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We Believe in Sound Doctrine...
"But speak thou the things
which become sound doctrine:" (Titus 2:1)
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We believe in the
personal triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in divine
perfection (Matt. 28:19)
We believe in the
deity of Jesus Christ (John 10:30; John 1:1, 14; 2 Corinthians 5:19).
We believe in the
virgin birth and sinless humanity of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:18-20; 2
Corinthians. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22)
We believe that the
suffering and death of Jesus Christ was the substitution for all
mankind’s sin (Isaiah 53:6; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 2
Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:2); that by His shed blood we were redeemed and
received forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14; 1 John 1:7; Hebrews 9:22)
and that this is efficacious only to those who believe. (John 1:11;12)
We believe that Man
was created in the image of God and lived in innocence until he fell by
voluntary transgression from his sinless state, the result being that
all mankind are sinners (Genesis 1:26, 3:6-24; Romans 5:12,19).
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; Romans
6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9), and that the Holy Spirit convicts sinners,
regenerates, seals, secures, and indwells every believer (John 3:6; John
16:8,9; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:19,20; Ephesians 4:30; Titus
3:5).
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; Romans 8:35-39;
Hebrews 10:39; 1 Peter 1:5).
We believe in the
bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ and the bodily resurrection
of His saints (Matthew 28:1-7; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:42-58; 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18).
We believe in the
pre-millennial, 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 into eternal punishment in the lake of
fire and that the righteous shall enter into the heaven age (John
14:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 20:4-6;
11-15, Revelation 21:8).
We believe that love
for one 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 (Matthew 22:35-40; John
13:34,35; John 15:12; 1 John 4:7-21; 1 John 5:1-3; Revelation 2:4,5).
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
(Matthew 4:18-22; Matthew 16:18; Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 1:14-20; John
1:35-51; Ephesians 3:21).
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 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 (Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 8:12,38; Romans 6:4; 1
Corinthians 5:11-13; 1 Corinthians 11:1,2, 17-20,26).
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.
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).
We believe in the
Genesis account of Creation (Genesis 1;2).
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 (Isaiah
14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Matthew 25:41; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians
6:10-17; Revelation 20:10).
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 Corinthians Chapters 12-14).
We believe that God
deals with believers as His children, that He chastens the disobedient,
and that He rewards the obedient (Matthew 16:27; Matthew 25:14-23; John
1:12; Hebrews 12:5-11; 2 John 8; Revelation 22:12).
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 (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter
2:13-15).
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