Articles of Faith
1. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the super-naturally inspired words of God. These Scriptures, as contained in the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, were inerrant and infallible, and the complete revelation of God to Man. We believe that just as God supernaturally inspired His words, so He has, in His divine providence, supernaturally preserved His words, inerrant and infallible, in the King James Bible, The King James Bible shall be the official and only Bible used by the church. (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21; Ps. 12:6-7)
2. GOD
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Ghost; each one equal in every divine perfection, but executing distinct offices in the great work of redemption. (Mt. 28:19; I Jn. 5:7)
3. JESUS CHRIST
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God; having been conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin, Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Is. 7:14; Lk. 1:35; Jn. 1:1-2)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (I Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; Lk. 24:39)
4. THE HOLY GHOST
We believe that the Holy Ghost is a person who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment; that He applies the Word of God to the heart of the listener; and that upon salvation, baptizes them into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (Jn. 16:8-11; I Cor. 12:12-14; Eph. 1:13-14)
5. THE FALL OF MAN
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin, the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is sinful and, of his own works, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Gen. 1:26-27; Eph. 2:1-3; Eph. 2:8-9)
6. SALVATION
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins. (Jn. 1:12; Col. 1:14; I Pet. 1:18-19)
7. ETERNAL LIFE
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. It is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word, which, however, forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Jn. 10:27-28; I Jn. 5:13; Gal. 5:13)
8. THE CHURCH
We believe that the local church is a body of born-again baptized believers. Its establishment and continuance is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament. We believe that the local church ought to be self-governing and free of any external authority or control. (Mt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; I Cor. 3:9]
9. SEPARATION
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord; and that separation from all religious apostasy, all sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God. (Rom. 12:1-2; II Cor. 6:14-7:1)
10. THE RETURN OF CHRIST
We believe in that "blessed hope"; the personal, imminent return of Christ who will rapture His church prior to the seven year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return, with His saints, to establish His earthly Kingdom which was promised to the Nation of Israel. (Titus 2:13; I Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 19:11-16; Rev. 20)
11. THE ETERNAL STATE
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men: the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. The souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Matt. 25:46; Phil. 1:23; Rev. 20:11-15)
12. SATAN
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the fall of man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job. 1:6-7; Is. 14:12-17; Rev. 20:10)
13. CREATION
We believe that God created this world in six literal, 24-hour days. We reject as unscriptural any and all theories of evolution. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11)
14. 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 sphere of responsibilities under God. (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; I Pet. 2:13-14)
15. HUMAN SEXUALITY
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5,13; Lev. 18; Rom. 1:26-29; Heb. 13:4)
16. 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. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; Jer. 1:5; Lk. 1:44)
17. MISSIONS
We believe that God has given the church a Great Commission to proclaim the gospel to all nations, including our own, so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, kindred and tongue who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors for Christ, we must use all available means to go to the masses and not wait for them to come to us. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15; Lk. 24:46-48; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:20)
18. 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. (I Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)
19. GIVING
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe (tenth) 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. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been given. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; I Cor. 16:2; II Cor. 9:6-7; I Tim. 5:17-18; I Jn. 3:17)
The "Articles of Faith" does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing "Articles of Faith" accurately represent the teaching of the Bible, and thereof, is binding upon all members.
