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1. The Scriptures
We believe that the Bible in its entirety
is inspired and “God-breathed,” i.e.
verbal-plenary inspiration. We believe that the Bible is the authoritative
Word of God “profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction,
and instruction in righteousness”. We believe that the Bible
in the original manuscripts is inerrant (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20,
21). 2. The Godhead
We believe that God exists in three Persons; Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14). We believe that the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God, coequal and coeternal,
sharing the exact same attributes, power, glory, and are
of the same essence (Deut. 6:4; Jn. 1:1,14; Acts 5:3,4).
We believe that God exercises sovereign rule over all creation
as part of and consistent with the characteristics of Deity
(I Chron 29:11, 12; Ps 24:1; Dan 4:35).
3. The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the eternal Son of God became fully man
when He was born of the virgin Mary yet never ceased to
be fully God; that He became man to fulfill prophecy, reveal
God, and redeem the human race; that He was born in, remained
in, and arrived at the Cross in a state of impeccability
having never sinned (Lk. 1:30-35; Jn. 1:18, 29; Heb. 4:15).
We believe that His spiritual death on the Cross was substitutionary
and accomplished redemption for man; that He rose from
the dead in the same body and that He is now at the right
Hand of God the Father; that His resurrection and acceptance
in the presence of the Father is the assurance of His redeeming
work (Jn. 1:29;20:24-29; Rom. 3:24, 25;4:24, 25; 1 Pt.
1:18-22; Heb. 1:3). We believe that He is currently the
Head of the church which is His body and that He intercedes
for those who are saved functioning as their High Priest
and Advocate (Eph. 1:22-23; Heb. 7:25; 9:24-26; 1 Jn. 2:1).
4. The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of
the Godhead who began an unprecedented ministry during
this age upon His advent on the day of Pentecost; that
this special ministry encompasses convicting the world
of sin, righteousness, and judgment; restraining evil to
some degree; baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ;
permanently indwelling and sealing believers unto the day
of redemption; empowering believers to execute the spiritual
life through His filling ministry (Acts 2:1-4: 2 Thess.
2:7; 1 Cor: 3:16; 12:12, 13; 6:19; 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph 5:18).
When the Christian is filled, the Holy Spirit is manifesting
a controlling influence in the life of the believer and
has the liberty to guide, illuminate, teach, bring to remembrance,
bear witness, and lead the believer in accomplishing God’s
will for his life (Jn. 16:13; 1 Cor 2:10; John 14:26: Rom
8:16: Gal 5: 18: Rom 8:14, 26-27). The filling of the Spirit
is maintained through walking dependently upon God the
Holy Spirit to live one’s life as opposed to depending
upon self (Gal. 3:3; 5:16, 18). When the believer resists
the ministries of God the Holy Spirit, he is quenching
the Spirit's work in his life (1 Thess. 5:19). We believe
that the filling of the Spirit ceases when the believer
grieves the Spirit by committing personal sin (Eph. 4:30)
and that this ministry is recovered when the believer is
purified from the defilement of sin through personal confession
and resumes his walk of faith in fellowship (1 Jn 1:9;
Gal 5:16; 2 Cor. 5:7). We believe that the Holy Spirit's
unique ministry during this age will terminate at the resurrection
of the Church (1 Cor. 15:51, 52; Phil. 3:11, 21; 1 Thess.
4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:7).
5. Satan & his fallen Angels
We believe that the first beings God created were supernatural
beings called angels; that Lucifer was the highest ranking
of these beings and through his pride committed the first
sin; that one third of the angelic beings chose to follow
him (Job 38:4-6; Ezek. 28:11-19; Is. 14:12-14; Rev. 12:4).
We believe that God rendered a judgment of eternal condemnation
in the Lake of Fire on these beings in eternity past; that
upon this judgment, although suspended, Lucifer inherited
the name of Satan and his followers became classified as
demons (Matt. 25:41; Zech. 3:1,2; Matt. 7:22). We believe
that Satan is the author of sin, enemy of God, and enemy
of man; that he has access to God for accusing His saints,
and is currently ruler of the world (1 Pt. 5:8; Job 1:6,7;
Jn. 12:31. We believe that Satan will be barred from God’s
throne room and cast down to earth during the Tribulation;
that he will be bound in the Abyss for 1000 years during
the millennial reign of Christ, released for a short period
of time, then thrown forever into the Lake of Fire (Rev.
12:7-9; Is. 14:12b; Rev. 20:1-3,10).
6. Man
We believe that Adam was created in the image and likeness
of God, spiritually alive, and that through one act of
personal sin, he died spiritually and acquired a sin nature
(Gen. 1:26; 2:17). Since Adam’s sin, every member
of the human race, excluding Jesus Christ, is born physically
alive yet spiritually dead, in a state of total depravity
with a seminally transmitted sin nature (Rom. 3:10-17;
Is. 64:6; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 5:12; 6:23). This state of depravity
leaves man totally helpless to produce an eternal relationship
with God apart from the saving work of Christ on the Cross
and God’s policy of grace (Is. 64:6; Jn. 3:16,18,36;
Eph. 2:8,9).
