BELIEFS

These Articles of Faith do not exhaust the extent of our faith. The King James Bible is the sole and final source of all that we believe.

What We Believe

The Scriptures

We believe that the Holy Bible was verbally and plenarily inspired of God; that is has truth without any admixture of error for its matter; that consequently it is infallible and inerrant in all matters of which it speaks and therefore is, and shall remain until the end of the age, the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man, the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried.

The True God

We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite intelligent Spirit, the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person; equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God's purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of judgment, and of righteousness; that He bears witness to the Truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the New Birth; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer.

The Devil

We believe that the devil, Satan, is an actual person, and not an imaginary influence; that he once enjoyed high heavenly honors and glorious heavenly privileges; that he, through pride, ambition, and self-will, fell and brought down upon his head the judgment of God, and in so doing, drew down with him a host of angels; that he operates today as the god of this world and the prince of the power of the air; that he is a diabolical inventor, and archdeceiver, a prolific counterfeiter of all that God has done, and the father of all lies. We hold him to be the greatest enemy of God, Christ, mankind, and all that is good. He is the most relentless accuser of the saints, the great tempter of man, the author of all confusion, and the chief power back of the present apostasy and all false religions. We believe that one day he shall be incarnated in the person of the Antichrist and in that role will finally meet Christ in the Battle of Armageddon: that he will be chained for one-thousand years in the lake of fire, the place of eternal punishment, prepared for him and his angels.

Creation

We believe that the Genesis record of creation is literal, and not allegorical or figurative; that any theory of evolution is a contradiction to the Genesis account of creation and therefore false; that God personally "created the heaven and the earth" in six twenty-four hour days; that He miraculously brought forth all matter out of nothing; that He actually fashioned all organic forms as specific creations subject to limited changes within the specie; that He definitely ordained each specie to bring forth "after his kind;" that He finally "formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed in his nostrils the breath of life; and man became" immediately "a living soul;" that He created man in the image and likeness of God; that He created Eve from a rib taken from Adam's side and that she is the mother of all living; that His every creative act was complete and perfect in itself; and that not one of His creations was conditioned upon antecedent changes naturally wrought during interminable periods of time.

The Fall of Man

We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy state, in consequence of which, all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint, but of choice; and therefore under just condemnation without defense or excuse.

The Virgin Birth

We believe that Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived by God the Father through the agency of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin in the strictest sense of the word, as no other man ever was or ever can be born of woman. We believe that, as such, He was and is God incarnate, that is, God embodied in flesh.

The Atonement for Sin

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin, honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner's place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ, the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that, having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, He is every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Saviour.

The New Birth

We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth, the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, not by culture, not by character, nor by the will of man, but wholly and solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life.

The Freeness of Salvation

We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the Gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a cordial, penitent and obedient faith; and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the gospel; which rejection involves him in an aggravated condemnation.

Justification

We believe that justification is one of the great gospel blessings secured through Christ for all who trust Him; that it is a legal and divine decree in which the believing sinner is declared just and the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed unto him; that it is thus a state of being free from condemnation, including forgiveness and pardon for sins past, present, and future; that through faith, it secures for the believer freedom from legal bondage, exemption from the wrath of God, possession of peace that passes all understanding, and the gift of eternal life; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood; that it brings us into a state of unchanging relationship with God, securing every other blessing needful for time and eternity.

Repentance and Faith

We believe that repentance and faith are solemn and inseparable prerequisites of salvation; that they are inseparable graces wrought in the heart by the quickening Holy Spirit; that in conversion, the lost sinner, being deeply convicted of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come, experiences a sincere and voluntary change of mind causing him to turn, in repentance, from sin, and, in faith, to God, surrendering himself wholeheartedly to the Lord Jesus, immediately receiving Him as personal Saviour and openly confessing Him before all men.

The Church

We believe that a New Testament church, according to divine purpose and plan, is a visible, local, organized body of saved, baptized believers associated together by a covenant of faith and fellowship in the gospel; that it was personally founded by Jesus Christ during His ministry on earth; that it is subject to His laws and is the custodian of His ordinances; that the perpetuity of our faith, doctrines, practices, and ordinances has been effected through the Holy Spirit personally planting and preserving local independent Baptist churches of like faith and order down through the centuries even until now; that New Testament validity flows from strict adherence to the doctrines of Christ; that it is an autonomous, sovereign, self-governing, independent, democratic body and is the sole judge, under the limitations of the scriptures, of the measure and method of cooperation with other organizations; that its ministry is gloriously blessed with the presence and leadership of the Holy Spirit and the light and revelation of the word of God; that its officers of ordination are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications and duties are clearly defined in the scriptures; that the true mission of the church is to make disciples by preaching the gospel to every creature, baptizing believers in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and then teaching them to observe all things whatsoever Christ has commanded; that it is the only ecclesiastical body the Lord has on earth; that its judgment on all matters of membership, polity, government, discipline, benevolence is final.

We reject the unscriptural and unsubstantiated theory of the church as being a mystical, invisible, universal body.
We believe that churches of like faith can, and should, associate, fellowship, and convene with one another. But we believe that the formation of associations, fellowships, and conventions constitute a second kind of ecclesiastical body and is therefore unscriptural.
We believe that the family of God, the kingdom of God, and the church of God are overlapping, and yet distinct and separate entities.

