Statement of Faith
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This page tells our main beliefs. If you want a copy of our constitution, send us an e-mail or call us.
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Baptist Distinctives
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· The Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice – our doctrines are based solely on the Bible, there is no extra-Biblical revelation from God. The Bible is the complete, inerrant, infallible word of God, inspired wholly by Him. God used “holy men” to write His exact words, and every part of the Bible is equally inspired by God. II Timothy 3:16-17, I Peter 1:23-25, II Peter 1:20-21, II Timothy 2:15.
· Churches are independent from one another, and are autonomous – we are self-ruled and free of any convention, although we may fellowship and cooperate with churches of the same mind. It is the responsibility of the pastor (also called “bishop” and “elder”) to supervise the carrying out of God’s commands, but does not interpret the Scriptures for anyone but himself. The pastor and the deacons are elected by the church members (not a council) to hold office. I Peter 5:2, Hebrews 13:7 & 17, I Thessalonians 5:12, Acts 20:28, Acts 6, I Timothy 3:8-13.
· Regenerated church membership – in order to be a part of the membership, a person must have repented of their sin before God and placed their faith in Him alone for salvation (they are saved), and have been baptized as a believer. Acts 2:41 & 47.
· Baptism by immersion of believers only, and the Lord’s Supper are the two ordinances of the church – baptism is a picture of Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of Christ’s death, and of His second coming. They are not in any way an ingredient of salvation. Romans 6:1-6, Colossians 2:12, I Corinthians 11:23-34.
· Priesthood of all believers and soul liberty – every person can go freely before the Lord as is own representative. Each person is responsible only to God for his doctrine, practice, and conscience, and he interprets the Scriptures, through the Holy Spirit, for himself. True service for the Lord must be voluntary. We must answer to God about our obedience to His word, and we must interpret the Scriptures correctly. Hebrews 10:19, I Peter 2:5, Hebrews 4:16, I John 2:27, Romans 14:5.
· The separation of church and state – we will not allow the state to govern what we teach, and it is wrong to establish or endorse a church-governed state. Since the Bible is our sole spiritual authority, the state cannot become our spiritual authority in any way. However, we will still obey the state in its proper place (but we will not obey a law that forces us to go against God’s law). Each person chooses to believe what he wants to believe. It is wrong to force anyone to believe our beliefs and doctrines. Acts 4:18-20, Acts 5:27-29, Matthew 15:9, Matthew 22:21a, Matthew 22:21b.
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The Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments to be the Bible, I Thessalonians 2:13
We believe in verbal, plenary inspiration in the
original writings, and God's preservation of His
pure words to every generation.
II Timothy 3:16, Psalms 12:6-8
The Masoretic Text of the Old Testament and the Received Text of the New Testament (Textus
Receptus) are those texts of the original languages we accept and use; the King James Version
of the Bible is the only English version we accept and use. The Bible is our sole authority for
faith and practice.
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The Godhead
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We believe in one Triune God,
eternally existing in three
persons--Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, co-eternal in being,
co-identical in nature, co-equal
in power and glory, and
having the same attributes and
perfections.
Deuteronomy 6:4
II Corinthians 13:14
I John 5:7
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The Person and the Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son
of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having
been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin
Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men.
John 1: - 2; John 1:14; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 7:14;
Philippians 2:5-8; Galatians 4:4-5
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His finished
work on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our
justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.
Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right
hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor,
and Advocate.
Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34 I John 2:1-2
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The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Person who reproves the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, indwelling all believers and sealing them unto the day of redemption.
John 16:8 -11; II Corinthians 3:6;
Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13 - 14
We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of
healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or
necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the
body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection,
though God frequently chooses to answer the prayer of believers for physical healing.
II Corinthians 12:12; I Corinthians 13:8; Hebrews 2:3 - 4; Mark 16:17-20;
I Corinthians 1:22; I Corinthians 14:21-22
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Sin
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin
the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is
totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition
Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; Ephesians 2:1 - 3, 12
The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image
and is mindful of him, and in that Christ died for man; therefore every individual possesses
dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
Psalm 8:4 - 9; Colossians 3:9-11
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The Way of Salvation
We believe that the clear message of salvation is “repentance
toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”
Acts 20:21
We believe that salvation is "by grace" plus nothing minus
nothing. We believe that men are justified by faith alone and
are accounted righteous before God only through the merit
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:8 -10; John 1:12; I Peter 1:18-19
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved are kept by God's power and are thus secure
in Christ forever. We believe that eternal life is the present possession of every believer.
John 6:37-40; John 10:27 - 30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:4-5; Jude 1, 2
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The Church
We believe that the Church, which is the body and the
espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made
up of all born-again persons of this present age which
began with Christ and the Apostles, was empowered at
Pentecost, and will be caught up to be with Christ at
the Rapture.
Ephesians 1: 22 - 23; Ephesians 5: 25 – 27;
I Corinthians 12: 12 – 14; II Corinthians 11: 2
We believe that the New Testament church is a local assembly of baptized believers who
have voluntarily joined themselves together to carry out the Great Commission. The Lord
is doing His work in this world through local churches. The establishment and
continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures.
Acts 14:27; Acts 20:17, 28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11
We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. Christ
is the only head of the church.
Acts 13:1-4; Acts15:19-31; Acts 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9, 16;
I Corinthians 5:4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4
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Church Ordinances
We recognize the ordinances of baptism by immersion in water of believers only and the Lord's Supper
as a Scriptural means of testimony for local churches in this age.
Matthew. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; Acts 18:18; I Corinthians 11:23-26
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Biblical Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon
their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and
sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God.
II Timothy 3:1-5, Romans 12:1-2, Romans 14:13, I John 2:15-17, II John 9-11, II Corinthians 6:14-7:1
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The Return of Christ
We believe the "Blessed Hope" of
our Lord's return is literal,
personal, visible, imminent,
premillennial, and pretribulational.
Believers will caught up to be with
the Lord prior to the seven years
of tribulation, and at the end of the
tribulation Christ will return with
His saints to establish His
thousand-year reign on the earth.
I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13;
I Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 3:10;
Zechariah 14:4-11; Psalm 89:3-4
Revelation 19:11-16;
Revelation 20:1-6;
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Our Eternal State
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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; John 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13
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; Revelation 20:4-6; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; Philippians 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17
We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery 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.
Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:41-46; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:11-15
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Marriage
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We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman.
Genesis 2:24, Romans 7:2, 1 Corinthians 7:10, Ephesians 5:22
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