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1. We believe
that love one for another as Jesus loves the believer
manifests our discipleship, proves our
love for God
and symbolizes our authority as New Testament churches. Love
is therefore the great commandment of the LORD Jesus Christ
upon which all others are dependent (Matt. 22:35-40; John
13:34, 35; John 15:12; 1 John 4:7-21; 1 John 5:1-3; Rev.
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 filledby 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). |
