Doctrinal Statement
VERBAL INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURES
We believe in the infallible inspired Word of God. We accept the Textus Receptus manuscript as the foundational material from which we derive the King James 1611. The Old and New Testament Scriptures were written by human authors divinely inspired and edited by the Holy Spirit, preserved, unbroken and passed down to us today. (II Timothy 3:16;
John 10:35; II Peter 1:20, 21; Psalm 119:89)
GENESIS ACCOUNT OF 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 a direct act of God, which included literal days, and that it was instantaneous and miraculous. We believe man was created in the image of God and all reproduction was "after their kind.” (Genesis 1:1; Job 26:7; Psalm 33:6, 9; John 1:3; Colossians 1:17)
TRINITY
We believe God is a person, eternally existing. There is one true God existing in the unity of the Godhead. There are three eternal and coequal persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They are the same substance but distinct in subsistence. There is one Godhead made up of three persons who are the same in attributes, power, characteristics and desires. (Romans 1:7; Hebrews 1:8; Acts 5:1-3; Matthew 28:19; I Corinthians 8:6)
DEITY
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God because of His character, His miracles, His influence, His power to forgive sins and set people free from Satan and because He claimed to be and died making this claim and arose victorious over death. (Mark 12:6; John 5:22, 23; Matthew 26:63, 66; John 14:9; John 1:1; Hebrews 1:8; John 20:28; Romans 9:5; I John 5:1-5)
VIRGIN BIRTH
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Ghost and was in miraculous manner born of Mary, a virgin, as no other person was ever born or can ever be born of woman. He is both the Son of God and God the Son. (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:30-35; Isaiah 7:14)
SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH OF CHRIST
Jesus took the saved sinner’s place, bore his sins, and met the penalty through His substitutionary death for all men. Jesus satisfied the law, becoming our accepted substitute. His righteousness, or His right doing, is imputed to us by faith. Therefore, we have through Him kept the law. Instead of merely covering the sins of man, the blood of Christ cleanses man’s sins. (Isaiah 53:5; Acts 20:28; II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:28; I Peter 3:18; Matthew 26:28)
SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH
The sacrifice made by Jesus is the only basis of salvation, the only means of reconciliation, and the only ground of justification. We believe that no man cometh to God except through Jesus Christ. We hold and believe many important truths, but the most important to every individual is the personal salvation of his own soul. God’s order is salvation and then works. (Acts 4:12; I Thessalonians 5:9; Hebrews 5:9; John 12:46; John 20:31; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:9, 10; Titus 3:5-8)
HEAVEN AND HELL
We believe that Heaven and Hell are real, literal, and physical places. Heaven is a place of indescribable beauty and glory, just as Hell is a place of indescribable torment and punishment. Throughout all eternity Heaven is the final eternal dwelling place of the saved, and Hell is the final eternal dwelling place of punishment of the lost including total separation from God. (Matthew 6:20; Luke 10:20; John 14:2; Daniel 7:10; Isaiah 33: 14; Matthew 13:42; Mark 9:41; Revelation 14:10)
DEPRAVITY
By nature, man is wicked and corrupt. All are under sin. Romans 3:10 proves that all are alike under sin in an unregenerate condition. (Genesis 6:5; Job 15:16; Psalm 14:3; Isaiah 1:6; Jeremiah 16:12; Matthew 23:27; Mark 9:41; Romans 1:24; II Peter 2:12)
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is not the author of confusion concerning the tongues movement of this church age. The Holy Spirit ministers to the Christian. He regenerates, baptizes (not with water), indwells, seals, and fills the believing sinner. The believer does not get more of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit more of the believer. Therefore, these ministries of the Holy Spirit happen instantaneously to the believing sinner. They all occur by faith and are not in the least dependent upon one’s personal emotional feelings at the time. (I Corinthians 14:33; Titus 3:5; Romans 5:3-4; Acts 2:4; I Corinthians 3:16; II Corinthians 1:22)
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 accepted Christ as Saviour, is a new creation in Christ and should live a holy consecrated life. He should separate himself from the world and all its lust in obedience to the command of God. (Romans 12:1-2; I John 2:15-17; II Corinthians 6:14-18; Colossians 2:6; I Peter 2:9; II Corinthians 5:17; II Timothy 2:19)
RAPTURE AND SECOND COMING
The Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, is coming in the air at any moment to catch up as many as receive Him as Savior. The saved of all ages will stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ and enjoy the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. We believe in the personal, bodily, visible, premillemnnial return (second coming) of Christ. Those left behind will go through a period called the Tribulation, after which Christ, Himself, shall return to the earth, visible in body, to set up His kingdom of one thousand years of righteous rule. After this the unbelievers of all ages will stand at the Great White Throne to be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire, separated from God forever, while the believers spend eternity in the fullness of joy in Heaven with the Lord. (Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:16-18; Revelation 19:11; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 24:42; Matthew 25:31-34)
BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER
We believe there are two ordinances of the local church. They are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Scriptural baptism is the immersion of believers in water, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, administered by the authority of a New Testament Baptist Church and is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation and to the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial ordinance of the local church members according to the individual examinations and teaching of I Corinthians 11:17-34. The unleavened bread and fruit of the vine, grape juice, are to commemorate the dying love of Christ. This is a local church ordinance. Non-church members do not participate. (Acts 8:38; Mark 1:9-10)
DEVIL OR SATAN
We believe in the personality of Satan; that he is the god of this world, blinding the minds of them, which believe not, and the author of all the power of darkness. We believe that Satan was once holy, and enjoyed heavenly honors. But, through pride and ambition, to be as the Almighty, he fell and drew after him a host of angels. Satan is the author of all false religions, the chief power of darkness—destined, however, to judgment of an eternal justice in Hell, a place prepared for him and his angels. (Matthew 4:1-3; Revelation 20:1-3; II Corinthians 4:3,4; Revelation 20:10; I Peter 5:8; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:14-17)
RESURRECTION
We believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He arose bodily “the third day according to the Scriptures” from the tomb, ascended bodily into the heavens, and through His resurrection a sure hope of immortality and everlasting life is given to all who have been saved by His grace. He is at the right hand of God as our “Mediator, merciful and faithful High Priest, and advocate.” (John 20; Hebrews 9:24; I Corinthians 15:12-28; Luke 24:1-7; Romans 4:25)
ETERNAL SECURITY
We believe in the eternal security of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. When a person is born again they have everlasting life, which never ends, and cannot be taken away from them. Saved forever, 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)
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 who 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.” (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; John 20:21; Acts 1:8)
SANCTIFICATION
We believe that sanctification is a personal separation from things that are unclean to things that are holy, clean, and sacred. Sanctification is a progressive work that is begun in regeneration and 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 have entire sanctification or be sanctified wholly, body, soul, and spirit. (I Thess. 4:1-10, 5:23; I Cor. 6:11; II Pet. 3:18; II Cor. 3:18; II Thess. 2:13; Rom. 8:5)
LOCAL CHURCH
We believe that a scriptural church is a 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. 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 offices of the church are bishop (or pastor) and deacons. The two ordinances of the local church are baptism and Lord’s Supper. On all matters of membership, policy, government, discipline, or benevolence, etc., the will of the local church is final. (Mark 16:15; Eph. 1:22,23; I Tim. 3; Titus 1; Acts 20