Baptism

We believe that scriptural baptism is the complete immersion in water of a saved believer in Jesus Christ in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; that the only entity on earth today with the authority to baptize is the Lord’s true church - a Baptist church; that the purpose of baptism is not to procure salvation, but to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to portray the believer’s faith in the gospel work of Jesus Christ, and to declare the believer’s death to sin and resurrection to a new life in Christ; that baptism is a prerequisite to church membership and its accompanying privileges including the Lord’s supper; that baptism is one of only two scriptural church ordinances, the other being the Lord’s supper. We do not believe that the Holy Spirit baptizes anyone.

The Lord's Supper

We believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance instituted in the church by the Lord Himself in which the members of the church, by the sacred use of unleavened bread and the unfermented fruit of the vine, together commemorate the broken body and shed blood of our Lord, always preceded by solemn self-examination; that this ordinance is administered by the authority and instruction of a local Baptist church; that its observance points backward to the crucified Lord on Calvary, and forward to the returning Lord in glory. We believe in and practice the Biblical doctrine of “closed communion,” that is, that only members in good standing of the church are proper participants in the observance of the Lord’s supper.

Eternal Security of the Believer

We believe that whereas salvation is “by grace...through faith,” and “not of works,” it is therefore eternal, abiding, and everlasting; that we who are genuinely saved are kept saved “by the power of God;” that salvation is a birth experience of the soul and that once born spiritually it is impossible to become unborn again; that not only is “the gift of God...eternal life,” but that the means by which it is appropriated, salvation, is also eternal.

Judgment of the Righteous and the Wicked

We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only those who, through repentance and faith, are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit are truly righteous in the sight of God; all who continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under the curse of sin; that salvation is not a reward, but that rewards await those who have been genuinely saved; that the Lord himself shall reward the truly righteous "according to that he hath done...in his body" at the Judgment Seat of Christ after the rapture; that the wicked, as a consequence of their rejection of the free offer of salvation through Christ, will be "cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

Civil Government

We believe that civil government was ordained and instituted by God for the well-being of human society; that it is the responsibility of civil government to make and enforce just laws, to provide honest rulers, and to execute judgment speedily and correctly including the execution of those found guilty of capital offences; that it is the responsibility of Christian citizens to obey laws and rulers, to pay taxes, and to pray for and respect government officials; that God's law supersedes man's law and that Christians' "ought to obey God rather than men."

The Resurrection of Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ was bodily raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit after having been crucified and buried in the grave for "three days and three nights" (72 hours); that after having walked upon the earth for some forty days, He ascended to "the right hand of the throne of God" where He sits today as our "merciful and faithful high priest," "making intercession for the saints."

The Return of Christ

We believe in the literal, imminent return of Jesus Christ to this earth. We believe that "this same Jesus, which (was) taken up from... the apostles... into heaven, shall so come in like manner as (they saw) him go into heaven" - bodily, personally, visibly, and audibly; that the return of Christ to the earth, called in the Bible "the day of the Lord," will occur in two phases; first, the rapture, then, the second-coming of Christ, separated by seven years of tribulation.

We believe that, at the rapture, which shall come unexpectedly, "the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain... shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, (and) shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and shall we ever be with the Lord."

We believe that at the second-coming of Christ, "the Lord (will come) with ten thousands of his saints," to fight the great Battle of Armageddon, to take "the throne of his father David:" and to "reign... a thousand years... till he hath put all enemies under his feet."

Missions

We regard the command of Jesus Christ given in Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-47, and Acts 1:8 as the commission of the church. We believe that the sole purpose of the church on earth is to "Go... into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;" that the carrying out of this commission is the corporate responsibility of each true church and the personal responsibility of each church member; that in the carrying out of this commission, churches of like faith and practice may associate and cooperate, but are prohibited by scripture from establishing extra-ecclesiastical bodies, such as mission associations, cooperatives, boards, fellowships, etc.; that such cooperation should be carried out in such a way as to preserve the sovereignty of each individual church; that missionaries are called by the Holy Spirit and sent out by, supported by, and accountable to the local church; that it is the responsibility of individual church members to participate in missions by witnessing in their own community, and supporting prayerfully and financially missionaries to both foreign and home fields.

The Grace of Giving

We believe that the ministry of the church should be funded solely by the tithes, offerings, and special gifts of the members of the church. We believe that "all the tithe", one-tenth of all that "God hath prospered" is the Lord's, and that "it is holy (set aside for a sacred purpose) unto the LORD"; that tithing was practiced before the law, promulgated under the law, and prescribed under grace; that tithing was taught by Jesus in the New Testament; that offerings are those amounts given over and above the tithe; that both tithes and offerings belong to the Lord and that we are commanded to give both, the difference being that the tithe is a designated proportion of our increase while the offering is freewill - the amount left to the will of the giver; that both the tithe and offerings should be deposited in the church of your membership.

Human Sexuality

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexuality be engaged in outside of marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempts to alter one's gender by surgery or appearance. We believe that the only scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman.

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 to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. We do not believe that pre-conceptional birth control is abortion.

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