STATEMENT OF FAITH
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SCRIPTURES -- We believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of God
and, as originally written, was verbally inspired and the product of Spirit-controlled
men, and therefore has truth without admixture of error for its matter.
We believe that it is the true center of Christian union and the only infallible
rule for all human conduct, creeds and opinions (II Tim.3:16-17; II Pet.1:19-21;
Psa.68:11).
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GOD -- We believe that there is only one living and true God, infinite
in every excellence; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three personal
distinctions -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit -- one in substance
and equal in every divine perfection (Exo.20:2-3; Isa.45:22; I Cor.8:6;
I John 5:7).
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JESUS CHRIST -- The Lord Jesus Christ is both true God and perfect
man, a unique, supernatural manifestation of God in the flesh (II Cor.5:19;
I Tim.3:16); born of the virgin Mary, after having been miraculously conceived
by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; Matt.1:18-20); the only Savior of mankind
(Acts 4:10-12), and the proper object of our worship.
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HOLY SPIRIT -- We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine person,
equal with the Father and Son and of the same substance and nature; that
He convicts of sin, righteousness and judgement, bears witness to the truth,
is the agent of the new birth, and that He seals, endues, guides, teaches,
witnesses to, sanctifies, and helps the believer, indwelling every true
child of God (John 14:16-17; John 16:12-15; Rom.8:14-27; II Cor.13:14).
We belive that the sign gifts of the Spirit were for the Apostolic Age
(Eph.2:20; Heb.2:3-4; I Cor.13:9-10) and are not to be sought after in
our age.
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THE DEVIL OR SATAN -- We believe in the distinct personality of
Satan, that he is the god of this age, author and prince of all powers
of darkness and sin, and is destined to the judgement of an eternal justice
in the lake of fire (Matt.4:1-3; Matt.25:41; II Cor.4:4; Rev.20:10).
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CREATION -- We believe that God created the heavens and the earth,
including all life, "each after its own kind", by direct act and not by
the process of evolution (Gen. 1 and 2; Psa.33:6-9; John 1:3; Col.1:16-17).
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THE FALL OF MAN -- We believe that man, in the person of the first
Adam, was created in innocence but by voluntary transgression fell into
sin, thus plunging the whole race into condemnation and death, so that
now all mankind is born in sin and shapen in iniquity and become practical
sinners with the first expression of personal choice, not only by constraint
but by choice, and so are without excuse before God (Gen.3; Gen.5:1-4;
Rom.5:10-19; Eph.2:1-3).
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THE ATONEMENT -- We believe that the only escape from the condemnation
of sin is through the atonement wrought by Jesus Christ, when He voluntarily
took upon Him a human body, being made in the likeness of men (Rom.8:3;
Phil.2:7), yet without sin, and by His suffering, death, and resurrection
made full satisfaction to the justice of God for the sin of man; that the
blessings of this salvation are given on the grounds of grace to all who
believe and confess; and that it is the immediate duty of all to grow in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (John 3:1-19;
Acts 4:12; Acts 16:30-33; Rom.10:9-13; II Cor.5:17).
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SALVATION -- We believe that salvation is by faith in the shed blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose death, burial, resurrection and ascension
to the right hand of the Father are the only premises for salvation (Eph.1:7;
Rev.1:5); That this faith is begotten through hearing the Word of God (Rom.10:17;
I Pet.1:18-25); that it is the free gift of God, wholly set apart from
human works (Eph.2:8-9); that by the new birth one dead in trespasses and
sins is quickened into eternal life, made righteous, justified, and is
made partaker of the Divine nature (II Pet.1:4), eternally secured unto
the praise of His glory.
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THE CHURCH
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The Church Universal -- We believe every born again believer is
by the mystical act of God accorded a place in the Body of Christ and that
this body is Biblically identified as "the Church" (Eph.3:3-7; Col.1:24;
I Cor.12:12-13).
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The Church Local -- We believe that a local church is a congregation
of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of
the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising
the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in it by His Word; that its
officers are pastors -- also called bishops or elders (Eph.4:10-11; Acts
20:26-32; I Tim. 3:1-7; I Pet.5:1-5; Phil.1:1) and deacons (Phil.1:1; I
Tim.3:8-13); that it has the absolute right of self-government in matters
not covered by the New Testament; that it is directed by the Holy Spirit
and is answerable only to Christ (Acts 2:41-42; I Cor.11:2; Eph.1:22-23;
Eph.4:11; Eph.5:23-24; I Tim.3:17; Col.1:18; Acts 20:17-28).
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We believe in the absolute separation of church and state (Matt.22:21).
We believe in the separated life as the will of God for the believer (Rom.12:1-2)
and in the ecclesiastical separation of the local church from churches
and organizations that are a part of the present-day apostasy.
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CHURCH ORDINANCES -- We believe that there are two church ordinances:
Baptism and The Lord's Supper
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Mode of Baptism -- The pastor and deacons shall oversee the ordinance
of baptism by a single immersion in the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. It sets forth in a beautiful and solemn way our faith in a crucified,
buried and risen Savior, and our death to sin and resurrection to a new
life. Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church relation.
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The Lord's Supper -- The Lord's Supper (Communion) shall be served
to the congregation by the pastor, or some person designated by the church,
and the deacons on the first Sunday of each month, or at the discretion
of the deacons. Since it is the Lord's Table, none who are His shall be
barred, but the pastor shall frequently state the scriptural order, which
places baptism as a prerequisite to communion, and shall explain the meaning
of the ordinance. Believers who, through no fault of their own, are unable
to participate in the public observance of the Lord's Supper may request
private administration of the ordinance at a time and place of mutual convenience.
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THE LORD'S RETURN -- We believe in the bodily, personal, imminent,
and premillennial return of Jesus Christ; that He will come before the
seven year tribulation period to catch away His church (coming only in
the air), and that He will come with His church at the close of the tribulation
to judge the living nations and set up His kingdom (I Thess.4:13-17; Matt.25:31-46;
Rev.19:11-21).
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RESURRECTION -- We believe in the resurrection of the bodies of
the dead; that believers who sleep in Jesus will be raised at the coming
of Christ for His Church and caught up with transformed living saints to
meet the Lord in the air; and that the wicked dead will be raised at the
close of the Millennial Kingdom and shall stand in their bodies at the
Great White Throne of Judgement to receive their final doom (John 5:21-30;
I Thess.4:16; Rev.7:9-17; 20:11-15).
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THE FAMILY -- We believe that marriage was planned by God to consist of one man and one woman, and that any other arrangement is un-biblical (Gen. 1:27; 2:18-25; Eph. 5:22-31; Matt. 19:4-6, I Cor. 11:3; and Col. 3:18,19). We believe that scripture teaches that homosexuality is always unacceptable, and therefore, a homosexual relationship cannot constitute the basis for a biblical marriage or family (Rom. 1:24-28 and Lev. 18:22 and 20:13). We believe that God's design is for a married couple never to be separated by divorce. We believe that men and women are of equal value and standing in God's sight, but that by God's design, the husband is to be the head of the home. We believe that it is the responsibility primarily of the parents to raise their children in the counsel of the Word of God, using discipline when necessary (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:20, 21; Prov. 13:24; 22:15; 23:13,14; 29:15; and Deut. 6:6,7). We believe that single believers are to marry only in the Lord (I Cor. 7:39; II Cor. 6:14-17; Ezra 9:11,12; Neh. 13:23-30; and Joshua 23:11-13).
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