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THE SCRIPTURES
We believe
that the Bible is the verbally and plenarily inspired,
infallible, authoritative Word of God. God gave the
words of Scripture by inspiration without error in the
original autographs. God promises that He will
preserve His Word; Jesus said, "but my words
shall not pass away"–Matt.
24:35. We believe God has kept that promise by
preserving His infallible Word in the traditional
Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.
We further believe
that the Scriptures are to be interpreted according to
a grammatical-historical hermeneutic. This demands
that we understand the Bible literally when it speaks,
for example, of the creation of the world in six solar
days, the existence of Adam and Eve as the progenitors
of the human race, the global deluge of Noah's day,
the creation of nations at Babel by means of language
diversification, and the personal existence of an evil
being called Satan. The Bible constitutes God's
complete revelation and is the sole authority for
faith and practice. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter
1:19-21) |
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THE GODHEAD
We believe
there is one triune God, eternally existent in the
persons of Father, Son
(Jesus Christ),
and Holy Spirit; these three are one in essence, but
distinct in person and function. (PCC) (Exodus 20:2-3;
Matthew 28:19; I Corinthians 8:6) |
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THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
We believe
that Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity,
became the physical manifestation of the Godhead to
mankind. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life,
miracles, vicarious and atoning death through His shed
blood and His bodily resurrection. We further believe
that He ascended to heaven, now intercedes for
believers, and will come again in a pretribulational,
premillennial appearing. (John 1:1, 14; Luke 1:35;
Isaiah 7:14; Galatians 4:4) |
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THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe
that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the
Trinity, the Agent of conviction, regeneration,
indwelling, baptism, sanctification, and illumination
of all who are born into God's family through Jesus
Christ. We are opposed to the charismatic movement and
its tongues and other sign manifestations, and
that
sign gifts were
restricted to the Apostolic Period. (John 3:5;
Ephesians 1:13; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:13;
Ephesians 5:18; 4:11-12; Romans 12:6-8; Hebrews 2:3-4;
Ephesians 2:20; I Corinthians 13:8-13) |
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Creation
We believe
that God created the universe in six literal
days.(Genesis 1:1-31; Exodus 20:11; Colossians
1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3) |
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THE FALL OF MAN.
Man was created
by a direct act of God and not from a previously
existing form of life. Although man was created in the
image of God, he chose to sin and fell from his state
of innocence. Consequently, all persons inherit a
depraved nature are spiritually dead and lost sinners
in need of salvation (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-6; Romans
5:12, 19; 3:10-13; Titus 1:15-16) |
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SALVATION.
We believe
that salvation is a free gift of God for "whosoever
will"; it is by grace, through faith, plus nothing,
and believers are eternally secure. Salvation is
received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ and His finished work.
(Isaiah 53:4-11; II Corinthians
5:14-21; I John 2:1-2; II Peter 2:1; I Timothy 4:10;
John 3:5-8; 16:8-13)
We believe that all who receive by
faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy
Spirit and thereby become children of God.
(John 1:12-13; 3:3-16; Acts
16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9) |
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SANCTIFICATION.
We believe that sanctification is positional in
that one is established in a position of holiness at
the moment he trusts Christ as Savior; that it is a
process as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God
to the believer; that it is practical in that
we are daily being conformed to the image of Christ;
and that it is future when in heaven we will be
delivered from all sin. |
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RESURRECTION
We believe
in the resurrection of both the saved and lost: those
that are saved unto the resurrection of eternal life
in heaven and those that are lost unto the
resurrection of eternal damnation in a literal lake of
fire. (Matthew 25:31-46;
Luke 16:19-31; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation
21:1-8. |
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THE CHURCH.
We believe
in the spiritual unity of the body of Christ and that
God has ordained the local church for the perpetuation
of His truth and work in the world.
We believe that
the Church is Christ’s body, and that it is the
spiritual organism consisting of all born again
believers of this New Testament dispensation.
(Ephesians 1:22-23; I Corinthians
12:13).
The church has two offices
(pastor and deacon), must be congregational in polity,
autonomous in nature, and banded together for work,
worship, edification, the observance of the
ordinances, and the worldwide fulfillment of the Great
Commission.
We believe that the local church, under Christ’s
headship, is to be free from any external hierarchy
and should not associate itself with any ecumenical
endeavor, neo-orthodoxy, new-evangelicalism, or any
such efforts to compromise the Truth.
(Acts
2:41-47; Ephesians 3:10; Matthew 28:18-20; I Timothy
3; I Peter 5:1-3; Ephesians 1:22; Romans 16:17; II
Corinthians 6:14-17; I Timothy 6:3-5) |
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THE ORDINANCES
We believe that the scriptural ordinances of the
church are baptism and the Lord’s supper and are to be
administered by the local church; that baptism, by
immersion, should be administered to believers only as
a symbol of their belief in the death, burial, and
resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and
as a testimony to the world of that belief and of
their death, burial, and resurrection with Him; and
that the Lord’s supper should be partaken of by
baptized believers to show forth His death “till He
come.”
(Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-47; 8:26-39; I
Corinthians 11:23-28; Colossians 2:12)
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THE GREAT COMMISSION
We believe that the Great Commission is a Divine
commandment for this age, and as such primarily
involves evangelism and church planting both at home
and abroad. |
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LAST THINGS.
We believe
in the imminent, pre-Tribulation return of Jesus
Christ for all believers. The Rapture of the saints
will be followed by a seven year period of
Tribulation, after which Christ will return in glory
to judge the world and set up His millennial reign on
earth. |
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SEPARATION
We believe that
Scriptures teaches two kinds of separation. Believer
should be separated unto God from worldliness; and,
local churches must separate from any affiliation or
fellowship that denies the basic fundamentals of the
faith, and from those that practice inclusivism, and
from believers who endorse unbelievers. |
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ISRAEL
We believe the
Scriptures teach that the Church of Jesus
Christ, distinct from Israel in the Old Testament, was
inaugurated at Pentecost and must be considered in two
aspects: the local church and the "church which is his
body." We believe in the
literal fulfillment of the prophecies and promises of
the Scriptures which foretell and assure the future
regeneration and restoration of Israel as a nation.
(Genesis 13:14-17; Jeremiah
16:14-15; 30:6-11; Romans 11) |
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ETERNAL SECURITY
We believe in the eternal security of the believer,
that it is impossible for one born into the family of
God ever to be lost, because he is forever kept by the
power of God.
(John 6:39,40; 10:28-29; Romans 8:35-39; Jude 1; I
Peter 1:5) |
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