Doctrinal Statement
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
brethren manifests our discipleship, proves our love for God and
which all others are dependent (Matthew 22:35-40; John 13:34,
35; John 15:12; 1 John 4:7-21; 1 John 5:1-3; Revelation 2:4, 5).
2. We believe in the infallible, verbal inspiration of the whole Bible
and that the Bible is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice
(Psalm 119:160; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17).
3. We believe in the personal triune God: Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, equal in divine perfection (Matt. 28:19).
4. We believe in the Genesis account of Creation (Gen. 1 & 2).
5. We believe that Satan is a fallen angel, the archenemy of God
and man, the unholy god of this world, and that his destiny is the
eternal lake of fire (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19; Matt. 25:41; 2
Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:10-17; Rev. 20:10).
6. We believe in the virgin birth and sinless humanity of Jesus
Christ (Matt. 1:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22).
7. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ (John 10:30; John 1:1,
14; 2 Cor. 5:19).
8. We believe the Holy Spirit is the divine Administrator for Jesus
Christ in His churches (Luke 24:49; John 14:16, 17; Acts 1:4, 5,
8; Acts 2:1-4).
9. We believe that miraculous spiritual manifestation gifts were
done away when the Bible was completed. Faith, Hope and Love
are the vital abiding Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor. chapters 12-14).
10. We believe that Man was created in the image of God and
lived in innocency until he fell by voluntary transgression from his
sinless state, the result being that all mankind are sinners (Gen.
1:26; Gen. 3:6-24; Rom. 5:12, 19).
11. We believe that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ was
substitutionary for all mankind and is efficacious only to those who
believe (Isa. 53:6; Heb. 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 2 Peter 3:9;
1 John 2:2).
12. We believe in the bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ
and the bodily resurrection of His saints (Matt. 28:1-7; Acts
1:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:42-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
13. We believe in the premillennial, personal, bodily return of Christ
as the crowning event of the Gentile age. This event will include the
resurrection of the righteous to eternal heaven, and the Millennium
will be followed by the resurrection of the unrighteous unto eternal
punishment in the Lake of Fire and that the righteous shall enter
into the heaven age (John 14:1-6; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:8;
Rev. 19; Rev. 20:4-6; Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 21:8).
14. We believe that the depraved sinner is saved wholly by grace
through faith in Jesus Christ, and the requisites to regeneration
are repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
(Luke 13:3-5; John 3:16-18; Acts 20:21; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8, 9),
and that the Holy Spirit convicts sinners, regenerates, seals,
secures, and indwells every believer (John 3:6; John 16:8, 9; Rom.
8:9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; Eph. 4:30; Titus 3:5).
15. We believe that all who trust Jesus Christ for salvation are
eternally secure in Him and shall not perish (John 3:36; John 5:24;
John 10:27-30; Rom. 8:35-39; Heb. 10:39; 1 Peter 1:5).
16. We believe that God deals with believers as His children, that
He chastises the disobedient, and that He rewards the obedient
(Matt. 16:27; Matt. 25:14-23; John 1:12; Heb. 12:5-11; 2 John
8; Rev. 22:12).
17. We believe that Jesus Christ established His church during
His ministry on earth and that it is always a local, visible assembly of
scripturally baptized believers in covenant relationship to carry out
the Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, and each church is an
independent, self-governing body, and no other ecclesiastical body
may exercise authority over it. We believe that Jesus Christ gave
the Great Commission to the New Testament churches only, and
that He promised the perpetuity of His churches (Matt. 4:18-22;
Matt. 16:18; Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 1:14-20; John 1:35-51; Eph.
3:21).
18. We believe that there are two pictorial ordinances in the Lord's
churches: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Scriptural Baptism is
the immersion of penitent believers in water, administered by the
authority of a New Testament church in the name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. The Lord's Supper is a memorial
ordinance, restricted to the members of the church observing the
ordinance (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 8:12, 38; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor.
5:11-13; 1 Cor. 11:1, 2, 17-20, 26).
19. We believe that there are two divinely appointed offices in a
church, pastors and deacons, to be filled by men whose
qualifications are set forth in Titus and 1 Timothy.
20. We believe that all associations, fellowships, and committees
are, and properly should be, servants of, and under control of the
churches (Matt. 20:25-28).