7. Dispensations
We believe that the Bible is only accurately interpreted
through the recognition that God accomplishes His purpose
with man through distinct economies or stewardships; that
dispensationalism is the only system that recognizes the
required biblical distinctions between the Church and Israel.
We believe that although man’s responsibilities are
changed or modified under each successive economy, salvation
has and will always be the same, by grace alone through
faith alone in Christ alone as He is revealed. The basis
for this salvation is the substitutionary spiritual death
of Christ on the Cross (Gen. 15:6; Acts 4:12; 16:31; Eph.
2:8, 9).
8. Salvation
We believe that salvation comes to the sinner only by
faith alone in Christ alone; that there is no other means
of salvation afforded to the human race to include baptism,
church membership, emotional guilt over personal sin, good
deeds, philanthropic activity, etc., etc. ad infinitum.
Salvation is based solely on the spiritual death of Christ
on the Cross and can only be received through personal
faith in Jesus Christ (Is. 64:6; Jn. 3:16, 18, 36: Acts
4:12; 16:31; Rom. 3:10-17; Eph. 2:8,9).
9. Eternal Security
We believe that there is no sin that a believer can commit
or creature powerful enough to cancel the salvation that
God has accomplished. We believe that believer’s
are eternally secure in their salvation (Jn 10:28,29; Rom.
8:1: 1 Jn. 5:13).
10. Fellowship
We believe that fellowship is an absolute status quo
for the believer, when there is no unconfessed sin in the
life. We believe that the believer breaks fellowship with
God through committing acts of personal sin; that the believer
recovers fellowship through grace by confessing known personal
sin directly to God the Father (1 Jn. 1:1-10).
11. Spiritual Gifts
We believe that spiritual gifts are posited to believers
in order for the Church to properly function. God the Holy
Spirit distributes these gifts to the Church Age believer
at the moment of salvation. The spiritual gifts include,
but are not limited to: administration, giving, helps,
pastor-teacher, evangelism, mercy, and prayer. That the
gifts of pastor-teacher and evangelism are distributed
to male believers only (1 Cor 14:34-36; Titus 2:3-5; 1
Tim 2:11-14; Eph 4:11-13).
We believe that certain spiritual gifts terminated at the completion of the
Canon and others ceased to function over time or coterminously with the death
of the last apostle. We believe that the gifts of healing, working of miracles,
tongues, interpretation of tongues, and apostleship are no longer legitimately
functioning today. Any member attempting to practice such gifts shall be subject
to immediate dismissal (1 Cor. 12; 13:10; Eph. 4:11-13).
12. The Christian’s Responsibility
We believe the Christian’s responsibility is to “grow
in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ,” make
decisions conducive to growth, to the end that his life
is consistent with the Lord’s plan, thus bringing
both blessing to the believer and glory to the Lord. Other
areas of service will be fulfilled as a result of the believer’s
positive volition toward God’s Word and subsequent
spiritual growth (2 Pet 3:18).
13. The Church
We believe that the Church is the Body and Bride of Christ
of whom He is the Head; that this universal Church is only
composed of Church Age believers. Believers are united
to the body through the baptism of the Holy Spirit regardless
of gender, race, national origin, or denominational membership
(1 Cor. 12:12,13; Eph. 1:22,23; Col. 1:18).
14. The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ mandated the observance
of the Lord’s Supper for every believer throughout
the Church Age (Lk. 22:17-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-34).
15. The Blessed Hope
We believe that the next prophetical event to occur after
Pentecost is the Resurrection of the Church, which is the
believer’s blessed hope; that this blessed hope is
just as imminent now as it was during the Apostolic Era (1
Cor. 15:51,52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13).
16. The Tribulation
We believe that the Tribulation is Daniel’s seventieth
week and the time of Jacob’s trouble in which God
primarily deals with the nation Israel for seven years
(Dan. 9:24; Jer. 30:7); that this period of time will
begin after the Resurrection of the Church upon the signing
of a treaty between Israel and “the man of sin”;
that this covenant will be broken in the middle of the
week (3.5 years) which initiates the Great Tribulation
where unprecedented wrath will be poured out on mankind
(Dan. 9:27; 12:11; Matt. 24:15-21); that this period
will terminate at the Second Coming of the Lord (Matt.
24:29-30).
17. The Second Coming of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will return to
earth in His resurrected body with His saints to establish
the millennial kingdom for 1000 years in which the unconditional
biblical covenants will be fulfilled as promised to Israel
(Acts 15:16,17; Rev. 20:4c,6).
18. The Eternal State
We believe that those who are saved upon physical death,
go to be with the Lord and there they shall forever remain
(Rev. 21:4; 2 Cor. 5:8); that the saved receive a resurrection
body respective to the completion of the dispensation
in which they lived (1 Cor. 15:20-23, 51-57; Dan. 12:13;
Rev. 20:4). We believe that unbelievers upon physical
death reside in Hades until the end of human history,
at which time they will be resurrected, judged on the
bases of their deeds, and sentenced to an eternal lake
of fire where they will forever be in pain (Lk. 16:19-31;
Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20:11-15).
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