We are a blessed community of believers that is comprised of people from all walks of life from West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. He has revealed
Himself in nature, and in the Scriptures of the Holy Bible as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: yet as one God. Jesus Christ-He is God's unique Son; the only one of a kind. The Scripture teaches that He is God
revealed in flesh. In His Divine nature He is t
ruly God and in His human nature truly man. He is the One
once crucified for man's sin, the now risen and glorified Savior and Lord who mediates between God and
man and who gives us access to the Father through His intercession. None can come to the Father
unless they come through Him. Holy Spirit--All of the attributes of God are ascribed to the Holy Spirit by the Scriptures. It is He who convicts
and convinces men of their sin. He also convinces man of that which is right, and that a final day of
judgment will come. He, it is, who comes to live in us at conversion, to open our understanding to the
Scripture, and to lead us into the truth. The Bible--God used holy men to write the Scriptures. They are, in both the Old and New Testaments, the
very words God intended us to have. They are, as given by God, without error and are our only rule of faith
and practice. We profit from them by learning the truth about many things: they also speak to us about
wrong doing; they even correct us and get us back on course as well as instructing us in right living. Man--God created man in a state of innocence. Man, being tempted by Satan, yielded and willfully
disobeyed God, becoming a sinner and incurring God's judgment upon sin. All of Adam's descendants
inherit his fallen nature and thus have a natural inclination to sin. When one comes to an age of
accountability, he is guilty of sinning before God and in need of salvation. God's Relationship to His Creatures and Creation-God exercises a wise and benevolent providence over
all beings and things. He maintains the laws of nature and performs special acts as the highest welfare of
mankind and His created order of things require. Salvation--Man receives pardon and forgiveness for his sins when he admits to God that he is a sinner,
when in godly sorrow he turns from them and trusts in the work of Christ as redemption for his sin. This
acceptance of God's great salvation involves belief in Christ's death on the cross as man's substitute and
the fact of God's raising Him from the dead as predicted. It is a salvation by grace alone and not of works. Who Can be Saved?--It is God's will that all be saved, but since man has the power of choice, God saves
only those who repent of their sin and believe in the work of Christ on the cross. Those who refuse in this
life to repent and believe have no later chance to be saved and thus condemn themselves to eternal
damnation by their unbelief. Perseverance--We believe that there are strong grounds to hope that the saved will persevere unto the
end and be saved because of the power of divine grace pledged for their support. We believe that any
saved person who has sinned (whether we call him a backslider or sinner), but has a desire to repent,
may do so and be restored to God's favor and fellowship. Since man, however, continues to have free
choice, it is possible because of temptations and the weakness of human flesh for him to fall into the
practice of sin and to make shipwreck of his faith and be lost. Gospel Ordinances--Free Will Baptists believe the Bible teaches three ordinances for the church to
practice: Baptism in water by immersion, the Lord's Supper, to be perpetuated until His return, and the
Washing of the Saints' feet, an ordinance teaching humility. Resurrection--Free Will Baptists believe the Scriptures teach the resurrection of the bodies of all men,
each in its own order; they that have done good will come forth to the resurrection of life, and they that have
done evil to the resurrection of damnation. Church Government--Free Will Baptist churches enjoy local church autonomy (self-governing). The local
church is the highest authority in the denomination. Local churches voluntarily organize themselves into
quarterly meetings, district, state, and national associations for the purpose of promoting the cause of
Christ on the local, state, district, national, and world-wide level. Christ's Second Coming--The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, who ascended on high and sits at the right
hand of God, will come again to close the Gospel dispensation, glorify His saints, and judge the world. Missions--Free Will Baptists believe that Jesus commanded the church to go into all the world and preach
the Gospel to every creature.
