Doctrinal Statment and Beliefs

1. The Scriptures

We believe that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” by which we understand the whole Bible is inspired in the sense that holy men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the very words of Scripture. We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of the writings—historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical—as appeared in the original manuscripts. We believe that the whole Bible in the originals is therefore without error. We believe that all the Scriptures are centered in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ in His first and second coming, and hence that no portion, even of the Old Testament, is properly read, or understood, until it leads to Him. We also believe that all the Scriptures were designed for our practical instruction, as stated in: Mark 12:26, 36; 13:11; Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Acts 1:16; 17:2–3; 18:28; 26:22–23; 28:23; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21.

2 The Godhead

We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections, and worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience, as stated in: Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Zechariah. 14:9; Matthew 28:18–19; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3–4; Romans 3:30; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 1:1–3; Rev. 1:4–6.

3. Angels, Fallen and Unfallen

We believe that God created an innumerable company of sinless, spiritual beings, known as angels; that one, “Lucifer, son of the morning”—the highest in rank—sinned through pride, thereby becoming Satan; that a great company of the angels followed him in his rebellious fall, some of whom became demons and are active as his agents and associates in the prosecution of his unholy purposes, while others who fell are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness until the judgment, as stated in: Isaiah. 14:12–17; Ezekiel 28:11–19; 1 Timothy 3:6; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6.

We believe that Satan is the originator of sin, and that, under the permission of God, he, through subtlety, tempted our first parents into transgression, thereby accomplishing their rebellious fall and subjecting them and their posterity to his own power; that he is the enemy of God and His elect, both angelic and human, opposing and exalting himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, as stated in: Genesis 3:1–19; Romans 5:12–14; 2 Thessalonians 2:4.

We believe that a great company of angels, known as elect angels, kept their holy estate and are before the throne of God, from whence they are sent forth as ministering spirits to minister on behalf of those who shall be heirs of salvation, as stated in: Luke 15:10; Ephesians 1:21; 1 Timothy 5:21; Hebrews 1:14; Revelations 7:12.

We believe that Satan was judged at the Cross, but according to God’s purpose is allowed to contend against His elect, both angelic and human, while he awaits future judgment with all those who follow him, as stated in: Matthew 24:24; 2 Corinthians 4:3–4, 11:13–15; Ephesians 6:10–12; Colossians 2:15; 1 Timothy 4:1–3, 5:21; Revelations 20:1–3, 10.

We believe that man was made lower than the angels; and that, in His incarnation, Christ took for a little time this lower place that He might lift the believer to His own sphere above the angels, as stated in: Psalms 8:5; Hebrews 2:6–10.

4. Man, Created and Fallen

We believe that man was originally created in the image and after the likeness of God, to rule over the terrestrial creation as His vice-regent and that he fell through unbelief, and as a consequence of his sin, experienced spiritual death, becoming alienated from God in trespasses and sins and that he became subject to the power of the devil. We also believe that this spiritual death, or total depravity of human nature, has been transmitted to the entire human race of man, the Man Christ Jesus alone being excepted; and hence that all other descendants of Adam are born into the world physically alive, but spiritually dead and are essentially and unchangeably corrupt. Therefore, man is under condemnation and destined for judgment apart from divine grace, as stated in: Genesis 1:26-30; 2:17; 6:5; Psalms 14:1–3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:6; 5:40; 6:35; Romans 3:10–19; 8:6–7; 1 Corinthians 15:20-57; Ephesians 2:1–3; Ephesians 4:18; Colossians 1:21; 1 Timothy 5:6; 1 John 3:8.

5. The Dispensations

We believe that the Bible is only accurately interpreted through the recognition that God accomplishes His purpose with man through distinct; times, epochs, ages and administrations; known as dispensations. We believe that dispensations are manifest in the biblical record constituting the divine viewpoint of history and therefore, the theological interpretation of history. As such, we believe that the theological doctrine of dispensations, when understood appropriately, provides the believer living in a specific time of human history, the understanding required, to appropriately orient to God’s plan, will, and purpose for their lives, as stated in: Psalms 75:2; Ecclesiastes 3:1; Daniel 9: 24-26; Acts 17:26-27; Ephesians 1:10, 3:2; Colossians 1:25.

