Statement of Beliefs
SCRIPTURES
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally (every word) and completely inspired of God, and inerrant and that they are the only authority in faith and life (II Peter 1:21; II Timothy 3:16-17). The King James Version is the most accurate and reliable version available in the English language today. (2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 12:6,7)
GOD
The Godhead eternally exists in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit - that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections (Genesis 1:1, 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19-20; Romans 8:9; II Corinthians 13:14).
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the eternal and only begotten Son of God, that He was begotten by the Holy Spirit, was born of the virgin Mary, that He was sinless in His life, and is true God and true man (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1, 18; Colossians 2:9; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:26; I John 5:20).
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, convicts men of sin (John 16:8), regenerates, indwells, seals (I Cor. 3:16; Ephesians 1:13-14), and sets believers apart unto a holy life; that He keeps and empowers believers day by day; that He is the teacher of the Word of God and guide for our daily life. Anyone who does not have the Spirit living in him is not a child of God (Romans 8:9).
CREATION
The Genesis account of creation, and that it is to be accepted literally, not allegorically or figuratively.
(Genesis 1-2; John 1:1-3; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 11:3)
MAN
God created man in His own image and that man sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death,which is conscious and eternal separation from God in Hell. All men are born with a sinful nature, evidenced by sinful acts; and that if he is not born again he is eternally lost (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Luke 16:23; Romans 3:10-23, 5:12; I Corinthians 15:21-22; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8).
SATAN
The reality and personality of Satan. He is not omnipotent nor omnipresent. Satan's doom is certain and his punishment eternal. (Job 2:3; Matthew 4:1-11; James 4:7; I Peter 5:8; Revelation
20:10).
SALVATION
a) Salvation is solely by grace through faith in the blood sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God, apart from any works of man. (I Corinth. 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5);
b) All who personally receive Jesus Christ by faith are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are born again, becoming children of God (John 1:12, 3:1-7; Romans 8:14, 16; Ephesians 1:13-14; I Peter 1:2).
c) Repentance and faith are necessary for Salvation. Spirit of God Convicts works to reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger and helplessness and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God for mercy; and at the same time we heartily receive Jesus Christ as our Lord, and rely on Him alone as the only and all-sufficient Savior (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:37-38, 11:18; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8 John 16:8).
d) Justification is God's declaration that the believer is righteous, based on the free imputation of Christ's perfect righteousness to everyone who trusts the Gospel message. Justification includes the pardon of sin, the promise of eternal life, and peace with God (John 1:16; Acts 13:39; Romans 4:4-5, 5:1-2, 9).
e) Regeneration - Regeneration does NOT preceded faith,. (Eph.1:13) Man who is, because of sin,spiritually dead, and eternally condemned. is without any righteousness of his own must be regenerated or born again. in order to be reconciled to God. The repentant man who by faith, receives Christ, is made alive by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He is given a new nature to dwell along side his old nature and becomes a new creature. This regeneration results in continued repentance- a change of attitude toward sin; so as to secure our voluntary obedience to God's laws and His will. (John 3:3, 8; II Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 5:9-10; I Peter 1:22-25).
f) Sanctification refers to the believer as being set apart or made holy by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. At the moment of salvation, the believer is sanctified positionally through the death of Christ; throughout his life the believer is to be sanctified progressively (by Godly living and obedience to the Word of God), and at death the believer will be sanctified perfectly (completely) when he goes to be with Christ (Romans 8:5; Philippians 2:12-13; I Thessalonians 4:3; I John 2:29).
g.) Preservation of the Saints - only such as are true born-again believers endure unto the end; that they are regenerated and sealed eternally by the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, and will not come under condemnation. They have been purchased by the blood of Christ and are preserved and kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Their persevering faithfulness to Christ is one evidence which distinguishes them from superficial professors; (those who are saved are eternally secure) (John 10:27-28; Romans 8:1,Philippians 1:6; I Peter 1:4-5; I John 2:19, 25; 5:11-13).
