1. THE SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Holy Bible, as originally written, was verbally inspired and the product of Spirit-filled men and has been divinely preserved to date in the Authorized Version of 1611, and, therefore, is the truth without any admixture of error for its matter. We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried. We believe the Bible to have only one interpretation, which may be revealed to any believer by the Holy Spirit.
{C}a. {C}By “The Holy Bible” we mean that collection of sixty-six books, from Genesis to Revelation, which as written and preserved in the Authorized Version of 1611, does not only contain and convey the Word of God, but IS the Word of God.
{C}b. {C}By “Inspiration,” we mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of old, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit in such a definite way that their writings were supernaturally and verbally inspired and preserved, free from error, as no other writings have ever been or ever will be. II Timothy 2:15, 3:16,17; II Peter 1:19-21; John 16:13, 17:17; Psalm 12:6, 7;Galatians 1:11-12; Hebrews 1:1.
{C}c. {C}Whereas there are a number of other versions of the Bible in circulation, all of which are not reliable due to their omission of words and their being translated from corrupt manuscripts, we consider it, therefore, a necessity and privilege to use only the King James Version A. V. 1611 in our pulpit and in our classrooms, Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:5, 6; Revelation 22:18, 19.
2. THE TRUE GOD
We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, absolute in nature, perfect in attributes, holy in character, the Maker and supreme Ruler of heaven and earth; that He is infinite in wisdom, marvelous in power, and amazing in love; that He is holy, righteous and true, worthy of all confidence and love, and that He unites in Himself the infinite, the eternal and the Almighty Three: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that the three persons of the God-head subsist in the same divine nature, essence and being, and that They are co-existent and co-equal in divine attributes, and each One executing distinct and harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. We believe that God the Father is the first Person set forth in the Divine Trinity; that He is almighty, merciful and just; that He is eternally existent, glorious in nature, possessing the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, and that He, in harmony with His divine office, loves, provides, and protects, thus exercising providential watch care over the sons of men and especially a fatherly care over the children of God. Isaiah 44:6, 57:15; I Corinthians 8:6, Revelation 4:11; I John 5:7, John 1:1-4; Genesis 1:1; Psalms 145:3; Deuteronomy 6:4; Romans 1:20; I Timothy 2:5.
3. THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in our preaching and testimony; that He is the agent of the New Birth; that He seals, fills, leads, intercedes, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and comforts the believer. II Corinthians 3:17; John 14:16,17; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:16,26; Luke 1:35; John 1:12,13; Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5-8; Ephesians 1:13,14; John 1:33; Romans 8:14-16; Romans 8:26,27; I Corinthians, 2:10-17; 6:11; 12:4-6, 13; Matthew 3:16-17.
4. JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner; born of Mary, a virgin; and that He is both completely man and completely God. He was subject to temptation, yet was without ANY sin. He is the Messiah for Israel, the Saviour of the world, the ONLY way any man can come to God the Father for forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. He is to be worshiped and glorified as the LORD. Isaiah 7:14; 9:6, 7; Luke 1:31-35; Matthew 4:1-11; Hebrews 4:15; I Peter 2:22; John 4:42; 14:6; John 20: 28; Luke 24:52; John 16:14; Philippians 2:9-11.
