statement_of

Doctrinal Statement

CONCERNING THE SCRIPTURES

We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments alone as verbally
and plenarily inspired of God, without error, and the sole authority of faith
and practice. We believe in the preservation of the Word of God, with the
King James Version based on the “Textus Receptus” as being the preserved
Word of God for English speaking people today.
Galatians 3:16, 11 Timothy 3:16, 11 Peter 1:19-21

CONCERNING THE TRUE GOD

We believe in one God, the creator of heaven and earth; that in the unity of
the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal
in power and glory and executing distinct and harmonious offices in the
great work of redemption.
Genesis 1:1, Exodus 20:2,3, John 1:1-3, Romans 1:1-6

CONCERNING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, was conceived
by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary as no other man was ever nor
can be born of a woman. He is very God of very God, being God manifest in
the flesh. He lived a life of absolute sinlessness and in His death made a full
and vicarious atonement (redemption) for our sins, dying not as a martyr,
but as voluntary substitute in the sinners place. He rose from the dead on
the third day and ascended bodily into heaven. He is coming again to
rapture His saints, and to set up the throne of David and establish His
kingdom. This rapture coming is imminent and will be personal, pre-
tribulational and pre-millennial. The rapture will occur prior to the start of
the 70th week of Daniel.
Isaiah 7:14, John 1:1; 14:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Peter 2:22; 3:18

CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person possessing all the attri-
butes of personality and of deity. He is equal with the Father and the Son
and is of the same nature. His relation to the unbelieving world is that He
convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment. He is the agent of the new
birth, and His work among believers is that He seals, indwells, in fills, guides
and teaches them the ways of righteousness. We believe there is a distinc-
tion between the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and His
ministry in the New Testament. There is a new and unique work of the Holy
Spirit in relation to the Body of Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit
endues believers with service gifts upon conversion. We believe the Bible
disavows the authenticity of the sign gifts of prophecy, speaking in tongues,
interpretation of tongues, miracles and healing for today and repudiates the
experience-oriented theology and ecumenically oriented practice of the
charismatic movement.
John 7:39; 14:16, 17,26, Acts 1:5, 1 Corinthians 12-8-13; 12:28-31

CONCERNING MAN

We believe the Scriptures teach that man was created by a direct act of God
and not from any previously existing form of life. By voluntary transgression
he fell from his state of innocence, in consequence of which all men are now
sinners by nature and by choice, utterly devoid of the holiness required by
law, positively inclined to evil, and therefore under just condemnation to
eternal punishment and everlasting existence separated from God without
defense or excuse.
Genesis 1:27, Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:23; 5:12-19

CONCERNING SALVATION

We believe the Scriptures teach that salvation of sinners is divinely initiated,
wholly of grace, and accomplished only through the mediatorial work of the
Son of God; that it is wholly apart from works and is upon the sole condition
of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and never without genuine repentance; that
in order to be saved the sinner must be born again, being regenerated by the
power of the Holy Spirit through faith in Gods Word and becoming the
recipient of a new nature; that the great gospel blessing which Christ secures
to such as believe in Him is justification, that judicial act of God accompan-
ied by the pardon of sin and the imputation of divine righteousness, not
because of any works of righteousness on our part, but solely through faith
in the Redeemers blood; that the believer who has exercised personal faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ is completely justified and in possession of a salvation
which is eternally secure.
John 3:3-6; 3:16; 10:28,29, Acts 13:39

CONCERNING THE CHURCH

We believe the Scriptures teach that the Church of Jesus Christ was inaug-
urated at Pentecost and must be considered in two aspects; the local church
and the Universal church which is His body. The local church is a congre-
gation of baptized believers, associated by a covenant in the faith and fel-
lowship 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. Its Scriptural officers are pastors, and deacons, whose qualifications,
claims and duties are defined in the epistles to Timothy and Titus. This
definition of the local church leads to these Scriptural distinctive:

1. Sole authority of the Scriptures for faith and practice

2. Autonomy of the local church;

3. Believers baptism by immersion before church members;

4. Two offices, pastor and deacon;

5. Two symbolic ordinances, baptism and the Lords table;

6. Individual priesthood of the believer and soul liberty;

7. Separation of church and state.

The Universal church which is His body is the entire company of believers in
Christ, whether Jew or Gentile.
Acts 1:5, 2:1-4 2:41,42, Titus 1, Hebrews 12:23

