STATEMENTS OF FAITH

Holy Scripture

        We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God inspired throughout by the Holy Spirit, in language as well as in thought; that the writers faithfully recorded God’s gracious revelation of Himself and bear witness of Christ; and that they are an infallible rule of faith and practice and the supreme source of authority in spiritual truth.  II Peter 1:21; II Timothy 3:14-17.

Trinity

       We believe there is but one living and true God, everlasting, of infinite power, wisdom and goodness; the maker and preserver of all things, visible and invisible.  And in unity of this Godhead there are three persons of one substance, power and eternity—the Father, the Son (the Word) and the Holy Ghost.  Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14.

Deity of Christ

       We believe the only begotten Son of God was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried and rose again—to be a sacrifice, not only for the original sin but for the actual sins of man, and to reconcile us to God.  Isaiah 7:14; John 3:16

Depravity of Sin

       We believe the original sin of Adam is the corruption of the nature of every man, whereby man is wholly gone from original righteousness, and of his own nature is inclined too evil.  Romans 5:12; Jeremiah 17:9

Justification

       We believe that justification is a judicial act of God by which in His free Grace He places sinners in a new relation to Himself and His Law, so that henceforth they are forgiven and accepted as righteous in His sight; that the procuring cause or ground of this is not anything wrought in them, or done by them, but only the perfect righteousness of Christ, embracing all that He did in the way of obedience and all that He suffered in their stead while on earth a righteousness imputed to them, and received by faith alone; and that the evidence of justification is holy living.  Romans 5:1; Acts 16:31.

Regeneration

       We believe regeneration is that work of the Holy Spirit by which the pardoned sinner becomes a child of God; whereby we who by nature are spiritually dead are made new creatures, established in union with Christ, released from bondage of sin, and made alive unto God; that this is the immediate act of the Holy Spirit, who changes the governing disposition of the soul by a secret and direct operation of His power; and that originally, where years of understanding have been reached, regeneration is wrought in connection with the use of divine truth as a means.  Romans 8:15-17.

Sin After Justification

       We believe not every sin willfully committed after justification is a sin against the Holy Ghost and unpardonable.  Wherefore repentance is not denied to such as fall into sin after justification; after we have received the Holy Ghost we may depart from grace given and fall into sin, and by the Grace of God rise again to amend our lives.  And, therefore, they are to be admonished who say they can no more sin as long as they live here, or deny a place of forgiveness to such as truly repent.  I John 1:9.

Sanctification

       We believe that sanctification is the carrying on to completion of the great change effected in regeneration, being a deliverance from the domination and defilement of sin and corresponding growth in holy character; that is wrought by the power of the indwelling Spirit, whereby union with Christ is maintained and holy dispositions are fostered; that in sanctification believers are fellow-workers with the Holy Spirit, being called to faith and repentance, to true obedience in motive and act, to dedication of themselves to the will of God, and to a diligent use of the outward means of grace; and that, while, because of defective faith and human frailty,  absolute perfection can never be reached in the present life, it is nevertheless the duty of the believers to aim at entire conformity to the will of God, to which, with advancing experience and fuller appropriation of Christ, they may obtain a holy walk with Him.  John 17:2-23; I Thessalonians 5:23.

Resurrection

       We believe that through the power of Almighty God there will be a bodily resurrection of all the dead, both the just and the unjust; that to the just it will be a resurrection unto life and to the unjust a resurrection unto condemnation; and that the mortal bodies of those who are fallen asleep in Jesus, as well as the faithful who are alive at His coming, will be fashioned anew and conformed to the body of His glory.  I Thessalonians 4:14-17; II Corinthians 5:1.

Second Advent

       We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, who at His ascension, was received up into heaven will come again to earth in person, visible, with power and great glory; that His coming marks the consummation of the Kingdom of God on earth; and this blessed hope is to be cherished as an incentive to watchful living and faithful witness-bearing on the part of Christ’s followers.  Acts 1:9-11; Jude 14.

Judgment of Mankind

       God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, according to the gospel.  The righteous shall have in heaven an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away.  The wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.  II Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-12.

Free Will of Man

       We believe the condition of man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and works, in faith and calling upon God; wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, without the Grace of God by Christ working in us.  Joshua 24:15 & 24.

Ordinances

       We believe that the ordinances ordained of Christ are not only tokens of Christian profession, but they are certain signs of grace and God’s good will toward us, by which He doth work invisible in us, and doth not only quicken but also strengthen and confirm our faith in Him.  There are two ordinances ordained of Christ our Lord in the gospel, that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord.

Baptism

       Christian Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savion, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.  It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead.  It is a church ordinance given to us by our Lord.   Not only are adult believers to be baptized, but also children having reached the age of accountability.  Parents of infants may dedicate their children to the Lord, with the promise to rear them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Matthew 28:19.

Lord’s Supper

       We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the ordinance of communion with Christ, in which bread and grape juice are given and received in thankful remembrance of Him and His sacrifice on the cross, and they who in faith receive the same partake of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, after a spiritual manner, to their building up in grace;  that is should never be engaged in without previous examination as to a sincere desire to be cleansed from all sin, a true and living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and brotherly love toward all; and that all are to be invited to the Lord’s Supper who have confessed their faith in Christ and are leading a Christian life.  Matthew 26:26-28; I Corinthians 11:24-25.