Rightly
Dividing The Word Of Truth For
the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead,
to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number
of
teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. II
Timothy 4:3
Sound Doctrine -
Bible Truth - Bible Teaching - Contending For The Faith - Biblical
Doctrine - Spiritual Discernment
The sole basis
of our faith and beliefs are in God's infallible and
inerrant written Word, The Bible. We believe all 66 books of
the Old and New Testaments were uniquely, verbally and fully
inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it was written without
error in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and
final authority in all matters of Christian faith and
doctrine.
We
accept those areas of doctrinal teaching on which,
historically, there has been general agreement among all
true Christians. The historic Christian doctrines of the
church which we outline below are the basis of our doctrinal
statement of faith. We feel there are areas of peripheral
doctrine, such as, the timing of the rapture, mode of
baptism, and others that Christians may differ on that are
not essential doctrines to salvation, that we allow for
freedom of conviction on, provided that any interpretation
is based upon the Bible alone.
1)
There is one true and living God, eternally existing in
three persons -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- each of
whom possesses equally all the attributes of Deity and the
characteristics of personality.
2)
Jesus Christ is God, the living Word, who became flesh
through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His
virgin birth. Hence, He is perfect Deity and true humanity
united in one person forever.
3)
He lived a sinless life and voluntarily atoned for the sins
of men by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus
satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for
all who trust in Him alone for salvation.
4)
He rose from the dead on the third day, in the same body,
though glorified, in which He lived and died.
5)
He ascended bodily into heaven and sat down at the right
hand of God the Father, where He, is the only mediator
between God and man, continually makes intercession for
those who put their faith in him for salvation.
6)
Man was originally created in the image of God. He sinned by
disobeying God; thus, he was alienated from his Creator.
That historic fall brought all mankind under divine
condemnation.
7)
Man's nature is corrupted, and he is thus totally unable to
please God. Every man is in need of regeneration and renewal
by the Holy Spirit.
8)
The salvation of man is wholly a work of God's free grace
and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human works or
goodness or religious ceremony. God imputes His
righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone
for their salvation, and thereby justified them in His
sight.
9)
It is the privilege of all who are born again of the Spirit
to be assured of their salvation from the very moment in
which they trust Christ as their Savior. This assurance is
not based upon any kind of human merit, but is produced by
the witness of the Holy Spirit, who confirms in the believer
the testimony of God in His written word.
10)
The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and
glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to
men. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new
life to them, continually indwells them from the moment of
spiritual birth and seals them until the day of redemption.
His fullness, power and control are appropriated in the
believer's life by faith.
11)
Every believer is called to live so in the power of the
indwelling Spirit that he will not fulfill the lust of the
flesh but will bear fruit to the glory of God.
12)
Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, which is
composed of all men, living and dead, who have been joined
to Him through saving faith.
13)
God admonishes His people to assemble together regularly for
worship, for participation in ordinances, for edification
through the Scriptures and for mutual encouragement.
14)
At physical death the believer enters immediately into
eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the
resurrection of his body to everlasting glory and blessing.
15)
At physical death the unbeliever enters immediately into
eternal, conscious separation from the Lord and awaits the
resurrection of his body to everlasting judgment and
condemnation.
16)
Jesus Christ will come again to the earth -- personally,
visibly and bodily -- to consummate history and the eternal
plan of God.
17)
The Lord Jesus Christ commanded all believers to proclaim
the Gospel throughout the world and to disciple men of every
nation. The fulfillment of that Great Commission requires
that all worldly and personal ambitions be subordinated to a
total commitment to "Him who loved us and gave Himself
for us."