DOCTRINAL
STATEMENT I. GODThere
is one living and true God, the creator of all things visible and
invisible (Ex. 15:11; Is. 45:11; IS 40:26; Jer. 27:5; Eph 3:9; Col 1:16;
Rev 4:11). God is the Father and the supreme and sovereign ruler of all
creation. He determines the
affairs of history according to the purposes of His grace (Gen. 1; Ps.
19:1; Ps. 104; IS 14:27; Eph 1:11; 2 Tim 1:9; Heb. 1:1-3). A.
God is the Savior of the world and was manifest in the flesh
being born of the virgin Mary (Matt.1:18; Luke 1:26-35), He declared His
deity among men (John 1:14, 18; Matt 9:6), died on the cross as the only
sacrifice for sin (Phil. 2:6-11), arose bodily from the grave (Luke
24:6,7, 24-26; I Cor. 15:3-6), and ascended and returned to His heavenly
abode (Acts 1:9-11; Mark 16:19). He
is at the right hand of the Father, interceding for believers (Rom.
8:34; Heb. 7:25) until He returns with all His saints having caught up
the remnant at the end of the tribulation and destroys the inhabitants
of the world (Acts 1:11; I Thess. 4:16-18). B.
God is that Holy Spirit who manifests Himself in this world
through those indwelled permanently by that One Holy Spirit of God.
He convicts of sin (John 16:8-11), teaches spiritual truths
according to the written Word (John 16:12-15), permanently indwells
believers (Acts 5:32; John 14:16, 17, 20, 23), and confers on every
believer at conversion the ability to render effective spiritual service
(I Peter 4:10,11). C.
God is One God. Is 43:10-12;
Is 44:6,8; Is 45:5-6; Is 45:18 II.
THE SCRIPTURES A.
The Scriptures are God’s inerrant revelation, complete in the
Old and New Testaments, written by divinely inspired men as they were
moved by the Holy Spirit (II Tim. 3:16; II Peter 1:21).
Those men wrote not in words of human wisdom but in words given
by the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 2:13). B.
The Scriptures provide the standard for the believer’s faith
and practice (II Tim. 3:16-17), reveal the principles by which God will
judge all (Heb. 4:12; John 12:48), and express the true basis of
Christian fellowship (Gal. 1:8,9; II John 9-11). III.
CREATION A.
The World – God created all things for His own pleasure and
glory, as revealed in the Biblical account of creation (Gen. 1; Rev.
4:11; John 1:2,3; Col. 1:16). B.
The Angels – God created an innumerable host of spirit beings
called angels. Holy angels worship God and execute His will; while fallen
angels serve Satan, seeking to hinder God’s saints. (Col. 1:16; Luke
20:35,36; Matt. 22:29, 30; Ps. 103:20; Jude 6). C.
Man – God created man in His own image.
As the crowning work of creation, every person is of dignity and
worth and merits the respect of all others persons (Ps. 8; Gen. 1:27;
2:7; Matt. 10:28-31). IV.
SATAN Satan
is a person rather than a personification of evil (John 8:44), and he
with his demons opposes all that is true and godly by blinding the world
to the gospel (II Cor. 4:3,4), tempting saints to do evil (Eph. 6:11; I
Peter 5:8), and warring against the Son of God (Gen. 3:15; Rev.
20:1-10). V.
DEPRAVITY Although
man was created by God a living soul in the image of God (Gen. 1:26;
2:17), man brought sin into the world (Rom. 5:12; James 3:9).
In his unregenerate state, he is void of spiritual life, is under
the influence of the devil, and lacks any power to save himself (Eph.
2:1-3; John 1:13). The sin nature has been transmitted to every member of the
human race, the man Jesus Christ alone being excepted (Rom. 3:23; I Pet.
2:22). Because of the sin
nature, man possesses no divine life and is essentially and unchangeably
depraved apart from divine grace (Rom. 3:10-19; Jer. 17:9). VI.
SALVATION A.