5. SATAN OR THE DEVIL
We believe that Satan is an actual person, and not an imaginary influence. We believe he was created perfect, as a Cherub called Lucifer, and once enjoyed high heavenly honors and glorious heavenly privileges. Because of pride, ambition and self-will, he rebelled against God, became the author of sin, and brought down upon his head the judgment of God. He appeared as an angel of light to Eve in the Garden of Eden and tempted her to willfully disobey God’s command, resulting in the fall of man. We believe he was then cursed, to be henceforth referred to as a serpent, or the dragon. He operates today as the god of this world and the father of all lies. He is the greatest enemy, the mightiest tempter, and the most relentless accuser of the saints. Now, as a great red dragon, he abides in the great deep. As the devil, he appears on earth and in heaven as the god of this world to fulfill the ultimate will of God in judging, killing, deceiving, hindering, tempting and accusing. During the fulfillment of Daniel’s 70th Week, or the Great Tribulation, he will come down to earth to indwell the antichrist. After the antichrist is destroyed, he will be chained in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years, at the end of which he will be loosed to assemble an army of sinners for his last attempt to overthrow God. He and his army will be destroyed and he will be cast into a lake of fire forever: the eternal place of punishment, prepared for the devil and his angels. Ezekiel 28:12-19; Isaiah 14:12-25; II Corinthians 4:3-4; 11:14; Genesis 3:1-6, 14-19; Romans 5:12; Revelation 12:3,9; Job 41:31-34; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Jeremiah 51:20-25; John 8:44; I Thessalonians 2:18; II Thessalonians 2:3-9; Jude 1:6; II Peter 2:4; Ephesians 2:2; Zechariah 3:1-7; Revelation 19:11-20; 20:1-10.
6. THE CREATION
We believe the Genesis account of creation as being neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate creative acts of God in the person of Jesus Christ in six literal, 24-hour periods, without any evolutionary process; that man made up of spirit, soul and body, 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, the first parents of the entire human race. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. Genesis 1 & 2; Exodus 20:11; Colossians 1:16, 17; Matthew 19:4; John 1:1-3; Acts 4:24; Hebrews 11:3; II Peter 3:4; Revelation 10:6; Romans 1:20, 8:22.
7. THE FALL OF MAN
We believe that man was created in a state of innocence as a free moral agent under the law of his Maker; but by voluntary transgression, Adam fell from his sinless and happy state, as a result of which all men are totally depraved (excluding the will), 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. Genesis 2:17; 3:1-6; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10-19, 23; 5:12, 19; Ezra 7:13; Ephesians 2:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20; I Kings 8:46.
8. CHRIST’S BLOOD ATONEMENT
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him a body of flesh, yet without sin, honored the divine law by His personal (blood) obedience, and made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins by His death, which reconciles the sinner to God. The blood is what made the atonement. That His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinners’ place, the just dying for the unjust; Christ, the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that having risen bodily from the dead, He is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection. He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate and all-sufficient Saviour and only High Priest for the believer. We believe this atonement is not limited but effectual to any sinner accepting it by faith. We believe this atonement is eternal and, therefore, covers all sins, past, present and future of the redeemed. Therefore, an individual under this atonement is eternally saved from eternal condemnation because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24-26; John 3:16; II Corinthians 5:18-21; Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 2:14; Isaiah 53:4-7; I John 4:10; I Corinthians 15:3, 4; II Corinthians 5:21; I Timothy 2:5-6; I John 2:2; Hebrews 9:12-14; John 5:24; Romans 5:8-11; Colossians 1:14; I Peter 1:19; I Corinthians 11:25.
9. THE NEW BIRTH
We believe that the new birth (being born again) is the regenerative act of the Holy Spirit upon a sinner when he repents of his sins and believes the Gospel according to the Scriptures, receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. As a result of the new birth, the sinner is made a new creature in Christ Jesus, partaking of the divine nature and receiving eternal life as a free gift of God. Regeneration of the spirit, resulting in the “new man” and consequently partaking of the Divine nature in the spirit is brought about in a manner above comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with Divine truth. John 3:3, 6-8; II Corinthians 5:17; I John 5:1; John 1:12-13; I Corinthians 4:15; I Peter 1:23; II Peter 1:4; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1, 15; 4:24; Colossians 2:13; Titus 3:5.
10. JUSTIFICATION
We believe that justification is the judicial act of God whereby He declares us to be just and righteous through faith in Christ Jesus; that justification includes the pardon of sin and the imputation of God’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. Acts 13:39; Isaiah 53:11; II Corinthians 5:18-21; Romans 3:24-28; 5:1, 9; 4:1-8; I Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 2:16-21; Titus 3:5-7.
