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the
lake of fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; 2 Corinthians
4:3-4; Revelation 20:2, 10)
THE ETERNAL
STATE
We believe
that the soul and human spirit of those who have believed in the Lord Jesus
Christ for salvation do at death immediately pass into His presence, and there
remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming; when
soul, human spirit, and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in
glory.
But the souls
of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the final judgment
at the Great White Throne at the close of the millennium, when soul and body
reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be
punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the
glory of His power. (Luke 16:19-26;
23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:1:7-9; Jude 6-7;
Revelation 20:11-15)
THE CHURCH
We believe
that the Church, which is now the body and shall be the bride of Christ, is a
spiritual organism made up of born-again persons of this age irrespective of
their affiliation with Christian organizations.
It originated at Pentecost and will be taken away at the rapture. (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27; 1
Corinthians 12:12-14; Colossians 3:14-15)
The Church's ordinances are baptism in water (immersion: Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41)), and the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-32) to be observed until His return.
We believe
that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and
defined in the New Testament. (Acts
14:27; 20:17; 28-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
DISPENSATIONALISM
We believe in
a dispensational method of Bible interpretation, but reject the teaching known
as hyper-dispensationalism, such as that teaching which opposes either the
Lord’s Supper or water baptism as a Scriptural means of testimony for the local
church in this age. We also reject
the teachings of “Progressive Dispensationalism.”
(Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:14-16; 11:23-26)
RESPONSIBILITY OF BELIEVERS
We believe
that every believer is commanded to be filled/controlled by the Holy Spirit,
seeking to walk in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon the Lord Jesus
Christ, witnessing by life and word to the truths of the Bible, seeking to
proclaim the Gospel to all the world, remembering the work of the Lord in
prayer, and supporting it with his means as God has prospered him. (Ephesians 5:17-18; Galatians 5:16;
Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 9:7)
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