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STATEMENT
OF FAITH
- The
Bible is the inspired Word of God, the product of
holy men of old who spoke and wrote as they were
moved by the Holy Spirit. The New Covenant, as
recorded in the New Testament, we accept as our
infallible guide in matters pertaining to conduct
and doctrine (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Peter
1:21).
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- Our
God is one, but manifested in three Persons the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, being
coequal (Phil. 2:6). God the Father is greater
than all; the Sender of the Word (Logos) and the
Begetter (John 14:28; John 16:28; John 1:14). The
Son is the Word flesh-covered, the One Begotten,
and has existed with the Father from the beginning
(John 1:1; John 1:18; John 1:14). The Holy Spirit
proceeds forth from both the Father and the Son
and is eternal (John 15:26).
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- Man is
a created being, made in the likeness and image of
God, but through Adam's transgression and fall,
sin came into the world. "...all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God..."
"As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one." Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
was manifested to undo the work of the devil and
gave His life and shed His blood to redeem and
restore man back to God (Rom. 5:12; Rom. 3:23; 1
John 3:8). Salvation is the gift of God to man,
separate from works and the law, and is made
operative by grace through faith in Jesus Christ,
producing works acceptable to God (Eph. 2:8).
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- Man's
first step toward salvation is godly sorrow that
worketh repentance. The New Birth is necessary to
all men, and when experienced, produces eternal
life (2Cor. 7:10; John 3:3-5; 1 John 5:12).
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- Baptism
in water is by immersion, is a direct commandment
of our Lord, and is for believers only. The
ordinance is a symbol of the Christian's
identification with Christ in His death, burial,
and resurrection (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4; Col.
2:12; Acts 8:36-39). The following recommendation
regarding the water baptismal formula is adopted;
to wit: "On the confession of your faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and by His
authority, I baptize you in the Name of the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Amen."
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- The
Baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire is a gift from
God as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to all
believers in this dispensation and is received
subsequent to the New Birth. This experience is
accompanied by the initial evidence of speaking in
other tongues as the Holy Spirit Himself gives
utterance (Matt. 3:11; John 14:16,17; Acts 1:8;
Acts 2:38,39; Acts 19:1-7; Acts 2:4).
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- The
Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see
the Lord. We believe in the Doctrine of
Sanctification as a definite, yet progressive work
of grace, commencing at the time of regeneration
and continuing until the consummation of salvation
at Christ's return (Heb. 12:14; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2
Peter 3:18; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:12-14; 1 Cor.
1:30).
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- Healing
is for the physical ills of the human body and is
wrought by the power of God through the prayer of
faith, and by the laying on of hands. It is
provided for in the atonement of Christ, and is
the privilege of every member of the Church today
(James 5:14,15; Mark 16:18; Isa. 53:4,5; Matt.
8:17; 1 Peter 2:24).
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- The
angels said to Jesus' disciples, ". . .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." His coming is
imminent. When He comes, " . . . the dead in
Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. . .
." (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:16,17). Following
the Tribulation, He shall return to earth as King
of kings, and Lord of lords, and together with His
saints, who shall be kings and priests, He shall
reign a thousand years (Rev. 20:6).
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- The
one who physically dies in his sins without
accepting Christ is hopelessly and eternally lost
in the Lake of Fire and, therefore, has no further
opportunity of hearing the Gospel or repenting.
The Lake of Fire is literal. The terms
"eternal" and "everlasting,"
used in describing the duration of the punishment
of the damned in the Lake of Fire, carry the same
thought and meaning of endless existence as used
in denoting the duration of joy and ecstasy of
saints in the Presence of God (Heb. 9:27; Rev.
19:20).
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