The Meaning of Salvation – Salvation is the gracious work of
God whereby He delivers undeserving sinners from this evil world and its
results (Matt. 1:21; Eph. 2:8,9). In
justification He declares righteous all who have faith in Christ as
Savior (Rom. 3:20-22), giving them freedom from condemnation, peace with
God, and full assurance of future glorification (Rom. 3:24-26). B.
The Way of Salvation – Salvation is based wholly on the grace
of God apart from the works of man (Titus 3:5; Eph 2:9). Repentance and
faith are works which cannot bring salvation (Acts 16:30-32; Luke 24:47;
Rom 10:17). C.
The Provision of Salvation – Christ died for the sins of the
whole world who believe in Jesus Christ (John 1:29; 3:16; I John 2:1,2).
Through His blood, atonement is made without respect of persons
(I Tim. 2:4 –6). All
sinners who are chosen by God shall be saved by His grace alone (Heb.
2:9; John 3:18). D.
Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom – God’s sovereignty and
man’s freedom are two inseparable factors in the salvation experience
(Eph. 2:4-6). The two Bible
truths are in no way contradictory, but they are amazingly complementary
in the great salvation so freely provided.
God, in His sovereignty purposed, planned and executed salvation
in eternity chooses us, we have not chosen Him. For He alone will have
mercy on whom he will have mercy so that we understand that this
salvation is of God to give eternal life or eternal damnation (Eph.
1:9-12; 1:13,14; John 1:12,13). VII.
SANCTIFICATION All
believers are set apart unto God (Heb. 10:12-14) at the time of their
regeneration (I Cor. 6:11). They
should grow in grace (II Peter 1:5-8) by allowing the Holy Spirit to
apply God’s Word to their lives (I Peter 2:2), conforming them to the
principles of divine righteousness (Rom. 12:1,2; I Thess. 4:3-7) and
making them partakers of the holiness of God (II Cor. 7:1; I Peter
1:15,16).
VIII.
SECURITY All believers are eternally secure in Jesus Christ (John 10:24-30; Rom. 8:35-39). They are born again (John 3:3-5; I John 5:1; I Peter 1:23), made new creatures in Christ (II Cor. 5:17; II Peter 1:4), and indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:9; I John 4:4), enabling their perseverance in good works (Eph. 2:10). A special providence watches over them (Rom. 8:28; I Cor. 10:13), and they are kept by the power of God (Phil. 1:6; 2:12,13; I Pet. 1:3-5; Heb. 13:5). IX.
CHURCH A.
The Nature of the Church – A New Testament church is a local
congregation (Acts 16:5; I Cor. 4:17) of baptized believers in Jesus
Christ (Acts 2:41) who are united by covenant in belief of what God has
revealed and in obedience to what He has commanded (Acts 2:41,42). B.
The Autonomy of the Church – She acknowledges Jesus as her only
Head (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18) and the Holy Bible as her only rule of faith
and practice (Is. 8:20; II Tim. 3:16,17), governing herself by
democratic principles (Acts 6:1-6; I Cor. 5:1-5) under the oversight of
her pastors (Acts 20:28; Heb. 13:7, 17, 24). C.
The Perpetuity of the Church – Instituted by Jesus during His
personal ministry on earth (Matt. 16:18; Mark 3:13-19; John 1:35-51),
true churches have continued to the present and will continue until
Jesus returns (Matt. 16:18, 28:20). D.
The Ordinances of the Church – Her two ordinances are baptism
and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism
is the immersion in water of a believer as a confession of his faith in
Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4) however is not a prerequisite to
church membership and participation in the Lord’s Supper (Acts
2:41,42). Water Baptism is, however, given as a declaration of the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit. We are instructed to baptize in the name of
the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It is the one name of God
and those three are one. The Lord’s Supper is the scared sharing
of the bread of communion and the cup of blessing by the assembled
church (Acts 20:7) as a memorial to the crucified body and shed blood of
Jesus Christ (Luke 2:19, 20; I Cor. 11:23-26).