11. SALVATION
We believe that the salvation of a soul (the new birth, being born again) requires a belief in God, repentance towards God, which involves genuine sorrow for sin and a willingness to turn from it; and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the regenerative act of the Holy Spirit upon a sinner when he repents of his sins and believes the Gospel according to the Scriptures, receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. As a result of the new birth, the sinner is made a new creature in Christ Jesus, partaking of the Divine nature and receiving eternal life as a free gift of God. Regeneration of the spirit, resulting in the “new man” and consequently partaking of the Divine nature in the spirit brought about in a manner above comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth. We believe that this salvation is thereafter permanent and eternal to the believer. Hebrew 11:6; Acts 16:31; 20:21; II Corinthians 7:9,10; I Thessalonians 1:9; John 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; 2:1, 14; 4:30; John 3:3, 6-8; 4:15; II Corinthians 5:17; I Peter 1:23; II Peter 1:4; Romans 6:23; Colossians 2:13, Titus 3:5.
12. 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’s spirit or “new man” in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Saviour; second, a continuing process in the soul of the saint as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the inner man; third, the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord’s return when the body, or old man, will then be changed and transformed into a perfect sinless body in the image of Christ. I Corinthians 1:30; 6:11; 15:51-54; Hebrews 10:10-14; I John 3:2, 9; Ephesians 4:24; 5:25, 26; John 17:17; I Thessalonians 4:3, 4, 13-17; 5:23, 24; Philippians 3:21; II Corinthians 3:18; 4:16.
13. ADOPTION
We believe that adoption is the gracious act whereby the Father, for the sake of Christ places new believers into the honored position of mature son, in contrast with regeneration whereby the believer receives the nature of God and becomes a child of God. The full benefit of the position accorded by adoption as the sons of God awaits the glorification of the believer at the coming of the Lord and the redemption of the body. Ephesians 1:5, 13-14; Galatians 4:1-7, I John 3:1, 2; Romans 8:15, 23; 9:4.
14. THE CHURCH
We believe in the unity of all true believers in the Church which is the Body of Christ, which was established on the day of Pentecost, and that all believers, from Pentecost to the Rapture, both Jews and Gentiles, are added to this Church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the exact time that they trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour.
We believe that this Church is manifested through the local church which is a congregation of immersed believers associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws in accordance with Pauline revelation, exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; and that it’s officers are pastors, also called elders, and deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scripture. We believe the true mission of the church is for the edification, perfection, exhortation and comfort of its members in spiritual matters; 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; that the one and only head and shepherd of the local church is the God-called and Spirit-filled pastor, just as Jesus Christ is the Head and Chief Shepherd over the entire church; 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; and that on all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the will of the local church is final. Ephesians 1:10, 22-23; 3:1-6; Galatians 3:26-28; I Corinthians 12:12-14; Acts 1:5; 2:4. 41, 47; I Corinthians 11:2; Titus 1:5-7; Ephesians 4:11-16; Acts 20:17-32; I Timothy 3:1-7; I Peter 5:1-4; Hebrews 13:7,17; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 4:11-16, 5:23,24; Acts 15:13-18.
15. BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water, under the authority of the local church, to show forth in a like figure or emblem our submission to and faith in the crucified, buried and risen Saviour, through Whom we died to sin and rose to a new life; that this baptism is to be administered by the under shepherd or pastor and thereby is a witness that the believer is in subjection to the position of pastor whatever church he may be in; that only one baptism is necessary in the life of any believer; that baptism 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 serious self-examination and confession. Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; I Peter 3:21; I Timothy 1:1, 6; Acts 9:18; I Corinthians 9:25; 10:1-2; 11:2, 23-32; Matthew 28:19-20.
