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THE BIBLE
That the Bible is God’s Word. It is comprised of sixty-six books. Although God used men to write it, it is ultimately authored and inspired by God. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2 Timothy 3:16). God’s prophets spoke as He gave them utterance, (see 2 Peter 1:20-21).
That the Bible’s canon is complete as:
Old Testament:
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings,1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
New Testament:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,1& 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, Jude, Revelation
That the Bible is the final authority on all doctrine and Christian practice, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2 Timothy 3:16). (See also Acts 17:11 and John 17:17).
The Bible is to be believed and obeyed by all humanity.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
Psalm 119:105
THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
1. That there is one God, (See Isaiah 45:21,43:10). God exists as The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
The Father (see John 14:7-11 ; Galatians 1:1-3) our Father: (see Romans 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 3:11; 2 Corinthians 1:2)
The Son (see Hebrews 1:1-9; also referred to with other names: see John 1:1&14; John 20:28-29; 2 Peter 1:1; Acts 20:28)
The Holy Spirit (see Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 63:10-11; Acts 5:1-4, Acts 13:2)
2. That God is Self-Existent – His life is not sustained by someone or something outside of Himself (see Exodus 3:14, Isaiah43:10).
3. That God is personal – He has a mind, will, and emotions, (see Isaiah 1:18, Romans 12:2, 1 John 4:8-9, John 3:16).
4. That God is Eternal – He has no beginning and has no ending, (see Psalm 90:2, Genesis 21:33, , Psalm 102:27).
5. That God is Omniscient – He knows all things, (see Hebrews4:13, 1 John 3:20, Psalm 147:5).
6. That God is Omnipotent – He is all-powerful, (see Job 42:1-2, Jeremiah 32:17, Matthew 19:26, Psalm 115:3, Revelation 19:6).
7. That God is Holy – (see Psalm 99:9, Isaiah 6:1-5, 30:15, 43:14, 57:15, Leviticus 11:44,1 Peter 1:16, Revelation 15:4).
8. That God is Righteous & Just – (see Exodus 9:27, Psalm97:2, 89:14, 145:17, Isaiah 45:21, John 17:25, Revelation 15:3).
9. That God is loving and merciful – (see 1 John 4:8, Jeremiah 31:3, Isaiah 63:9, Romans 5:8, Deuteronomy 4:31, Psalm 136, Psalm 103:8, 2 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Thessalonians 3:5).
10. That God is truthful – (see John 14:6, Exodus 34:6, Titus1:2, Isaiah 65:16).
THE DOCTRINE OF MAN
1. That man and woman were created in the image of God,(see Genesis 1:26-27).
2. Men and women are created subordinate to God and a little lower than the angels, (see Psalm 8:4-5).
3. They were made for God (see Ezekiel 18:4) and to have communion with Him (see 2 Corinthians 13:14).
4. Their constitution is both material and immaterial.They both have a spirit, a soul, and a body; (see 1 Thessalonians 5;23). Their bodies are the material part of their being. Their souls and spirits are the immaterial parts of their being.
5. That the first man, Adam, rebelled against God and that through him sin was brought into the world, (see Genesis 3, and Romans5:12). The sinful nature of Adam is also experienced by mankind and that when a man or woman yields to that sinful nature, they have therefore sinned, (see James 1:14-15). The result of sin is death, (see Romans 6:23). Mankind experiences three modes of death: physical death, (see Acts 5:1-5); spiritual death, (see Ephesians 2:1-5); and if unsaved by God, eternal death, (see Jude 1:7).
MAN’S FUTURE STATE
We believe in the future resurrection of all men and women. Those made righteous through Christ will experience the resurrection of the just and those who are deemed unrighteous will receive the resurrection of the unjust (see Acts 24:15 and John 5:28-29). The righteous will be with Christ and will enjoy eternal salvation (see Philippians 1:23, John 3:16, Revelation 21:3-4). The unjust will suffer eternal judgment and, ultimately, be thrown into the lake of fire (see 1 Thessalonians 1:7-9 and Revelation 20:11-15).
