Beliefs The Godhead: We believe that God exists as three persons: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. These three are the same (I John 5:7), equal in power, glory, and nature (Matt. 28:19, II Cor. 13:14, John 14:10, 26). The Holy Scriptures: We believe that all scripture, Old and New Testament, is given by inspiration of God (II Tim. 3:16-17). We believe them to be verbally and plenary inspired, as in every word is exactly what God meant to say. Therefore, the King James Version is the only version we will use (II Pet. 1:20-21). Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus was God who took on a body of flesh (John 1:1-2), born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), lived a sinless life (I Pet. 2:22), took upon Him our sin (I Pet. 2:24), took the punishment of our sins (Isaiah 53:4-5), He laid down His life on the cross of Calvary (John 10:18), His death made salvation available to all who would believe (Eph. 2:11-18, Rom. 10:9-10), He was buried and raised bodily on the third day from the grave (John 20:27, I Pet. 1:3), He ascended to the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:9, Luke 22:69), He is our Great High Priest, Intercessor, and advocate (Heb. 4:15, Heb. 7:15, I John 2:1, I Tim. 2:5), He is the only way to come to the salvation of the Father (John 14:6). Holy Spirit: We believe that He is the one who convicts the world of sin (John 16:7-11), baptizing all believers into the body of Christ (Acts 11:16), indwells believers (Rom. 8:9), seals them unto the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30), He teaches us (I Cor. 2:13), is our obligation to yield to the Spirit and be filled with Him (Eph. 5:17-18). • Speaking in tongues is not listed as a sign of the filling of the Spirit. • Speaking in tongues is not listed in Gal. 5:22-23 as a fruit of the Spirit. • It was not an unknown language, but a language such as Spanish, French, etc… (Acts 2:8) • It was a sign to unbelievers, not a form of worship (I Cor. 14:22) • Speech in church should be easily understood by all (I Cor. 14:21) Salvation: We believe that man is born spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3), born with a sin nature inherited by the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden (Rom. 5:12), man must be redeemed and reconciled to God. This occurs only when man is drawn to God through conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 6:44). This conviction leads to one’s understanding of their sinful state and the penalty it carried, causing them to confess their sins with the intent of turning away from their sin (Luke 13:3), then they must confess Jesus as Lord and ask Him into their hearts (Rom. 10:9-13). • Salvation is by grace through faith, not of works lest any man should boast (Eph. 2:8-9). • Salvation was bought by the blood of Jesus when He died on the cross (I Pet. 1:18-19). Eternal security: We believe that those who have repented and called upon the Lord for salvation are secured in Him for all eternity (John 6:37-40, John 10:28-29). We gain our assurance by what the Word says, not man (I John 5:13). It is not a license to sin (Gal. 5:13). The church: • We believe the church is to be made up solely of those who have been born again (Eph. 5:25-27). The local church is to be autonomous, free from external control or authority (I Pet. 5:1-4). • Christ is the Chief Shepherd, the pastor is the under Shepherd. o No in-between authorities mentioned in God’s Word (Acts 20:28). • Water baptism (by emersion) and the Lord’s Supper are the two ordinances to be observed by the church (Matt. 28:19-20, I Cor. 11:23-26). Second coming of Christ: We believe in the blessed hope, the return of Christ in the air to rapture (“caught up”) the church (I Thes. 4:14-18). This will be followed by a seven-year tribulation period (Rev. 3:10, Mk. 13:14-23) after which Christ will return with His saints to execute judgment upon the earth (Jude 14, 15), and reign for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:4). Heaven: We believe heaven to be a literal place where the souls of those who die in Christ go to be present with the Lord (II Cor. 5:8). There they await their first resurrection where soul, body, and spirit will be reunited and glorified to forever dwell there with the Lord (I Thes. 4:16-17, Rev. 20:4-6). Hell: We believe hell to be a literal place where the souls of those who believe not on Christ will go to suffer eternal punishment and be tormented in a literal fire (Luke 16:19-26, Mk. 9:43-48). Creation: We believe that God created this universe in six literal days (Gen. 1-2). We reject all theories that contradict God’s Word, such as evolution or the gap theory (Ex. 20:11). Human sexuality: We believe that sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage is fornication and is a sinful lifestyle (I Cor. 6:9). Sexual relations between the same sex is an abomination in the eyes of the God and is a rebellious perversion of the gift of sex (Rom. 1:26-29, Lev. 18:22). Family relationships: We believe that the only marriage acknowledged by God is that between one man and one woman (Gen. 2:24). The man is to be the head of the household and love the wife as Christ loved the church. The wife is to submit to the spiritual leadership of the husband as the church submits to the authority of Christ (Eph. 5:21-33). Parents are to teach their children, not only audibly, but by exemplary living (Eph. 6:1-4). Divorce and remarriage: We believe that God disapproves of divorce and intended marriage to be until death do they part. We do believe that divorced and remarried person can still be used in the church with the exception of the offices of pastor and deacon (Rom. 7:1-3, I Tim. 3:2, 12). Abortion: We firmly believe that life begins at conception. Any termination of an unborn baby is murder and sinful in the eyes of God (Isa. 44:24). Missions: We believe that the church has an obligation given to us by the “Great Commission” to take the gospel to the uttermost part of the world (Matt. 28:19-20). We do this through financial support of God-called missionaries (Phil. 1:5) and through visitation efforts in our own community as commanded by God (Luke 14:23). Church discipline: We believe that an obligation of a church, by the scriptures, in the spirit of meekness is to deal with open sinfulness of a church member. Consists of private rebuke, or public rebuke in front of congregation (if private rebuke produces no repentance), removal from office position, staff, or removal from church membership (Matt. 18-15-18, Titus 1:10- 14, I Cor. 5). Separation: We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon the Savior and Lord or the church; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17, 2 John 9-11).