6. The First Advent of Christ

We believe that, as provided and purposed by God and as pre-announced in the prophecies of the Scriptures, the eternal Son of God came into this world that He might fully manifest God to men, fulfill prophecy, become the Redeemer of a lost world, resolve the angelic conflict and thereby accomplish God’s good plan will, and purpose for His creation. To this end He was born of the virgin, both physically and spiritually alive without a sinful nature, as stated in Luke 1:30– 35; John 1:18; 3:16; Ephesians 3:9-11; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; Hebrews 1:2-4, 10:7.

We believe that, He became and remained true humanity, and lived a sinless life, fulfilling all righteousness through His dependence on the Father; yet He retained His undiminished deity, being at the same time very God and very man, two natures in one Person forever, as stated in: Luke 2:40; John 1:1–5, 10-18; Romans 3:20-22; Philippians 2:5–8; Hebrews 2:5-18, 4:15.

We believe that, according to the eternal counsels of the Trinity, He gave His life as a ransom for all, demonstrating the infinite universal love of God for the lost, as He voluntarily accepted His Father’s will and became the divinely provided sacrificial Lamb, bearing the personal sins of all mankind in His own body and thereby took away the sin of the world, bearing in Himself the holy judgments against sin which the righteousness of God must impose. His death was therefore substitutionary in the most absolute sense—the just for the unjust— and by His death on the cross He became the Savior of the lost, as stated in: John 1:11; John 1:29; Acts 2:22–24; Romans 3:25–26; 2 Corinthians 5:14; 1 Timothy 2:6; Hebrews 10:5–14; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:1-2.

We believe that, according to the Scriptures, He arose from the dead in the same body, in which He had lived and died, though now glorified, and that His resurrection body is the pattern of that body which ultimately will be given to all believers, as stated in: John 20:20; Romans 1:3-4;1 Corinthians 15:20-57; Philippians 3:20–21; 1 Timothy 3:16.

We believe that, on departing from the earth that He was accepted of His Father and that His acceptance is a final assurance to us that His redeeming work was perfectly accomplished; and that all authority in heaven and earth was given to Him, and that He is already enthroned in heaven as King of kings and Lord of lords, and is currently reigning from there until all things are subjected under Him, as stated in: Matthew 28:18; Romans 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15: 23-28; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 1:3; 12:2 .

We believe that He became Head over all things to the church which is His body, that the Son might have the preeminence in all things and in this ministry He does not cease to intercede and advocate for the saints, as stated in: Luke 18:7; Romans 8:31-39; Ephesians 1:22–23; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1.

7. Salvation through Christ Alone

We believe that, owing to universal death through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born from above by means of the Spirit; and that no degree of reformation however great, no attainments in morality however high, no culture however attractive, no baptism or other ordinance however administered, can help the sinner to take even one step toward heaven; rather it is a new nature imparted from above, a new life implanted by the Holy Spirit through the Word, which is absolutely essential to salvation, and only those thus saved are sons of God. We believe, also, that our redemption has been accomplished solely through the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was made to be sin and was made a curse for us, dying in our place and stead; and that no repentance, no feeling, no faith, no good resolutions, no sincere efforts, no submission to the rules and regulations of any church, nor all the churches that have existed since the days of the Apostles can add in the very least degree to the value of the blood, or to the merit of the finished work wrought for us by Him who united in His person undiminished deity with true perfect and sinless humanity, as stated in: Leviticus 17:11; Isaiah 64:6; Matthew 26:28; John 3:7–18; Romans 5:6–9; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Gal. 3:13; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 3:4–9; 1Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:5; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:18–19, 23.

We believe that the new birth comes to man only through simple faith in Christ, as stated in: John 1:12, 3:16, 18, 36, 5:24, 6:29; Acts 13:39, 16:31; Romans 1:16–17, 3:22, 26, 4:5; 10:4; Galatians 3:22; 1 John 5:4-11.

