Confession of Faith
ARTICLE 1 – of the SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Bible, consisting of sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament, was given by Divine inspiration, and is the very Word of God. We believe in verbal, plenary inspiration…that every word and the whole Bible is completely inspired by God. We believe that God used Holy men of old to portray out of their own vocabulary, the exact thoughts and words He ordained, and that it was in such a way that it is wholly and completely without error. We believe in the canon of the Scriptures, that God limited it to its present completeness. We believe that it constitutes the only perfect rule and final authority in all matters pertaining to the Christian faith and practice. (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19- 21; Acts 17:11; Isa. 8:20; Rom. 2:1-3).
ARTICLE II – of the GODHEAD
Paragraph A. We believe that there is only one living and true God, perfect, infinite, and eternal (Matt. 5:48; I Kings 8:27; Psa. 90:2); Who is unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, love, truth (Mal. 3:6; Tim. 1:17; Gen. 17:1; Isa. 6:3;
Psa. 19:9; Ex. 34:6; Heb. 11:3; Neh. 9:6; Heb. 1:2-3; Psa. 103:19; Eph. 1:11); and that His work of Creation was performed in six literal days as set forth in Genesis 1 and 2.
Paragraph B. We believe He exists in three Persons, The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost, WHO are equal in every divine perfection and are in complete harmony as they perform their distinct offices. (Matt. 28:19; John 5:17; 14:16-17; 15:26; Eph. 2:18).
ARTICLE III – of the SON
Paragraph A. We believe that in the fullness of time, God the Son humbled Himself and assumed man’s nature by being born of the virgin Mary, thus uniting organically the divine and human natures in their completeness in the one unique person of Jesus Christ (Isa. 9:6; Matt. 1:18-25; John 1:14; I Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:14; Phil. 2:6-10).
Paragraph B. By becoming man, He was made of near kin to us (Num. 27:11; Ruth 3:12-13),
And having a body perfect and free from sin, He could offer Himself as a sacrifice for us (Heb. 10:9- 10). Being God, the sacrifice He made on Calvary was infinite in value (John 1:29; I John 2:2) Thus we believe in the blood atonement, that is, the vicarious, propitiatory death of the Lord Jesus Christ for our sins (Rom. 3:25; Eph. 2:8-9; Acts 15:11; John 3:16; Isa. 53:4-7).
Paragraph C. We believe in the resurrection of the physical body and the ascension into heaven of our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ (Acts 1:9-11; 2:32-36; Luke 24:2-6; Mark 16:6).
ARTICLE IV – of the HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. He proceedeth from the Father and the Son (John 15:26).
His principal ministry since His advent at Pentecost is to reprove or convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and judgment (John 16:3-11); to restrain the progress of evil until God’s purposes are accomplished (II Thess. 2:7); to bear witness of the truth preached (Acts 5:30-32); to regenerate those who repent of their sins and exercise faith in Christ (John 3:3-8; Titus 3:5); to baptize them into the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13); to instruct, comfort, and guide God’s children (John 14:16-18, 26; 16:13); to sanctify them (II Thess. 2:13; I Peter 1:1-3); to empower them for life and service (Rom. 8:2; Acts 1:8; Eph. 3:16; I Cor. 2:1-4; I Thess. 1:5); and to quicken their mortal bodies, (Rom. 8:11).
ARTICLE V – of the DEVIL or SATAN
We believe in the distinct personality of Satan, that he is the unholy god of this age, author of all powers of darkness and sin, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the Lake of Fire. (Matt. 4:1-11; II Cor. 4:4; Rev. 20:10).
ARTICLE VI – of MAN
Paragraph A. We believe that man was created by an immediate act of God and not by any process of evolution; that he was created in the image and likeness of God, possessing personality (intellect, emotions, and will), and in knowledge, righteousness and true holiness (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10), and that the purpose of his creation was to worship and glorify God (Gen. 1:27; Acts 17:24-28).
Paragraph B. of HIS FALL; We believe man was subject to trial in the Garden of Eden, in order to test his loyalty to his Maker (Gen. 2:15-17); under trial he lost his holy estate, was alienated from God, and became depraved physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually, by voluntarily transgressing God’s positive command and yielding to the enticement of Satan. In consequence of this act of disobedience, the entire race became involved in sin so that in every heart there is by nature that evil disposition which eventually leads to responsible acts of sin and to a just condemnation (Gen. 3:1-6; Rom. 5:12, 18; 3:10-12, 23; 1:19-32;
Eph. 4:18; I John 1:8-10).
