Doctrine

1. We believe in THE HOLY SCRIPTURES: Accepting fully the writings of the Old and New Testaments as the very Word of God, verbally inspired in all parts and therefore, wholly without error, altogether sufficient in themselves as our infallible and authoritative rule of faith and practice (II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:19–21). We believe not only in the inspiration of the Holy Scripture as spoken forth in II Timothy 3:16, but also in the preservation of the Scripture (Psalm 12:6, 7). In the English speaking language we accept only the King James Bible as the only faithful and honest version of the Holy Scripture translated from the Textus Receptus known as the Received Text (Matthew 5:18).

2. We believe in THE ONE TRIUNE GOD: Who is personal, Spirit, and sovereign; perfect, infinite, and eternal in His being, holiness, love, wisdom, and power; absolutely separate and above the world as its Creator, yet everywhere present in the world as the upholder of all things; self-existent and self-revealing in three distinct persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each having a distinct ministry in God’s relation to His creation and to His people (Genesis 1:1; I Corinthians 8:6; I John 5:7; Matthew 3:16, 17; 28:19, 20; II Corinthians 13:14).

3. We believe in THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: Who is the second person of the Triune God, the eternal Word and the 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 a 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 upon the cross becoming there the sin of the world, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead; that He arose bodily from the grave and was glorified; 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, 2; I John 5:20; Matthew 1:20; Luke 2:26–28).

4. 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, seals and anoints all who become children of God through Christ. All children of God are baptized in the Holy Spirit at salvation. He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies, and fills believers who daily surrender to Him (II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:16, 17; Romans 8:14–27).

5. We believe ALL MEN ARE BY NATURE AND CHOICE SINFUL AND LOST: that man was the direct creation of God, made in His image and likeness; that by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man became a sinful creature, the father of a fallen race which is universally sinful in both nature and practice, thus alienated from the life and family of God, under the righteous judgment and wrath of God, and has within himself no possible means of salvation (Romans 3:23; 5:12; Galatians 3:22).

6. 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, 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 this salvation affects the whole man; that apart from Christ there is no possible salvation (Ephesians 2:8, 9; II Corinthians 5:21; 7:9, 10; Romans 6:23; 10:9, 10, 13).

7. We believe in RIGHTEOUS LIVING AND GODLY WORKS: not as a means of salvation in any sense, but as its proper evidence and fruits; and therefore as Christians we should obey the Word of our Lord, seek the things which are above, walk as He walked, accept as our solemn responsibility the duty and privilege of bearing the Gospel to a lost world; remembering that a victorious and fruitful Christian life is possible only for those who in gratitude for the infinite and undeserved mercies of God have presented themselves wholly to Christ (Titus 2:11, 14; Ephesians 2:10).

8. We believe in THE EXISTENCE OF SATAN: who originally was created a holy and perfect being, but through pride and wicked ambition rebelled against God, thus becoming utterly depraved in character, the great adversary of God and His people; leader of all other evil angels and spirits, the deceiver and God of this present world; that his powers are vast, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God who overrules all his wicked devices for good; that he was defeated and judged at the cross, and therefore his final doom is certain; that we are able to resist and overcome him only in the armor of God by the blood of the Lamb and through the power of the Holy Spirit (Revelation 12:9; Ezekiel 28:14–17; Isaiah 14:12–15).

9. We believe in THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST: that His return from Heaven will be personal, visible and glorious, a blessed hope for which we should constantly watch and pray; the time being unrevealed, but always imminent; that when He comes He will first by resurrection of the dead and translation of the living remove from the earth the saved, then pour out the righteous judgments of God upon the unbelieving world, afterward descend with His Church and establish His glorious and literal kingdom over all nations for a thousand years (Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:13–17; Revelation 19:11–16; 20:6).

10. We believe in FUTURE LIFE, BODILY RESURRECTION AND ETERNAL JUDGMENT: that the spirits of the saved at death go immediately to be with Christ in Heaven, that their work shall be brought before the Judgment Seat of Christ for determination of rewards which shall take place at the time when Christ comes for His own; that the spirits of the unsaved at death descend immediately into Hades where they are kept under punishment until the final day of judgment, at which time their bodies shall be raised from the grave, that they shall be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire, the place of final and everlasting punishment (John 14:1–6; I Thessalonians 4:14–17; II Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20, 21; Luke 16:19–31; Revelation 20:11–15).

11. We believe in THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE: with each having infinite and distinct spheres of responsibility (Romans 13:1–7; Ezra 6:7; Matthew 22:21; Acts 5:29).

12. We believe in THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS: that Christ is our Great High Priest and through Him every born again believer has direct access into God’s presence without the need of a human priest; that the believer has the right and responsibility to personally study and interpret the Scriptures guided by the Holy Spirit (I Peter 2:5, 9).

13. We believe in THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST: that He alone is the head of the Body of Christ, of which all true believers of this age are members; that all members of this one spiritual body should assemble and identify themselves in local churches (Matthew 23:10; I Corinthians 11:3).

14. We believe in THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LOCAL CHURCH: that a New Testament church is a local assembly of born again, baptized believers united in organization to practice New Testament ordinances, to meet together for worship, prayer, fellowship, teaching and a united testimony, and to actively engage in carrying out the Great Commission (Acts 2:41; 4:32; Matthew 26:26–30; 28:19, 20).

15. We believe in THE INDEPENDENCE AND AUTONOMY OF THE LOCAL CHURCH: that each New Testament church is free to govern itself without ecclesiastical interference, and should cooperate with other New Testament churches as the Holy Spirit leads; that it is responsible to follow the pattern of the New Testament church and is directly accountable to God (Acts 5:1–6; Galatians 1:1, 2).

16. We believe THE ORDINANCES GIVEN TO THE LOCAL CHURCH ARE TWO—BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER: that Baptism is by immersion of believers, thus portraying the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that the Lord’s Supper is the partaking of the bread and cup by the believers as a continuing memorial of the broken body and shed blood of Christ (Matthew 3:13–17; 26:26–30; 28:19, 20; Acts 2:4; I Corinthians 11:23–32).

17. CIVIL GOVERNMENT. We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God (Romans 13:1–7; Ephesians 5:22–24; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 2:13, 14).

18. HUMAN SEXUALITY.
a. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance (Genesis 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8, 9; Leviticus 18:1–30; Romans 1:26–29; I Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1–8; Hebrews 13:4).
b. We believe that the only scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; I Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22, 23).

19. FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
a. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:18; I Timothy 2:8–15; 3:4–5, 12).
b. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are an heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction (Genesis 1:26–28; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Psalm 127:3–5; Proverbs 19:18; 22:15; 23:13, 14; Mark 10:6–12; I Corinthians 7:1–16; Ephesians 5:21–33; 6:1–4; Colossians 3:18–21; Hebrews 13:4; I Peter 3:1–7).

20. DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses die. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon (Malachi 2:14–17; Matthew 19:3–12; Romans 7:1–3; I Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6).

21. ABORTION. We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well-being of his mother as acceptable (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14–16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15–18; Luke 1:44).

21. EUTHANASIA. We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift of God and must be respected from conception until natural death. Thus, we believe that an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God. Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment (Exodus 20:13; 23:7; Matthew 5:21; Acts 17:28).

22. LAWSUITS BETWEEN BELIEVERS. We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all of the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander (I Corinthians 6:1–8; Ephesians 4:31, 32).