8. The Extent of Salvation

We believe that when an unregenerate person exercises that faith in Christ, as illustrated and described in the in the New Testament passages just noted above, he passes immediately out of spiritual death into spiritual life, and from the old creation into the new; being justified from all things, accepted before the Father according as Christ His Son is accepted, loved as Christ is loved, having his place and portion as incorporate with Him in personal and eternal union forever. This being true, all those who enter salvation have the privilege to grow in the realization of his blessings and to know a fuller measure of divine power through the yielding of their life more fully to God as soon as they enter into salvation, being already in possession of every spiritual blessing and absolutely complete in Christ, as stated in: John 5:24; 17:23; Acts 13:39; Romans 5:1; 1 Corinthians 3:21–23; Ephesians 1:3; Colossians 2:10; 1 John, 4:17; 5:11–12.

9. Sanctification

We believe that sanctification, which is a setting-apart unto God, is threefold: It is already complete for every believer because their position toward God is the same as Christ’s position. Since the believer is in Christ, he is set apart unto God in the measure in which Christ is set apart unto God. We believe, however, that the believer retains a sin nature in their flesh, which cannot be eradicated in this present life. Therefore, while the position of the Christian in Christ is perfect, his present condition is relative to his experience in daily life. There is, therefore, a progressive sanctification wherein the Christian continues in the faith, growing in grace, in the hope of “be changed” by the unhindered power of the Spirit from glory to glory into the image of Christ. We also believe that the child of God will yet be fully sanctified in his future condition as he is now sanctified in his position in Christ, when he shall see the Lord face-to-face and shall be like Him, appearing with Him in glory, as stated in: John 17:17; Romans 6:1-23; 7:5-25; 1 Corinthians 15:20-59; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 7:1; Ephesians 4:24; 5:25–27; Philippians 3:21; Colossians 3:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 10:10, 14; 12:10; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 John 1:8, 3:1-2.

10. Eternal Security

We believe that, because of the eternal purpose of God toward the objects of His love, because of His freedom to exercise grace toward the meritless on the ground of the propitiatory blood of Christ, because of the very nature of the divine gift of eternal life, because of the present and unending intercession and advocacy of Christ in heaven, because of the immutability of the unchangeable covenants of God, because of the regenerating, abiding presence of the Holy Spirit within all those who believe; we and all true believers everywhere, having once entered into salvation shall be kept in this salvation forever, and shall never perish. We believe that God is a holy and righteous Father and that, since He cannot overlook the sin of His children, He will, when they persistently sin, discipline and correct them according to His infinite love; but having undertaken to save them and keep them forever, apart from all human merit, He, who cannot fail, will in the end present every one of them faultless before the presence of His glory and conformed to the image of His Son, as stated in: John 5:24; 10:28; 13:1; 14:16–17; 17:11; Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Hebrews 7:25, 12:5-17; 1 John 2:1–2, 3:1-2; 5:13; Jude 24.

11. Assurance

We believe it is the privilege, not only of some, but of all who are regenerated by the Spirit through faith in Christ to be assured of their salvation from the very day they take Him to be their Savior and that this assurance is not founded upon any fancied discovery of their own worthiness or fitness, but wholly upon the testimony of God in His written Word, generating within His children filial love, gratitude, and obedience, as stated in: Luke 10:20; 22:32; Romans 5:5, 8:15-16; 2 Corinthians 5:1, 6–8; Gal 4:6-7; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 10:22; 1 John 3:19-20; 5:13.

12. The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the blessed Trinity, though omnipresent from all eternity, took up His residence in the world in a unique sense on the day of Pentecost, as He came to the Church of God according to the divine promise, to indwell every believer, and by His baptism unite every believer to Christ in one body, and that He, as the Indwelling One, is the source of all power and all acceptable worship and service. We believe that He never takes His departure from the body of Christ, nor from its weakest member, but is ever present to testify of Christ; seeking to occupy believers with the Son of God and not with themselves nor with their experiences, as stated in: John 14:16–17; 16:7–15; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 2:22; 2 Thessalonians 2:7.

