Our Statement of Faith
SECTION 2.01 – STATEMENT OF FAITH
“We also believe and therefore speak” (II Corinthians 4:13).
THE TRINITY
We believe that there is One God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father (Deuteronomy 33:27) the Son (John 1:1), and the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 9:14).
VERBAL INSPIRATION
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God, and inherent in the original writings and are of supreme and final authority in faith and life (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
VIRGIN BIRTH
We believe that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:35), and truly man (1 Timothy 2:5).
TOTAL DEPRAVITY
We believe that man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27); but man sinned, and thereby incurred, not only physical death, but also that spiritual death which is separation from God; consequently all human beings are born with a sinful and depraved nature. (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23, 5:12).
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH (Salvation)
We believe that the Lord Jesus died for our sins, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3), as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice and that all who believe on him are justified on the single ground of His shed blood (Romans 3:24-25).
PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person who reproves the world of sin, of righteous and of judgment (John 16:8-11); who regenerates and baptizes into the body of Christ which is the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13) and who indwells, enlightens and guides the individual believer (1 Corinthians 6:19, John 16:13).
EVERLASTING LIFE
We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and, thereby, become children of God (John 1:12-13; Romans 8:16) and that they are the recipients of everlasting life (1 Peter 1: 3-5).
RESURRECTION
We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord (Acts 2:32), in His bodily ascension into Heaven (Acts 1:9, 10) and in his present life there as High Priest and Advocate for the saved (Hebrews 4:14; 1 John 2:1-2).
SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
We believe in the rapture of the saved to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and in the personal, visible, imminent and glorious return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11-16).
THE ETERNAL STATE
(A) We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29, 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:44; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13).
(B) We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Romans 6:5; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6).
(C) We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 14:9-12, 20:11-15, 21:8).
SATAN
We believe that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, is a real person who deceives the whole world (1 Peter 5:8; Job 1:6-7).
SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD
We believe that all Christians are called into a life of separation to the Lord and to His joyous service and from all worldly and sinful practices (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 2 Corinthians 6:17-18; 7:1; 1 John 2:15-16).
EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS
We believe it is the duty of every Christian man and woman, as well as the duty of every Church of Christ, to seek to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. We believe the new birth of man’s spirit by God’s Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others. Missionary effort on the part of all rests thus upon a spiritual necessity of the regenerated life. It is also expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort and by all other methods sanctioned by the gospel of Christ (Matthew l0:5-15, 13:1-23, 22:8-10, 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16, 16:19-20; Luke 24:46-53; Acts 1:4-8, 2:l-4, 21:39, 6:1-40, 10:42-48, 13:1-3, 13:30-33; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21).
BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The act is a symbol of our faith in a crucified, buried and risen Saviour. The members of the Church, by use of bread and the fruit of the vine, commemorate the Lord’s death until He comes again (Matthew 3:13-17; 28:19-20, 26:17-26; Mark 1:9-1l; Luke 22:19-30; John 3:22- 23; Acts 8: 38-39; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:16-23).
THE LORD’S DAY
We believe that the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private, by refraining from amusements and by resting from secular employments. Only works of necessity and mercy are acceptable (Matthew 28:1- 6; John 20:1; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Revelation 1:9-11).
THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked. Those only who are justified through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Holy Spirit are truly righteous in his sight. Those who continue in impenitence and unbelief are in his sight wicked and under condemnation. This distinction between the righteous and the wicked holds in and after death, and will be made manifest at the Judgment Seat of Christ for believers (Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10) and the great White Throne for the impenitent (Matthew 25:31-46; Mark 9:46-48; Luke 23:43; John 3:36; Romans 9:22-24; 1 Corinthians 15:45-53; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:6, 10-15).
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
We believe that God alone is Lord of the conscience, and he has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to or not contained in his Word. We believe in the separation of Church and State with regards to a State religion. The State owes to the Church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the State more than others. Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. The Church should not resort to the civil Power to carry on its work. The Gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The State has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The State has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free Church in a free State is the Christian ideal. This implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men and the right to form and to propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil Power (Matthew 22:17-21; Mark 21:13-17; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:14; 1 Peter 2:17).
SOCIAL SERVICE
We believe that every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ to reign in his own life and in human society; to oppose in the Spirit of Christ every form of greed, selfishness and vice; to provide for the orphaned, the aged, the helpless and the sick; to seek to bring industry, government and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends, Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love, without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth. All means and methods used in social service for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men must finally depend on the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Christ Jesus (Exodus 20:16, 22: 9-15; Leviticus 6:1-5; Deuteronomy 4:41-42, 15:1-2, 27:17; Ezekiel 18:5-9; Zechariah 8:16-17; Luke 10:25-37, 6:27-36; Romans 12:14-21; Colossians 3:12-17; James 2:6).
MARRIAGE AND SEXUALITY
(1) We believe that the term “marriage” has only one, legitimate meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, covenantal union, as delineated by Scripture. Marriage ceremonies performed in any facility or on any property owned, leased or rented by this Church will be only those ceremonies sanctioned by God, joining one man with one woman as their gender was determined at birth. Whenever there is a conflict between the Church’s position and any new legal standard for marriage, the Church’s statement of faith, doctrines and biblical positions will govern (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:22-23; Mark 10:6-9; I Corinthians 7:1-9).
(2) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage as defined in (19:1) above. We believe that any other type of sexual activity, identity or expression that lies outside of this definition of marriage, including those that are becoming more accepted in the culture and in the courts, are sinful perversions of and contradictory to God’s natural design and purpose for sexual activity (Genesis 2:24, 19:5; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4).
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
(A) 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 in 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 (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:18; 1 Timothy 2:8-15, 3:4-5, 3:12).
(B) 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. In doing so, the husband should reverence his wife as a help meet. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the Church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values through a consistent lifestyle, example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:18; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 127:3-5; Proverbs 19:18, 22:15, 23:13-14; Mark 10:6-12; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7).
DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE
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. 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, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon (Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; 1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6).
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 due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control. Only the physical well-being of the mother are acceptable (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5, 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24, 49:1-5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).
EUTHANASIA
We believe that an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, facilitates premature death, is assuming a decision that is to be reserved for God. We do not believe that discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome is euthanasia (Exodus 20:13, 23:7; Matthew 5:21; Acts 17:28).
CREATION
We believe that God created the earth and the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods as shown in Genesis 1-2 and confirmed again in Exodus 20:11. All other evolutionary teachings are unscriptural theories of origin (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11).
Section 2.02 – AUTHORITY OF STATEMENT OF FAITH
The 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, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teachings of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members. All literature, whether print or electronic, used in the Church shall be in complete agreement with the Statement of Faith and the Authorized Version King James Bible.