THE HOLY BIBLE We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men supernaturally inspired; that it has truth without any mixture of error for its matter; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man; the true center of Christian union, and the superior standard by which all human creeds, conducts, and opinions should be tried. 

 

GOD

We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God; an infinite, intelligent Spirit; the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor and confidence and love; that He is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and omnificent, and exercises these qualities with righteousness, justice, and love; that in the unity of the godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, possessing the same nature, essence and being, coexistent and coequal, each one equally divine, executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. God the Father is the first person of the Godhead. He is Almighty, merciful, and just; holy, righteous and true. In His divine office, He preserves the integrity of the holiness and justness of the Godhead. God the Son is the second person of the Godhead. He is God manifested in the flesh, born of a virgin, and known as Jesus the Christ, Savior of the World. He is worthy of all honor and worship as God the sacrificed Lamb for our sins and as befitting of His divine office.The Holy Spirit is the third person of the godhead equally divine with the Father and the Son. He is the Comforter in place of Christ, the administrator of Jesus Christ’s church on earth, our intercessor for prayer, and the reprover of sin, righteousness, and judgment in the world.

 

JESUS CHRIST

We believe that Jesus Christ is God indeed manifest in the flesh, the Son of God, and the Son of Man born of a virgin overshadowed and conceived by the Holy Ghost. That He was sent by the Father to die for our sins on the cross to be our faithful and High Priest, to be the Savior of the whole world, to be the Redeemer of sins. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

 

SATAN

We believe that Satan, also known as the Devil, through pride fell and drew after him a host of angels; that he is now the malignant prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:4), and the unholy ruler of this age. We hold him to be man’s tempter, the enemy of God and Christ. He is the accuser of the saints, the author of all false religions, the chief authority and instigator of all the powers of darkness—destined, however, to final defeat at the hands of God’s Son, and to the judgment for him and his angels.

 

CREATION

We believe in the literal, six day Genesis account of Creation; that man was created in God’s image and after His own likeness; that heaven and earth, life, and all unique kinds of organisms were created by divine will; that all living creatures were created and procreate after their own kind. We reject the notion that living creatures evolve into a new kinds of organisms as a result of accumulating changes over long periods of time.

 

MAN

We believe that Adam was created in innocence, but by voluntary transgression of God’s law, fell from his innocent and happy state.From Adam, all of humanity is born in sin and sharpen in iniquity-a depraved nature at birth, but all are sinners by choice.

 

SIN

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by the appointment of the Father freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin, honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that, having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in Heaven and uniting in His wonderful person the most tender of sympathies with divine perfection, He is every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate and an all-sufficient Savior.

 

GRACE IN THE NEW CREATION

THE FREENESS OF SALVATION

We believe in God’s electing grace; that the blessings of salvation are made free by the gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith; and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the gospel; which rejection involves him in an aggravated condemnation.

 

JUSTIFICATION

We believe that the great gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is Justification; that Justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life on principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done; but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood, His righteousness is imputed unto us.

 

REPENTANCE AND FAITH

We believe that repentance and faith are solemn obligations, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the quickening Spirit of God; thereby, being deeply convicted of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ and openly confessing Him as our only and all-sufficient Savior.

 

THE CHURCH

We believe that a church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers associated by a 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; that its officers of ordination are pastors (or elders) and deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures; we believe that the true mission of the church is found in the great commission: First, to make individual disciples; Second, to build the church; Third, to teach and instruct as He has commanded. We do not believe in the reversal of this order; 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; that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the gospel; sending and support of missionaries, schools and colleges, the care of the widows and orphans. We further believe that the True, New Testament Church is the Bride of Christ, and to the church was given the responsibility of these various activities.

 

THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS

We believe in the security of the believer, and that such only are real believers as endure unto the end; that their persevering attachment to Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them from superficial professors; that a special Providence watches over their welfare; and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto eternal salvation.

 

THE RESURRECTION AND RETURN OF CHRIST

We believe in the resurrection and return of Christ and related events, and accept the sacred Scriptures upon these subjects at their fact and full value. Of the resurrection, we believe that Christ rose bodily, “the third day according to the scriptures”; that He ascended, “to the right hand of the throne of God”; that He alone is our “merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God” “That this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven” – bodily, personally and visible; that the “dead in Christ shall rise first”; that the living saints “ shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump”; and that “Christ shall reign a thousand years in righteousness until He hath put all enemies under His feet.”

 

BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer; in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, with the authority of the local church, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relationship and to the Lord’s Supper; in which the members of the church, by the sacred use of bread and wine (the unleavened fruit of the vine, grape juice) are to commemorate together the dying love of Christ; preceded always by solemn self-examination.

 

EVANGELISM

We believe that the command to give the gospel to the world is clear and unmistakable and that this commission was given to the churches; that Jesus has commissioned His churches to go into all the world, to bring the gospel message to every person, to bring all who will into a local church, and to train them to observe all that He has commanded us; that God has empowered His churches to perform this work; that men cannot believe unto salvation unless they hear the gospel; that God instructs his churches to send out particular individuals to do particular works, and that He reveals His will in these matters to the local church body as a whole as well as to the person He is calling.

 

THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED

We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that such as through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God are truly righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under the curse, and this distinction holds among men both in and after death, in the everlasting felicity of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost.

 

CIVIL GOVERNMENT

We believe that the civil government is of divine appointment, for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed; except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming Prince of the Kings of the earth.