THE SCRIPTURES
The Bible is the divinely inspired and only infallible and
authoritative written Word of God. A revelation from God to men, the inerrant
rule of faith and conduct, and superior to conscience and reason, but not
contrary to reason. God has revealed His existence and power in the created order,
and in the Person of His Son, the incarnate Word. God is a speaking God who, by
His Spirit, has disclosed Himself in human words through scripture, the
sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, which are both a record and
means of His saving work in the world. These writings alone are the inspired
Word of God, which is without error in the original writings, complete in the revelation of His will for salvation, sufficient for all that God requires us
to believe, and final in its authority over every domain of knowledge to which
it speaks. (Psalm 19:1-4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Matthew
4:4; 1 Peter 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 119:1-176; Luke
24:27; I Corinthians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Proverbs
30:6; John 1:14)
GOD
The one living and true God has revealed Himself as the
eternally self-existent, self-revealed “I AM,” eternally co-existing as God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is an infinite, all-knowing
Spirit, perfect in all His attributes. He is the immortal and eternal Creator
of all things, both visible and invisible. He sovereignly rules over all things
and is providentially at work redeeming and restoring His fallen creation.
(1 Peter 1:20-21; I Corinthians 2:13; Genesis 1:1;
Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 6:3; Isaiah 43:10,
11; Romans 1:19-20; Matthew 5:48; Matthew
28:19; John 10:30; Colossians 1:16; 1
Timothy 1:17; 1 John 4:8; 1 John 5:7; Revelation
4:11)
CHRIST JESUS
Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God, the Word made flesh, born
of a virgin, representing deity and humanity in indivisible oneness and sinless
life, so that He may reveal God through teaching, life and miracles and redeem
man through His atoning death and bodily resurrection. Doing so as our
representative and substitute. He did this so that in Him we might become the
righteousness of God. He has ascended to the Right Hand of God the Father,
where He will return from to earth in Power and Glory to Rule. (Hebrews
1:1-2; John 1:1-4,14; John 14:6; Acts 4:12;
I Corinthians 1:27-30; I Corinthians 15:3-5; 2
Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 1:19-22; 1 Peter 2:24;
1 Timothy 2:5; John 5:23; John 10:36-38;
John 14:9-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Ephesians
2:13-18; Revelation 19:1-21; Revelation 20:1-15)
THE HOLY SPIRIT
All who accept Christ as Lord have the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit who acts as comforter, Guide, and Advocate of God’s people until the end
of this present age. Salvation, attested in all Scripture and secured by Jesus
Christ, is applied to His people by the Holy Spirit. He convicts the world of
sin, righteousness, and judgment, and by His powerful work, regenerates
spiritually dead sinners. It is by the Holy Spirit one may live a godly life.
In Him, they are baptized into union with the Lord Jesus, such that they are
justified before God by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. By
the Holy Spirit, believers are renewed, sanctified, and adopted into God’s
family. The Holy Spirit is Himself a down payment (promise of the Father) of
our coming inheritance. This regeneration is essential for personal salvation. All
believers should also expect and earnestly seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit,
where the gifts for use in ministry come, which is sometimes distinct from and
after the experience of new birth. (Galatians 5:16-23; Matthew
9:13; John 1:12-13; John 3:3-8; John
7:37-39; John 16:7-14; Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians
2:4-5; Titus 3:5; Acts 2:4; Acts
10:44-46; Acts 19:1-7; Romans 6:3-14; Romans
8:1-2; Romans 8:11; Luke 24:49; Acts
1:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Acts 2:38-39;
Acts 11:14-16; Acts 15:7-9)
Mankind was created human beings, both male and female, good
and upright, for God said, “Let us make man in our image and after our
likeness.” Both males and females are created equal in worth and value and have
equal access to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Human life is sacred from
conception to its natural end. Following Christ’s example, every person should
be treated with love, dignity, and respect. Man, by voluntary transgression,
fell, and because of the fall, all mankind everywhere is lost and faces the
judgment of God. Mankind’s only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son
of God. The Grace of God, which brings
salvation, has appeared to all men, through the preaching of repentance toward
God and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Man is saved by the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, and being justified by Grace, becoming an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life. (Genesis 1:26-31;
Genesis 3:17; Genesis 9:6; Exodus 20:13;
Romans 5:1; Romans 5:12-21; Ephesians 2:8-9;
Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 12:30-31; Galatians
3:6-19; Galatians 3:28; Titus 2:11; Titus 3:5-7; Romans
10:13-15; Luke 24:47; Romans 1:18; Romans 3:23;
I Thessalonians 1:10; Isaiah 43:1-28; I
Corinthians 2:14)
EVIDENCE OF SALVATION AND SANCTIFICATION
