Beliefs

We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, was buried, then rose again on the third day for the salvation of sinners.

 

Placing our faith totally in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, believing in the teachings and practices of the Holy Scriptures:

1. We believe the Bible is God’s Word and only written revelation to man.
2. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He was miraculously born to the Virgin Mary, that He lived here on earth as a man without any sin in His life, that He was crucified on the cross and shed His blood, and that He rose again and is now in heaven preparing a place for all believers.
3. We believe that the death of Jesus and the shedding of His blood makes it possible for all who believe in Him by simple faith without any type of works to spend eternity in heaven with Him.
4. We believe that once a person has believed in the Lord by simple faith that spending eternity in heaven is secure and cannot be taken away or given up.
5. We believe that Satan is a real being and is an enemy of God.
6. While we do not understand it, we believe in the three persons of God: God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
7. We believe that one of Jesus’ instructions to those who believe is that they be baptized by being fully immersed in water.
8. We believe in the Biblical account of creation and that it occurred in seven 24-hour days.
9. We believe that heaven and hell are real places and all of us are responsible for making the decision where we will spend eternity.

We, therefore, band ourselves together as a body of baptized believers in Jesus Christ and adopt for our government, plan of worship, and service, the following Covenant, Articles of Faith, and By-Laws.

CHURCH COVENANT

Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on profession of our faith, having been baptized by immersion in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

We promise by the aid of the Holy Spirit to forsake the paths of sin and to walk in the ways of holiness all the days of our lives. With this view we engage to strive together for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to give scripturally and cheerfully of our tithes and offerings to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel throughout all nations.

We also engage to maintain family and personal devotions; to faithfully train our children and those under our care, in the nurture and admonition of our Lord. That we will walk circumspectly in the world, in order that we may win the lost, remembering that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind. That we will abstain from everything that will cause our brother to stumble or that will bring reproach upon the cause of Christ; and to strive to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, that we will humbly and earnestly seek to live to honor and glory of Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

We further engage to walk tother in Christian love and watchfulness, giving and receiving admonition with meekness and affection; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior, to secure it without delay.

We moreover engage, that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant, and the principles of God’s word.

ARTICLES OF FAITH

The Scriptures

We believe the authority and sufficiency of the Holy Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, as originally written; that it was verbally and plenarily inspired and is the product of Spirit-controlled men, and therefore is infallible and inerrant in all matters of which it speaks.

We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creed, and opinions shall be tried (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21).

 

The Doctrine of Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is truly and eternally God; that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary; that He is one person possessing two natures and thus is true God and true man; that He lived a sinless life; that He shed His blood for the sins of all men as a substitutionary sacrifice; that He arose in the very body, though glorified, in which He had been crucified; that He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God interceding for His people and will return to the earth in keeping with His promises (Micah 5:2; John 1:18; John 8:58; I Tim. 2:5).

 

The True God

We believe there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite Spirit, the Maker and supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (Exod. 20:2-3; I Cor. 8:6; Rev. 4:11).

 

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains Satan until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; that He hears witness to the truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the Agent in the new birth; that He indwells, baptizes, seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer (John 14:16-17; Matt. 28:19; Heb. 9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35; Gen. 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5-6; Eph. 1:13-14; Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Acts 11:16; Luke 24:49; Rom. 8:14, 16, 26-27).

 

The Devil or Satan

 We believe in the reality and personality of Satan, the Devil; and that he was created by God as an angel, but through pride and rebellion became the enemy of his Creator; that he became the unholy god of this age and the ruler of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgement of an eternal justice in the lake of fire (Matt. 4:1-11; II Cor. 4:4; Rev. 20:10).

 

Creation

 We believe the Biblical account of the creation of the physical universe, angels, and man; that this account is neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate creative acts of God without any evolutionary process; that man was created by a direct work of God and not from previously existing forms of life; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race (Gen. 1,2; Col. 1:16-17; John 1:3).

 

The Fall of Man

 We believe that man was created in innocence (in the image and likeness of God) under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression Adam fell from his sinless and happy state, and all men sinned in him, in consequence of which all men are totally depraved, are partakers of Adam’s fallen nature, and are sinners by nature and by conduct, and therefore are under just condemnation without defense or excuse (Gen. 3:1-6; Rom. 3:10-19; 5:12, 19; 1:18, 32).

 

The Virgin Birth

We believe that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can be born of woman, and that He is both the Son of God and God, the Son (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:4).

 

Salvation

We believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who, by the appointment of the Father, voluntarily took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, and honored the divine law by His personal obedience, thus qualifying Himself to be our Savior; that by the shedding of His blood in His death, He fully satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God regarding sin; that His sacrifice consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying 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 enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior.

