The Godhead

 

We believe in God, the one and only true God, who is manifest in three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, with each being co-equal, co-eternal, and co-existent with the other; that God is an infinite Spirit Whose main attributes are omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience; love, mercy, and compassion; truth, justice, and righteousness; sovereignty, eternality, and immutability; the chief of His attributes being absolute holiness.

 

 The Person and Work of Christ 

 

(1) 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, so that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; II Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8).

(2) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, bodily resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5).

(3) 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 7:25; 9:24; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2).

 

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit 

 

(1) We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and, He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12: 12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14).

(2) We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who helps 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; I John 2:20, 27).

(3) We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly so that they can do the work of the ministry (Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12).

(4) 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 prayers of believers for physical healing (I Corinthians 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22).

 

The Total Depravity of Man

 

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and, man is depraved, and, of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19).

 

Salvation

 

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

 

The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

 

(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; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I 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, 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) We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons (I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27).

(2) We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches are taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).

(3) We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4).

(4) We recognize baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as the scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; I Corinthians 11:23-26).

 

Separation

 

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded of God (Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; II Timothy 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11).

 

The Second Advent of Christ

 

We believe in the personal, imminent return of Christ. The rapture is before 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; I 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, 813-661-0588.

(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; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; I 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; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15).

 

The Personality of Satan

 

We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin, and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

 

Creation

 

We believe that in six literal 24-hour days God directly created, out of nothing, the universe and all that is in it, including mankind, as described in Genesis chapters one and two. All theories of evolution, secular or religious, not only deny specific, observable natural law but also deny the veracity of the Scriptures and undermine the rightful authority of God over His creation (Genesis 1, 2; Exodus 20:11; Isaiah 45:11-12, 18; John 1:3; Romans 1:18-22; Romans 5:12; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:2-3, 10; 11:3; Revelation 4:11) 

 

Civil Government

 

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home; 2) the church; 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; I Peter 2:13-14).

 

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; I Corinthians 9:17; II Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10; 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24-25, 27; Revelation 20:2-6).

 

Marriage and Sexuality

 

We believe that the term “marriage” has only one, legitimate meaning: marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, covenantal union, as delineated by Scripture. Marriage ceremonies performed in any facility owned, leased, subleased, or rented by this church will be only those ceremonies sanctioned by God, joining one man with one woman. An individual’s gender at birth reflects God’s perfect purpose and design for that person and is, therefore, the only gender we will recognize. Whenever there is a conflict between the church’s position and any new legal standard for marriage, the church’s Statement of Faith, doctrines, and biblical positions will govern. (Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:6-9; Ephesians 5:22-23; and I Corinthians 7:1-9) 

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged outside of marriage as defined at once above. We believe that any other type of sexual activity, identity, orientation, or expression that lies outside of this definition of marriage are sinful perversions of and contradictory to God’s natural design and purpose for sexual activity. (Genesis 2:24; Genesis 19:5; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1: 26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; and Hebrews 13:4) 

 

Family Relationships

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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; and I Timothy 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12). 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 a heritage from the Lord” (Psalm 127:3) and are to obey their parents. Parents handle instructing their children on spiritual and moral values and leading them, through a consistent lifestyle example and proper training and discipline. (Genesis 1:27-28; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalms 127:3-5; Proverbs 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mark 10:6-12; I Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; Hebrews 13:4; and I Peter 3:1-7) 

We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used by God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon. (Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; I Timothy 3:2, 12; and 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 the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable (Job3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

 

Missions

 

We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all people so there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to all people 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; II Corinthians 5:20).

 

Lawsuits Between Believers

 

We believe Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church has all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company if the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (I Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32).

 

Giving

 

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that part of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is compelled to support his local church financially. We believe that God has set up the tithe as a basis for giving, but 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 rights to direct the use of the tithe (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:17-18; I John 3:17).