21. We believe in freedom of worship without interference from the
government and affirm our belief in civil obedience, unless the laws
and regulations of civil government run contrary to the Holy
Scriptures (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15).
which all others are dependent (Matthew 22:35-40; John 13:34,
35; John 15:12; 1 John 4:7-21; 1 John 5:1-3; Revelation 2:4, 5).
2. We believe in the infallible, verbal inspiration of the whole Bible
and that the Bible is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice
(Psalm 119:160; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17).
3. We believe in the personal triune God: Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, equal in divine perfection (Matt. 28:19).
4. We believe in the Genesis account of Creation (Gen. 1 & 2).
5. We believe that Satan is a fallen angel, the archenemy of God
and man, the unholy god of this world, and that his destiny is the
eternal lake of fire (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19; Matt. 25:41; 2
Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:10-17; Rev. 20:10).
6. We believe in the virgin birth and sinless humanity of Jesus
Christ (Matt. 1:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22).
7. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ (John 10:30; John 1:1,
14; 2 Cor. 5:19).
8. We believe the Holy Spirit is the divine Administrator for Jesus
Christ in His churches (Luke 24:49; John 14:16, 17; Acts 1:4, 5,
8; Acts 2:1-4).
9. We believe that miraculous spiritual manifestation gifts were
done away when the Bible was completed. Faith, Hope and Love
are the vital abiding Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor. chapters 12-14).
10. We believe that Man was created in the image of God and
lived in innocency until he fell by voluntary transgression from his
sinless state, the result being that all mankind are sinners (Gen.
1:26; Gen. 3:6-24; Rom. 5:12, 19).
11. We believe that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ was
substitutionary for all mankind and is efficacious only to those who
believe (Isa. 53:6; Heb. 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 2 Peter 3:9;
1 John 2:2).
12. We believe in the bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ
and the bodily resurrection of His saints (Matt. 28:1-7; Acts
1:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:42-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
13. We believe in the premillennial, personal, bodily return of Christ
as the crowning event of the Gentile age. This event will include the
resurrection of the righteous to eternal heaven, and the Millennium
will be followed by the resurrection of the unrighteous unto eternal
punishment in the Lake of Fire and that the righteous shall enter
into the heaven age (John 14:1-6; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:8;
Rev. 19; Rev. 20:4-6; Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 21:8).
14. We believe that the depraved sinner is saved wholly by grace
through faith in Jesus Christ, and the requisites to regeneration
are repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
(Luke 13:3-5; John 3:16-18; Acts 20:21; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8, 9),
and that the Holy Spirit convicts sinners, regenerates, seals,
secures, and indwells every believer (John 3:6; John 16:8, 9; Rom.
8:9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; Eph. 4:30; Titus 3:5).
15. We believe that all who trust Jesus Christ for salvation are
eternally secure in Him and shall not perish (John 3:36; John 5:24;
John 10:27-30; Rom. 8:35-39; Heb. 10:39; 1 Peter 1:5).
16. We believe that God deals with believers as His children, that
He chastises the disobedient, and that He rewards the obedient
(Matt. 16:27; Matt. 25:14-23; John 1:12; Heb. 12:5-11; 2 John
8; Rev. 22:12).
17. We believe that Jesus Christ established His church during
His ministry on earth and that it is always a local, visible assembly of
scripturally baptized believers in covenant relationship to carry out
the Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, and each church is an
independent, self-governing body, and no other ecclesiastical body
may exercise authority over it. We believe that Jesus Christ gave
the Great Commission to the New Testament churches only, and
that He promised the perpetuity of His churches (Matt. 4:18-22;
Matt. 16:18; Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 1:14-20; John 1:35-51; Eph.
3:21).
18. We believe that there are two pictorial ordinances in the Lord's
churches: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Scriptural Baptism is
the immersion of penitent believers in water, administered by the
authority of a New Testament church in the name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. The Lord's Supper is a memorial
ordinance, restricted to the members of the church observing the
ordinance (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 8:12, 38; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor.
5:11-13; 1 Cor. 11:1, 2, 17-20, 26).
19. We believe that there are two divinely appointed offices in a
church, pastors and deacons, to be filled by men whose
qualifications are set forth in Titus and 1 Timothy.
20. We believe that all associations, fellowships, and committees
are, and properly should be, servants of, and under control of the
churches (Matt. 20:25-28).
21. We believe in freedom of worship without interference from the
government and affirm our belief in civil obedience, unless the laws
and regulations of civil government run contrary to the Holy
Scriptures (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15).