Doctrinal Statement

ARTICLE I---We believe there is but one true and living God (I John 5:20).  He is eternal, of infinite power, wisdom and goodness, the Creator of all things, visible, and indivisible (Genesis 1:1).  In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (I John 5:7).

ARTICLE II— We believe Jesus Christ to be the eternal Son of God, co-equal with God (Heb.1:1-3), who became flesh (John 1:14, Col. 2:9), being born of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:35).  He died for our sins upon the Cross (I Peter 2:24).  According to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice (IICor. 5:21), all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood; not of their own works (Col. 1:14, Eph. 2:18).

ARTICLE III – We believe the Holy Spirit to be co-equal with the Father and the Son (I John 5:7).    He is a person; He is come as the fulfillment of Christ’s promise (John 16:7).  He quickens sinners, uniting with the Spirit of Man after his spirit is cleansed by the Blood of Christ (I John 1:7).  This entrance in the Kingdom of God (John 3:5).  The Holy Spirit indwells and works through every “born again” believer.  He instructs (Psalms 32:8), teaches (John 14:26), and guides (John 16:13), intercedes (Rom. 8:26), sanctifies (Rom. 15:16), and seals the believer, in which the greatest point of significance is that the believer is eternally secure (Eph. 4:30).

ARTICLE IV – We believe the Scripture of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired by God, inerrant in the original writings, and they are our supreme and final authority in faith and life (II Tim. 3:16, II Peter 1:21).

ARTICLE V – We believe that man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27); that he sinned (Rom. 3:23, Rom. 5:12) and thereby incurred not only physical death (I Cor. 15:21-22) but also that spiritual death which is not annihilation (Luke 16:23, Rev. 21:8) but eternal separation from God (Rev.20:11-15).   We believe that all men are born with a sinful nature, totally depraved, and all who reach responsibility become sinners in thought, word and deed (Rom. 3:9-20) and if they do not repent, are eternally lost (Rom. 6:23, Luke 13:3).

ARTICLE VI – We believe every man is born a creature of free will, given the power of choice (John 1:12).  He can either accept or reject God’s offer of salvation (John 3:3, John 5:24).

ARTICLE VII – We believe we are saved by grace (Eph. 2:8), through faith and faith alone in the shed blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross (Eph. 1:7).

ARTICLE VIII    We believe that every true Christian will apply his life in service for Jesus Christ.  Salvation is by grace through faith alone.  Works have no part or lot with being saved (Rom. 3:20-21).  We are justified by faith in Jesus Christ (Rom.5:1); works are the outgrowth of our salvation (Eph. 2:10).  Every true Christian will have a passion for souls and will constantly endeavor to win sinners to an acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

ARTICLE IX – We believe in accordance with Article VIII that we must be active in the support of world-wide missions, and that our support should go to missions both at home and abroad, which have as their supreme motive the winning of souls to Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-20, Mark 16:15).

ARTICLE X – We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord (I Cor. 15:3-20); in His ascension into Heaven (Acts 1:9) and in His present life there for us as High Priest and Advocate, the propitiation for our sins (I John 2: 1-2).

ARTICLE XI – We believe in the “blessed hope” the personal (Acts 1:11), premillenial 
(II Thess. 2:1-2, Rev.20: 1-3)) and imminent (I Cor.15:51-52) return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (I Thess. 4:14-18).
ARTICLE XII – We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust (Acts 24:15), in heaven as the eternal home of the redeemed, where we shall dwell in conscious, everlasting blessedness (John 14: 1-3, Rev. 21: 1-5) and in hell as the place where the unsaved shall dwell in everlasting conscious torment. (Rev. 21:8).

ARTICLE XIII – We believe that the true church is composed of all “born again” persons, regardless of denomination, color, or creed (Acts 15:13-18) and that no denomination or church congregation has any preference in the sight of God.  Christ is the head (Col. 1:18); we are the members of His body, the church (I Cor. 12:20-27).

ARTICLE XIV – We believe the ordinances as taught by Jesus were given for the purpose of man’s witnessing to the world of his salvation, and that no person is qualified to have part in either of these ordinances unless they are “born again”.   The two ordinances are “The Lord’s Supper” and “Baptism”.

1.)    The Lord’s Supper is open to all “born again” believers regardless of color or creed.  No one is to be denied the opportunity of partaking if he so desires.  However, every person is urged to examine himself, for sickness and even death has come to those who eat and drink unworthily.  This is a most solemn ordinance (I Cor. 11:23-30).

2.)    Baptism is an outward sign of an inward work of God’s grace in the heart of man 
(Col. 2:12).  No person is qualified to be baptized until he has given testimony to his salvation by grace through faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9-11).

ARTICLE XV – We would encourage every true Christian to faithfully give at least one-tenth of his income to God for the spreading of the Gospel, believing that God’s blessing is definitely and positively upon all who will thus tithe their income (Mal. 3:8-11).  God owns all (Col. 1:10-16); we are but His stewards (I Cor. 4:1-2).  Our giving is not to be as unto men (Matt. 6:1-4), but as an act of worship (I Cor. 16:1-3).