Doctrine

The following comprise the Scriptural beliefs of this church and its members.

 

The Holy Scriptures:

 

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenarily inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed and, therefore, are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning, and all issues of interpretation and meaning shall be determined by the pastor. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official translation used by the church. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)

 

Dispensationalism:

 

We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these dispensations—the law, the church, and the kingdom—are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture. (Gen. 1:28; 1 Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10; 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25, 27; Rev. 20:2-6)

 

The Godhead:

 

We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 14:10, 26; 2 Cor. 13:14)

 

The Person and Work of 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 Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8)

 

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet.2:24; 1 Peter 1:3-5)

 

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Rom.8:34; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2)

 

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit:

 

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor.

12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14)

 

We believe that He is the divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27)

 

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12)

 

We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. Ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8;14:21-22)

 

The Total Depravity 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. Man is totally depraved and, of himself,

utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23;

Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)

 

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 our sins. (Matt. 12:31-32; John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10;

1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:9)

 

The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers.

 

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and

are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; 38-39;

1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5)

 

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance

of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however,

clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh.

(Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

 

 

The Church

 

We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride

of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons. (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor.

11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)

 

We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is

clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27;

20:17, 28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

 

We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external author-

ity or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16;

5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet. 5:1-4)

 

We recognize water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordi-

nances of obedience for the church in this age. (Matt. 28:19-20;

Acts 2:41-42; 8:36-38; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)

 

Separation.

 

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to

bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God commands His people to separate

from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associa-

tions, and to refrain from all immodest and immoderate appearances, piercings,

and bodily markings. (Lev. 19:28; Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 1 Cor. 6:19-20;

2 Cor. 6:14;7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11)

 

The Second Advent 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 vis-

ibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was

promised to the nation of Israel. (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; 1 Thess.

1:10, 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)

 

The Eternal State.

 

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life,

and the unsaved to judgement and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46;

John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)

 

We believe that 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. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17;

Rev. 20:4-6)

 

We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious

punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and

body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgement, and

shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer ever-

lasting conscious punishment and torment. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48;

Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)

 

The Personality of 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; Isa.

14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10)

 

Creation.

We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods.

We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution

as unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11)

 

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 authori-

ties 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 Bib-

lically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24;

Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13-14)

 

Human Sexuality.

 

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be

engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. We

believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestial-

ity, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions

of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any at-

tempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5,

13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8;

Heb. 13:4)

 

We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and

one woman for life. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)

 

Family Relationships

 

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

by the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)

 

We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institu-

tion 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 an

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 correc-

tion. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15;

23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12; 1 Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Col. 3:18-21; Heb.

13:4; 1 Pet. 3:1-7)

 

Divorce and Remarriage.

 

We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce

and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies.  Although divorced

and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the

church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be consid-

ered for the offices of pastor or deacon. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3;

1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)

 

Abortion.

 

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn

child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused tak-

ing of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abor-

tions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or

population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother are accept-

able. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

 

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 consti-

tutes 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. (Ex. 20:13, 23:7; Matt. 5:21; Acts 17:28)

 

Love.

 

We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fel-

low believers, but also toward both 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 the 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)

 

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. (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)

 

Missions. We believe that God has given the church a great commission to pro-

claim 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. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15;

Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)

 

Giving.

 

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support 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. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of his tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)

 

 We also believe and agree with the Baptist Faith and Message: 2000 Edition.