About the Scriptures -
We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men supernaturally inspired; that
it has truth without any admixture 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 supreme
standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried.
A. By "The Holy Bible" we mean that collection of sixty-six books, from Genesis
to Revelation, which, as originally written, does not only contain and convey
the Word of God but is the very Word of God.
B. By "Inspiration" we mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men
of old, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in such a definite way that their
writings were supernaturally and verbally inspired and free from error, as no
other writings have ever been or ever will be inspired.
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About the True 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, confidence
and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost, equal in every divine perfection, and executing
distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
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About the Holy Spirit -
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person; equal with God the Father
and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that
in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the Evil One until God's
purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment;
that He bears witness to the truth.
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About the Devil or Satan -
We believe that Satan was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors; but, through
pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of
angels; and that he is now the malignant prince of the power of the air, and the
unholy god of this world. We hold him to be man's great tempter, the enemy of
God and His Christ, the accuser of the saints, the author of all false
religions, the chief power back of the present apostasy, the lord of the
antichrist, and the author of all the powers of darkness-destined, however, to
final defeat at the hands of God's own Son, and to the judgment of an eternal
justice in hell, a place prepared for him and his angels.
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About the Creation -
We believe in the Genesis account of creation, and that it is to be accepted
literally, and not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly
in God's own image and after His own likeness; that man's creation was not a
matter of evolution or evolutionary change of species; or development through
interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms; that all animal and
vegetable life was made directly; and God's established law was that they should
bring forth only "after their kind."
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About the Fall of Man -
We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his maker, but by
voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy state, in consequence of
which all men are now sinners, not by constraint, but of choice, and therefore
under just condemnation without defense or excuse.
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About the Virgin Birth -
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous
manner, born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can ever be
born of a woman, and that he is the Son of God, and God, the Son.
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About Atonement for Sin -
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the
mediatorial office of the Son of God, who by appointment of the Father, freely
took upon Himself 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 tenderest sympathies with divine perfection.
He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an
all-sufficient Savior.
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About the Grace in the New Creation -
We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again, that the new
birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a
process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a
partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God;
that the new creation is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, not
by culture, not by character, nor by the will of man, but wholly and solely by
the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure
our voluntary obedience to the Gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the
holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life.
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About the Freeness of Salvation -
We believe in God's electing grace; that the blessings of salvation are made
free to all 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.
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About Justification -
We believe that the great Gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as
believe in Him is justification; that justification includes the pardon About 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.
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About 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.
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About the Church -
We believe that a Baptist church is a congregation of baptized believers
associated by a covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; said church
being understood to be the citadel and propagator of the Divine and Eternal
Grace; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising the
gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its officers of
ordination are pastors or elders, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are
clearly defined in the Scriptures. We believe the true mission of the church is
found in the Great Commission: first, to make the individual disciples; second,
to build up the church; third, to teach and instruct as He commanded. We do not
believe in reversal of this order. We hold that the local church has the
absolute right of self-government, free from 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; that every church is the sole and only judge of the measure and method
of its cooperation; on all matters of membership, policy, of government, of
discipline, of benevolence, the will of the local church is final.
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About 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 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 relation and the Lord's Supper; in which the members of the church by the
sacred use of bread and the fruit of the vine are to commemorate together the
dying love of Christ; preceded always by solemn self-examination.
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About the Perseverance of the Saints -
We believe 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.
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About the Righteous and the Wicked -
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the
righteous and the wicked; that such only 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.
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About Civil Government -
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and
good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for and
conscientiously honored and obeyed except only in things opposed to the will of
the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming
Prince of the kings of the earth.
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About the Resurrection and Return of Christ and Related Events -
We believe in and accept the sacred Scriptures upon these subjects at their face
and full value. Of the resurrection, we believe that Christ arose bodily "the
third day according to the Scriptures;" 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 visibly; that the "dead in Christ
shall rise first;" that the living saints "shall be changed in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump;" "that the Lord God shall give unto Him
the throne of His Father David;" and that "Christ shall reign a thousand years
in righteousness until he hath put all enemies under His feet."
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About Missions -
We believe the command to give the Gospel to the world is clear and
unmistakable, and this commission was given to the churches.
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About the Grace of Giving -
We believe scriptural giving is the duty and privilege of every believer. We are
taught to bring out tithes and offerings into God's storehouse (common treasury)
upon the first day of the week and that the tithes and offerings are for the
purpose of supporting the ministers and ministries of God's work. In the New
Testament, the storehouse was the common treasury of the local church.
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