We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation. Repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit and is an integral part of saving faith (Jonah 2:9; Eph. 2:8; Acts 15:11; Rom. 3:24-25; John 3:16; Matt. 18:11; Phil. 2:7-8; Heb. 2:14-17; Isa 53:4-7; I John 4:10; I Cor. 15:3; II Cor. 5:21; I Pet. 2:24)

 

Resurrection and Priesthood of Christ

We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and in His ascension into Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest interceding for us (Matt. 28:6; Luke 24:39; John 20:27; I Cor. 15:4; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:2-6, 51; Acts 1:9-11; Rev. 3:21; Heb. 8:6; 12:2; 7:25; I Tim. 2:5, I John 2: 1; Heb. 2:17; 5:9-10)

 

Grace and the New Birth

We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that in the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that 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; that the new creation is brought about by our sovereign God in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that is demonstrated by the holy fruits of repentance, faith, and newness of life (John 3:3; II Cor. 5:17; I John 5:1; Acts 16:20-33; II Pet. 1:4; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13; John 3:8).

 

Justification

We believe that justification is that judicial act of God whereby He declares the believer righteous upon the basis of the imputed righteousness of Christ; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s shed blood (Rom. 3:24; 4:5; 5:1; 9; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 3:9).

 

Sanctification

We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God accomplished in a threefold manner; first, an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment the Savior is trusted; second, a continuing process in the saint as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the life; third, the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord’s return. (Heb. 10:10-14; 3:1; John 17:17; II Cor. 3:18; I Cor. 1:30; Eph. 5:25-27; I Thess. 4:3-4; I John 3:2; Jude 24, 25; Rev. 22:11).

 

The Security of the Saints

We believe that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ (Phil.1:6; John 10:28-29; Rom. 8:35-39; Jude 1).

 

The Church

We believe that a local church is an organized congregation of immersed believers associated by 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; that its officers are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures. We believe that the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only Superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; that on all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the will of the local church is final (I Cor. 11:2; Acts 20:17-28; I Tim. 3:1-13; Acts 2:41-42).

We believe in the unity of all New Testament believers in the church which is the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 1:22-23; 3:1-6; 4:11-16; 5:23; Col. 1:18; Acts 15:13-18). 

We believe that God has divinely gifted each believer with special spiritual abilities for the purpose of the growth and welfare of the spiritual Body of Christ as a whole (Eph. 4:7-12; Rom. 12:5-8; I Cor. 12:4-31; I Peter 4:10-11.) These gifts are divinely given and cannot be sought (I Cor. 12:11.) We believe that some of these gifts were temporary gifts given as signs, as special revelations, and as special confirmations prior to the completion of the New Testament (I Cor. 13:8-14). These temporary gifts include healing, speaking in tongues (unlearned languages), interpretations of the tongues, the working of various sign miracles, and various revelatory gifts. We believe these gifts gradually ceased as the New Testament was completed, and the early church was established.

 

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that Christian baptism is the single immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our identification with the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, through Whom we died to sin and rose to a new life; that baptism is to be performed under the authority of the local church; and that it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership.

We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination. We believe that the Biblical order of the ordinances is baptism first then the Lord’s Supper, and that participants in the Lord’s Supper would be immersed believers (Acts 8:36; 38-39; John 3:23; Rom. 6:3-5; Matt. 3:16; Col. 2:12; I Cor. 11:23-28; Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42).

 

Separation

We believe in obedience to the Biblical commands to separate ourselves unto God from worldiness and ecclesiastical apostasy (II Cor. 6:14-7:1; I Thess. 1:9-10; I Tim. 6:3-5; Rom. 16:17; II John 9-11).

 

Civil Government

 We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except in those things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming King of Kings (Rom. 13:1-7; II Sam. 23:3; Exod. 18:21-22; Acts 23:5; Matt. 22:21; Acts 5:29; 4:19-20; Dan. 3:17-18).

 

Israel

 We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people, that she is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ, and that she will be regathered in the Holy Land and, after the completion of the Church, will be saved as a nation at the second advent of Christ (Gen. 13:14-17; Rom. 11:1-32; Ezek. 37).

 

Rapture and Subsequent Events

 We believe in the pre-millennial return of Christ, an event which can occur at any moment, and that at that moment the dead in Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies, and the living in Christ shall be given glorified bodies without tasting death, and all shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the seven years of the Tribulation (I Thess. 4:13-18; I Cor. 15:42-44, 51-54; Phil. 3:20-21; Rev. 3:10).

 

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 esteem; while all such continue in impenitence and 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 (Mal. 3:18; Gen. 18:23; Rom. 6:17-18; I John 5:19; Rom. 7:6; 6:23; Prov. 14:32; Luke 16:25; Matt. 25:34-41; John 8:21; Rev. 20:14-15).