Statement of Faith
The Holy Scriptures We believe the Bible to be the Word of God; that it is the only complete and final revelation of God’s will to man; that it is fully and verbally inspired; that it is inerrant in the whole and each of all its parts; and that it has been and will continue to be preserved by God through the ages. We reject any text or translation, which paraphrases, adds to, or deletes from God’s Word. We reject as heresy the concept that any translation is inspired and believe inspiration of Scripture ceased with the original manuscripts although God’s work of preserving His inspired Word continues through the ages. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the church. (II Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 40:8; I Peter 1:23-25; II Peter 1:21; Matthew 5:18, 24:35)
Dispensationalism We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these dispensations – the law, the church, and the kingdom – are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture. (Genesis 1:28; 1 Corinthians 9:17; 2 Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10; 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24-25, 27; Revelation 20:2-6)
The Godhead We believe the Scriptures reveal that there is one and only one living and true God; eternally existing, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent; manifesting Himself in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - one in essence and power. We believe all three were active in the creation of our universe in six literal, twenty-four hour days beginning with no pre-existing materials. We reject as complete heresy the teaching of evolution and any other concept that is not in agreement with God’s Word or that detracts from giving God the glory for His creation. We believe the Godhead to be supreme in holiness and without fault. (Genesis 1:1-31; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 57:15; I John 1:5; I Timothy 1:17)
The Person and Work of Jesus Christ
1. We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, existing as part of the Godhead, coequal with the Father. We believe in His pre-existence, His incarnation as the God-man, His virgin birth, His sinless perfection, His substitutionary death on the cross for our sins, his shed blood as the only ground for atonement for sins, and his physical resurrection from the grave. (Daniel 3:25; Matthew 1:18-25, 20:28; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1-14, 10:30, 14:8-10; Philippians 2:6-11; Hebrews 7:1-3; I Peter 1:18-19)
2. We believe that He ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of God the Father making intercession for all His saints. We believe in His personal, imminent, pre-millennial coming for His redeemed ones and His subsequent return to earth to establish His millennial kingdom. (I Thessalonians 4:16-17; II Thessalonians 1:9-10; Hebrews 1:1-3, 4:15; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6, 22:20)
3. We believe our Lord Jesus Christ is the one and only way to heaven; that He lived the perfect life here on earth (which each of us have failed to live) before He went to the cross to die for our sin because of His undeserved love for us and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. (Romans 10:9; I Corinthians 5:17-21; I Peter 2:21-23)
The Holy Spirit
1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead; that He has all the distinctive Divine attributes; that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; that He regenerates, renews, indwells, enlightens, and empowers in matters of life, service, and prayer all that are truly saved; and that He seals the believer upon conversion as the earnest of our salvation. (I Corinthians 3:16; II Corinthians 13:14, 5:18, 1:22; Titus 3:5;Ephesians 1:13-14; John 16:8-11)
2. We believe that He is the divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27)
3. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. These gifts are for the edification of the body of Christ, the Church. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12)
4. We also believe that some gifts, such as tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary and valid only before the completion of Scripture to confirm the spoken word of Christ’s messengers. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. 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 prayers of believers for physical healing. (1 Corinthians 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22)
Man We believe God made man in His own image and that man came into the world by direct creation of God, not by evolution. We believe that man was created in innocence, but by voluntary transgression fell from that state and that all his posterity are born in the same state of sin into which he fell. Consequently, we believe that mankind today in his natural state is in a condition of total depravity, not by constraint, but by choice. Therefore, man is under condemnation without defense or excuse. (Genesis 1:26-27, 3:1-24, 9:6; Isaiah 53:5; Romans 3:19, 5:12; Ephesians 4:18-19; Ecclesiastes 7:29, 7:20)
Salvation We believe salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and is wholly apart from human merit and works. We believe that because every individual is a sinner by birth and choice, he must exercise personal faith in the redeeming work of Christ on Calvary in order to be saved. (Psalm 51:5; John 3:16; Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5)
Security and Assurance of the Believer
1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-29; Romans 8:1, 38,39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:4-5)
2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
The Church
1. Universal Church - We believe the church universal is built by Christ and is composed of all truly saved people of the dispensation of the age of grace. (Matthew 16:16-18; Romans 12:4-5; I Corinthians 12:12,13; Hebrews 12:23)
2. Local Church - We believe that the local church was founded by Christ in New Testament teaching and practice and is the pillar and ground of God’s truth in the world. As such, we are a Fundamental Baptist church, a voluntary association of baptized believers, equal in rank and privilege, subject to the Word of God, and independent of any external ecclesiastical control whatsoever. As a fundamental church, we hold, without reservation or compromise, to the fundamentals of the faith which are: the inspiration of Scripture, the deity of Jesus Christ, the virgin birth of Christ, the substitutionary death of Christ upon the cross, the physical, bodily resurrection and return of Christ. (Matthew 16:16-18; Acts 2:41,42, 6:1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2, 12:12-14; Galatians 1:1-2; 1 Timothy 3:14-15; Hebrews 10:25)
Two Ordinances
1. Baptism - We believe God’s Word commands every believer to be baptized by immersion in water. We believe that baptism does not aid us in getting to heaven but is done in obedience to God’s Word and to show openly and without shame that we have put our trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41, 8:36-39; Romans 6:14; Colossians 2:12)
