STATEMENT OF FAITH

1. OF THE SCRIPTURES:
We believe that the Holy Bible is supernaturally inspired; that it has truth without any error for its matter and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man; that it is the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions shall be tried. All doctrine, policies and foundation for our faith are based on the King James Version.

2. OF THE TRUE GOD:
We believe that there is one, and only one living and True God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth, inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the Unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. Ex 20: 2-3; Gen 17:1; I Cor 8:6; Eph 4:6; John 4:24

3. OF THE SON OF GOD:
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, as no other man was ever nor can ever be born of a woman. He is very God of very God, being “God manifest in the flesh.” He lived a life of absolute sinlessness and in His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins, dying not as a martyr, but as a voluntary substitute in the sinner’s place. He rose from the dead on the third day and ascended bodily into Heaven. He is coming again to rapture His saints, and to set up the throne of David and establish His kingdom. The rapture coming is imminent and will be personal, pre-tribulational and pre-millennial. Isa 7:14; I Thess 4:16; Matt 1:18-25;Matt 28:6; II Thess 2:6-8; John 1:14; I Peter 2:22; I Peter 3:18; Acts 15:16

4. OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father, God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world, He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of judgment, and of righteousness; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the new birth; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. John 14:16-17; Matt 28:19; Heb 9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35; Gen 1:1-2; II Thess 2:7

5. OF CREATION:
We believe in the Genesis account of creation (i.e., one day equals 24 hours), and that it is to be accepted literally, and not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly in God’s own image and after His own likeness; that man’s creation was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary change of species, or development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms; that all animal and vegetable life was created by the direct act of God with His established law that they should bring forth only “after their kind.” Gen 1:1; Ex 20:11; Acts 4:24; Col 1:16-17; Heb 11:3; John 1:3; Rev 10:6; Rom 1:20; Acts 17:23-26; Jer 10:12; Neh 9:6; Gen 1:11, 24, 26-27; Gen 2:21-23

6. OF THE FALL OF MAN:
We believe that man was created in innocence, but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy state, the consequence of which all men are now sinners, not by constraint, but of choice and therefore under just condemnation without defense or excuse. Gen 3:1-6, 24; Rom 5:12, 19; Rom 3:10-19; Eph 2:1-3; Rom 1:18

7. OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH:
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner; born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can ever be born of a woman and that He is both the Son of God and God, the Son. Gen 3:15; Isa 7:14; Matt 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; Mark 1:1; John 1:14; Psa 2:7

8. OF THE ATONEMENT:
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin, honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His atonement consisted not in setting for us an example by His death as a martyr, but was the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that, having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in Heaven and uniting, in His wonderful person, the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, and is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate and an all-suffering Savior. Eph 2:8; Acts 15:11; Rom 3:24; John 3:16; Matt 18:11; Phil 2:7; Heb 2:14; Isa 53:4-7; Rom 3:25; I John 4:10

9. OF THE FREENESS OF SALVATION:
We believe in God’s electing grace; that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the Gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith; and nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel, which rejection continues him in an aggravated condemnation. I Thes 1:4; Col 3:12; I Pet 1:2; Titus 1:1; Rom 8:29-30; John 6:37; Isa 55:6-7; Acts 2:28; John 3:15-16, 18, 36; I Tim 1:15; I Cor 15:10; Eph 2:4-5

10. OF JUSTIFICATION:
We believe that the great Gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is justification; that justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life on principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood is His righteousness imputed to us. Titus 3:5-7; Rom 1:17; Hab 2:4; Gal 3:11; Rom 4:1-8; Heb 10:38; Acts 13:39; Isa 53:11; Zech 13:1; Rom 8:1; Rom 5:1, 9

11. OF BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER:
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, with the authority of the local church, to show forth, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation and to the Lord’s Supper in which the members of the church, by the sacred use of bread and the fruit of the vine, are to commemorate together the dying love of Christ, preceded always by solemn self-examination. Acts 8:36-39; Matt 3:6, 16; John 3:23; Rom 6:3-5; Matt 28:19-20; Col 2:12; Acts 2:41-42; I Cor 11:23-28

12. 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 only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming Prince of the kings of the earth. Rom 13:7; II Sam 23:3; Ex 18:21-22; Acts 23:5; Matt 22:21; Titus 3:1; I Pet 2:13-14, 17; Acts 4:19-20; Dan 3:17-18; Matt 10:28; Matt 23:10; Phil 2:10; Psa 72:11

13. OF THE RESSURRECTION AND RETURN OF CHRIST AND RELATED EVENTS:
We believe in and accept the sacred Scriptures upon these subjects at their face and full value. Of the Resurrection, we believe that Christ rose bodily “…the third day according to the Scriptures.”; that He ascended “…to the right hand of the throne of God”; that He alone is our “merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God.”; that “…this same Jesus which was taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven” – bodily, personally and visibly; that the “dead in Christ shall rise first…”; that the living saints “shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.”; that “…the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His Father David…”; and that Christ shall reign a thousand years in righteousness until “…he hath put all enemies under His feet.” Matt 28:6-7; Luke 24:2, 4-6, 39, 51; John 20:27; I Cor 15:4; Mark 16:6, 19; Acts 1:9, 11; Rev 3:21; Heb 8:1

14. HUMAN SEXUALITY:
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. Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4
We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman for life. Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23