Doctrinal Statements
Church Doctrine
1. The Holy Scriptures.
We believe that the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God, as given in the original writings and that it is therefore the supreme and final authority in all matters of doctrine, faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17)
2. The Trinity of the Godhead.
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)
3. The Preexistence, Deity, and Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
We believe that Jesus Christ ever existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit and that His incarnation was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary and is true God and true man (I John 1: 1-19; I Timothy 3: 16; Matthew 1: 20)
4. The Creation and Fall of Man.
We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death which is separation from God: and that all human beings are born with sinful nature, are totally depraved and for those who reach moral responsibility become sinners in thought, work, and deed, and they must be born again to be accepted of God. (Gen. 1:27; Romans 5: 12; 3: 10; 3: 23; and John 3:1 - 21)
5. The Death, Ressurection and Ascension of Jesus Christ
We believe that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood. We believe that He rose bodily from the grave on the third day in the same body in which He suffered and died. We also believe that our Lord ascended into heaven; that He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and is our High Priest and Divine Advocate with the Father. We believed that by His finished work on the cross and His unceasing ministry of intercession in glory, that Jesus Christ has procured for every believer eternal redemption, eternal salvation, and everlasting Life. (I Cor. 15: 3; Romans 5: 9; 1 Cor. 15: 4; John 20: 27; Mark 16: 19; Hebrews 8:1; 7: 25; I John 2: 1;
6. The Personality and Ministry of the Holy Spirit.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, that He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, and that He regenerates the sinner by the Word of God, that He permanently indwells the Church, and the body of each believer, that He seals, enlightens, instructs, and guides every born-again person, and that He is efficient power of Godly living, Christian service, and spiritual worship. (John 16: 7-15; 3: 5-7; I Peter 1: 23; Eph. 4: 30; John 14, 16, 17, 26).
7. The Nature of the Church.
We believe that the church of Jesus Christ was begun at Pentcoast when the Holy Spirit descended from Heaven an came into the Church which is composed solely of born-again believers who have been called out from among Jews and Gentiles to become the Body and Bride of our Lord. Christ glorified in Heaven is its head who ever seeks to bring about within its ranks conformity and obedience to the Word of God and the Will of God. The one body unites believers to each other, and all to Christ; and its chief purpose of existence is to evangelize the world and to complete itself through the winning of lost souls to Christ. (Acts 2: Acts 15: 14; 1:8; Eph. 5:23, 24; I Cor. 12: 12-13; Mark 16: 15; Romans 1 :16).
8. Ordinances.
We believe that two ordinances are significant above any other Christians are commanded to observe, namely; Water Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Wholly recognizing that water baptism has no saving merit, it is our conviction that after one is saved, Baptism is the next step in order to portray to the world the believer's union with Christ and His death, Burial, and Resurrection. It is our conviction that the scriptural method of Baptism is by immersion. We believe that Jesus Christ instituted the Lord's Supper to commemorate His death till He comes. We further believe that Baptism need be observed but once and is a sign of identification, and a testimony to newness of life; but the Lord's Supper is commemorative and is to be observed often as memorial of the broken body and shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Roman 6: 4; Col. 2:9 - 13; I Cor. 23-33).
9. Our Lord's Second Advent.
The pre-tribulation and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which is known as the rapture of the Church. We believe in the personal, visible and glorious return of Christ to the earth with His saints at the end of the Great Tribulation. This phase of His coming is known as the revelation of Jesus Christ. When He returns to the earth with His saints, we believe that He will establish His millennial Kingdom and will reign for One Thousand Years. (Titus 2: 12; I Thess. 4: 13-17; John 14: 3; Rev. 19: 11 - 21; 20: 1 - 6; Thess. 2).
10. Israel's place in God's Program
We believe that Israel, now blind and scattered shall be redeemed and re-gathered to the promise land which is commonly known as Palestine, and under the personal and millennial reigning head of nations, and the Gentiles shall come to their light and kings to the brightness of their rising. (Romans 11: 25-29; Psalms 72; Isaiah 60: 3)
11. The Resurrection of the Dead
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just at the rapture (2 Thess 4: 16; I Cor. 15: 51-57) and of the unjust at the end of time. (Rev. 20:11-15; John 5: 28, 29).
12. The Eternal State of the Saved and Lost
We believe in the Bible account of Heaven and Hell. Heaven, the place of eternal conscious joy for all who receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Hell, the place of eternal conscious punishment for all who reject Jesus Christ. (John 14: 1-6; Psalms 15:11; Phil. 1:21-23; Psalms 9:17; John 8:24; Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:10-15)
13. The Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan is a personal being, a fallen angel, prince of demons, the god of this age, the great enticer and adversary of Christ and His people, the accuser of the brethren, who's end is the lake of fire. (Isaiah 14: 12-15; Ezekiel 28: 12-19; 2 Cor. 4: 3,4: I Peter 5: 8; Rev. 12: 9,10; Matt. 25 41; Rev. 20: 12).
14. Separation and Sanctification
We believe that the Scriptures clearly teach nonconformity to the world for every believer; that born-again people should be separated from the world into Christ; that it is clearly commanded of God to all believers to live lives of separation from all worldly practices and to be holy as He is holy. (I Peter 1:16). We believe that positional sanctification is to be progressive throughout the entire life span of the believer here on earth. God's provision for holy living is the believer's identification with Christ in His Death, Resurrection and Ascension; the indwelling person and power of the Holy Spirit and the believer's yieldness to Him; and by the powerful Word of God . (Col. 3: 1-4; 2 Cor. 6: 14-17; I Peter I: John 17: 17; Eph. 5: 25-27).