We believe the following to be the fundamental doctrines of the Bible, and that they are to faithfully kept and promoted by true believers. We accept them as the official doctrinal position of this church.
1. The Old and New Testament Scriptures (66 books) were written by men inspired of God, the Holy Spirit (II Peter 1:21). As originally written they were inerrant (Rev. 22:18, 19) and infallible (John 17:17), and the final guide of faith and practice (II Tim. 3:16), both within the local church and in individual Christian living (Psalms 119:105).
2. There is one and only one true and living God (Is. 45:5, 6, 22), eternally existing (Rom. 1:20) in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (I John 5:7). These three are one, equal, and infinite in all the divine attributes of omnipotence (Exodus 6:3), omnipresence (Ps. 139:1-13), omniscience (Heb. 4:12, 13), and holiness (Is. 6:3). He is the creator (Ps. 24:2), sustainer (Col. 1:17), and supreme ruler of the universe (Daniel 2:20-22). The trinity executes distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (Rom. 3:24,25; John 16:8-18)
3. The Lord Jesus Christ the Eternal Son of God:
A) He became man (Heb 2:14-16) without ceasing to be God (Rom.1:4). He was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), born of the virgin Mary (Matt. 1:23) in order that He might reveal God (John 1:17) and redeem sinful man (Gal. 4:4-5).
B) He accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross (Eph. 1:7) as a representative (Heb. 2:17-18), vicarious (II Cor. 5:21) and substitutionary sacrifice (I Peter 2:24): and that justification is made sure (Heb. 7:25) by His literal (I Cor. 15:20), physical resurrection (John 20:19-20) from the dead (Rom 4:25).
C) He ascended into heaven (Eph. 4:8-10) and is now exalted (John 17:5) at the right hand of the father (Rom. 8:34), where, as our Great High Priest (Heb. 8:1-2) He fulfills the ministry of representative (I Tim. 2:5-6), intercessor (Heb. 7:25) and advocate (I John 2:1-2).
D) He will come back again (Acts1:11). His coming will be personal (I Thess. 4:16), pre-wrath (Rev. 3:10) and Pre-millennial (Rev. 4:1) for the saints (I Thess. 4:17). It is imminent (I Thess. 4:17). After the tribulation He will return to the earth with the saints (Jude 14, 15) to reign over the earth for 1000 years of the millennium (Rev. 20:1-6). This age will close with Satan being loosed (Rev. 20:7-9), multitudes following him, the final battle in which Satan is bound (Rev. 20:7-10); the white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15) the removing of the present creation (II Peter 3:10-13); and the appearing of the new heaven and earth, and new city, Jerusalem (Rev. 21:1, 2).
4. Satan was created perfect (Ezek. 28:15), but through pride fell (Is. 14:12-16). He opposes God (II Thes. 2:4) and man (Rev. 12:10) and tempted man to sin (Gen 3:1-5, 13). His power was broken at Calvary (John 12:31). He will be eternally punished in the lake of Fire (Matt. 25:41).
5. Man was created innocent of sin (Gen 1:26-27), but by disobedience (Rom 5:19) fell (Rom. 5:12). The entire race is totally depraved (Jer. 17:19), and of itself utterly unable to remedy its lost condition (Titus 3:5).
6. Salvation is obtained by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8) in the shed blood of Christ (Eph. 1:7) as the substitute for man’s sin (II Cor. 5:21). The new birth (John 3:3) brings Christ’s eternal life to the believer (Eph. 2:5-6) making him immediately a child of God (John 1:12).
7. The Spirit indwells the believer at the time of his conversion (Rom. 8:9-11). The Holy Spirit seals the believer (Eph. 1:13), giving him assurance of heaven (Col. 1:27), and power and wisdom to live a Godly life (John 16:13).
8. The local church is a body of born-again believers (Phil. 1:1) banded together for Scriptural instruction (Acts 2:42), spiritual fellowship (I John 1:13), practice of the ordinances (Rom. 6:3-4; I Cor 11:23) and evangelism (II Cor. 5:18-20) both personal (Acts 5:42) and local (Acts 1:8) and world-wide (Matt. 28:19)
A) The church was born at Calvary (Col. 2:13-15) and the resurrection (Acts 2:31-36, and empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:8). Its commission is “to make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19).
B) The local church practices as ordinances Baptism (Col. 2:12) and the Lord’s Supper (I Cor. 10:16). The believer’s immersion in water pictures his once-for-all identification with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6:4-5). His repeated participation in the Lord’s Supper shows his fellowship in Christ (I Cor. 10:17) and remembrance of Christ’s death and suffering.
9. Holiness of living is God’s standard for His children (I Peter 1:14-16)). The believer is to separate himself from fleshly and worldly practices (Titus 2:12) that would bring reproach upon the person of Christ (Heb. 6:6) and the testimony of the church (I Cor. 3:3). He is to separate himself unto Christ and Christian practices (Rom. 6:13) and attitudes (Col. 3:1-2) that will enrich his own spiritual life (Phil. 3:8-11) and be an encouragement to others to trust the Lord and to serve Him (Matt. 5:16).
10. We believe that God designed the marriage union for life and has provided for intimate sexual relations exclusively between husband and wife within the bonds of marriage; sexual relations outside of the bonds of marriage, including fornication, adultery, incest, homosexuality, sodomy, bestiality, and others alluded to in God’s Word, are a sin. We believe acts that defile God’s human creation, such as gender modification, through medical procedures or by appearance, and participation in the sexual degradation of others through pornography, are attacks against the family unit, are against the will of God, and are sins. (Gen 2:24; 19:5, 13; Lev 18:1-30; Rom 1:18-32; I Cor 6:6-10; 7:3-5; Heb 13:4; Eph 5:3-5; I Thes 4:8)
11. We believe in the sanctity of human life. We believe human life begins at conception, and from conception through elderly adult years should be respected as a creation of God. We believe abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, suicide, assisted suicide, and other similar acts are acts of murder and therefore against the will of God. (Ex 20:13).