The doctrine of this Church shall be derived from the teachings of the Word of God and as expressed in the Articles of Faith of the Church. Such doctrinal instruction shall be based upon the fundamental time-honored rules of the literal method of Biblical interpretation.

ARTICLES OF FAITH
The sole authority for faith and practice among us is the Bible. Therefore, the Bible is the only complete statement of faith. Any Articles of Faith are by nature incomplete and serve as a summary of the main tenets and distinctives of what we believe and teach based on the Bible. Therefore, let it be stated as follows:

I. The Scriptures

We believe the Old and New Testaments are fully inspired of God both in thought and word, and without error in the original writings. They are of supreme and final authority in faith, and life, and the true center of Christian union.

References: II Tim. 3:16,17; II Peter 1:19-21; Luke 24:44,45.

II. The True God

We believe in one God, an holy, infinite and intelligent Spirit, the supreme ruler of heaven and earth; eternally living as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; each person equal in every attribute, and executing distinct, but harmonious offices in creation and redemption.

References: Ex. 20:2,3; I Cor. 8:6; Matt. 28:19; John 4:21; Rev. 4:11.

A. Jesus Christ

We believe in the absolute deity of the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, existing from all eternity, co-equal with God the Father, and God the Spirit; that His incarnation consisted in laying aside the independent exercise of His divine attributes except as led by the Spirit; that as man He was miraculously conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and was partaker of two natures, human and divine, so that He is perfect man as well as perfect God.

References: Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1-14; Phil. 2:5-8.

B. The Holy Spirit

We believe in the personality of the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead; that He was active in creation, restrains the evil one until God's purposes are fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment; bears witness to the truth of the Gospel, indwells, seals, guides, and sanctifies believers.

References: Matt. 28:19; John 14:16,17; Acts 5:30-32; Rom. 8:1,26,27; Eph. 1:13.

III. The Devil

We believe in the personality of Satan, that he is the unholy god of this age, and author of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire.

References: Matt. 4:1-3; II Cor. 4:4; Rev. 20:10.

IV. Creation

We accept the Genesis account of creation and believe that man came by direct creation of God and not by evolution.

References: Gen. 1 & 2; Col. 1:16,17; John 1:3.

V. The Fall of Man

We believe that man was created in innocence but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and blessed state, and thus all mankind are now sinners, not only by constraint, but of choice and therefore under just condemnation without defense or excuse.

References: Gen. 3:1-6,24; Rom. 5:10-19; 1:18-32.

VI. Salvation

A. Atonement

We believe the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ; He took upon Him our nature, yet without sin, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sin. By His voluntary substitution, He bore our sin in His own body on the tree. The bodily resurrection of Christ is the completion of the work of the Son on the cross, and now our compassionate and all-sufficient Savior is seated at the right hand of the Father.

References: John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; I Cor. 15:3,4; II Cor. 5:21; Phil. 2:7,8; Heb. 4:14-16; I Peter 2:24.

B. New Creation

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 sins is made partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new nature is brought about solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel.

References: John 3:3,6-8; Rom. 6:23; II Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13; II Peter 1:4.

C. Justification

We believe that the great gospel blessing which Christ gives to such as believe in Him is justification. Justification includes the pardon of sin and imputation of Christ's righteousness thus giving us right standing with God. Justification is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer's blood.

References: Rom. 4:1-8,24-25; 5:1,9; Titus 3:5-7.

D. Sanctification

We believe sanctification is the three-fold act of God setting us apart from sin:

1. The penalty of sin: A past act accomplished for us by Christ.

References: Acts 26:18; I Cor. 1:2,30; 6:11.

2. The power of sin: A present operation by the Holy Spirit through the medium of the word of God to set us apart from the power of sin resident in our Adamic nature, yet within us.

References: Rom. 6:1-13; 8:2,11-13; Heb. 12:6-11; I Peter 1:2.

3. The presence of sin: A future accomplishment of God taking the believer with Him in glory forever.

References: Eph. 5:25-27.

E. Security

We believe that all who are truly born again are kept eternally by God the Father for Jesus Christ.

References: John 10:27-30; I Peter 1:3-5.

F. Faith

We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation.

References: Acts 16:30,31.

VII. The Church

We believe the church is the body of which Christ is the Head; that this church has a twofold aspect:

A. The Church Universal

The church universal, made up of all believers from Pentecost to the Rapture, who are baptized by the Spirit into this body making for spiritual unity among all believers, and referred to in Scripture as the Body and Bride of Christ.

References: Matt. 16:15-18; I Cor. 12:12-28; Eph. 1:22,23; 3:21; 5:23-33.

B. The Local Church

The local church is a congregation of immersed believers associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His word.

Its offices are pastor and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are defined in the Scriptures.

We believe the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity.

We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only Superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit.

It is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel; each local church is the sole judge of this measure and method of its cooperation.

On all matters of membership, polity, discipline, and benevolence, the will of the local church is final.

References: Acts 2:41,42; 20:17-28; Matt. 18:15-17; Eph. 4:11,12; Phil. 1:1; I Tim. 3:1-13.

VIII. Separation

We accept the Scriptural commands to separate from worldliness, modernism, apostasy, and any individual or group that threatens or interferes with the church's ministry to glorify Jesus Christ.

References: Matt. 7:15-20; Acts 20:28-32; II Cor. 6:14-17; I Tim. 6:3-6; II John 9-11.

IX. Baptism and the Lord's Supper

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful type our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life.

It is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership.

We believe that the Lord's Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes and should be preceded always by solemn self-examination.

References: Matt. 3:16; John 3:23; Acts 2:41; 8:26-39; I Cor. 11:23-28; Col. 2:12; Rom. 6:3-5.