A MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF OUR BELIEFS
- There
is one God, who is infinitely perfect, existing eternally in three
persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4,
Matthew
5:48, Matthew 28:19)
- Jesus Christ is
the true God and the true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and
born of the virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the Just for the
unjust, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are
justified on the ground of His shed blood. He arose from the dead
according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right hand of Majesty on
high as our great High Priest. He will come again to establish His
kingdom of righteousness and peace. (Philippians 2:6-11, Luke 1:34-38,
I Peter 3:18, Hebrews 2:9, Romans 5:9, Acts 2:23-24, Hebrews 8:1,
Matthew 26:64)
- The Holy Spirit is
a divine person, sent to indwell, guide, teach, empower the believer,
and convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of
judgment.
(John 14:15-18, John 16:13, Acts 1:8, John 16:7-11)
- The
Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally
inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the
salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian
faith and practice. (2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 3:15-16)
- Man
was originally created in the image and likeness of God: he fell
through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual
death. All men are born with a sinful nature, are separated from the
life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord
Jesus Christ. The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is
existence forever in conscious torment; and that of the believer, in
everlasting joy and bliss. (Genesis 1:27, Romans 3:23, 1
Corinthians15:20–23, Revelation 21:8, Revelation 21:1–4)
- Salvation
has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who
repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive
the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God. (Titus 3:4–7)
- It is the will of God that
each
believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified
wholly, being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to
the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective
service. This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in
the life of the believer subsequent to conversion. (1 Thessalonians
5:23, Acts 1:8, Romans 6:1–14)
- Provision
is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing
of the mortal body. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are
taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this
present age. (Matthew 8:16–17, James 5:13–16)
- The
Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are
redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit.
Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church, which has been commissioned
by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to
all nations. The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are
joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the
Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel,
and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
(Ephesians 1:22–23, Matthew 28:19–20, Acts 2:41–47)
- There
shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the
former, a resurrection unto life; for the latter, a resurrection unto
judgment. (1 Corinthians 15:20–23, John 5:28–29)
- The
Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and will be
personal, visible, and premillennial. This is the believer's blessed
hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and
faithful service. (Hebrews 10:37, Luke 21:27, Titus 2:11–14)