A Declaration

of those things most surely believed among us.

 

  1. We believe in the plenary verbal inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible, 2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16.

  2. We believe in the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19.

  3. We believe in the Genesis account of creation, Genesis 1, 2.

  4. We believe that Satan, the unholy god of this world, is a fallen angel and will end in the lake of fire, Isaiah 14:12-15; Luke 10:18; Revelation 20:10.

  5. We believe in the virgin birth and deity of Christ, Matthew 1:18-20; John 1:1, 14; 10:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21.

  6. We believe that the spiritual gifts which remain are faith, hope and love, 1 Corinthians 12--14.

  7. We believe that man was created in the image of God and that he fell by voluntary sin plunging the human race into sin, Genesis 1:26; 3:6-24; Romans 5:12, 19.

  8. We believe that Jesus suffered death for all mankind and that all who will believe can be saved, Isaiah 53:6; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2.

  9. We believe in the bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ and in His premillennial, bodily return as the crowning event of the Gentile age. His return will include the resurrection of the righteous, and the Millennium, which will be followed by the resurrection of the unrighteous unto eternal punishment and the righteous entering into the heaven age, Matthew 28:1-7; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:11-15.

10. We believe that salvation is wholly by grace and that it is forever secure in Christ, John 3:6; Romans 8:9-11; Ephesians 2:18-20; 1 Peter 1:5.

11. We believe that God chastises His children when they are disobedient, Hebrews 12:5-11.

12. We believe that Jesus established His church and that it is always a local, visible assembly of scripturally baptized believers covenanted to carry out the Lord's commission, Matthew 4:18-22; 16:18; 28:19, 20; Ephesians 3:21.

13. We believe that the two pictorial ordinances in the Lord's churches are baptism and the Lord's Supper. Scriptural baptism is the immersion of penitent believers by authority of a true church in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Lord's Supper is a memorial ordinance given to a local church and restricted to members of that church, Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 8:12, 38; Romans 6:4; 1 Corinthians 11:1, 2, 17-20, 26; 5:11-13; 11:1.

14. We believe that all associations, fellowships and committees are, and properly should be, servants of, and under control of the churches, Matthew 20:25-28.

15. We believe that the state should have no hand in church matters and we believe in civil obedience unless the laws and regulations of civil government run contrary to the Holy Scriptures, Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15.