What We Believe
I. Of the Scriptures
We believe that the Holy Scriptures, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, were verbally and plenarily inspired by God and written by Spirit-controlled men.
We believe these Scriptures to be inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and, therefore, are the final authority for faith and life. The Scriptures shall be interpreted by their normal grammatical-historical meaning. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the church.
II Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21
Explanatory Note – (The above statement means that the KJV is used as the standard text throughout the church. By this, we do not mean that we believe the 1611 is “inspired” and other versions are not. We believe that the inspiration mentioned in the New Testament was that perfection of the Word of God in the original manuscripts only. We believe God has preserved His Word down through the ages, with the KJV being a reliable translation for the English speaking people. Since it is a reliable translation, today’s Christian can still be assured he carries the inspired Word of God in his KJV Bible. While we realize that some of the wording of the old English in the KJV may have a different meaning to modern readers, we still use this as our standard-usage-version in order to protect from temptation to shift to more contemporary forms of practice and worship.) Pastor Doug Cowan (Retired)
II. Of the True God
We believe there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite Spirit, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love. We believe in the unity of the Godhead which is made up of 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 and the care of the Christian’s life. Ex. 20:2-3; I Cor. 8:6; Rev. 4:11; I Jn. 5:7
III. Of the Son, Jesus Christ
We believe that God the Son, Jesus Christ, shares all the same attributes of the divinity, the nature, and the essence as God the Father.
We believe He has eternally existed and was involved in creation.
We believe He was supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, thus giving Him His divine nature. He was born of the virgin Mary, thus giving Him His human nature, yet without sin. His death on the cross provided the perfect substitutionary sacrifice for sin and His resurrection three days later validates His claims of deity and demonstrates the acceptance of this sacrifice by God the Father.
We believe Christ ascended to Heaven, is now seated at the right-hand of the Father in Heaven as the intercessor for believers, and awaits the timing of His return to reign in His millennial kingdom.
Jn. 10:30, 38; 14:10; 17:11, 22; Gen. 1:26; John 1:3, Jn. 1:10; Col. 1:16; 1 Cor. 8:6; Heb. 1:2; Lk. 1:35; Mt. 1:20; Isa. 7:14; Isa. 53:9; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15, 7:26; 1 Pet. 1:19, 2:22; 1 Jn. 2:2; Heb. 2:17; Rom. 3:25; Lk. 22:34, Rom. 8:34, Heb. 7:25; Mt. 16:28; Rev. 17:14, 20:4.
IV. Of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, with God the Father and 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 righteousness, and of judgments; 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 indwells the believer; that He seals the believer’s salvation, endues with power to live the Christian life, guides and teaches in the will of God; assures, encourages, sanctifies, and helps the believer. Jn. 14:16-17, Mt. 28:19, Heb. 9:14, Jn. 14:26, Lk. 1:35, Mk. 1:8, Jn. 1:33, Acts 11:16, Lk. 24:49, Rom. 8:14, Rom. 8:16, Rom. 8:26-27, Gen. 1:1-3, Jn. 16:8-11, Acts 5:30-32, Jn. 3:5-6, Eph. 1:13-14, 1 Cor. 6:19.
V. Of the Devil, or Satan
We believe in the personality of Satan, that he is the unholy god of this age, and the author of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. Mt. 4:1-3, II Cor. 4:4, Rev. 20:10.
VI. Of Creation
We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour days as described in the Genesis account. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11; Neh. 9:6; Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16-18; Heb. 11:3).
VII. Of the Fall of Man
We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy state in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not only by constraint, but by choice; and therefore under just condemnation without defense or excuse. Gen. 3:1-6, 24; Rom. 1:18, 32; Rom. 5:10-19.
VIII. Of the Virgin Birth
We believe that Jesus 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 woman, and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son. Gen. 3:15, Isa. 7:14, Mt. 1:18-25, Lk. 1:35, Jn. 1:4.
IX. Of the Atonement for Sin
We believe that the Salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the mediatorial office of the Son of God, who by the 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 us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust; Christ the Lord, bearing our sin in His own body on the cross; that having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate and an all-sufficient Savior. Eph. 2:8, Acts 15:11, Rm. 3:24, Jn. 3:16, Mt. 18:11, Phil. 2:7, Heb. 2:14, Isa. 53:4-7, Rom. 3:25, 1 Jn. 4:10, 1 Cor. 15:3, 2 Cor. 5:21.
X. Of Grace in the New Creation
We believe in order to be saved sinners must be born again; that the New Birth is a New Creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature (through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit) and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about in manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life.
Jn. 3:3, 2 Cor. 5:17, 1 Jn. 5:1, Jn. 3:6-7, Acts 16:30-33, 2 Pet. 1:4, Rom. 6:23, Eph. 2:1, 2 Cor. 5:19, Col. 2:13
XI. Of Justification
We believe that the great gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is justification.
a) That Justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life, on principles of righteousness;
b) 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 His righteousness is imputed to us. Acts 13:39, Isa. 53:11, Zech. 13:1, Rom. 8:1, Rom. 5:9.
XII. Of Faith and Salvation
We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, with repentance for our sin, is the only condition of salvation. Acts 3:19, 16:31, 26:20.