16. 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 things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming Kings of Kings. 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; 1 Peter 2:13-16; I Timothy 2:1-2; Matthew 22:21; Acts 5:29; 4:19-20.
17. SPIRITUAL GIFTS, MIRACLES, SIGNS, AND WONDERS
We believe the gifts of the Spirit in I Corinthians 12 are given today, for the ministry to all parts of the body of Christ with the exception of those gifts, which are specifically called “signs”. Those gifts which are signs, wonders or miracles were given by the Spirit during the beginning of the church in the book of Acts for these purposes: (1) to identify an “apostle” (2) to get the Jews to listen to the gospel or to believe a new revelation (3) to confirm the Word of Scripture that was being spoken by the apostles, but not yet in written form as we have Scriptures today. Since there are NO apostles present today and that the gospel ministry is almost totally to the Gentile and we have a complete Bible, we reject “speaking in tongues,” “supernatural healing” as found in the apostolic ministry (we believe God heals today in accordance with His Word and divine will through faith and confession) and any other “sign or wonder” as heresy and “lying signs and wonders” produced by Satanic power in these last days to deceive the whole world. I Corinthians 12:1-11; Mark 16:17,18; Acts 2:4,5,43; 3:7,12; 5:12; II Corinthians 12:12; I Corinthians 1:21,22; 14:2, 21,22; Mark 16:17-20; Hebrews 2:3,4; James 5:14-16; I Corinthians 11:20-32; II Thessalonians 2:8,9; I Timothy 4:1-4; Matthew 24:5,11,24.
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 is being regathered to Palestine and, after the rapture of the Church, will be saved as a nation at the second advent of Christ. Genesis 13:14-17; Romans 11:1-32; Ezekiel 37.
19. THE RESURRECTIONS, JUDGMENTS, PRE-MILLENNIAL RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST AND RELATED EVENTS
{C}a. {C}We believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, Matthew 28:6-7; John 20:27; I Corinthians 15:4; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:2-6, 39.
{C}b. {C}The ascension of Jesus Christ. Acts 1:9-11; Luke 24:51; Mark 16:19.
{C}c. {C}The imminent pre-tribulation resurrection of all born-again believers at the end of this dispensation. Philippians 3:20-21; I Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-17; 5:6-11; Titus 2:13; Revelation 4:1; I Corinthians 15:51-53.
{C}d. {C}The judgment seat of Christ after the rapture of the Church, before the throne of God, where the believer’s works and motives for service will be tested by fire, with the promise of literal rewards and inheritance during the millennial reign. Romans 14:10; II Corinthians 5:10; II Timothy 4:1; I Corinthians 3:9-15, 4:5, 5:10; II Timothy 4:1; I Corinthians 3:9-15; 4:5; Colossians 3:23-24; II Timothy 2:10-12; Like 19:11-26.
{C}e. {C}The future conclusion of Daniel’s 70th week, called the Great Tribulation, determined on the nation of Israel, involving the coming world church, a one-world government both of which will be dominated by the Anti-Christ. Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 23:4-26; Revelation Chapters 6-19.
{C}f. {C}The personal visible return of Jesus Christ to this earth to destroy Antichrist and all his enemies either at Armageddon or the judgment of the nations and then to establish the 1000 year reign with the Jew in Palestine as the head of the nations, the earth regenerated, and Himself the King of the earth ruling with a rod of iron on the throne of David in Jerusalem. Revelation 19:11-21; Acts 1:10,11; Revelation 16:12-16; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:1-6; Romans 11:25-27; Deuteronomy 28:13; Isaiah 9:6,7; 11:1-10; Luke 1:32,33; Isaiah 24:23.
{C}g. {C}The Last Judgment, or Great White Throne Judgment, involving all the unconverted or unbelievers since Adam. This judgment will only determine the extent or degree of their damnation and eternal destruction in the Lake of Fire. Revelation 20:11-15; 20:5-6; Matthew 23:12; Revelation 14:10, 11; 21:8.