The inward evidence of Salvation to the believer is the
direct witness of the Holy Spirit. The outward evidence of Salvation to all men
is a life of holiness. (Romans 8:16; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7; 2 Timothy 1:9;
Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22, 24; 1 John 2:6)
ATONEMENT
Jesus Christ died in the place of men, for their sins, the
efficiency of this death freeing the believing sinner from the punishment,
penalty, power, and one-day presence of sin. (Romans 3:25; Romans 5:8-9;
1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18)
SEPARATION
A “born-again” Christian believer can cease being a follower
of Christ Jesus if they stop believing. A Christian can stop being a Christian
and turn his back on Salvation and become “lost” once more. The Bible reveals
numerous persons who were at one time within the Grace of God, but who
subsequently fell from Grace. After their fall from Grace, these individuals
became “lost.” The Bible clearly states that we are saved by Grace through
faith. We are also told the just shall live by faith. Salvation is given to the
believer, not by works or acts of righteousness, but as a gift through the act
of faith. It is maintained in the same manner. All who are saved should live a
life of holiness and that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly
and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded of God. Church
discipline on matters of habitual sin among believers is given to use in Matthew
18:15-20. (Ezekiel 28:12-19; Matthew 25:41; Genesis 1:26-31; Luke
3:38; Leviticus 10:1-2; James 5:19-20; Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 10:38; Romans
12:1-2; Romans 14:13; John 2:15-17; 2 John 1:9-11; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)
RETURNING TO FAITH
If a believer should wander from the truth, turn their back on Salvation, belief, or faith, whoever brings that person back from the error of their way will save them from death (spiritual) and cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)
CHURCH ORDINANCES
BAPTISM
IN WATER
Baptism
by immersion demonstrates, and is, an outward expression of faith and obedience
to Christ while depicting union with Christ in His death, burial, and
resurrection. This should be observed by all who have repented of their sins
and in their hearts believed in Christ as their Savior and Lord. In doing so
they declare that they have been released to walk with Him in the newness of life. (Romans
6:1-6; Matthew 28:19)
THE
LORD’S SUPPER (COMMUNION)
The
Lord’s Supper, or communion, is to be taken together by followers of Christ
Jesus in a regular manner as commanded by Christ. The elements (bread &
fruit of the vine) are symbolic of sharing in a memorial to His suffering and
death, as well as a commitment and agreement entering us into a covenant with
Him as described in the New Testament, the Church being the bride and Christ
the Bridegroom. (Luke 22:14-28; I Corinthians 11:23-28; John 6:48, 51,
53-57)
THE CHURCH AND THE GREAT COMMISSION
The church is the holy Body of Christ, the habitation of God
through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of the Great
Commission. Each believer is an integral part of the church, and their names
are written in the Lamb’s Book of life. Divinely called and scripturally
ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for a two-fold purpose:
Firstly, to evangelize, going into all the world, and secondly the edification of
the Body of Christ. (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:17; Matthew 16:18;
Philippians 2:5-9; Matthew 28:20; Mark 16:15; John 13:35; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1
Peter 2:9; Revelation 21:2, 9-10; Ephesians 4:11-13)
THE BLESSED HOPE (RAPTURE)
The Rapture of the church (Christ’s Bride) is coming. The
resurrection of both those who have “fallen asleep” (died physically) in
Christ, and those who are alive and remain unto the Lord. (I
Thessalonians 4:13-18; Romans 6:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52;)
RETURN OF CHRIST AND THE MILLENNIAL REIGN
The revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, the
salvation of the nation Israel, and the millennial reign of Christ on the
earth are scriptural promises and our hope. The scriptures teach a millennial
reign of Christ with His saints on earth following His literal return. Following
the millennium, this kingdom will be merged into the eternal kingdom. (2
Thessalonians 1:7; Revelation 19:11-16; Romans 11:25; Revelation 20:1-7; Isaiah
2:1-4; Isaiah 11:1-12; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Ezekiel 37:1-28; Amos 9:9-15; Zachariah 14:1-21; Matthew
19:28; Acts 1:6; Acts 3:19-21; Revelation 20:4-6I Corinthians 15:22-28)
JUDGMENT AND ETERNITY
In the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, the just
will receive everlasting life and eternal blessedness in the presence of Him
who sits on the throne and of the Lamb, in the New Heaven and the new Earth,
the home of righteousness, and the lost to everlasting damnation of eternal
conscious punishment in Gehenna (Hell), as the Lord Himself taught. The devil
and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, and whosoever is not found
written in the Lamb’s Book of Life shall be consigned to everlasting punishment
in the lake which burns fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:5-6,
10-15; Matthew 16:27; 25:31-34; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53;
Ephesians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; Revelation 1:7)
