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 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).
|