2. The Lord’s Supper - We believe that the Lord’s Supper has no sacramental value but should be observed as Christ said. “In remembrance of Me”; that it is a memorial of Christ’s death, His broken body and shed blood for us; and that every believer is invited to partake of the Lord’s Supper provided they have examined themselves according to 1 Corinthians 11:27-32. (Matthew 26:26-30; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34)
Seperation
1. From the World - We believe that all who are saved are called into a life of separation from all worldly and sinful practices and alliances; that God’s very nature of holiness and perfection requires that his children seek a life of holiness which enables us to walk with God being filled with the Spirit and not the lusts of the flesh; that separation is not practiced for any selfish reasons, out of pride to be better than others, but is done out of obedience to and love for our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not believe that the Bible contains “gray areas” in the determination of right and wrong, but rather that it clearly teaches that sin is indeed sin and right is indeed right. We believe the church services (as well as all things in a believer’s life) should honor the Lord God Almighty; therefore, we will not practice the modern, disrespectful style of contemporary worship, which focuses on pleasing man rather than God. (Romans 12:1,21; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Galatians 5:16; Micah 6:8; Isaiah 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; John 14:15)
2. From False Teaching - We believe that false teaching is anything contrary to revealed Biblical doctrine; that we should separate ourselves from any false teachers and teachings; and that we should not cooperate with any person or group that adheres to false teaching. (Romans 16:17; II Thessalonians 3:6,14,15; I Timothy 4:1-3; II Timothy 4:3-4; II Peter 2:1,2; I John 4:1-3; II John 9-11)
The Lord's Day We believe that since the Lord arose on the first day of the week and since the first century church assembled on the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day ought to be devoted wholly to the public and private duties of assembling for worship and attending to divine things at home. (Matthew 28:1-6; John 20:1-15,19; Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Revelation 1:10)
The Second Advent of Christ We believe in that blessed hope, the personal, imminent return of Christ, who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly messianic Kingdom, which was promised to the nation of Israel. (Psalm 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
The Eternal State
1. 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; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13)
2. 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; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Phil 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6)
3. 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 20:11-15)
Eternal Destiny
1. Heaven - We believe in heaven, a prepared place of eternal bliss where all, who through faith in the Lamb of God have become the children of God, will eternally reside with Christ. (John 14:1-6; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 21:1-8)
2. Hell - We believe in the literal existence of hell, the lake of fire, a place of eternal judgment and torment prepared for the devil, for his angels, and also for all those who have not repented of their sins and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. (Matthew 25:41, 46; Luke 16:19-26; Revelation 20:12-15, 21:8)
The Personality of Satan We believe in the reality and person of Satan; that he is a created being known as Lucifer, the Old Serpent, the devil, and the Angel of Light; that through pride he fell into condemnation; that he is the unholy god of this world and the prince of the power of the air; that he is the author of the Fall, the archenemy of God, and the accuser of the saints; and that he will be judged at the revelation of Jesus Christ, destined to eternal punishment in the lake of fire. (Genesis 3:1-7; Job 1:6-11; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-19; John 8:44; Ephesians 2:2; II Corinthians 11:14; Revelation 20:2,10, 12:10)
Creation We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, The Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11)
Civil Government We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17: 1 Peter 2:13-14)
Human Sexuality
1. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24, 9:5, 13, 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
2. We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; I Corinthians 7:10: Ephesians 5:22-23)
Human Relationships
1. 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 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, 12)
2. 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. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are an heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Genesis 1:26-28; 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 the death of one spouse. 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 5:32, 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 of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or physical or mental 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 the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift of God and must be respected from conception until natural death. Thus we believe that an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God. Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment. (Exodus 20:13, 23:7; Matthew 5:21; Acts 17:28)
Love We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Romans 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Philippians 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)
Lawsuits Between Believers We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe that the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32)
Missions We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8: 2 Corinthians 5:20)
Giving We believe that every Christian, as a steward of the portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his local church. We believe that God has established a tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all right to direct the use of his tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)
Evangelism We believe it is the solemn obligation and distinct privilege of every believer to be a personal soul winner as commanded by our Savior. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 8:1,4)
Authority of the 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 teaching of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members. All literature used in the church shall be in complete agreement with the Statement of Faith.