The Bible--God's Word to Humanity

(Psalm 12:6; 119:105, 160; Proverbs 30:5; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

The Bible is God's Word to all men. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error.

 

God--The Triune Relationship

(Genesis 1:1; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-3; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2)

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.

 

The Father--The Loving Creator

(Exodus 3:14; Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6a; John 3:16; 5:26; 14:1; Acts 17:28; Romans 3:3-4)

God is great: He is all powerful, all knowing, ever present, unchanging, completely worthy of our trust, and above all, holy. It is in Him that we live, move and exist. God is good: He is our Father. He is loving, compassionate, and faithful to His people and His promises.

 

Jesus Christ--The Savior of the World

(Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 4:14-15;    1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13-14)

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a sinless human life and willingly offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

 

The Holy Spirit--The Agent of Change

(John 14:16-17; 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 1:13)

The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily.

 

Man--God's Image Bearers

(Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; 59:1-2; Romans 3:23)

Man is made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. He is the supreme object of God's creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin." This attitude separates man from God.

 

Salvation--Free Gift through Faith in Jesus Christ

(John 14:6; Romans 5:1; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5)

Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin's penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.

 

The Church--God's Design for Community

(Matt. 16:18-19; 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42; 14:23; 16:5; 20:28; 1 Corinthians 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:10-12; Coloss. 1:18; 3:15; 1 Peter 5:1-4)

The Church is a local community of baptized believers unified through faith in Christ. It is committed to the teachings of Christ, to obeying all of His commands, and it seeks to bring the gospel to the world. The Church works together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.

 

Eternity--The Forever State of Humanity

(John 3:16; 5:24; Romans 6:23; 1 John 2:25; 5:11-13; Revelation 20:15)

Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God, through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.

 

Creation—Made in the Image of God

(Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11)

We believe that the Genesis account of creation is neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of God’s creation of the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. We believe that when God made man and woman they were made in His image. The only two genders we recognize are the ones God created, male and female.

 

Governing Bodies

(Matthew 22:15-22; Acts 5:29; Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Titus 3:1-2; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-14)

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. We believe that we must obey the state unless it requires us to act contrary to our faith at which time we must obey God rather than the state.

 

Human Sexuality

 (1) (Genesis 2:24; 19:5, 13; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1: 18-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance.

 

(2) (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-33)

We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman for life.

 

Family Relationships

(1) (Ephesians 5:21; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)

We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church.

 

(2) (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-24; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 127:3- 5; Proverbs 19:18; 22:6; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mark 10:6-9; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; 11:2; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Colossians 3:18-21; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7)

We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are an heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction.

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Divorce and Remarriage

(Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Mark 10:11-12; Romans 7:1-3; 1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication. We believe that those who have been divorced or remarried can be forgiven and reconciled to God. They may then be able to hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service.

 

Abortion

(Exodus 20:13; Job 3:16; 31:15 Psalm 51:5; 127:3-5; 139:14-16; Proverbs 6:16-17; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well-being of the mother are acceptable.

 

Euthanasia

(Exodus 20:13, 23:7; Job 1:21; Ecclesiastes 3:1-2; 8:8; Matthew 5:21; 11:28; Acts 17:28)

We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift of God and must be respected from conception until natural death. Thus we believe that an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God. Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment.

 

Love

(Leviticus 19:18; Matt 5:44-48; Luke 6:31-36; John 13:34-35; Romans 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Philippians 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)

We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions.

 

Lawsuits Between Believers

(Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32)

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander.

 

Missions

(Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:16-20)

We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us.

 

Giving

(Genesis 14:19-20; 28:20-22; Deuteronomy 14:28-29; Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:8-9; 3:10-12; Matthew 6:1-4; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6-10; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17- 18; 1 John 3:17)

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his local church. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of his tithe or offering once the gift has been made.

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