XIII. Of the Local Church
We believe that a local church is a congregation of immersed believers, associated together by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ and governed by His Word.
We believe that its officers are pastors, and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties, are clearly defined in the Scriptures of 1 Timothy and Titus.
We believe the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity.
We hold that the local church is autonomous and free from interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the scriptural Head is Christ through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
We believe that the local church is to use the Scriptures to determine its involvement with other churches, its self-governance, its membership, its discipline, and its benevolence. Acts 2:41-42, 20:17-28, 15:13-18; 1 Cor. 11:2, Eph. 1:22-23, Eph. 4:11, 1 Tim. 3:15, Col. 1:18, Eph. 5:23-24.
XIV. Of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
We believe that Christian Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are each a memorial, a symbol and a prophecy.
We believe that Christian Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water 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. We believe this baptism is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation and is also prerequisite to participation in the Lord’s Supper.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination.
Acts 8:26-29, Jn. 3:23, Rm. 6:3-5, Mt. 3:16, Col. 2:12, 1 Cor. 11:23-28.
XV. Of Human Sexuality
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, pornography and gender alteration are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. Gen. 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thes. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4.
XVI. Of Family Relationships
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. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12; Titus 1:5-9)
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 and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including scriptural corporal correction. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; M,. 10:6-12; 1 Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4; 1 Pet. 3:1-7)
XVII. Of Divorce and Remarriage
We believe God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. We believe that God’s legal guidelines to divorce were reluctant and given only because of man’s sinful nature. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, we believe Scripture prohibits them from holding the offices of Pastor or Deacon.
Mt. 2:14-17; 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:12; Titus 1:6.
XVIII. Of Abortion
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 of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother are acceptable. Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Lk. 1:44.
XIX. Of Euthanasia
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. Ex. 20:13, 23:7; Mt. 5:21; Acts 17:28.
XX. Of Love
We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward both 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 the 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. Lev. 19:18; Mt. 5:44-48; Lk. 6:31; Jn. 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 Jn. 3:17-18.
XXI. Of Law Suits Between Believers
We believe that the Scriptures give clear guidelines in the case of a Christian bringing civil law suits 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. Only when the offending individual refuses to be submissive to the guidelines of Scripture could a law suit be considered. Even then, the Scripture teaches that for the cause of Christ it may be best for the offended one to be defrauded. We 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. Mt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32.
XXII. Of Missions
We believe God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all scriptural means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. Mt. 28:19-20; M, 16:15; Lk. 24:46-48; Jn. 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20.
XXIII. Of Giving
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. Gen. 14:20; Pr. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 Jn. 3:17.
XXIV. Of the Security of the Saints
We believe that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for the fulfillment of His promises to the believer and to the Son, Jesus Christ.
Phil. 1:6; Jn. 10:28-29; Rom. 8:35-39; Jude 1:1.
XXV. Of the Righteous and the Wicked
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that such only as through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God, are truly righteous in His sight; while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under condemnation. We believe this distinction holds true in people both in and after death, in that there will be a first resurrection of the righteous unto everlasting joy and a second resurrection of the wicked unto everlasting torment. Mal. 3:18; Gen. 18:23; Rom. 6:17-18; 1 Jn. 5:19; Rom. 7:6; Rm. 6:23; Pr. 14:32; Lk. 6:25; Mt. 25:34-41; Jn. 8:21.
XXVI. 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 who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of the Kings of the earth.
We believe that God has given each institution of home, church, and state 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. Rom. 13:1-7; 2 Sam. 23:3; Ex. 18:21-22; Acts 23:5; Mt. 22:21; Acts 5:21; Acts 4:19-20; Dan. 3:17-18.
XXVII. Of Future Events
We believe that the Scriptures teach that at death the spirit and soul of the believer pass instantly into the presence of Christ and remain in conscious joy until the bodily resurrection of that believer when Christ comes for His own.
We believe the blessed hope of the Christian is the imminent, personal, pretribulational, premillennial appearance of Christ to rapture all believers, which are called His Bride.
We believe that righteous judgments will be poured out upon the unbelieving world during the seven-year tribulation which immediately follows the rapture. This is also called the seventieth week of Daniel.
We believe in the physical return of Jesus Christ to the earth at the end of the tribulation in order to destroy the Antichrist government and to establish His one-thousand year reign which is also referred to as the Davidic Kingdom.
We believe Israel will be saved and restored as a nation at Christ’s return, that Satan will be bound, and that sin’s curse will be lifted from earth.
We believe that Christ will rule righteously on earth for one-thousand years. This millennial period will be followed by the Great White Throne judgment in which all the unbelieving dead of all ages will hear their final doom of eternal torment in the Lake of Fire.
We believe the eternal state of the New Heaven and New Earth, for believers, will follow this final judgment of unbelieving man.
Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:6-8; 1 Cor. 15:20-23; 1 Cor. 15:51-57; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; Eph. 5:27; Rev. 19:7; Mt. 24:21; Dan. 9:24; Rev. 19:20; Rev. 20:4-6; Rom. 11:25-26; Rev. 20:2-3; Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 21-22.