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1. We believe that love one for another as Jesus
loves the believer manifests our discipleship,
proves our love for God and symbolizes our
authority as New Testament churches. Love is
therefore the great commandment of the LORD Jesus
Christ upon which all others are dependent
( Matt. 22:35-40;
John 13:34, 35;
John 15:12;
1 John 4:7-21;
1 John 5:1-3;
Rev. 2:4, 5).
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2. We believe in the infallible, verbal inspiration
of the whole Bible and that the Bible is the
all-sufficient rule of faith and practice
(Psalm 119:160;
2 Tim. 3:16, 17).
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3. We believe in the personal triune God: Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in divine perfection
(Matt. 28:19).
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4. We believe in the Genesis account of Creation
(Gen. 1; 2).
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5. We believe that Satan is a fallen angel,
the archenemy of God and man, the unholy god of
this world, and that his destiny is the eternal
lake of fire (
Isa. 14:12-15;
Ezek. 28:11-19;
Matt. 25:41;
2 Cor. 4:4;
Eph. 6:10-17;
Rev. 20:10).
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6. We believe in the virgin birth and sinless
humanity of Jesus Christ (
Matt. 1:18-20;
2 Cor. 5:21;
1 Peter 2:22).
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7. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ
(John 10:30;
John 1:1, 14;
2 Cor. 5:19).
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8. We believe the Holy Spirit is the divine
Administrator for Jesus Christ in His churches
(Luke 24:49;
John 14:16, 17;
Acts 1:4, 5, 8;
Acts 2:1-4).
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9. We believe that miraculous spiritual
manifestation gifts were done away when the Bible
was completed. Faith, Hope and Love are the vital
abiding Spiritual Gifts (
1 Cor. chapters 12-14).
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10. We believe that Man was created in the image
of God and lived in innocency until he fell by
voluntary transgression from his sinless state,
the result being that all mankind are sinners
(Gen. 1:26;
Gen. 3:6-24;
Rom. 5:12, 19).
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11. We believe that the suffering and death of
Jesus Christ was substitutionary for all mankind
and is efficacious only to those who believe
(Isa. 53:6;
Heb. 2:9;
1 Peter 2:24;
1 Peter 3:18;
2 Peter 3:9;
1 John 2:2).
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12. We believe in the bodily resurrection and
ascension of Christ and the bodily resurrection of
His saints (
Matt. 28:1-7;
Acts 1:9-11;
1 Cor. 15:42-58;
1 Thess. 4:13-18).
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13. We believe in the premillennial, personal,
bodily return of Christ as the crowning event of
the Gentile age. This event will include the
resurrection of the righteous to eternal heaven,
and the Millennium will be followed by the
resurrection of the unrighteous unto eternal
punishment in the lake of fire and that the
righteous shall enter into the heaven age
(John 14:1-6;
1 Thess. 4:13-18;
2 Thess. 2:8;
Rev. 19;
Rev. 20:4-6;
Rev. 20:11-15;
Rev. 21:8).
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14. We believe that the depraved sinner is saved
wholly by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and
the requisites to regeneration are repentance
toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
(Luke 13:3-5;
John 3:16-18;
Acts 20:21;
Rom. 6:23;
Eph. 2:8, 9), and that the Holy Spirit convicts
sinners, regenerates, seals, secures, and indwells
every believer (
John 3:6;
John 16:8, 9;
Rom. 8:9-11;
1 Cor. 6:19, 20;
Eph. 4:30;
Titus 3:5).
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15. We believe that all who trust Jesus Christ for
salvation are eternally secure in Him and shall not
perish (John 3:36;
John 5:24;
John 10:27-30;
Rom. 8:35-39;
Heb. 10:39;
1 Peter 1:5).
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16. We believe that God deals with believers as
His children, that He chastises the disobedient,
and that He rewards the obedient (
Matt. 16:27;
Matt. 25:14-23;
John 1:12;
Heb. 12:5-11;
2 John 8;
Rev. 22:12).
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17. We believe that Jesus Christ established His
church during His ministry on earth and that it is
always a local, visible assembly of scripturally
baptized believers in covenant relationship to
carry out the Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and each church is an independent, self-governing
body, and no other ecclesiastical body may exercise
authority over it. We believe that Jesus Christ
gave the Great Commission to the New Testament
churches only, and that He promised the perpetuity
of His churches (
Matt. 4:18-22;
Matt. 16:18;
Matt. 28:19, 20;
Mark 1:14-20;
John 1:35-51;
Eph. 3:21).
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18. We believe that there are two pictorial
ordinances in the Lord's churches: Baptism and the
Lord's Supper. Scriptural baptism is the immersion
of penitent believers in water, administered by
the authority of a New Testament church in the
name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The
Lord's Supper is a memorial ordinance, restricted
to the members of the church observing the
ordinance (
Matt. 28:19, 20;
Acts 8:12, 38;
Rom. 6:4;
1 Cor. 5:11-13;
1 Cor. 11:1, 2,
17-20, 26).
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19. We believe that there are two divinely
appointed offices in a church, pastors and
deacons, to be filled by men whose qualifications
are set forth in Titus and
1 Timothy.
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20. We believe that all associations, fellowships,
and committees are, and properly should be,
servants of, and under control of the churches
(Matt. 20:25-28).
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21. We believe in freedom of worship without
interference from the government and affirm our
belief in civil obedience, unless the laws and
regulations of civil government run contrary to
the Holy Scriptures (
Rom. 13:1-7;
1 Peter 2:13-15)
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