Statement of Faith
Respecting the Being and Unity of God
We believe in the existence of one living and true God, eternally sustaining the personal relation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the same in essence and equal in attributes (John 1:1-4; Galatians 4:4-6; Matthew 28:19; Psalm 100:3; John 6:30; 1 Corinthians 3:16).
The Holy Scriptures
The Divine, supernatural inspiration of the 66 books of the Bible in their original manuscripts as being the very Word of God, written by Holy men of old as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, thus what we possess is inerrant, and therefore a complete, infallible, and Divinely authoritative rule of faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 119:72).
Creation of Man
That man was made as direct creation, in God’s image and likeness, by Divine fiat (word/act), as recorded in the book of Genesis and not by any process of evolution (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7; 5:1-2).
Human Depravity
That man in Adam fell; is consequently totally depraved (no aspect remaining unaffected by the fall), and in his natural state is without capacity to receive the things of the Spirit of God until such capacity is created within him by the quickening, life-giving grace of the Holy Spirit (Genesis 3:1-24; 6:5; Psalm 14:2-3; Isaiah 59:1-8, 10; 64:6-7; Micah 7:1-6; John 6:44; Romans 5:6; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:9-14; 2 Corinthians 3:14; 4:4; Ephesians 2:1-5; 4:18; 1 John 2:11).
Election
That election is according to the foreknowledge of God and is followed by the effectual calling in grace of all God’s chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:6; John 15:16-19; Romans 8:28-30; 9:9-24; Ephesians 1:3-11).
The Virgin Birth
That the virgin birth was a unique, miraculous and historical event, resulting from the supernatural generation of Christ by the Holy Spirit, the corollary of which is the essential and eternal deity of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-11).
The Death of Christ
That by His expiatory propitious and vicarious death, Christ made complete and eternal atonement for the sins of His chosen people (Isaiah 53:5-6; Galatians 1:3-4; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:1-14; 1 Peter 3:18; Revelation 5:9-14).
Salvation
That justification is by faith alone through the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ; that regeneration and sanctification are effected by the Holy Spirit in applying the work of Christ; that believers in Christ are eternally secure in Him according to the specific promises of God’s Word and is the corollary to the truth that in this the perseverance and ultimate perfection of the saints is guaranteed (Genesis 15:1-6; Ezekiel 36:26; John 3:1-8; John 17:7; Acts 13:39; Romans 3:19-4:5; 5:1; 1 Corinthians 1:27-31; Ephesians 5:22-27; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23).
Human Responsibility
That all men have been confronted with the claims of God upon them, whether in themselves or by virtue of their creation in the image of God; through the natural creation or by the clear presentation of the gospel of Christ, and are therefore both responsible and inexcusable before God (Ezekiel 18:20; Luke 12:42-48; 19:11-26; John 3:12-21; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Peter 4:10).
The Resurrection
That the bodily resurrection of Christ is an historic fact, and a pledge of the resurrection of the bodies of both the just and the unjust (Psalm 16:10; Luke 24:1-48; Acts 17:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28; 1 Thessalonians 4:14).
Future Things
That the second, personal and visible coming of Christ is a future event. We believe in the resurrection of the just and the unjust; the eternal blessedness of the redeemed with Christ, and in the judgment and conscious, eternal punishment of the wicked in hell (Luke 13:25; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 2 Peter 3:9-14; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 22:12).
Ordinances
We believe that there are only two ordinances for the church regularly observed in the New Testament in the following order:
- Baptism, the immersion of the believer in water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is the only scriptural mode of baptism, whereby one obeys Christ’s command and sets forth their identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
- The Lord’s Supper, the memorial wherein the believer partakes of the two elements, which symbolize the Lord’s body and shed blood, proclaiming His death until He comes.
(Matthew 26:26-29; 28:18-20; Acts 2:26-43; 8:26-40; 10:44-48; 19:1-7; 20:7-12; Romans 6:1-6; 1 Corinthians 5:6-13; 11:17-34)
A Church
That a properly constituted church is a company of immersed believers, voluntarily associated and meeting in one place on the first day of the week for mutual edification, for the observance of the ordinances and the maintenance and propagation of the gospel. This outreach to the world is also the responsibility of every individual believer (Matthew 16:18; Matthew 18:15; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Timothy 3:1-16).
Church Government
That the church is free from outside political and ecclesiastical control, but fellowships for service and mutual strengthening with other churches of like faith or whose doctrinal position may be generally define by the Baptist Confession of faith, London 1689, New Hampshire Confession of faith, or the Philadelphia Confession of faith.
The Devil
That the devil is a spirit being, the chief of a host of evil spirits all of which were originally upright, but fell because of the misuse of the freedom which God gave them to enjoy. They are kept now in spiritual blindness and will someday be justly tried and properly punished in hell for their sin (Genesis 3:1-6, 14-15; Job 1:1-12; 2:1-7; Zechariah 3:1-2; Matthew 4:1-11, 36-39; John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:14-15; Jude 6).
Civil Government
That civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good order of society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except only in those things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience prince of the kings of the earth (Acts 4:18-20; 5:28-29; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13-17).