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| | Statement of Faith
A. The Bible
We believe that the entire Bible (the 66 book canon) is The Word of God and that
it is without error in the originals. We furthermore believe that we have a
faithful representation of those originals in the legitimate translations that
are available to us today. We also believe that unless the context or the
historical/cultural situation of a given passage leads us to believe otherwise,
we will accept the natural/literal interpretation of the scriptures. It is also
our belief that the Bible is the Christian's only rule for what we believe and
how we live. (2 Timothy 3:14-17)
B. The Godhead
We believe that there is only one true and living God and that He exists in
three manifestations: i.e., Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are
co-equal and are contained within the one and only essence of the true God.
(Deut. 6:4; John 14:16-18; Matt. 1:23; 2 Cor. 13:14 )
C. Man
We believe that man is born totally depraved, needing the sacrifice made for him
by Christ on the cross. Through the sin of Adam in the garden, a sin nature was
passed on to all mankind. It is for this reason that all mankind must be led to
Christ by the Father. (Romans 3:21-23; John 6:44; Rom. 5:12)
D. Salvation Through Jesus Christ
We believe that all who by faith receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are
born again by the Holy Spirit of God and become the children of God. We also
believe that Jesus Christ, from whom our salvation comes, is the only Son of
God. He was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and shed His blood
and died on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all who
would come to Him. God raised Him from the dead on the third day, and He is now
with the Father making intercession on behalf of His children. We furthermore
believe that all who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will, by the
grace of God, spend eternity in God’s glorious presence, and those who do not,
will spend eternity in torment in the lake that burns with fire. (Eph. 2:8-9;
Romans 10:9-10; Rev. 20:7-15 )
E. The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit was given to indwell the church as the
fulfillment of God's promise to empower the church in its mission to reach a
lost and dead world (Acts 1:8). When a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord
and Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells him or her as the eternal, unbreakable seal
of their salvation. He also gives gifts to all Christians, to be used for the
common good, in order to reach the world around us. There is no spiritual gift
that sets one Christian apart as being "more spiritual" than another,
and the only spiritual gifts that are truly biblical are those that fulfill the
stated purposes of the gifts. (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 12:1-13)
F. Ordinances
We believe that God has given two ordinances to be observed in the church. They
are: 1) Baptism by immersion, subsequent to a person’s acceptance of Christ as
Lord and Savior; and 2) The Lord's Supper observed as a symbol of Christ's
sacrifice. (1 Cor. 11:23-26; Matt. 28:18-20)
G. The Local Church and Missions
We believe that God has commanded His people to fellowship together on a local
basis and that these local fellowships (churches) should dedicate a portion of
their resources to the task of furthering the proclamation of the Gospel
throughout the portions of the world they personally are not able to reach.
(Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:18-20)
H. The Second Coming of Christ
We believe in the personal, physical, premillennial return of Jesus Christ in
glory to establish a literal 1,000 year rule on the earth. (Rev. 20:1-7)
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