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1. We
believe that love one for another, as Jesus loves the believer, manifests
our discipleship, proves our love for God and symbolizes our authority as
New Testament churches. Love is therefore the great commandment of the LORD
Jesus Christ, upon which all others are dependent (Matt. 22:35-40; John
13:34, 35; John 15:12; I John 4:7-21; I John 5:1-3; Rev. 2:4, 5).
2. We believe in the infallible, verbal inspiration of
the whole Bible, and that the Bible is the all-sufficient rule of faith and
practice (Psalm 119:160; 2. Tim. 3:16,17).
3. We believe in the personal triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
equal in divine perfection (Matt. 28:19).
4. We believe in the Genesis account of Creation (Gen. 1; 2).
5. We believe that Satan is a fallen angel, the archenemy of God and man,
the unholy god of this world, and that his destiny is the eternal lake of
fire (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19; Matt. 25:41;
2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:10-17; Rev. 20:10).
6. We believe in the virgin birth and sinless humanity of Jesus Christ
(Matt. 1:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:21; I Peter 2:22).
6. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ (John 10:30; John 1:1, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19).
7. We believe the Holy Spirit is the divine Administrator for Jesus Christ
in His churches (Luke 24:49; John 14:16, 17; Acts 1:4,5,
8; Acts 2:1-4).
9. We believe that miraculous spiritual manifestation gifts were done away
when the Bible was completed. Faith, Hope and Love are the vital abiding
Spiritual Gifts (I Cor. chapters 12-14).
10. We believe that Man was created in the image of God and lived in innocency until he fell by voluntary transgression from
his sinless state, the result being that all mankind are sinners (Gen.
1:26; Gen. 3:6-24; Rom. 5:12,19).
11. We believe that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ was substitutionary for all mankind and is efficacious only
to those who believe (Isa. 53:6; Heb. 2:9; I
Peter 2:24; I Peter 3:18; 2 Peter 3:9; I John 2:2).
12. We believe in the bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ and the
bodily resurrection of His saints (Matt. 28:1-7; Acts 1:9-11; I Cor. 15:42-58; I Thess.
4:13-18).
13. We believe in the premillennial, personal,
bodily return of Christ as the crowning event of the Gentile age. This
event will include the resurrection of the righteous to eternal heaven, and
the Millennium will be followed by the resurrection of the unrighteous unto
eternal punishment in the lake of fire and that the righteous shall enter
into the heaven age (John 14:1-6; I Thess.
4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19; Rev. 20:4-6; Rev.
20:11-15; Rev. 21:8).
14. We believe that the depraved sinner is saved wholly by grace through
faith in Jesus Christ, and the requisites to regeneration are repentance
toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 13:3-5; John 3:16-18;
Acts 20:21; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8, 9), and that the Holy Spirit convicts
sinners, regenerates, seals, secures, and indwells every believer (John
3:6; John 16:8, 9; Rom. 8:9-11; I Cor. 6:19, 20;
Eph. 4:30; Titus 3:5).
15. We believe that all who trust Jesus Christ for salvation are eternally
secure in Him and shall not perish (John 3:36; John 5:24; John 10:27-30;
Rom. 8:35-39; Heb. 10:39; I Peter 1:5).
16. We believe that God deals with believers as His children, that He
chastises the disobedient, and that He rewards the obedient (Matt. 16:27;
Matt. 25:14-23; John 1:12; Heb. 12:5-11; 2 John 8; Rev. 22:12).
17. We believe that Jesus Christ established His church during His ministry
on earth and that it is always a local, visible assembly of scripturally
baptized believers in covenant relationship to carry out the Commission of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and each church is an independent, self-governing
body, and no other ecclesiastical body may exercise authority over it. We
believe that Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission to the New Testament
churches only, and that He promised the perpetuity of His churches (Matt.
4:18-22; Matt. 16:18; Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 1:14-20; John 1:35-51; Eph.
3:21).
18. We believe that there are two pictorial ordinances in the Lord's
churches: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Scriptural baptism is the
immersion of penitent believers in water, administered by the authority of
a New Testament church in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The
Lord's Supper is a memorial ordinance, restricted to the members of the
church observing the ordinance (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 8:12, 38; Rom. 6:4; I
Cor. 5:11-13; I Cor.
11:1, 2, 17-20, 26).
19. We believe that there are two divinely appointed offices in a church,
pastors and deacons, to be filled by men whose qualifications are set forth
in Titus and I Timothy.
20. We believe that all associations, fellowships, and committees are, and
properly should be, servants of, and under control of the churches (Matt.
20:25-28).
21. We believe in freedom of worship without interference from the
government and affirm our belief in civil obedience, unless the laws and
regulations of civil government run contrary to the Holy Scriptures (Rom.
13:1-7; I Peter 2:13-15)
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