Statement of
Faith
Statement
of Faith with Verses
I. GOD
We believe that there is only one true, living, and
eternal God and that the Godhead is revealed as Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.
II. THE BIBLE
We believe that the Holy Scriptures are the Old and New
Testaments; the inspired and infallible Word of God and therein is found
the only reliable guide of Christian faith and conduct.
III. MAN
We believe that God created man in His own image to
bring Him honor through obedience, and that when man disobeyed, he became a
fallen and sinful creature, unable to save himself. We believe that infants
are in the covenant of God's grace and that all persons become accountable
to God when they reach a state of moral responsibility.
IV. SALVATION
We believe that salvation (regeneration,
sanctification,
justification, and redemption) has been provided for
all mankind through the redemptive work (life, death,
resurrection, ascension, and intercession) of Jesus Christ, and that this
salvation can be received only through repentance toward God and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
V. ASSURANCE
AND ENDURANCE
We believe that those who abide in Christ have the
assurance of salvation. However, we believe that the Christian retains his
freedom of choice; therefore, it
is possible for him to turn away from God and be
finally lost.
VI. CHRISTIAN
DUTIES
We believe that Christians should live faithfully by
serving in and through the local church, praying diligently, witnessing
earnestly, practicing tolerance, showing loving kindness, giving as God
prospers, and conducting themselves in such a way as to bring glory to God.
VII. THE
CHURCH
We believe that the Church Universal is the Body of
Christ, the fellowship of all believers, and that its members have been called
out from the world to come under the dominion and authority of Christ, its
Head. We believe that a local church is a fellowship of Christians, a part
of the Body of Christ, voluntarily banded together for worship,
nurture, and service.
VIII. ORDINANCES
We believe that baptism and the Lord's Supper are
ordinances instituted by Christ to be observed by Christians only. We also
believe that the biblical mode of baptism is immersion and that
participation in the Lord's Supper should be open to all Christians. (Note:
Several associations and local churches recognize feetwashing as an
ordinance.
We believe that this should be left to the individual,
and that neither the practice nor the non-practice of it should be any bar
to fellowship, either in the church, the local association, the Presbytery,
or the General Association.)
IX. THE LORD'S
DAY
We believe in the sanctity of the Lord's Day, the
first day of the week, and that this day ought to be observed by worshiping
God, witnessing for Christ, and ministering to the needs of humanity. We
believe that secular work on Sunday should be limited to cases of necessity
or mercy.
X. LAST THINGS
We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ, and
in the bodily resurrection of the dead. We believe that God will judge all
mankind by Jesus Christ; that He will reward the righteous with eternal
life in heaven, and that He will banish the unrighteous to everlasting
punishment in hell.