We believe that, in this present age, certain well-defined ministries are committed to the Holy Spirit, and that it is the responsibility of every Christian to understand them and to be adjusted to them by faith in his own life and experience. These ministries are the restraining of evil in the world to the measure of the divine will; the convicting of the world regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment; the regenerating of all believers; the baptizing into the one body of Christ of all the saints; the indwelling and anointing of all who are saved, thereby sealing them unto the day of redemption; and the continued filling for power, teaching, leading, and service of those among the saints who are yielded to Him and who are subject to His will, as stated in: John 3:6; 16:7–11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 2 Corinthians 3:16-18; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 John 2:20–27.

We believe that God the Holy Spirit distributes one or more spiritual gifts to the Church Age believer at the moment they enter salvation; the purpose of these gifts being to provide divine enablement for service toward the cooperation and smooth function of the body of Christ. We recognize that the list of these gifts progressively changes in the Scripture as time progresses toward the completion of the canon. Therefore, we believe that there existed both temporary and permanent spiritual gifts; the temporary gifts progressively ceasing between 70 A.D. with the destruction of Jerusalem and the completion of the Canon of Scripture in approximately 96 A.D.

The documentation for the cessation of temporary gifts is found in I Corinthians 13:10 where the word “perfect” is in the neuter gender referring to the completion of the Bible. We believe the gifts that ceased to function for the duration of Church Age were: apostle, prophet, prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, miracles, healings, tongues, interpretation of tongues, and distinguishing of spirits. We believe the permanent spiritual gifts of the Church Age include, but are not limited to: administration, teaching, giving, helps, encouragement, mercy, hospitality; and that some men are specifically called and gifted by God to be evangelists, pastors and teachers, and that it is to the fulfilling of His will and to His eternal glory that all these shall be sustained and encouraged in their service for God, as stated in: Romans 12: 3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:27–31; 1 Corinthians 14:34-36; Titus 2:3-5; 1 Timothy 2:11-14; Ephesians 4:11-13.

13. The Church Age Unity of Believers

We believe that all who are united to the risen and ascended Son of God through the Holy Spirit are members of the Church which is the body and bride of Christ, as inaugurated at Pentecost. Its members are constituted as such regardless of membership or non-membership in the organized churches of earth. We believe that by the same Spirit all believers in this age are baptized into, and thus become, one body that is Christ’s, whether Jews or Gentiles, and having become members one of another, are under solemn responsibility to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, rising above all sectarian differences, and loving one another with a pure heart fervently, as stated in: Matt. 16:16–18; Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27; Galatians 3:27-29; Ephesians 1:20–23; 2:1-22; 4:3–10; Colossians 1:4, 3:14–15, 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10.

14. The Local Church and The Christian’s Responsibility

We believe that the primary provision that God has established for the Christian’s spiritual growth is the consistent communication of Bible doctrine under the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit in the local assembly of believers by a gifted, prepared, tested, and duly-appointed Pastor-teacher, as stated in: John 8:30; Acts 20:28-30; Romans 6:17-18; Ephesians 4:11-16; Col 1:28-29; 1Timothy 4:6, 13-16; 2 Timothy 1:13-14, 2:3-10, 15, 4:1-4; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 10:24-25; James 2:12; 1 Peter 5:2; 2 Peter 3:18.

We believe in the free association of all the members of the body of Christ and its respective congregations; that each local church is autonomous and that any hierarchical system of church authority beyond the men who are duly appointed as its Pastor-teacher and deacons is a nonbiblical and therefore illegitimate, form of church government, as stated in: Acts 6, 20; Philippians 1:1; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Timothy 2:12, 3:1-16, 2:12; Titus 1:6-9; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1-5, 1 John 1:5-2:6; 2 John: 4-11; 3 John: 3-12; Revelations 2-3.