CONCERNING BAPTISM AND THE LORDS SUPPER

We believe the Scriptures teach that Christian baptism is the single immer-
sion of a believer in water, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to
show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem his identification with the cruci-
fied, buried, risen Savior, thus illustrating the believers death to sin and his
resurrection to a new life. It is a prerequisite to membership and privileges
in a local church. We believe that the Lords Supper is the commemoration
of His death until He comes and should be preceded by solemn self-examin-
ation. Observance of the Lords Supper is for believers only. The ordinances
of baptism and the Lords Supper must be observed under the discipline of
the local church.
Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5, 1 Corinthians 11:23-28

CONCERNING THE NATION OF ISRAEL

The physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob with whom Jehovah
God made an unconditional, national Covenant (Gen 12:15-18). They are the
vessel which God chose manifest Himself as a literal, perfect, sinless man to
offer His own life for the redemption for the sin of mankind (Gen 3:16; 22).
The Covenants God made to Israel will be fulfilled literally to Israel, and un-
less otherwise indicated, should be applied specifically to them. God has de-
termined a specific, prophetic portion of time in which to accomplish His
plan for His covenant people, and while they did reject His prophesied com-
ing, and are currently “blinded in part”, so as to take out of the Gentiles a
“People for His Name” (Rom 11:25;Acts 15:13-17), after which He will regather
for the last time and finish His work and redemption of His people. This will
fulfill the “New Covenant” writings of the prophets (Ezek 11:19; 36:26; Jer 31:
30-32).
While the Church (the Body of Christ), are partakers of the blessings of the
root (Jn 15:1-6), They do not replace Israel. We believe that “Covenant
Theology” is error, the Church has not replaced Israel, nor is it itself “spirit-
ual Israel”. Gods covenant with the Nation of Israel thru Abraham is eternal
and unconditional.

CONCERNING THE ETERNAL STATE

We believe the Scriptures teach the bodily resurrection of the just and the
unjust. All those who through faith are justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ will spend eternity in full enjoyment of God's presence and
those who through impenitence and unbelief refuse to accept Gods offer of
mercy will spend eternity in everlasting punishment.
Psalm 1611, John 5:28, 29; 14-2, Matthew 25:46, Revelation 20:14, 15; 21:4

CONCERNING SATAN

We believe the Scriptures teach that there is a personal devil who is the god
of this age and the prince of the power of the air, who is full of all subtlety,
who seeks continually to frustrate the purposes of God and to ensnare the
sons of men, and who was conquered by Christ on the cross and condemned
to everlasting punishment.
1 Corinthians 4:4, Hebrews 2:14, Ephesians 2:2, Revelation 12:9

CONCERNING PERSONAL SEPARATION

We believe the Scriptures teach that every believer should be separated unto
God from the world, and by the aid of the Holy Spirit, should walk in Christ-
ian love and holiness, exhibiting qualities of honest, integrity, forgiveness
and loving-kindness. We further believe that any achievement in these char-
acteristics will be evidenced by sincere humility and genuine zeal for the
advancement of the cause of Christ. We also believe the Scriptures
admonish every believer not to love the world or the things in the world, but
rather flee evil desires, avoid every kind of evil and refrain from questionable
practices which destroy ones testimony, offend ones brother and fail to glor-
ify God.
Proverbs 15:33, Galatians 5:22-25, Romans 14:19-21, Ephesians 4:32; 5:1, 2;

CONCERNING ECCLESIASTICAL SEPARATION

We believe the Scriptures teach that the believer should be separated from
apostasy as exemplified in ecclesiastical organizations that include radicals,
liberals, and those who sanction theological compromise. This doctrine is
based upon Gods eternal principle of division between truth and error and
His specific command to be separate from unbelievers and disobedient
brethren. This truth is to be practiced with an attitude of devotion to God,
humility, compassion, and yet with conviction, to create the proper condition
and atmosphere for the main objective, i.e., the salvation of the lost through
the Gospel of God. We believe ecumenical evangelism that involves apo-
states violated the principles taught in Gods Word.
Matthew 10:34-39; 18:15, 1 Timothy 6:3-6, Romans 16:17, 11 Timothy 2:16-18,
Galatians 1:8,9

Statement of Faith

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