Our Beliefs
1.The Scriptures:
I believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments alone as verbally plenarily inspired of God, without error in the original writings and the sole authority of faith and practice(2 Pet.1:21; 2Tim.3:16,17).(I preach only from the KJV)
2.The Godhead:
I believe in one God, an eternal Spirit existing in three Persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- yet One in essence and equal in every divine perfection(Deut.6:4; Matt.3:13-17; Matt.28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14).
3.Jesus Christ:
a.I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is truly God and truly Man, one Person with two natures, divine and human(Matt.1:18-20; John1:1,2,14).
b.I believe the Lord Jesus Christ died as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all men according to the Scriptures, and all who receive Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood(1 Cor.15:3; 2 Cor.5:21; Rom.3:21-26; Heb.2:9; Jn.2:2).
c.I believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ; in His bodily ascension into Heaven; and in His present life there as High Priest for us(Matt.28:1-10; Act.1:9; Heb.7:25-28).
d.I believe in the imminent return of Christ prior to the Tribulation, at which time all believers in Christ will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and be kept from the promised period of divine wrath upon the Earth(Dan.9:24-27; 1 Thes.4:14-17; 1 Cor.15:51-53; 1 Thes.5:9; Rom.5:9).
4.The Holy Spirit:
a.I believe in the Holy Spirit who is one of the three Persons of the Trinity. I believe among His ministries are the following: the restraining of evil in the world to the measure of the divine will; the conviction of the world regarding sin, righteousness, and judgement; the regeneration of all believers; the indwelling of those who are saved, and the continued filling for power, teaching and service of all among the saved who are truly yielded to Him(2 Thes.2:7; John 3:6; 16:7-11; Rom.8:9; Eph.4:30;5:18).
b.I believe some gifts of the Holy Spirit were temporary. I believe speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the filling or baptism of the Spirit. I believe God, in accord with His own will, does hear and answer prayer for the sick and afflicted(1 Cor.12:11,30; 13:8; James 5:14-16).
5.Salvation:
a.I believe man was created in the image of God; he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death which is separation from God, all humans are born with a sinful nature and in practice become sinners in thought, word and deed(Gen.1:26,27; 3:1-24; Rom.5:12-21; Eph.2:1-6).
b.I believe salvation is the gift of God, brought to all by grace and received through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is solely through faith in the blood of Christ apart from human merit. All those who believe are regenerated children of God(Eph.2:8-9; John 1:12; 3:5-7).
c.I believe all the elect of God, once saved, are kept by God's power and are secure in Christ forever(John 10:27-30; Rom.8:31-39).
6.Sanctification:
I believe sanctification is presented in three senses in Scripture; (1) every saved person has been sanctified through the death of Christ; (2) is being sanctified by the Holy Spirit; (3) and will be completely sanctified at his glorification. Every believer has two natures, old and new, and the old cannot be eradicated during this life(Heb.10:10; John 17:17; Eph. 5:25-25; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; Gal.5:17; Rom.7:18-25).
7.Separation:
I believe in the biblical doctrine of separation which encompasses:(1) separation of the local church from all affiliation and fellowship with those who deny the verities of the Christian faith and fro those who are content to walk in fellowship with unbelief and inclusivism;(2) separation of the individual believer from all wordly practices dishonoring the Savior; and(3) separation of church and state(2 Tim.3:1-5; Rom.12:1-2; 14:13; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; Matt.22:21).
8.The Church:
Ibelieve in the Church-a living, spiritual body of which Christ is the Head; and of which all regenerated people in this are a part. I believe the Church is a body peculiar to the age of grace and entirely distinct from the nation, Israel. I believe a local church is a company of believers in Jesus Christ, immersed upon a credible confession of faith and associated for worship, work and fellowship. I believe the local church is autonomous, the center of God's program for this age, and that every Christian is bound by Scripture to give his unhindered cooperation to the ministry of his local church(Matt.16:16-18; 1 Cor. 12:12-17; Acts 2:42-47; I Tim. 3:15-16).
9.The Ordinances:
I believe there are two ordinances: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water and is properly called "believer's baptism." It sets forth in a beautiful and solemn way our identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection and the resultant responsibility to "walk in the newness of life." Baptism is a prerequisite to church membership. The Lord's Supper is the commemoration of the Lord's death until He comes, and a reminder of our continual fellowship with Him and should be preceded by careful self-examination(Matt.28:19-20; Acts 8:36-39; Rom.6:3-5; 1 Cor.11:23-32).
10.The Great Commission:
I believe the Lord Jesus Christ has commissioned us to take the Gospel to the world, and evangelism and church-planting at home and abroad should be primary in the program of the local church, which includes the baptism and instruction of believers(Matt.28:19-20; Acts 1:8).
11.Last Things:
I believe in the imminent rapture of the church to Heaven followed by a seven year period of tribulation upon all the Earth. At the end of this period of tribulation, Jesus Christ shall come back to Earth in power and glory with His Church to establish the promised Davidic Kingdom. He shall reign for one thousand years, during which time peace and righteousness will cover the earth, Satan will be bound, and Israel shall be established in her own land. At the end of this glorious reign, Satan shall lead a rebellion against Christ, shall be defeated, and shall be forever banished to the Lake of Fire.
The wicked dead shall be judged at the Great White Throne and shall be condemned to everlasting conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire. The righteous shall be in eternal conscious blessedness in the presence of the Lord(John 14:3; Matt.24:21; Rev.19:11-16; 21:1-15; Ezek.39:25-29; 1 Thes.4:17).