We believe that the grace of God instructs us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, enthusiastic for good works. As such, believers are called to experiential sanctification, conducting themselves through the obedience of faith in a manner worthy of the Lord in this present evil age. To this end believers are to maintain spirituality by confession of sins in submission to God while rejecting Satanic viewpoint, human good, human arrogance, sin patterns, cults and religious trends, as stated in: Romans 1:5-6, 6:1-21, 12:1-21; 16:26-26; 1Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Gal. 5:16-22; Ephesians 4:1-32, Philippians 2:12-16, 2 Thess. 3:6; 2 Timothy 2:3–4,14–26; Titus 2:11-15; Hebrews 2:1-3; Hebrews 13:13; James 3:14-16, 4:4; 1 Peter 2:1-3; 1 John 1:6-10, 2:4-6.

We believe that every believer is a royal priest and therefore, responsible through the obedience of faith, to function in prayer for himself and others, as he offers spiritual sacrifices to the Lord in order to fulfill his priesthood. Every believer is also responsible as an ambassador for Christ, which includes witnessing to the lost when the opportunity arises, as stated in: Romans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17–21; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Hebrews 13:10–18; 1 Peter 2:5, 7, 9.

We believe that the Lord's Table or Eucharist is a memorial of the New Covenant ratified in the blood of Christ through His substitutionary death on the cross in payment for our sins and is to be celebrated regularly by the members of His body in the local assembly of believers until He comes again, as stated in: Matt. 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23–2.

We believe that every believer is responsible through the obedience of faith to fulfill the laws of divine establishment in the country where they live, as the Scriptures instruct us to be appropriately submissive to the government and laws of the land in which we reside. In application of this principle, as a local assembly of the saints in Christ Jesus, we honor and respect the Constitution of the United States, the three branches of its government, and the localized governments and laws of the land, as we pray for those who are in authority and have promised to protect and serve the people of this land, as stated in: Romans 13:1–8; 1 Timothy 2:1–2; 1 Peter 2:13–20, 3:15.

15. The Blessed Hope

We believe that the next great event in the fulfillment of prophecy will be the imminent appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church, to gather together to Himself in the heavens both His own who are alive and remain unto His coming, and also all who have fallen asleep in Jesus, and that this event is the blessed hope set before us in the Scripture, and for this we are to be constantly looking and eagerly awaiting, as stated in: John 14:1–3; 1 Corinthians 15:51–52; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Titus 2:11–14; 1 Peter 3:1-9; Revelation 22:20.

16. The Tribulation

We believe in the fulfillment of Israel’s seventieth week as a period of judgment carried out upon the earth as prophesied and understood in its appropriate dispensational scope. The latter half of this period is known as the time of Jacob’s trouble, which our Lord called the great tribulation. In addition, we believe that universal righteousness will not be realized previous to the second advent of Christ, but that the world is day by day ripening for judgment and that the age will end with a dreadful apostasy, as stated in: Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:27; Matt. 24:15–21; 2 Timothy 3:1-7, 4:1-3; Revelation 6:1–19:21.

17. The Second Advent of Christ

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will return in person to the earth just as He went, in the clouds of heaven, and with great power and manifest glory to consummate His reign on the earth, and having bound Satan and placed him in the abyss, He will lift the curse which rests upon the whole creation, and ultimately fulfill His covenant promises to Israel, as He finalizes His rule of all the nations and all things are brought into subjection under Him as He brings the whole world to the knowledge of God, after which He will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father, as stated in: Deuteronomy 30:1–10; Isaiah 11:9; Ezekiel 37:21–28; Matthew 24:15–25:46; Acts 15:16–17; Romans 8:19–23; 11:25–27; 1 Corinthians 15: 20-28; 1 Timothy 4:1–3; 2 Timothy 3:1–5; Revelation 20:1–3.

18. The Eternal State

We believe that at physical death the spirits and souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence and there remain in conscious fellowship with Him until the resurrection of the glorified body when Christ comes for His own, whereupon the spirit, soul and body of each believer shall be reunited each in their appropriate order and shall be associated with Him forever in glory; but the souls of the unbelieving remain after physical death conscious of their condemnation until the final judgment of the great white throne when their soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, along with the devil and his angels, where they will experience a state of shame and everlasting contempt, absent from the presence of the Lord, as stated in: Daniel 12:2; Luke 16:19–26, 23:42; 1 Corinthians 15:12-57; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9; Jude 6–7; Revelation 20:11–15.