THE CHURCH
a)The local church is composed of regenerated, baptized believers, voluntarily united together for the purpose of worship, edification, fellowship of believers, spiritual growth, and service;
b) The local church has been commissioned by Christ to propagate the Gospel unto the uttermost parts of the earth.
c) The local church has absolute right of self-government (autonomy) and independence (free from interferences of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations) and that the one and only superintendent is Christ, through the Holy Spirit;
d) On all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of benevolence, the will of the local church is final (Acts 2:41-47, 4:33-37, 5:1-20).
e) The ordinances of the Church are two (2) in number, and that these offer no special grace or merit; they are simple acts of obedience. These two ordinances are baptism and the Lord's Supper.
1. Baptism: Immersion pictures the believer's union into Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and is the only form of baptism revealed and commanded in the Scriptures, that it has no power to wash away sin--no saving power whatsoever--but is only for those who are already saved. We believe that the new birth, which comes through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Scriptural prerequisite to baptism; therefore, only those who are capable of believing for themselves should be baptized (Matthew 3:16; Acts 2:28, 8:35-39; Romans 6:3-7).
2.The Lord's Supper is a MEMORIAL of the death of Christ. The unleavened bread and grape juice(unfermented wine) are pictures or symbols of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ when He died once for all men on the cross. The Lord's Supper has no saving power, and is only for believers walking in obedience to God's Word. (I Corinthians 11:23-32).
f.) The officers of the church are two (2) in number: PASTORS (elders, pastors and bishops (overseers) being different names for the same office) and DEACONS (Acts 6:1-7, 20:17, 28; I Timothy 3:1-13). I believe that the Bible teaches that the following offices of the church should be held by men only: pastors, assistant pastor(s), and deacons (Acts 15; I Timothy 2:12, 3:2, 12).
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Every Christian should be continually filled with the Spirit of God, which will be evidenced by the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:18-6:10). We believe that every born-again Christian is baptized by the Spirit at the moment of salvation (I Corinthians 12:13), and that every Christian's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19-20).
The modern-day "tongues" movement or Charismatic movement is unbiblical in that it erroneously promotes the gift of tongues as being an unknown "heavenly language" when it was literal foreign languages in the Bible (Acts 2), and as being the sign of having the Holy Spirit when its Biblical purpose was to be a sign to unbelieving Israel (I Corinthians 14:21-22). This movement's manner of practicing the supposed gift is unscriptural (I Corinthians 14) and aggravates spiritual pride and division. Therefore, "speaking in tongues" is not in harmony with the purposes of this ministry. We also believe that modern "faith healers" carry out healing with unbiblical purposes and manners, so we will not support this type of ministry.
God bestows of all His gifts, and that the gifts of evangelist, pastor, and teacher are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today as new revelations from God have ceased.
The gift of tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established (Acts 2:1-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11; II Corinthians
12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12; II Timothy 3:16-17; James 1:22-25).
FUTURE
Looking forward to "that blessed hope" - the personal, expectant return of Christ. This event, called the Rapture, will occur before the Great Day of the Lord's Judgment and will occur in the air. Christ's actual second coming to the earth will be Pre-millenial, to reign with His saints a thousand years. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting punishment of the lost (a literal heaven and a literal hell). We believe that the end of this age is approaching, and that we need to be ready for the appearing of Jesus in the air (Matthew 24:31-46, 25:13, 41, 46; Acts 1:11, 24:15; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Peter 4:7; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6,22:11).
SEPARATION
All the saved are called into a life of separation: this separation is in at least three areas:
a) Moral - the believer is to be holy in body and mind (II Corinthians 7:1; II Timothy 2:22; I Peter 4:15);
b) Personal - the believer is not to be "unequally yoked together" with unbelievers in marriage, business, or any other personal relationship. (I Corinthians 5:11; II Corinthians 6:14-18);
c) Ecclesiastical – the believing Church is called to avoid association, cooperation, or fellowship with other churches or ministries that are not of like precious faith (II Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 1:6-9; Ephesians 5:11-12; II Thessalonians 3:6; I Timothy 6:3-5; II John 9-11).
