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Bible:
We believe that the Scriptures, consisting of the
sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, are verbally and
plenarily inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings
in all matters of which they treat, scientific and historical, as
well as moral and theological.
God:
We believe that there is one true God who is the infinite, eternal, personal spirit. He is
the Creator and supreme Ruler of the universe. He is inexpressibly
glorious in holiness, wisdom, power, justice, goodness, truth, and
love, and is worthy of all love, honour, trust, and obedience. God
exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and these
three Persons have the same nature and perfections.
Christ:
We believe that Jesus
Christ is truly and eternally God; that He was conceived by the
Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary; that He became perfect
man and remains forever the theanthropic person; that He shed his
blood for the sins of all men as a substitutionary sacrifice; that
He arose in the very body, though glorified, in which He had been
crucified; that He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right
hand of God; and that He now appears in the presence of God on behalf
of His people.
Holy Spirit:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person;
that He inspired the Scriptures using human authors; that He convicts
the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that He regenerates
those who believe, places them into the body of Christ, and dwells
in them; that as Christ's representative on earth He calls out a
people from Jews and Gentiles and makes of the two "one new man"
and that He calls out men [people] to God's service, and empowers
and directs them in that service. We believe that certain gifts
of the Holy spirit such as speaking in tongues and miraculous healings
were intended only for the Apostolic era of the Church; that no
particular gift, such as speaking in tongues, was the necessary
sign of the baptism of the Spirit.
Creation and Fall:
We believe that the universe with all that is in it was created
in six literal days by the Word of God; that man was specifically
created by God in His image; that the first man, Adam, through disobedience
fell from his original state of innocence, became corrupt in nature,
and came under condemnation and sentence of death; and that because
of the unity of the race in Adam, all men have come under the same
consequences of sin. We further believe that all creation suffers
under the curse of God, and that the worldwide cataclysmic deluge
and the origin of the nations and languages at the tower of Babel
were the result of divine judgment.
Universe:
We believe that the Lord by the word of His power
upholds all things that have been created, together with the laws
and properties with which they have been endowed, and that God in
His sovereign rule over the universe works out His purpose through
the laws of nature and by miraculous power.
Salvation:
We believe that through faith alone in the crucified
and risen Christ, man is justified, regenerated, and given the position
of a son in the family of God; that there is but one way of salvation-that
is, through faith alone in Christ; and that all those who have been
born of the Spirit of God will never perish.
Church:
We believe that the nation of Israel and the Church
are distinct entities; that the Church is the company of all those
who have been born of the Spirit of God and baptized into the body
of Christ by that Spirit; that His Church is the body of Christ,
the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the Bride of Christ; that during
this dispensation all regenerated Jews and Gentiles are united in
the one true Church in Christ; that some day Christ will present
this Church to Himself without blemish.
Local Church:
We believe that a local church is an autonomous
body of immersed believers organized together upon profession of
faith, having two biblical offices, those of pastor and deacon,
and observing two ordinances (immersion and the Lord's Supper).
The function of the local church is to encourage the worship of
God, the edification of believers, and the, evangelization of the
lost at home and abroad.
Angels:
We believe that God created an innumerable host
of personal spirit beings, commonly known as angels, to glorify
and serve Him. The ministries of angels include rendering assistance
to believers as God directs.
Satan:
We believe that the fallen angel known as Satan
was originally perfect in his ways; that he rebelled against God
and drew with him a large number of other angels; that together
with his angels and demons, he is active in his opposition to God
and His work; that Satan and his emissaries were defeated by Christ
on the cross; that they will be bound for a thousand years at the
return of Christ to the earth; and that ultimately they will be
cast into the lake of fire where they will be punished eternally.
Future Things:
We believe that the gathering of the Church to
Christ in the rapture will be before the tribulation (Daniel's seventieth
week) and that the physical return of Christ to the earth to establish
His kingdom over Israel and the nations will be premillennial; that
all the dead will be resurrected - the righteous to eternal life at
the first resurrection, and following the millennium, the wicked
to judgment in the lake of fire together with Satan and his emissaries
where they will be punished forever.
Separation:
We believe that separation from worldliness and
ecclesiastical apostasy is requisite to a biblical ministry and
that an inclusive policy is a compromise of the truth of God.
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