Paragraph C. of HIS REDEMPTION; We believe that God has provided redemption for all men through the mediatorial work of Christ, Who voluntarily offered Himself on Calvary as a perfect sacrifice for sin, the Just suffering for the unjust, bearing sin’s curse, and tasting death for every man; that the blessings of this salvation are given on the grounds of grace to all who believe and confess and that it is the immediate duty of all to accept these offers of grace. (Matt. 20:28; Heb. 9:11-12; I Pet. 3:18; Gal. 3:13; Heb. 2:9; I Tim. 2:5-6; John 1:1-3, 14; 3:1-7; Heb. 10:4-14; Acts 16:30- 33).
ARTICLE VII – of SALVATION, REGENERATION AND JUSTIFICATION
We believe that:
Paragraph A. SALVATION is wholly of grace, but conditioned solely upon repentance toward God and acceptance of Christ by faith, and that no works, however good, make that salvation more secure. (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Acts 4:12; 16:31; II Cor. 7:10; Rom. 10:9-13).
Paragraph B. REGENERATION means that the sinner has been made a new creation in Christ Jesus, (II Cor. 5:17); by the operation of the Holy Spirit through the Word, the regenerated sinner is given a disposition or new nature to obey God (John 3:3-5; 1:12-13; I Peter 1:23). This experience is witnessed to us by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:16).
Paragraph C. JUSTIFICATION is the judicial act of God, in view of Christ’s shed blood, in which the punishment is absolved (Having been suffered in Christ) and the sinner is restored to Divine favor. (Rom. 5:1-9; 4:4-5; Acts 13:39).
ARTICLE VIII – of SANCTIFICATION OF THE BELIEVER
We believe that Sanctification is presented in the Scriptures with a three-fold aspect:
Paragraph A. POSITIONAL SANCTIFICATION which is true of every believer (I Cor. 1:2), the result of the sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 10:10), is perfect in its extent and character (Heb. 10:14), and is through exercise of faith (Acts 26:18).
Paragraph B. PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION begins with salvation until it is brought to completion in the glorified body. It is a result of “growth in Grace” (II Pet. 3:18). Every believer is sanctified by the reading of the Word of God, by the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (John 17:17; Eph. 5:25-26; II Cor. 3:18).
Paragraph C. ULTIMATE SANCTIFICATION is attained when the spirit, soul, and body are freed completely from sin when the believer is brought into the presence of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29; I John 3:2 – “…we shall be like Him…”).
ARTICLE IX – of the DURATION OF SALVATION
We believe that a person once really born-again is always saved. He can never be lost for he is born of incorruptible seed (I Pet. 1:23). He is given everlasting life (John 5:24; 10:27-29), is sealed unto the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30), and his life is hid with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). He is given knowledge and assurance of eternal life (I John 5:11-13). He is assured of no condemnation nor separation from God (Rom. 8:1, 35-39; Phil. 1:6).
ARTICLE X – of RESURRECTION AND IMMORTALITY
We believe that, at the return of the Lord, the righteous dead will be raised and the living believers will be changed so that both will have literal, spiritual, and immortal bodies, like unto Christ’s glorious body. We believe that the souls of the righteous dead are now in a state of conscious blessing with the Lord and that they will return with Him for their new bodies at the rapture of First Resurrection (Rom. 8:23; I Cor. 15:1; I Thess. 4:16-17; Phil. 3:20-21; Luke 24: 36- 45; Acts 1:3).
ARTICLE XI – of the CHURCH
Paragraph A. We believe that the Church universal is a New Testament institution; unknown to the Old Testament prophets; established by Jesus Christ, Who is its sole Head; revealed through the holy Apostles; empowered and perpetuated by the Holy Spirit; His “body” for service and His “bride” for Glory. It began with the New Testament saints and will be consummated at the coming of Christ in the Rapture. (Matt. 16:18; Acts 1:8; 2:1-13, 41-47; 15:14; Rom. 16:25-27; I Cor. 12:12- 28; Eph. 1:22-23; 3:21; 5:23-33; I Thess. 4:13-18).
