What We Believe

What follows is our Articles of Faith

Preamble – The Word of God, in its entirety, is the basis and foundation of this Church and is summarized in the following:

ARTICLES OF FAITH

Section 1. THE SCRIPTURES. We believe in the supernatural, verbal inspiration, and infallible authority of the Scriptures, inerrant in the original, including both the Old and New Testaments, and accept the entire Bible as the Word of God and our supreme rule of faith and practice. We grant to each individual the right to interpret the Scriptures for himself, but “Interpretation” must not be construed as meaning the right to disbelieve the plain statements of the Bible. (II Timothy 3:16, 17 – II Peter 1:19-21)

Section 2. GOD. We believe the Scriptures reveal God as eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent; Creator and Ruler of heaven and earth; glorious in holiness and worthy of all worship, manifesting Himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Psalm 90:2; 139:7-10; Matt. 19:26; Romans 11:33; Psalm 99:9; Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:15-19; Matt. 3:16-17; Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 13:14)

Section 3. GOD, THE SON. We believe in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son; His Virgin Birth; His sinless life; His substitutionary death on the cross for our sins; His Bodily resurrection from the grave; His ascension to the right hand of God, where He ever liveth to make intercession for believers; and His personal, premillennial, visible, bodily return to the earth at the end of this age. (John 1:1; Heb. 1:8; Luke 1:35; Heb. 4:15; I John 3:5; Gal. 3:31; I Peter 2:24; I Cor. 15:20; John 20:27; Heb. 7:25; I Thess. 4:13-18; Acts 1:10, 11; Matt. 25:31-33; Zech. 14.4)

Section 4. HOLY SPIRIT. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, possessed of all the distinctive Divine attributes. We believe He is the Administrator of the things of God – convicting of sin, revealing the Truth, is the Agent of the New Birth, sealing, baptizing, enduring, guiding, teaching, and indwelling every true child of God, energizing believers in matters of prayer and service, and restraining evil “until He is taken out of the way”. (John 14:16; 16:7-11; 16:13; 3:6; Eph. 1:13, 14; I Cor. 12:12, 13; I Cor. 6:19, 20; Romans 8:26, 27; II Thess. 2:7)

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12)

We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. Ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22)

Section 5. MAN. We believe God created Man in His own image, and that man came into the world by direct creation of God and not by evolution; that the creative act of God was separate and distinct from any other work of God and therefore, we reject the theory of man’s origin which links him with the brute. We believe the Scripture record of the fall of man through disobedience to God, and that by nature man is “dead in trespasses and sins”. (Gen. 1:26,27; 2:16,17 with Gen. 3:1-7; Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3)

A. Human Sexuality.
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a 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 attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)
We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)

B. Family Relationships
We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)

We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are an heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12; 1 Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4; 1 Pet. 3:1-7)

C. Divorce and Remarriage.
We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)

D. 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. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

E. Euthanasia.
We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift of God and must be respected from conception until natural death. Thus we believe that an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God. Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment. (Ex. 20:13, 23:7; Matt. 5:21; Acts 17:28)

Section 6. CREATION. We believe in the direct creation of the universe and man by God, according to the Genesis account of creation, and apart from any process of evolution. (Gen. 1, 2, 3 – Col. 1:15-17; John 1:3)

Section 7. SALVATION. We believe in the necessity of the New Birth, and that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace (unmerited favor) through the mediatorial work of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe are made partakers of the divine nature and receive eternal life, the free gift of God. (John 3:3; 14-16; Eph. 2:8-10; I Peter 2:24; II Peter 1:4)

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5)

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

Section 8. JUSTIFICATION. We believe that Justification is the Gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as put faith in Him, declaring them righteous in God’s eyes, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood. (Rom. 5:1; 4:25; 3:24; Acts 13:39; Gal. 2:16)

Section 9. SANCTIFICATION. We believe that sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of His holiness; that it is a progressive work; that it is begun in regeneration and is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the sealer Comforter in the continual use of the appointed means, especially the Word of God; self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, and prayer; and in the practice of all Godly exercises and duties. (I Cor. 1:2; Heb. 10:9, 10, 14; Eph. 5:18; II Cor. 7:1; Rom. 12:1, 2; I Thess. 3:12,13; 4:3; II Thess 2:13; John 17:17; II Peter 1:3-9)

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 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)

Section 10. THE CHURCH AND ITS ORDANANCES. We believe a local Fundamental Baptist Church is a voluntary association of baptized believers, equal in rank and privilege, subject to the Word of God, and independent of any external ecclesiastical control whatsoever. We believe God’s Word commands every believer (and only believers) to be baptized, and that the only Scriptural mode is by immersion, which shows forth in beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried, risen Saviour, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to new life. We believe that the Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper should be observed as Christ slain, “In remembrance of ME”. (Of His broken body and shed blood for us). “For as oft as ye take this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord’s death til He comes”. We do not believe that the Supper has any sacramental virtue. (Acts 2:41, 42, 47; 5:29; 8:36, 37; Matt. 28:19, 20; I Cor. 11:23-26; Romans 6:3-5)

Section 11 CIVIL GOVERNMENT We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13-14)

Section 12. EVANGELIZATION. We believe it is the solemn obligation of every believer to be a personal soul winner and to do his utmost to carry out the Saviour’s command to give the gospel to the whole world. (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 1:8; I Peter 3:15; I Cor. 5:19, 20)

We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)

Section 13. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. We believe that the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ, to catch up His people to meet Him in the air, is imminent; i.e.: that the rapture of all believers will precede the Tribulation. We believe in the personal and bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ to set up His Kingdom upon earth, and that this will take place following the Tribulation. (I. Thess. 4:13-18; Acts 1:11; II Thess. 1.7-10; Rev. 20:4-6; Zech. 14:4,9; Matt. 24:29-31; 25:31)

Section 14. ANGELS, DEMONS, AND SATAN. We believe in the personal existence of angels, demons, and Satan; that Satan is the unholy god of this age and the author of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of eternal punishment in the lake of fire. (Psalm 68:17; 148:2,5; Heb. 1:13,14; II Kings 6:17; John 8:44; Rev. 12:9, 10; II Cor. 11:13-15; 4:4; Col. 2:15; Rev. 20:2, 10; Matt. 12:24; 27-28; James 2:19)

Section 15. ETERNAL STATE. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust; the everlasting blessedness of the saved in full enjoyment of God’s presence in heaven; and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost in the lake of fire, eternally separated from God. (Job 19:25-27; John 5:28, 29; I Cor. 15:22, 23, 51-57; Acts 24:14,15; Rev. 20:11-15; Matt. 25:46)

We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)