Statement of Faith
A. Holy Bible. The Holy Bible, which is the inerrant, inspired Word of God, is the basis for any statement of faith and for our conduct. The Church receives the Scriptures as its sole authority in matters of faith and practice. The ordinances of the Church are believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper.
B. Human Sexuality. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any forms of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. (Genesis 2;24; 19:5,13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
C. Abortion. We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused, taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due ot rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalm 51;5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1,5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)
D. Lawsuits Between Believers. We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the Church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32)
E. Giving. We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Genesis 14;20; Proverbs 2:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6;6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)
F. God. We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1, 26; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 3; 4:24; Acts 5:3; Romans 1:20; Ephesians 4:5-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14). We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13).
G. Man. We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and incurred not only an ultimate physical death, but also a spiritual death, which is a separation from God. We believe that all human beings, as ancestors of the first man Adam, inherit a sinful nature and also sin willfully in thought, word, and deed (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-24; Romans 3:23-25; 5:12-18; 1 John 1:8).
H. Salvation. We believe that Jesus Christ the Messiah died for the sins of the world according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice for sinful man; that He arose from the grave on the third day; and that all who put their faith in Him and repent from their sins are cleansed from all unrighteousness because of the payment of His blood at the cross (Isaiah 53; Matthew 20:28; John 3:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 5:1, 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 2:2; Matthew 28:6; Romans 10:9; and 1 Corinthians 15:14). We believe that all who come by grace through faith to accept the Lord Jesus Christ are born agains/saved from their sins by baptism by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ (the church universal) and become adopted as children into God’s family (John 3:3, 5; 1:12-13; Romans 8:15; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 12:13). Further, we find the theological construct of God’s unilateral selection of some people for salvation, and some for damnation(as described by Calvinism), as one which diverges from the Scriptures, and one which wrongly represents a Savior who, in actuality, presents all people with an actual choice to be forgiven and saved.
I. Baptism & Communion. We believe that the water baptism by immersion is the Biblical testimony of the Christian and is done in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Acts 2:28-41, 47; Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 8:36-40, 10:47, 18:8; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 12:13). We believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance which should be observed regularly by born-again believers. We believe that drinking the juice and eating the wafer/bread commemorates the price paid by Jesus on the cross with His body and blood. Although this ceremony has a symbolic aspect to it, all believers should examine their own lives for unconfessed sin before partaking of it, lest they come under God’s judgment (1 Corinthians 11:23-30).
The statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the forgoing statement of faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible, and therefore, is binding upon all people.