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally (every word) and completely inspired of God, and inerrant and that they are the only authority in faith and life (II Peter 1:21; II Timothy 3:16-17). The King James Version is the most accurate and reliable version available in the English language today. (2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 12:6,7)
GOD
The Godhead eternally exists in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit - that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections (Genesis 1:1, 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19-20; Romans 8:9; II Corinthians 13:14).
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the eternal and only begotten Son of God, that He was begotten by the Holy Spirit, was born of the virgin Mary, that He was sinless in His life, and is true God and true man (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1, 18; Colossians 2:9; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:26; I John 5:20).
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, convicts men of sin (John 16:8), regenerates, indwells, seals (I Cor. 3:16; Ephesians 1:13-14), and sets believers apart unto a holy life; that He keeps and empowers believers day by day; that He is the teacher of the Word of God and guide for our daily life. Anyone who does not have the Spirit living in him is not a child of God (Romans 8:9).
CREATION
The Genesis account of creation, and that it is to be accepted literally, not allegorically or figuratively.
(Genesis 1-2; John 1:1-3; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 11:3)
MAN
God created man in His own image and that man sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death,which is conscious and eternal separation from God in Hell. All men are born with a sinful nature, evidenced by sinful acts; and that if he is not born again he is eternally lost (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Luke 16:23; Romans 3:10-23, 5:12; I Corinthians 15:21-22; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8).
SATAN
The reality and personality of Satan. He is not omnipotent nor omnipresent. Satan's doom is certain and his punishment eternal. (Job 2:3; Matthew 4:1-11; James 4:7; I Peter 5:8; Revelation
20:10).
SALVATION
a) Salvation is solely by grace through faith in the blood sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God, apart from any works of man. (I Corinth. 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5);
b) All who personally receive Jesus Christ by faith are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are born again, becoming children of God (John 1:12, 3:1-7; Romans 8:14, 16; Ephesians 1:13-14; I Peter 1:2).
c) Repentance and faith are necessary for Salvation. Spirit of God Convicts works to reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger and helplessness and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God for mercy; and at the same time we heartily receive Jesus Christ as our Lord, and rely on Him alone as the only and all-sufficient Savior (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:37-38, 11:18; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8 John 16:8).
d) Justification is God's declaration that the believer is righteous, based on the free imputation of Christ's perfect righteousness to everyone who trusts the Gospel message. Justification includes the pardon of sin, the promise of eternal life, and peace with God (John 1:16; Acts 13:39; Romans 4:4-5, 5:1-2, 9).
e) Regeneration - Regeneration does NOT preceded faith,. (Eph.1:13) Man who is, because of sin,spiritually dead, and eternally condemned. is without any righteousness of his own must be regenerated or born again. in order to be reconciled to God. The repentant man who by faith, receives Christ, is made alive by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He is given a new nature to dwell along side his old nature and becomes a new creature. This regeneration results in continued repentance- a change of attitude toward sin; so as to secure our voluntary obedience to God's laws and His will. (John 3:3, 8; II Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 5:9-10; I Peter 1:22-25).
f) Sanctification refers to the believer as being set apart or made holy by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. At the moment of salvation, the believer is sanctified positionally through the death of Christ; throughout his life the believer is to be sanctified progressively (by Godly living and obedience to the Word of God), and at death the believer will be sanctified perfectly (completely) when he goes to be with Christ (Romans 8:5; Philippians 2:12-13; I Thessalonians 4:3; I John 2:29).
g.) Preservation of the Saints - only such as are true born-again believers endure unto the end; that they are regenerated and sealed eternally by the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, and will not come under condemnation. They have been purchased by the blood of Christ and are preserved and kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Their persevering faithfulness to Christ is one evidence which distinguishes them from superficial professors; (those who are saved are eternally secure) (John 10:27-28; Romans 8:1,Philippians 1:6; I Peter 1:4-5; I John 2:19, 25; 5:11-13).