Paragraph B. We believe that the Church universal is manifest through the local church which is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in it by His Word; that its officers are bishops (or pastors) and deacons; that it has the absolute right of self-government directed by the Holy Spirit and it is answerable only to Christ, and that in all matters of membership, policy, government, discipline and benevolence the will of the local church is final (Matt. 18:5-17: I Cor. 1:2; 6:4-5; 7:17; 11:16; I Tim. 3:1-16).
ARTICLE XII – GIFTS TO THE CHURCH
We believe, with respect to the “Gifts to the Church” that God is sovereign in the testament of all His gifts; and, that the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today; and, that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles (such as healings, restoration of hearing, sight, etc., and raising from the dead) gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established (I Cor. 13:8-12; II Cor. 12:12; Eph. 4:7-12; I Cor. 140. Note: We do believe in divine healing without a subsequent belief in “divine healers” per se.
ARTICLE XIII – of the ORDINANCES
We believe that there are two church ordinances: BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER. BAPTISM is the single immersion of a believer in water and is properly called “believer’s baptism”. It sets forth in a beautiful and solemn way our faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with the effects of that faith in our lives as it produced death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership. THE LORD’S SUPPER is the commemoration of our Lord’s death until He comes and our continual fellowship with Him, should be preceded by baptism and always by careful self-examination (Acts 8:36-39; Rom. 6:3-5; I Cor. 11:23-32).
ARTICLE XIV – OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that Civil Government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ. CIVIL GOVERNMENT has no jurisdiction in spiritual concerns, and has no right of dictation to, of control over, or of interference with matters of spiritual activities. No organic union of Church and State should be tolerated, but entire separation maintained: The Church should neither ask for, nor accept of, support from civil authority, since to do so would imply the right of civil dictation and control. The support of spiritual services belongs to those who profess it! (Rom. 13:1-7; Acts 5:20; 4:19-20; Matt. 22:21; I Tim. 2:1-3; I Peter 2:13-17).
ARTICLE XV – of CHRIST’S SECOND COMING
We believe in the bodily, personal, visible, premillennial and imminent return of Jesus Christ (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:10-11; Mark 13:34-37).
This will be accomplished in two stages:
- The Rapture…Christ’s coming for His saints…When Christ will descend into the air to catch away His waiting bride, the Church (I Thess. 4:14-18; Rev. 3:11).
- The Revelation… Christ’s descending with His saints (John 14; Rom. 8:16-19; Col. 3:4; Rev. 19:14) to establish the long promised kingdom and to reign upon the earth for a thousand years (Dan. 7:13-14; Luke 1;32-33; Rev. 5:9-10; 20:4-6). Between these two stages the great tribulation judgments (7 years) are visited upon the apostate and rebellious world (Jer. 30:7; Matt. 24:21; II Thess. 1:3-10; Rev. Chapters 6-19).
ARTICLE XVI – of THE JUDGMENTS
Paragraph A. We believe that the believer’s sins are judged in Christ on the cross (II Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; John 5:24) and that his works will be judged for rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ at the time of His coming (I Cor. 3:8-15; II Cor. 5:10; I Cor. 4:5; II Tim. 4:8).
Paragraph B. We believe that the impenitent wicked will be raised at the Second Resurrection of the dead to stand in judgment before the Great White Throne of God. This takes place after the thousand year reign of Christ (Millennium). These will be consigned to the Lake of Fire, there to suffer torment forever and ever together with the Devil, Antichrist and False Prophet. We believe the souls of the impenitent dead are now in a state of conscious suffering in Hell awaiting the Second Resurrection (Psa. 9:17; Luke 16:19-31. See also Ecc. 12:14; Matt. 10:18; Mark 9:43-48; Rom. 2:8-9; Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20:10-15; 14:9-11).
ARTICLE XVII – of THE ETERNAL STATE
We believe that after all God’s enemies are consigned to their place of punishment, the present order of things will be dissolved and the new heaven and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness, shall be brought in as a final state in which the righteous shall dwell forever (Isa. 65:17; 66:22; II Pet. 3:10-13; Rev. 21:1-22:7).