Statement of Faith

THE BIBLE:    We believe that the Bible is the verbally and plenary  inspired Word of God. It was written by men inspired by the Holy Ghost;  perfectly preserved in the churches through the Textus Receptus in the  New Testament and the Masoretic Text in the Old Testament and brought to  the English language in the Authorized Version (KJV) first translated  in 1611. The 66 books of the Bible are infallible, inerrant, sufficient  and authoritative in all areas of life and is the standard to which all  beliefs, creeds, and conduct must be measured.

GOD: We believe that there is one triune God, eternally existing in  three persons; the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit.  Although God is manifested in three persons with three functions, the  three persons are of one essence, co-eternal in being, and co-equal in  power and glory.

JESUS CHRIST: We believe that Jesus Christ is fully human and fully  God, two natures complete in one person. He became the physical  manifestation of the Godhead to mankind with His virgin birth. As God,  His sinless life, miracles, vicarious and atoning death through His shed  blood on the cross and His bodily resurrection is the hope of all  mankind.

THE HOLY GHOST: We believe the Holy Spirit, the third person of the  trinity, is the Agent of conviction, regeneration, indwelling, baptism,  sanctification, and illumination of all who are born into the family of  God. Upon accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells the  believer forever and is a permanent Comforter, Teacher and Guide and  empowers the believer for service for Jesus Christ.

MAN: We believe that man was created in the image of God, for the  purpose of fellowship with God, without sin nature and innocent in front  of a Holy God. But, by voluntary transgression, he fell from that holy  and happy state, in consequence of which all men are now sinners, not by  constraint, but by choice, being by nature utterly void of that  holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to evil with a  sin nature; and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin  without defense or excuse.

SALVATION: We believe that salvation comes by faith and not of works,  lest any could boast. Only through the shed blood and mediatorial  offices of the Son of God. Who, according to the will of the Father,  assumed our nature, yet without sin, honored the Divine Law by His  personal obedience. By His shed blood our Savior made a full atonement  for our sins; that having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in  Heaven and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with  divine perfection. He is every way qualified to be a suitable, a  compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior. That salvation is available  to “whosoever will” call on the name of the Lord in faith.

JUSTIFICATION: We believe that upon acceptance of the gift of  forgiveness of sins by faith in the death, burial and resurrection of  Jesus Christ, the believer is pardoned of all sins, moved from him as  far as east is from the west. Upon this justification, the promise of  eternal life on the principles of righteousness is bestowed; not in  consideration of any works we have done, but solely through faith in the  Redeemer’s blood. This brings us into a state of most blessed peace and  favor with God, and secures every other blessing needful for time and  eternity.

SANCTIFICATION: We believe that once justified, the believer is set  aside according to the will of God to be partakers of His holiness. This  is a progressive work that is begun in regeneration and is carried on  in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit,  the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual use of the appointed means.  These especially include the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial,  watchfulness and prayer.

THE CHURCH: We believe that Christ ordained the church to carry on  His work on earth. The visible church of Christ is a congregation of  baptized believers associated by a covenant of faith and fellowship of  the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws,  and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His  Word. We believe that the only scriptural offices are bishops or pastors  (pastor, bishop and elder are three terms for the same office) and  deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in  the New Testament. The true mission of the church is the faithful  witnessing of Christ to all men as we have the opportunity and the  building up and edifying of the saints. We hold that the local church  has the absolute right of self-government free from the interference of  any hierarchy of individuals or organizations or governments and that  the one and only Head is Christ through the Holy Spirit.

BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER: We believe that the two ordinances of  the church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is accomplished  after a person accepts the free gift of salvation and is a picture of  the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, showing that the old  man has been crucified with Christ. As such, baptism must be done by  full immersion or it is an imperfect picture of a perfect act of grace.  The Lord’s Supper, in which the saved, by the sacred use of bread and  wine, are to commemorate together the dying love of Christ; proceeded  always by solemn self-examination.

HEAVEN AND HELL: We believe in Heaven as a real place and is the  eternal home of all who, by faith, accept the free gift of salvation of  Jesus Christ. We believe that Hell is also a real place, the deserved  home of all who die and will be the eternal home of all who are not  saved by accepting the free gift of redemption through Jesus Christ.

SATAN: We believe Satan is a real being, the enemy of God and the  “father of lies.” He is the great deceiver of mankind, the instigator of  all false systems of religion, and the accuser of the brethren.  Although loosed for a season, both he and his followers will ultimately  be cast into the lake of fire.

STEWARDSHIP: We believe that God ordained tithes and offerings from  our incomes to be brought into the local church to support the ministry  of said body. We believe that all Christians have a responsibility to  God to be faithful on the first day of every week to give to His work.

CREATION: We believe that the universe was created by God in six  literal, 24 hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the  Day-Age theory and Theistic evolution to try to bring long ages into  creation as unscriptural inventions.

PERSONAL SEPARATION: We believe that we are a peculiar people, called  out of the world to live a holy life in front of our Lord and Savior. We  should exhibit both attitude and actions so as to be of good report. We  believe that practices that are questionable or which may cause another  person to stumble or may mar the testimony of Christ should be avoided.  We believe that we have been called into a life of personal separation  from all worldly and sinful practices. 

THE SECOND COMING: We believe in “that blessed hope,” the personal,  literal and visible pretribulational and premillenial return of our Lord  and Savior, Jesus Christ. We believe that the second coming will be a  two-phased event: first the rapture of the church and then the  revelation. After the rapture, there will be a seven-year period of  great tribulation on the earth followed by the return of Christ and His  saints to rule and reign on the earth for 1000 grand and glorious years,  after which the saved will be with God for eternity in the New Heaven  and the New Earth.