THE CHURCH
a)The local church is composed of regenerated, baptized believers, voluntarily united together for the purpose of worship, edification, fellowship of believers, spiritual growth, and service;
b) The local church has been commissioned by Christ to propagate the Gospel unto the uttermost parts of the earth.
c) The local church has absolute right of self-government (autonomy) and independence (free from interferences of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations) and that the one and only superintendent is Christ, through the Holy Spirit;
d) On all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of benevolence, the will of the local church is final (Acts 2:41-47, 4:33-37, 5:1-20).
e) The ordinances of the Church are two (2) in number, and that these offer no special grace or merit; they are simple acts of obedience. These two ordinances are baptism and the Lord's Supper.
1. Baptism: Immersion pictures the believer's union into Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and is the only form of baptism revealed and commanded in the Scriptures, that it has no power to wash away sin--no saving power whatsoever--but is only for those who are already saved. We believe that the new birth, which comes through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Scriptural prerequisite to baptism; therefore, only those who are capable of believing for themselves should be baptized (Matthew 3:16; Acts 2:28, 8:35-39; Romans 6:3-7).
2.The Lord's Supper is a MEMORIAL of the death of Christ. The unleavened bread and grape juice(unfermented wine) are pictures or symbols of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ when He died once for all men on the cross. The Lord's Supper has no saving power, and is only for believers walking in obedience to God's Word. (I Corinthians 11:23-32).
f.) The officers of the church are two (2) in number: PASTORS (elders, pastors and bishops (overseers) being different names for the same office) and DEACONS (Acts 6:1-7, 20:17, 28; I Timothy 3:1-13). I believe that the Bible teaches that the following offices of the church should be held by men only: pastors, assistant pastor(s), and deacons (Acts 15; I Timothy 2:12, 3:2, 12).
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Every Christian should be continually filled with the Spirit of God, which will be evidenced by the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:18-6:10). We believe that every born-again Christian is baptized by the Spirit at the moment of salvation (I Corinthians 12:13), and that every Christian's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19-20).
The modern-day "tongues" movement or Charismatic movement is unbiblical in that it erroneously promotes the gift of tongues as being an unknown "heavenly language" when it was literal foreign languages in the Bible (Acts 2), and as being the sign of having the Holy Spirit when its Biblical purpose was to be a sign to unbelieving Israel (I Corinthians 14:21-22). This movement's manner of practicing the supposed gift is unscriptural (I Corinthians 14) and aggravates spiritual pride and division. Therefore, "speaking in tongues" is not in harmony with the purposes of this ministry. We also believe that modern "faith healers" carry out healing with unbiblical purposes and manners, so we will not support this type of ministry.
God bestows of all His gifts, and that the gifts of evangelist, pastor, and teacher are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today as new revelations from God have ceased.
The gift of tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established (Acts 2:1-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11; II Corinthians
12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12; II Timothy 3:16-17; James 1:22-25).
FUTURE
Looking forward to "that blessed hope" - the personal, expectant return of Christ. This event, called the Rapture, will occur before the Great Day of the Lord's Judgment and will occur in the air. Christ's actual second coming to the earth will be Pre-millenial, to reign with His saints a thousand years. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting punishment of the lost (a literal heaven and a literal hell). We believe that the end of this age is approaching, and that we need to be ready for the appearing of Jesus in the air (Matthew 24:31-46, 25:13, 41, 46; Acts 1:11, 24:15; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Peter 4:7; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6,22:11).
SEPARATION
All the saved are called into a life of separation: this separation is in at least three areas:
a) Moral - the believer is to be holy in body and mind (II Corinthians 7:1; II Timothy 2:22; I Peter 4:15);
b) Personal - the believer is not to be "unequally yoked together" with unbelievers in marriage, business, or any other personal relationship. (I Corinthians 5:11; II Corinthians 6:14-18);
c) Ecclesiastical – the believing Church is called to avoid association, cooperation, or fellowship with other churches or ministries that are not of like precious faith (II Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 1:6-9; Ephesians 5:11-12; II Thessalonians 3:6; I Timothy 6:3-5; II John 9-11).