Both ordinances must be administered by the authority of a New
Testament church (Matt. 28:18-20; I Cor. 11:23-26). E.
The Officers of the Church – Pastors and deacons are the
permanent officers divinely ordained in a New Testament church (Phil.
1:1). Each church may
select men of her choice to fill those offices under the leading of the
Holy Spirit (Acts 6:1-6; 20:17, 18) according to divinely given
qualifications (I Tim. 3:1-13).
Pastors
(elders, bishops) are authorized to oversee and teach the churches under
the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28; Heb. 13:7, 17, 24; I Peter
5:1-4). Each church is
responsible to follow them as they both follow Christ (I Cor. 11:1; I
Thess. 1:6; Heb. 13:17) and to provide a livelihood for them that they
might fulfill their ministries (I Tim. 5:17, 18; Phil. 4:15-18). Pastors
are equal in the service of God (Matt. 23:8-12).
Deacons
(ministers, servants) are servants of the churches and assistants to the
pastors, particularly in benevolent ministries.
Each church may select her own deacons according to her needs,
and no church is bound by the act of another church in that selection
(Acts 6:1-6).
F.
The Ministry of the Church – Her mission is evangelizing
sinners by preaching the gospel (Matt. 28:19; Luke 24:45-47), baptizing
those who believe (Acts 2:41; 8:12, 35-38), and maturing them by
instruction (Matt. 28:20; Acts 2:42) and discipline (Matt. 18:17, 18; I
Cor. 5:1-5). G. The Fellowship of the Church – She is free to associate with true churches in furthering the faith (II Cor. 11:8; Phil 4: 10, 15, 16) but is responsible to keep herself from those who hold doctrines or practices contrary to Holy Scripture (Gal. 1:8, 9; I John 2:19). In association with other churches, each church is equal and is the sole judge of the measure and method of her cooperation (Matt. 20:25-28). In all matter of polity and practice, the will of each church is final (Matt. 18:18). XI. CIVIL AUTHORITY
Human
government was instituted by God and held responsible to its citizens to
protect the innocent and punish the guilty.
It is separate from the church, though both church and state
exercise complementary ministries for the benefit of society (Matt:
22:21). Christians
should submit to the authority of the government under which they live,
obeying all laws which do not contradict the laws of God, respecting
officers of government, paying taxes, rendering military service, and
praying for the welfare of the nation and its leaders (Rom. 13:1-7; I
Peter 2:13, 17; I Tim. 2:1, 2). They should vote, hold office, and exercise influence to
direct the nation after the principles of Holy Scripture. Civil
authority is not to interfere in matters of conscience or disturb the
institutions of religion (Acts 4:18-20), but it should preserve for
every citizen the free exercise of his religious convictions. Churches
should receive no subsidy from the government, but they should be exempt
from taxation on property and money used for the common good through
worship, education, or benevolence. XI.
LAST THINGS A.
Return – Our risen Lord will return personally in bodily form
to receive His redeemed direct descendents of Jacob unto Himself.
His return is imminent (I Thess. 4:13-17; Rev. 22:20). Our Lord
God will return with all the saints. 1 Thes 3:13 B.
Resurrections
– Before Jesus returns, all of the dead, in Christ, will be raised
bodily unto a resurrection of life. At the close of
the one-thousand year millennial reign, the wicked dead will be raised
unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:24-29; I Cor. 15:20-28). C.
Judgments – Prior to the eternal state, God will judge everyone
to confer rewards or to consign to punishment (Matt. 25:31-46; II Cor.
5:10; Rev. 20:11-15). D.
Eternal States – The Father has provided an eternal home in a
new earth (John 14:1-3) who, in their glorified bodies (I Cor.
15:51-58), will live in the presence of God forever (I Thess. 4:17) in
ultimate blessing (Rev. 21, 22).
Death and Hell will be cast into the lake of fire which is the
place of eternal punishment and suffering (Luke 16:19-31) for the devil,
his angels (Matt. 25:41), and the unredeemed (Rev. 20:10-15).
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