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. We believe that marriage is
a divinely created institution under the authority of the Creator and
only marriages between one man and one woman in a covenant that is
publicly declared are true marriages. (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).
This
listing is not exhaustive of our beliefs but conveys the Biblical
teachings on foundational and defining doctrines of Scripture. If you
have any question, please contact one of our pastors.