Articles of Faith

Scripture

We believe that, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Tim. 3:16) and that “every word of God is pure” (Prov. 30:5). We believe that the 66 books (Old Testament and New Testament) of our English scriptures, which is the King James Bible (1611), were given under the direct supervision and supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit; and therefore constitute the perfect, preserved and inspired words of God without any admixture of error (Ps. 12:6,7; Ps. 19:7). We do not subscribe to the heresy that only the “original manuscripts” are inspired and preserved. The King James Bible is our sole authority for truth for all Christian belief and practice. We believe that the Scripture is complete in its entirety and no new revelation is being given today. (II Timothy 3:16‑17; II Peter 1:19‑21; Revelation 22:18‑19)

 

Doctrine of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit

We believe in the ONE TRUE GOD: who is an intelligent, sovereign, spiritual, and personal Being; perfect, infinite, and eternal in His being, holiness and love, wisdom and power; absolutely separate from and above the world as its Creator, yet everywhere present in the world as the Upholder of all things. He is revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons but without division of nature, essence or being, and each having a distinct ministry in God’s relation to His creation and people. Genesis 1:1; Exodus 15:11; Psalm 83:18; 139:7-9; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; 15:26.

We believe in THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: who is the second Person of the Triune God, the eternal Word and Only Begotten Son; that without any change in His divine Person, He became man by miracle of the Virgin Birth, thus to continue forever as both true God and true Man, one person with two natures; that as Man He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin; that as the perfect Lamb of God He gave Himself in death by the shedding of His blood upon the cross, bearing there the sin of the world, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead; that He arose from the grave in a glorified body; that as our great High Priest He ascended into Heaven, there to appear before the face of God as our Advocate and Intercessor. John 1:1, 14; 3:16; Matthew 1:18-25; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:6-10; I Corinthians 15:3-7; Hebrews 4:14-16; I John 2:1-2.

We believe in THE HOLY SPIRIT: who is the Third Person of the Trinity, and the divine Agent in nature, revelation and redemption; that He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment; that He regenerates, indwells, baptizes, seals, and anoints all who become children of God through Christ; that He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies, and fills believers who daily surrender to Him. John 3:5; 14:16, 17, 26; 16:7-14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:13; II Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 1:13; 5:18.

 

Satan

We believe in the personality of Satan; that he is a created being; that he was cast out of heaven and a third of the angels with him; that the fallen ones now serve Satan as agents for evil; that the fallen angels are now called demons and Satan is the prince and power of darkness; and that Satan is the enemy of all true believers. Satan is destined to the judgment of an eternal punishment in the lake of fire. (Matthew 4:1‑3; II Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; Revelation 20:10)

 

Creation

We believe that God created the heavens and the earth in six literal days, including all life, by direct act according to the Genesis account and NOT by any process of evolution, and that man was created in the image and likeness of God. (Genesis Chapters 1 and 2; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16‑17)

 

Fall of Man

We believe that man, in the person of the first Adam, was created in innocence, but by voluntary transgression fell into sin, thus plunging the whole human race into condemnation and death; so that now all mankind is born in sin and become willful sinners by personal choice, and so are without excuse before God. (Genesis 3; Romans 1:18‑20, 32; 5:10‑19)

 

Virgin Birth

We believe that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Spirit, born of Mary, a Virgin, as no other man was ever born or can ever be born of a woman; and that He is both fully God and man, never surrendering any of His Deity, but chose to withhold some of His power during His earthly ministry. (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18‑25; Luke 1:35; John 1:14; Philippians 2:5‑8)

 

Atonement for Sin

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the will of the Father freely took upon Himself the form of man, yet without sin, and by His death and resurrection from the dead made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example of His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the just for the unjust; Christ, the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that having risen from the dead, He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. (Isaiah 53:4‑7; Matthew 18:11; John 3:16; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24‑25; 4:25; I Corinthians 15:3‑4; II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:20; 2:8)

 

Resurrection, Personal, Visible, Pre‑Millennial Return of Christ

We believe in the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:6‑7; Mark 16:6‑7; Luke 24:2‑6, 39; John 20:27)

We believe that Christ has ascended and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, where He now makes intercession for Believers. (Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9‑11)

We believe in the imminent, bodily, personal, pre‑millennial return of Jesus Christ; that He will come before the seven year tribulation period to catch away His church, coming only into the air; and that He will come with His church at the close of the tribulation to judge the living nations and to set up His Kingdom on earth. (Matthew 25:31‑46; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:13‑18; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:8; Revelation 19:11‑21)

We believe in the literal Millennial Reign of Christ and that all those saved during the church age will reign with Him. (Psalms 72:8; Isaiah 11:4‑5; 32:1; I Corinthians 15:25)

 

Grace in the New Creation

We believe that in order to escape the judgment of a righteous God sinners must be born ‑ again; that the new birth is instantaneous and not a process. In the new birth, the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the Divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God. The new creation is brought about in a manner that brings glory to God and not to sinful man. Salvation cannot be earned through works, nor culture, nor by the will of man, but wholly by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with Divine truth, the written Word. (John 3:3, 6‑7, 18; Acts 16:30‑33; II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1, 8‑9; Colossians 2:13; II Peter 1:4; I John 5:1)

 

The Church

We believe that the Church was established by Jesus Christ (Matthew 10), with the calling of the 12 apostles, was empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), and will be caught up to be with Christ at the Rapture. (Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2).

