We accept the Holy Scriptures as our final authority in all matters of faith and practice, and adopt the following as our interpretation of Bible Doctrine.
I. THE SCRIPTURES – We believe that the Holy Bible (the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments) was written by men who were supernaturally inspired; that it is truth without any mixture of error and therefore is, and shall remain the only complete and to the end of the age, final revelation of the will of God. We believe that God has divinely preserved His Word in the Authorized King James Version of the Bible. II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21; Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 12:6-7; Psalm 119:140.
II. CREATION – We believe the Genesis account of creation, and that what you believe about your origin will determine your philosophy of life. We believe creation was an instantaneous and miraculous act of God performed in six literal 24-hour days. We believe man was created in the image of God and all reproduction was “after his kind.” Genesis 1:1; Genesis 1:21, 24-27; Colossians 1:16-17; Job 26:7; Psalm 33:6-9; John 1:3.
III. TRINITY – We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; Matthew 3:16-17; II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:10, 26; Philippians 2:6; I Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 2:9; John 10:30.
IV. DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST – We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, as demonstrated by His character, His miracles, His influence, His power to forgive sins and to set people free from Satan, according to the Holy Scriptures. Jesus Christ is revealed in the Holy Scriptures, as God manifested in the flesh because He claimed to be, died making this claim, and arose victorious over death. Matthew 26:63, 64; John 1:1; John 10:30; Hebrews 1:6-8; I John 5:20; Mark 14:61, 62.
V. VIRGIN BIRTH – We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner; He was born of Mary, a virgin, as no other person was ever born or can ever be born of a woman. He is both the Son of God and God the Son. Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:27-35; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25.
VI. SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH OF CHRIST – We believe that Jesus took the sinner’s place, and bore His sins through a substitutionary death for all mankind. Jesus satisfied the law, becoming our accepted substitute. His righteousness is imputed to us by faith, and so we through Him are justified before God. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Isaiah 53:5; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 3:18; I John 1:7; Isaiah 53:10-12; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:12-28.
VII. SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH – 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. John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-13; Titus 3:5-8.
VIII. HEAVEN AND HELL – We believe that Heaven and Hell are literal physical places. Heaven is a place of beauty and glory, just as Hell is a place of torment and punishment. Heaven is the final eternal dwelling place of the saved, and Hell is a place of eternal punishment of the unsaved. Matthew 6:20; Luke 10:20; John 14:2; Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:19-31; II Peter 2:4; Revelation 20:14-15; Matthew 25:41.
IX. DEPRAVITY – Man is inherently wicked, corrupt, and all are under sin. We believe that man was created in the image of God, but fell through sin, bringing not only physical death, but also spiritual death, separation from God. Now all mankind is totally depraved, having inherited a sinful nature through Adam, bent toward sinning, and is sinful in thought, word, and deed. Romans 3:10-23; Romans 5:12-21; Romans 6:23; Psalm 14:3; Genesis 3:6-19; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Jeremiah 17:9; Genesis 6:5, 8:21.
X. HOLY SPIRIT – We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person equal with God the Father and God the Son; that He was active in the creation; that He convicts, seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer. Therefore these ministries of the Holy Spirit happen instantaneously to the believing sinner at salvation. We believe the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. I Corinthians 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22; 14:33; John 14:16-17; John 16:7-15; Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19; Romans 8; John 15:26; Hebrews 2:3-4.
XI. SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD – We believe that all the saved are called into a life of separation from all worldly and sinful practices. A person, once he has truly accepted Christ as Savior, is a new creation in Christ and should live a holy, consecrated life, in obedience to the command of God. Romans 12:1-2; I John 2:15-17; II Corinthians 6:14-18; I Peter 2:9; I Peter 1:14-16; II Corinthians 5:17; II Timothy 2:19.
XII. RAPTURE AND THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST – We believe in that “blessed hope,” the personal, imminent return of Christ who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return, with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel. Psalm 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-11; I Thessalonians 1:10; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6.
