We Believe....
THE SCRIPTURES
- The Bible is the
inspired Word of God, the product of holy men of old who
spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
The New Covenant, as recorded in the New Testament, we
accept as our infallible guide in matters pertaining to
conduct and doctrine (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Peter
1:21).
We Believe....
THE GODHEAD
- Our God is one,
but manifested in three Persons - the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit, being coequal (Deut. 6:4;Phil. 2:6).
God the Father is greater than
all; the Sender of the Word (Logos) and the Begetter (John
14:28; John 16:28; John 1:14).
The Son is the Word flesh-covered,
the One Begotten, and has existed with the Father from
the beginning (John 1:1; John 1:18; John 1:14).
The Holy Spirit proceeds forth
from both the Father and the Son and is eternal (John
14:16;John 15:26).
We Believe....
MAN, HIS FALL
AND REDEMPTION
- Man is a created
being, made in the likeness and image of God, but through
Adam's transgression and fall, sin came into the world.
The Bible says "...all have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God," and "...There is none
righteous, no, not one." (Rom. 3:10; 3:23). Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, was manifested to undo the works
of the devil and gave His life and shed His blood to redeem
and restore man back to God (Rom. 5:14; 1 John 3:8).
Salvation is the gift of God to
man, separate from works and the Law, and is made operative
by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, producing works
acceptable to God (Eph. 2:8-10).
We Believe....
ETERNAL LIFE AND
THE NEW BIRTH
- Man's first step
toward salvation is godly sorrow that worketh repentance.
The new birth is necessary to all men, and when experienced,
produces eternal life (2 Cor. 7:10; John 3:3-5; 1 John
5:12).
We Believe....
WATER BAPTISM
- Baptism in water
is by immersion, is a direct commandment of our Lord,
and is for believers only. The ordinance is a symbol of
the Christian's identification with Christ in His death,
burial, and resurrection (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4; Col.
2:12; Acts 8:36-39).
The following recommendation regarding
the water baptismal formula is adopted; to wit: "On
the confession of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, and by His authority, I baptize you in
the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Amen."
We Believe....
BAPTISM IN THE
HOLY GHOST
- The Baptism in
the Holy Ghost and fire is a gift from God as promised
by the Lord Jesus Christ to all believers in this dispensation
and is received subsequent to the new birth. This experience
is accompanied by the initial evidence of speaking in
other tongues as the Holy Spirit Himself gives utterance
(Matt. 3:11; John 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:38,39; Acts
19:1-7; Acts 2:1-4).
We Believe....
SANCTIFICATION
- The Bible teaches
that without holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe
in the Doctrine of Sanctification as a definite, yet progressive
work of grace, commencing at the time of regeneration
and continuing until the consummation of salvation at
Christ's return (Heb. 12:14; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Peter 3:18;
2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:12-14; 1 Cor. 1:30).
We Believe....
DIVINE HEALING
- Healing is for
the physical ills of the human body and is wrought by
the power of God through the prayer of faith, and by the
laying on of hands. It is provided for in the atonement
of Christ, and is the privilege of every member of the
Church today (James 5:14,15; Mark 16:18; Isa. 53:4,5;
Matt. 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24).
We Believe....
RESURRECTION OF
THE JUST AND THE RETURN OF OUR LORD
- The angels said
to Jesus' disciples, "...this same Jesus, which is
taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner
as ye have seen him go into heaven." His coming is
imminent. When He comes, "...the dead in Christ shall
rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air..." (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:16,17).
Following the Tribulation, He shall
return to earth as King of kings, and Lord of lords, and
together with His saints, who shall be kings and priests,
He shall reign a thousand years (Rev. 5:10;20:6).
We Believe....
HELL AND ETERNAL
RETRIBUTION
- The one who physically
dies in his sins without accepting Christ is hopelessly
and eternally lost in the lake of fire and, therefore,
has no further opportunity of hearing the Gospel or repenting.
The lake of fire is literal. The terms "eternal"
and "everlasting," used in describing the duration
of the punishment of the damned in the lake of fire, carry
the same thought and meaning of endless existence as used
in denoting the duration of joy and ecstasy of saints
in the Presence of God (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 19:20).
|
