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We
believe in one God who transcends all things and yet is personal,
who is all powerful yet gentle to those who trust Him, who is
revealed in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
and yet is entirely unified.
We believe in the inspiration of the Bible, both the Old and New
Testaments and its inerrancy in its original writings. The Bible is
a closed canon, a completed revelation, containing all that may be
taught as doctrine within the church. All experience and teaching
are to be measured by the Scriptures, but the Bible can be refuted
by no man.
We believe in God the Father, as revealed to us in the Holy
Scriptures and His handiwork in creation. As Father He sends forth
His Son and the Holy Spirit, to perform His will perfectly in
creation, redemption and judgment. His paternal nature is revealed
in His care for His people shown primarily by His love for mankind.
God is a spirit and is therefore approached by prayer and pleased
by spiritual life and service.
We believe in God the Son, co-equal with the Father yet submitted
to the Father's will, eternally generated by the Father without
beginning or end provided with human flesh by the work of the Holy
Spirit through the virgin Mary. Jesus lived a sinless life and was
crucified as the redemption price for the sins of the entire world,
and rose from the dead on the third day to demonstrate His complete
mastery of death. His name, Jesus Christ, speaks of His ability to
save every man from death who comes to Him by faith, and of His
soon return to claim the earth and its people as His rightful
kingdom.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, co-equal with the Father yet
submitted to the Father's will, eternally proceeding from the
Father and the Son, presently indwelling the Church and providing
gifts, teaching, conviction of sin, and comfort to those in grief.
The Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity who personally enters
the believer at the moment of faith. This entry is referred to the
as the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and brings with it divine
empowerment for service according to the will of God and the needs
of the church. The nature of this empowerment or gift is not under
the control of men, but is solely the province of God's will.
We believe that Man was created in the image of God. This likeness
is primarily found in man's spiritual nature and not in his flesh.
The image of God in Man was marred by sin in the Garden of Eden,
and this distorted relationship to God's nature has passed down to
all of Adam's descendants, with the result that man is now unable
to do any unmixed good without the aid of God. This fall of Man has
detracted from God's primary purpose to glorify Himself by Man's
enjoyment of fellowship with God Almighty. Restoration of this
broken image of Man cannot be made by any human work or self
effort, but only by divine intervention.
We believe in the blood atonement of Jesus Christ, prefigured in
the sacrifices of the Old Testament tabernacle, and fulfilled on
the cross of Calvary as Jesus died to appease the righteous wrath
of God against the sin of mankind. This salvation is appropriated
by simple child-like faith as men acknowledge their sins to God in
prayer, accept God's view of their sin as their own view, and
humbly ask for forgiveness. God accepts all who come to Him through
the path opened by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.
Realizing this salvation is a work done entirely by God, it is
impossible for man to undo this saving work of God and fall from
grace. Salvation is eternal even as God is eternal. Failure to
accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior results in condemnation to
eternal punishment in Hell and the Lake of Fire. The faithful
response to Christ brings fellowship with God in this life and
presence with God in Heaven in the next.
We believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This resurrection
was literal, bodily, a triumph over Satan and death, accomplished
by the power of the Father, and a demonstration of God's ability to
save from death all those who come to Him by faith. The power of
this resurrection that raised Christ to sit at the right hand of
God the Father in Heaven, is available to the believer at the
moment he trusts Christ. This power enables the believer to live in
newness of life, pursuing honesty, sobriety, and righteousness in
this present world. This resurrection power is able to maintain the
believer in fellowship with Christ as he confesses and repents his
sin.
We believe in the Church, the Body of Christ a fellowship of born
again believers. Founded at Pentecost by the Holy Spirit as the
form of Kingdom of God for this age, the church takes precedence
over all other movements and organizations except the family, as
the supreme vehicle for service to God as we await the return of
Christ. The main purpose of the church is to continue the witness
of Christ on earth in His absence. The worship, teaching,
comforting, nurturing, fellowship ministry of the church is
preparatory to the main purpose of the church: To bring others to a
saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and thereby glorify God. The local
church is the physical manifestation of the spiritual body of
Christ. Authorized by the Scriptures, the local church is
self-governing under the law of the Scriptures and the leading of
the Holy Spirit. This autonomy extends to the individual believer
himself, who is free to read and interpret the Scriptures for
himself. This freedom is not to be used for division or self
promotion. The church has two ordinances: Believer's baptism and
the Lord's Supper. The ministry of the church will end with the
return of Jesus Christ to take His saints out of the world.
Following this, Rapture will be a seven year time of trouble
climaxed by the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ.
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