THE SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Holy Bible:
(1) was written by human authors inspired by God.
(2) is truth without any error.
(3) therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to humanity, the true centre of Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions are to be tried.
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 communicate the Word of God, but is the very Word of God.
By "inspiration", we mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of God, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in such a definite way that their writings were supernaturally inspired and free from error, as no other writings have ever been or ever will be.
THE TRINITY
We believe:
A) About the God Head:
(1) that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth,
(2) that He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honour, confidence and love,
(3) that, in the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine attribute, and performing distinct but harmonious responsibilities in the work of redemption.
B) About Christ:
(1) that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner,
(2) that He was born of Mary, a virgin, as no other person has ever been born of woman,
(3) that He is both the Son of God and God the Son.
C) About the Holy Spirit:
(1) that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son, having the same nature,
(2) that He was active in the creation,
(3) that in His relation to the unbelieving world, He restrains the Evil One until God's purpose is fulfilled,
(4) that He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment,
(5) that He bears witness to the truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony,
(6) that He is the agent in the new birth,
(7) that He sanctifies and bestows to believers all the benefits of salvation.
THE DEVIL, OR SATAN
We believe:
(1) that Satan is a person who was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honours, but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of angels,
(2) that he is now the unholy god of this world.
We hold him to be:
(1) humanity's great tempter,
(2) the enemy of God,
(3) the accuser of the saints,
(4) the author of all false religions and the one who inspires all apostasy,
(5) the chief of all the powers of darkness,
(6) destined to final defeat at the hand of God's Son, and to eternal punishment in a place prepared for him and his angels.
THE CREATION
We believe in the Genesis account of creation, and
(1) that it is to be accepted literally, and not allegorically or figuratively,
(2) that man and woman were created directly in God's own image and after His own likeness,
(3) that humanity's creation was not by evolution or evolutionary changes of species or development through lengthy periods of time from lower to higher forms,
(4) that all animal and vegetable life came into being by special creation, and God's established law was that they should bring forth only "after their kind".
THE FALL OF HUMANITY
We believe:
(1) that the first humans were created in innocence under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression, fell from their sinless and blissful condition,
(2) that, because of this fall, all humans are now sinful and are sinners not by coercion but by choice and, therefore, are justly condemned with no defense or excuse,
(3) that humans in their natural condition are in a state of total depravity by which we mean their natural, utter incapacity to accept the things of the Spirit of God, apart from the Holy Spirit bringing them to life.
THE ATONEMENT FOR SIN
We believe:
(1) that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the mediatorial actions of the Son of God, Who, by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Himself our nature (yet was without sin), honoured the divine law by His personal obedience, and made a full and expiatory atonement for our sins by the shedding of His blood in death,
(2) that His atonement was not merely to give us an example by His death as a martyr, but that it was the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner's place, bearing the penalty of God's Holy Law, the Righteous One dying for the unrighteous ones, Christ the Lord bearing our sins in His own body on the cross,
(3) that, having risen from the dead He is now enthroned in heaven and brings together in His Person, tender care with divine perfection and is, therefore, qualified in every way to be a suitable, and all-sufficient Saviour and High Priest.
GRACE IN THE NEW CREATION
We believe:
(1) that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again,
(2) that the new birth brings about a new creation in Christ Jesus,
(3) that the new creation is brought about in a manner beyond our comprehension, not by culture, character, or the will of humanity, but wholly and solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to bring about our voluntary obedience to the gospel,
(4) that salvation is instantaneous and not a process,
(5) that, in the new birth, the one dead in transgressions and sins is made to be a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life as the gift of God,
(6) that believers are kept by the power of God through faith unto eternal salvation and shall never perish,
(7) that salvation shows itself in the holy evidences of repentance and faith, newness of life, and the fruit of the Spirit.
FORGIVENESS AND JUSTIFICATION
We believe:
(1) that the great gospel blessing which Christ secures for all who believe in Him is justification,
(2) that justification includes the pardon of sin and the gift of eternal life based on Christ's righteousness,
(3) that justification is given not because of any works of righteousness which we have done, but is the imputation of the righteousness of Christ on the basis of His perfect life and expiatory death.
THE CHURCH
We believe:
(1) that a church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers associated by a covenant of faith and fellowship in the gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges given to them in His Word,
(2) that its officers are pastors (or elders or bishops) and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures,
(3) that the true mission of the church is found in our Lord's commission: first, to preach and to disciple all nations; second, to baptize; third, to teach and instruct as He has commanded and in so doing to build up the church.
We hold:
(1) that a 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 Head is Jesus Christ,
(2) that it is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in the advancement of the gospel and in standing true to the faith, and that every church is the sole and only judge of the extent and method of its cooperation. Therefore, on all matters of membership, polity, government, discipline, or benevolence, the decision of the local church is final.
THE ORDINANCES
Baptism:
We believe that Christian baptism is:
(1) the immersion in water of a believer,
(2) in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
(3) to show publicly our union with the crucified, buried, and risen Christ, as well as our death to sin and our resurrection to a new life. We require baptism as a condition of church membership.
Communion:
We believe Communion:
(1) is the celebration of the sacrificial death of Christ, symbolized by the bread and the cup,
(2) was instituted by our Lord,
(3) is the privilege of all believers,
(4) should be preceded by appropriate self-examination (1 Corinthians 11:28-29).
OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED
We believe:
(1) that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked
(2) that only those who are justified through faith in the name of the Lord Jesus, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God are truly righteous in His sight,
(3) that all who are unrepentant and continue in unbelief are wicked in His sight, and under the curse,
(4) that this distinction holds for humanity, both in and after death, in the everlasting joy of the saved and everlasting suffering of the lost.
THE RESURRECTION, RETURN OF CHRIST, AND RELATED EVENTS
We believe:
(1) in the literal, bodily resurrection of Christ,
(2) that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures
(3) that, after showing Himself to His disciples for forty days, He ascended to His Father's right hand, where, as our Great High Priest, He lives forever to intercede for His own people.
We believe that, according to His promise:
(1) He will come again not to pay for sin but to bring salvation,
(2) that this coming is imminent and will be personal, visible and glorious, as it is written in Titus 2:13,14: "While we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good".
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