The following is copied from the
Constitution and Bylaws, adopted 4/20/2008.
Section 5.1
The Bible
We believe the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, to
be the divinely inspired Word of God, without error in the original
writings. It is the ultimate and final authority in all matters of
faith and practice. (Psalm 19; 119; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter
1:20-21)
We believe there is one true and infinitely perfect
God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, eternally existent in the
three persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1;
Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16; Acts 5:3-4; Colossians 1:15-16; 2:9)
We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man,
having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He
died on the cross – a sacrifice for our sins according to the
Scriptures. He arose bodily from the dead, He ascended into heaven,
where, at the right hand of the Father, He is now our High Priest and
Advocate. (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 14-15;
Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-28; 1 John 2:1-2)
We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to
glorify Jesus Christ and, during this age, to convict men of sin,
regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide and empower the
believer for godly living and service. (John 14:16-17; 16:7-14; Acts
1:8; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 1:13-14)
We believe God created both man and woman sinless in
His image, but mankind, through Adam’s sin, fell into sin and all of
mankind is therefore separated from God and subject to His wrath. All
people are sinners by nature and by practice and are unable to remedy
their lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-24; Psalm 51:1-17; Isaiah
53:5-6; 64:6; Romans 3:10-18, 23; Ephesians 2:1-3)
We believe salvation is a gift freely offered by the
grace of God to all who repent of their sins, accept the shed blood of
Jesus Christ on the cross as the sacrifice for their sins, and by faith
receive Jesus Christ as Savior. All who receive by faith the Lord Jesus
Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God, a
relationship in which they are eternally secure. (Mark 1:15; John
3:3-23; 10:28; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 8:15-16, 28-30; 2 Corinthians 5:17;
Galatians 4:5-7; Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 9:22; 1 John 1:9)
We believe the true Church is the body of believers,
and Christ is the Head. We also believe in the local Church - believers
gathering together in local assemblies for the purposes of instruction,
prayer, fellowship, worship, exhortation, encouragement, observance of
the ordinances, and to be witnesses to God’s saving grace in the world.
(Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians
1:22-23; 4:4-6; Colossians 1:18)
We believe the Scriptures prescribe two ordinances for
the Church: water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Believers are
baptized in water as a testimony to their spiritual identification with
Christ, and regularly celebrate the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of His
death and in anticipation of His return. (Matthew 26:26-30; 28:18-20;
Luke 22:14-20; Romans 6:1-11; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29)
We believe angels were created by God as His servants
and ministers to His people on Earth. We also believe Satan was created
as an angelic being, but was removed from his position for his pride,
and now actively works to frustrate the purposes of God. (Ezekiel
28:12-19; Daniel 12:1-2; Matthew 25:41; Ephesians 6:10-12: Hebrews 1:14;
1 Peter 5:8-9; Revelation 12:12:4-920:7-10)
We believe in the personal, physical and imminent
return of Jesus Christ, at which time the believer will be resurrected
to eternal, unbroken fellowship with God, and the unbeliever will be
resurrected to eternal punishment and separation from God. (John
14:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:24-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians
4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12; Revelation 20:15)
This Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of
our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we
believe. We do believe, however, this Statement of Faith accurately
represents the teaching of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all
members. All literature, doctrinal teachings, and ministry material
used in the church shall be in complete agreement with the Statement of
Faith. Material that does not meet the foregoing requirement may be
used for comparison purposes in a teaching environment. For additional
detail and scriptural references for the beliefs stated in this
Statement of Faith please refer to the Teaching Positions that
are published by the church from time to time. If a difference of
interpretation of a scriptural passage occurs, the rendering by the New
American Standard Bible, copyright 1995, shall be used as the standard
text.
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