MARRIAGE
We believe that marriage is an institution created by God and is meant to be a healthy picture of the relationship that Jesus Christ has with His Church (see Ephesians 5:22-33). Marriage is the holy joining of a male and female in wedlock (see Matthew 19:4-6). True marriage is always heterosexual. Homosexual unions are an abomination to God (see Leviticus 18:22). The marriage relationship is to be one where love and submission are exercised and practiced (see Ephesians 5:22-33 and 1 Peter 3:7) and is the only context in which sexual activity is blessed (see 1 Corinthians 7:1-4 and 1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST’S WORK
1. That Christ came into the world to save sinners, (see 1Timothy 1:15, and Luke 19:10). His work of doing this was to die a sacrificial death on behalf of sinful mankind, and to three days later rise again from death, (see Luke 18:31-33).
2. That Jesus’ death was sacrificial, for He is the Lamb of God,( see John 1:29), and His death was on our behalf, for our redemption is through His blood, (see Ephesians 1:7).
3. That Jesus rose from the dead three days later, (see Luke24:3-8, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, and Mark 16:6). Jesus’ resurrection affirms His Lordship (see Romans 14:9).
THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION
That salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit, regenerating and renewing a man or woman (see Titus 3:5-6). Salvation is a born-again experience where a person is converted and delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of God’s Son, (see John 3:5-8, and Colossians 1:13). When a person is born-again they have become a new creation, (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), and a child of God, (see John 1:11-13, and Romans 8:15-16).
God begins the work of salvation with conviction. Conviction is when a man or woman is brought into awareness of their personal sin, (see John 16:8-11, and Acts 2:37).
From conviction we then must come to contrition. Contrition is remorse and sorrow for our sin. It is a regret for what we have done against God (see Psalm 32:3-5, Luke 22:62, and 2 Corinthians 7:8-11).
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
Psalm 34:18
After we have come to contrition, we must then repent, (see Mark 6:12, Acts 17:30). Repentance is a decision to turn, with the help of God, from a life of sin to a life of obedience toward God.
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
Isaiah 55:7
Along with repentance we must come to God by faith, (see 1Peter 1:8-9, and Ephesians 3:17). Faith is believing in the truth of the Gospel that Jesus died in our place and rose again, (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and it is believing and trusting in Jesus Christ Himself, (see Acts 20:20-21). It is actively believing and trusting in the person of Jesus Christ Himself for Salvation. Faith is establishing a personal relationship with Christ. A personal relationship with Christ can be established by coming to Him in prayer and acknowledging to Him that you are a sinner, expressing to Him your remorse for sin and asking Him to forgive you, declaring to Him that you believe that He died for you, that He rose from the dead for you, and that you will turn from your own way to follow His will, and recognizing Him to be the Lord of your life, ( see Romans 10:13). That there is salvation in no other name but Jesus by which we must be saved (see Acts 4:12).
BAPTISM
After being born-again we are to be baptized in water, (see Acts 10:44-48).
Jesus Christ commanded His followers to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, (see Matthew 28:19).
Baptism is for those who are born again. It is an outward symbol of an inward truth. It is a testimony of our faith in Jesus Christ, and what He has done.
When the person being baptized is brought down into the water it symbolizes Jesus Christ being brought down into death, and symbolizes that we have died too. We have died to our old life of self-rule. When the person is brought up out of the water it symbolizes Christ resurrecting from death into life, and symbolizes that we have been born from the dead, that is “born again”.
Full immersion is the only method of water baptism that is used in the Bible. The Greek word, baptisma { bap’-tis-mah} Baptizo means, of Christian baptism; a rite of immersion in water as commanded by Christ, by which one after confessing his sins and professing his faith in Christ, having been born again by the Holy Spirit unto a new life, identifies publicly with the fellowship of Christ and the church. Sprinkling, and infant baptism were not practiced during biblical time.
That water baptism is important as it is a public testimony of personal faith. Christ calls us to take a public stand for Him, (see Matthew 10:32)
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Romans 1:16
The Bible also teaches the baptism with the Holy Spirit, (see Acts 1:5) This baptism did not end in apostolic times but is an experience for Christians today. This experience of the baptism of The Holy Spirit is subsequent to conversion.
THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
That there is a diversity of spiritual gifts present in the body of Christ, (see 1 Corinthians 12:4), and that they are for the benefit of all.
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”
1 Corinthians 12:7-11
THE CHURCH
That Christ founded a Church (see Matthew 16:18) and that He is the Head of that Church (see Ephesians 5:23) The universal church is comprised of all believers worldwide. The local Church is a community of believers who gather in Jesus’ name. This community is a place where God’s love is felt and shared. It is a place of worship, prayer and
ministry.
Scripture taken from the King James Version.