Beliefs
DOCTRINAL
STATEMENT
The
Bible
We believe the Word of God, containing
the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the verbal, plenary, inspired,
infallible, inerrant Word of God. We believe God preserved His Word down
through the ages and that the King James Version of the Bible is the inspired
Word of God for the English speaking world. Therefore It is the final authority
for faith and practice above the opinions of any other man,
tradition, or any other source.
(II Samuel 23:1-2; Psalm
12:6-7; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:18, 24:35; I Corinthians 2:12-13; I
Thessalonians 2:13; II Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; I Peter 1:23; II Peter
1:20-21; Revelation 1:3)
The Godhead
We believe that there is one true and
living God, Who is the Creator and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth; Who is
worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the
Godhead there is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; each being
omnipotent, omniscience, and omnipresent.
(Genesis 1:1; 17:1, Exodus 15:11;
20:2-3, Deuteronomy 6:4, Psalms 83:13; 90:2; 139; 147:5,Jeremiah 10:10, Matthew
28:19, Mark 12:30, John 4:24; 10:30; 15:26; 17:5, I Corinthians 2:10-11; 8:6,
12:4-6, II Corinthians 13:14, Romans 11:33, Ephesians 2:18; 4:6, Philippians
2:5-6, I Timothy 1:17, I John 3:20; 5:7, Revelation 4:11; 19:6)
Salvation
We
believe that salvation is a free gift of God. It comes by grace through faith
in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary when we repent of our sin
and place our personal trust (100%) in the finished work (death, burial, and
resurrection) of Jesus Christ.
(2Peter
3:9; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 1:7;Colossians
1:4; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; Acts 20:28; Romans 5:8,9)
The Church
We
believe that the church is a local assembly of baptised believers who have been
separated for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission and for the
edification of the saints. We believe the Bible teaches that the only
scriptural offices are Pastor and deacon, whose qualifications are outlined
clearly in 1 Timothy and Titus. Christ is the Head of the Church. The local
church is to be governed by God’s Word alone and not any other organization or
individual.
(Acts 2:41,42; 8:1; I Cor. 4:17; Acts 2:47; I Cor. 11:2;
Matt. 28:20; John 14:15; 15:10; Acts 14:23; 15:22; II Thess. 3:7; Rom. 16:17-20;
I Cor. 11:23; Matt. 18:15-20; I Tim. 3; Titus 1)
Two
Church Ordinances
Baptism – We
believe baptism is the first act of obedience after salvation and is by
immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. Baptism
identifies the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and
is a prerequisite for membership.
(Matthew 28:19, 20, Acts 2:41-42, 8:36-38)
The
Lord’s Supper – We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the partaking of
unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine as a picture of Christ’s body and
blood; in remembrance of the suffering and death Christ endured for our sakes.
It is to be observed by the saved, baptised members of a Bible-believing local
church after a time of self-examination.
(Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-20; I
Corinthians 11:20-29)
Separation
We believe as Christians we should live our lives in such a
way that we do not bring reproach to God’s name. The Bible teaches that we are
to be separated from the world and we are not to have any close, binding
relationships with the unsaved.
(Romans 12:1-2, II Corinthians 6:14-7:1, II Timothy 3:1-5, I
John 2:15-17, II John 9-11)
Marriage,
Divorce, and Remarriage
We believe that marriage is a sacred covenant ordained of God
between one man and one woman; it is binding until the husband and wife are
separated by death at which time the surviving partner is free to remarry. We
believe that the Bible clearly teaches that a Believer should not marry an
unbeliever; however, if such is the case, the believer should be content to be
faithful to their spouse and to be a Christian witness of God’s grace in the
home. We believe that God hates divorce and counts divorce, remarriage, and/or
marriage to a divorced person as an act of adultery. God does not allow any
exception for the re-marriage of a divorced person. We do not believe that one
who is divorced, re-married, and/or married to a divorced person is a second
class Christian. We believe that it is the individual’s responsibility to
recognize the sin and to repent of it before a Holy and forgiving God and then to
seek to faithfully serve God in a local church ministry; except that such a man
cannot fulfill the office of Pastor or deacon as per Scripture.
(Malachi 2:11-17; Matthew 19:3-12;
Romans 7:1-3; II Corinthians 6:14-15; I Timothy 3:1-13)
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 (10% the first
fruits) as a basis for giving but that every Christian should also give other
offerings (including Faith Promise) sacrificially and cheerfully to the support
of the Church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We
believe Scripture makes it clear that to neglect to give the tithes and
offerings God has commanded is to steal from a Holy God. (Gen. 14:20; Prov.
3:9-10; Malachi 3:8-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph.
4:28; I Tim. 5:17-18; I John 3:17).
Note:This is a simplified copy of our family's doctrinal beliefs as found in the Word of God. It in no way envelops all that we believe. To sum up our beliefs, one could say, "If God's Word says it, we believe it."
Some of the wording is borrowed from other solid, Independent Baptists in order to ensure that the meaning is clear. It is not our intention to take credit for the work of another. Unfortunately, I can no longer remember which sites we borrowed from. If I have quoted your church web site, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due. Thank you.
Posts