{C}h. {C}The new Heavens and Earth, eternal bliss and life of believers of all dispensations. Revelation 21:1-22:5; Psalm 16:11; John 3:16.
20. SEPARATION
We believe that believers should maintain a godly testimony and live in such a way that that their lives do not bring reproach upon their Savior. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain from all immodest and immoderate appearances, piercings, and bodily markings. We stand against any and all worldly philosophies that seek to destroy or undermine the truth of Biblical Christianity. Leviticus 19:28; Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11.
21. SEXUAL IMMORALITY
a. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a 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; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 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; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23.
22. 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 as pastors, deacons, evangelists or missionaries by the church. Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:18; 1 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 a heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. Genesis 1:26-28; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalms 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.
23. 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 the mother are acceptable. Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44.
24. 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.
25. DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE
We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except in the case of death; on the grounds of fornication, or if the unbeliever departs. Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; I Corinthians 7:10-17.
26. 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 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. It is assumed that all members will be responsible for all debts for themselves and their families. 1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32.
27. GIVING
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support financially his local church. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel; including the support of missionaries and mission works. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17.
28. MISSIONS
We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20.
29. ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
We believe that salvation wrought by grace is everlasting; that the saved soul journeying through the valley of the shadow of death need fear no evil; that the Holy Spirit begotten and born again by the Holy Spirit are kept by the power of God. That the believer in Christ Jesus shall not be brought into judgment; that no one can lay anything to the charge of God’s elect; that they are securely held in both the hands of the Father and the Son and the age-old Bible doctrine, “ ONCE IN GRACE, ALWAYS IN GRACE” is heavenly and gloriously true. John 10:27-29; Romans 8:35-39; Jude 1:24; Ephesians 4:30; John 3:3, 36; I John 5:10-13; II Corinthians 5:21; John 5:26, 6:37-40, 10:27-30; I Peter 1:3-5; Hebrews 10:10.
30. THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked. We believe the righteous are they who believe in Christ Jesus, are justified by faith, and are sanctified by the Holy Spirit and the Word; that the righteous are heirs of God and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ; and that eternal life, the gift of God, is the matchless possession of the just. We believe that the wicked are they who do not believe in Christ Jesus, are condemned because of unbelief and are corrupted by the god of this world; that the unjust spurn the privileges of God’s grace, choosing the life of sin and rebellion; and that eternal damnation is the inescapable portion of the unjust. I John 5:20; Romans 3:21-28; Colossians 2:10; Romans 6:11; II Corinthians 5:21; Revelation 20:11-15; 22:11-19; I Corinthians 1:30-31; John 3:18-21, 12:48.
31. INDIVIDUAL REWARDS
We believe that rewards and salvation are not one and the same thing. We believe the Lord shall reward his own; that He Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, that the dead in Christ shall rise first; that a solemn separation shall be caught up to meet Him in the air, and there be rewarded according to the deeds done in the body; and that the place called the new Heaven and the new earth is ordained the everlasting dwelling place of the children of God. We believe that the wicked are children of the devil; that they are rebels against God; that they reject the free offer of salvation through Christ. That they ignore the wooing of the Holy Spirit; and that they, as a consequence, are hell bound, being under a death sentence; that they shall spend eternity in the lake of fire which burneth with fire and brimstone where the Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet shall ever be. I Thessalonians 4:15-17; I Corinthians 4:5; 15:51-52; II Corinthians 5:9-10; Acts 17:31; Romans 2:5-10; 14:10-12; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 6:8; Colossians 3:24-25; Jude 1:14-15; Revelation 20:10-15; 21:1-8; 22:12.
32. LOVE
We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)
33. THESE STATEMENTS OF FAITH
The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible (King James 1611) itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teachings of the Bible, and therefore, is binding upon all members. All literature, whether print or electronic, used in the church shall be in complete agreement with the Statement of Faith.