XIII. BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER – We believe there are two ordinances of the local church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Scriptural baptism is total immersion in water, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, administered by the authority of a New Testament Church and is prerequisite to church membership and participation in the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial ordinance of the local church members. The members of this local church, by the sacred use of unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine (grape juice), are to commemorate together the dying love of Christ. This is a local church ordinance. Non-church members do not participate. I Corinthians 11:17-34; Acts 8:38; Mark 1:9-10; Acts 2:41-42; 19:1-7; Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 26:26-30; Matthew 3:16; I Peter 3:21.
XIV. SATAN – We believe in the personality of Satan; that he is the god of this world, blinding “the minds of them which believe not.” We believe that Satan was once holy, and enjoyed heavenly honors; but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of angels. Satan is the author of all false religions, of apostasy, and the ruler of the powers of darkness. However, he is destined to final defeat at the hands of God’s own Son, and to judgment of an eternal justice in Hell, a place prepared for him and his angels. Matthew 4:2-11; Revelation 20:1-3; II Corinthians 4:3-4; I Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:10; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 25:41; Job 1:6-7; John 8:44; Revelation 12:3-12.
XV. RESURRECTION – We believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and that He arose bodily the third day from the tomb according to the Scriptures, and ascended bodily into Heaven. Through His resurrection a sure hope of immortality and everlasting life is given to all who have been saved by His grace. He is now seated at the right hand of God as our “Mediator, Merciful, and Faithful High Priest, and Advocate.” John 20:1-29; I Corinthians 15:12-28; Luke 24:1-7; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2; Acts 1:9-10.
XVI. ETERNAL SECURITY – We believe in the eternal security of all those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation. When a person is saved (born again) they receive everlasting life, which cannot be taken away. God’s children are kept by the power of God through faith unto eternal salvation and sealed unto the day of redemption. John 10:27-30; I Peter 1:5; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:35-39; John 5:24; Philippians 1:6; John 6:37-40; John 3:16; I John 5:10-13; Romans 8:1-2; 14-17.
XVII. SOUL WINNING AND MISSIONS – We believe that the Great Commission to evangelize the world was given to the church by our risen Lord, and that this evangelization is the mission of the church. The Great Commission was given to the local church that was commanded to “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Christ commanded His church to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; John 20:21; Acts 1:8.
XVIII. SANCTIFICATION – We believe that sanctification is a personal separation from things that are unclean to things that are holy, clean, and sacred; that it is a progressive work begun at regeneration; that it is carried on in the hearts of the believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The sanctification of the believer will be complete at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then, and only then will we be sanctified wholly: body, soul and spirit. I Thessalonians 5:23; 4:1-10; I Corinthians 6:11; II Peter 3:18; II Corinthians 3:18; II Thessalonians 2:13; Romans 8:5; 12:1-2.
XIX. LOCAL CHURCH – We believe that a scriptural church is a local visible assembly of baptized believers, covenanted together under New Testament law for the purpose of carrying out the Great Commission, with an unbroken history from the personal ministry of Jesus on earth to this present day; that this church is a self-governed independent body having Christ as the head, the Holy Spirit for its guide, and the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice. The only scriptural officers of the church are the pastor and deacons. The two ordinances of the local church are Baptism and Lord’s Supper. On all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, etc., the will of the local church is final. Mark 16:15; Ephesians 1:22-23; I Timothy 3; Titus 1; Acts 20:17-20; Ephesians 3:21; Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1; I Corinthians 3:9; 5:4-7; I Peter 5:1-4.
XX. HUMAN SEXUALITY – We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery or pornography is sinful perversion of God’s gift of sex. Genesis 2:24; 19:5,13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; I Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4; I Kings 15:11-12.
XXI. ABORTION – We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexposed taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well being of the mother are acceptable. Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1,5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44; Proverbs 6:16-17.
XXII. LAWSUITS BETWEEN BELIEVERS – We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. I Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32.
XXIII. CIVIL GOVERNMENT – We believe that civil government is of Divine appointment for the interest and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed, except only in matters opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, as revealed through the Scriptures, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Romans 13:7; II Samuel 23:3; I Peter 2:13-14; Acts 5:29; Daniel 3:17-18; Matthew 22:21.
XXIV. GIVING – We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to support the Church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:17-18; I John 3:17; Malachi 3:8-10.