A New Testament Church is a visible assembly of baptized believers, covenanted together under New Testament law, for the purpose of carrying out the Great Commission, with an unbroken history from the personal ministry of Jesus on the earth to this present day. This church is a self-governed, independent body, having Christ as the head, the Holy Spirit as its guide and the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice. The only scriptural offices of the New Testament church are the bishop or pastor and deacons. The two ordinances of the local church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. On all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, etc., the will of the local church is final. Mark 16:15, Acts 20:17-20, Ephesians 1:22-23, 3:21, I Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9, 16, 5:4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4).

 

Justification

We believe that justification includes the pardon of sin and the gift of eternal life on the basis of Christ’s righteousness; that it is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood His righteousness is imputed unto us and we are declared to be righteous. (Isaiah 53:11; Acts 13:39; Romans 3:24‑25; 5:1‑9; Titus 3:5‑7)

 

Faith and Salvation

We believe in SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH: that salvation is the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any virtue or work of man, but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all true believers have as a present possession the gift of eternal life, a perfect righteousness, sonship in the family of God, deliverance and security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine guarantee that they shall never perish; that because this salvation is a working of God’s grace and apart from man’s works, the believer is rendered eternally secure; that this salvation affects the whole man; that apart from Christ there is no possible salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; John 1:12; 3:14; 10:27-29; Romans 8:1; Philippians 1:6. We believe that if a sinner shall confess with his mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in his heart that God hath raised Christ from the dead he shall be saved from eternal condemnation. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9‑10)

 

Sanctification

We believe that the Scriptures teach that Sanctification is a work of God’s grace within the life of the individual believer. We believe that Sanctification has three aspects: the positional aspect, whereby God sets apart those that are His; the progressive aspect, whereby man is cleansed from the defilement of sin by the Word, which separates him unto God; the final aspect, when the believer comes into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, and is changed into His perfect likeness, not only in soul, but in body. (I Corinthians 1:2; II Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:26‑27; I Thessalonians 3:12‑13; Hebrews 10:9‑10, 14)

 

Ministry of Spiritual Gifts

We believe that God is Sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts, and that the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers are sufficient for the growth and maturity of the saints today. We believe that the speaking in tongues and the working of sign‑miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament was completed and its authority established. (Acts 2:4‑11; I Corinthians 12:4‑11; 13:1‑3, 8‑13; 14:19‑23, 26‑28, 33; Ephesians 4:7‑12)

 

Security of the Saints

We believe that all who are born ‑ again are sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption and are kept by Jesus Christ. Their salvation is assured because they are kept by Jesus Christ for the Father and that He should lose nothing, but raise them up at the last day. God the Father gives individuals to the Son, who receives all who come to Him, and will in no wise cast them out. (John 5:24; 10:28‑29; Romans 8:35‑39; Ephesians 1:13‑14; Philippians 1:6; I Peter 1:5; I John 5:11‑13)

 

Believer’s Two Natures

We believe that every believer has two natures with provision made for victory of the new nature over the old through the indwelling Holy Spirit; and that all claims of removing completely the old nature in this life are unscriptural. (Romans 6:11‑13; 7:14‑21; 8:2; II Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:16‑25; Ephesians 4:22‑24; Colossians 3:10)

 

Separation

We believe in obedience to the Biblical commands to separate ourselves unto God from worldliness and ecclesiastical apostasy.

We believe that Christians should withdraw themselves from other brothers who walk disorderly and that true believers should contend for the faith by rejecting false teaching; and that this church should neither aid nor abet apostasy, modernism, or neo‑evangelicalism. (Romans 12:1‑2; 16:17‑18; I Corinthians 5:11‑13; II Thessalonians 3:6, 14‑15; I Timothy 6:3‑5)

 

Ordinances

We believe that Christian Baptism is the single immersion of a born ‑ again believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried, risen Saviour, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; and that it is necessary for Church membership. (Matthew 3:16‑17; 28:19; Acts 2:41; 8:26‑39)

We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He come   and should be preceded always by solemn self‑examination by born‑again believers. (Luke 22:14‑20; I Corinthians 11:23‑32)

 

The Righteous and the Wicked

We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only those who are justified by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of our God are truly righteous in His eyes; while all those who continue in unbelief are in His sight wicked and under the curse; and this distinction holds among men both in and after death, in the everlasting joy of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost in the lake of fire. (Malachi 3:18; Genesis 18:23; Matthew 25:33‑41; John 8:21; Revelation 20:14‑15; Romans 6:23; 7:6; I John 5:19; Proverbs 14:32)

 

The Home and the Family

We believe that Jehovah God instituted the family unit and vested it with inviolate authority concerning the education, discipline, and welfare of its members. We further maintain that God created man and woman distinct in gender, purpose, and role within the home and that the relationship between man and wife is a most solemn picture of Christ and His Church.

 

Homosexuality, Lesbianism, Women Pastors and Abortion

We stand opposed to practices which violate the Biblical doctrine of the home, including: promiscuity and homosexuality, which substitute depraved and unnatural acts of lust for the holy and undefiled expression of marital love. We stand opposed to the ordination of women, which denies the fulfillment of the woman within her divinely endowed role of helpmate and supporter, and usurps the headship and authority of the man. We stand opposed to abortion, which is the destruction of the fruit of the womb and indeed the taking of unborn life. (Ephesians 5:23‑28; Romans 1:28‑32; I Timothy 2:12)