Declaration of Faith

1. The Holy Scriptures

We believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of God; true, imputable, steadfast, unchangeable, as its author, the Lord Jehovah; that it was written by holy men of old as they were moved upon and inspired by the Holy Spirit; that it is a lighted lamp to guide the feet of a lost world from the depths of sin and sorrow to the heights of righteousness and glory; an unclouded mirror that reveals the face of a crucified Saviour; a plumb line to make straight the life of each individual and community; a sharp two-edged sword to convict of sin and evil doing; a strong cord of love and tenderness to draw the penitent to Christ Jesus; a balm of Gilead, inbreathed by the Holy Spirit, that can heal and quicken each drooping heart; the only true ground of Christian fellowship and unity; the loving call of an infinitely loving God; the solemn warning, the distant thunder of the storm of wrath and retribution that shall overtake the unheeding; a sign post that points to Heaven; a danger signal that warns from Hell; the divine, supreme and eternal tribunal by whose standard all men, nations, creed and motive shall be tried.

2. The Eternal Godhead

We believe that there is but one true and living God; maker of heaven and earth and all that is in them; the Alpha and Omega, Who ever was and is and shall be, time without end, Amen; that He is infinitely, holy, mighty, tender, loving and glorious; worthy of all possible love, honor, confidence and obedience, majesty, dominion and might, both now and forever; and that in the unity of the Godhead there are three, equal in every divine perfection, executing distinct but harmonious, offices in the great work of redemption:

The Father – Whose glory is so exceedingly bright that mortal man cannot look upon His face and live, but Whose heart was so filled with love and pity for His lost and sin benighted children that He freely gave His only begotten Son to redeem and reconcile them unto Himself.

The Son- coexistent and co-eternal with the Father; Who, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, took upon Himself the form of man, bore our sins, carried our sorrows and, by the shedding of His precious blood upon the cross of Calvary, purchased redemption for all that would believe upon Him; then, bursting the bands of death and hell, rose from the grave and ascended on high, leading captivity captive, that as the great Mediator twixt God and man, He stands at the right hand of the Father making intercession for those for whom He laid down His life.

The Holy Spirit – The third person of the Godhead; the spirit of the Father shed abroad; omnipotent; omnipresent; performing an inexpressible important mission upon the earth, convicting of sin, or righteousness and judgment; drawing sinners to the saviour; rebuking, pleading, searching, comforting, guiding, quickening, teaching, glorifying, baptizing and enduring with power from on high those who

3. The Fall of Man

We believe that man was created in the image of God, before Whom he walked in holiness and purity, but that by voluntary disobedience and transgression, fell from the Eden of purity and innocence to the depths of sin and iniquity; that in consequence of this, all mankind are sinners sold unto Satan, sinners not by constraint, but by choice; shapen in iniquity and utterly void by nature of that holiness required by the law of God; positively inclined to evil; guilty and without excuse, justly deserving the condemnation of a just and holy God.

4. The Plan of Redemption

We believe that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, the Just for the unjust; freely, and by divine appointment of the Father, taking the sinner’s place, bearing his sins, receiving his condemnation, dying his death, fully paying his penalty and signing with His life’s blood the pardon of everyone who should believe upon Him; that upon simple faith and acceptance of the atonement purchased on Mount Calvary, the vilest sinner may be cleansed of his iniquities and made whiter than the driven snow.

5. Salvation through Grace

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly through Grace; that we have no righteousness or goodness of our own wherewith to seek Divine favor and must come therefore, throwing ourselves upon the unfailing mercy and love of Him who bought us and washed us in His own blood, pleading the merits and the righteousness of Christ the Saviour, standing upon His word and accepting the free gift of His love and pardon.

6. Repentance and Acceptance

We believe that upon sincere repentance (godly sorrow for sin), and a wholehearted acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ, they who call upon Him may be justified by faith through His precious blood; that in place of condemnation they may have the most blessed peace, assurance and favor with God; that with open arms of mercy and pardon the Saviour waits to receive each penitent who will, in unfeigned contrition and supplication for mercy, open the door of his heart and accept Him as Lord and King.

7. The New Birth

We believe that the change which takes place in the heart and life at conversion is a very real one; that the sinner is then born again in such a glorious and transforming manner that old things are passed away and all things are become new, insomuch that the things once most desired are now abhorred, while the things once abhorred are now held most sacred and dear; that now having had imputed to him the righteousness of the Redeemer and having received of the Spirit of Christ new desires, aspirations, interest and perspective of life, time and eternity, fills the blood washed heart so that his desire is now to openly confess and serve the Master, seeking ever those things which are above.

8. Daily Christian Life

We believe that having been cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ and having received the witness of the Holy Spirit at conversion, it is the will of God that we be sanctified daily and become partakers of His holiness; growing constantly stronger in faith, power, prayer, love and service, first as babies desiring the sincere milk of the Word; than as dear children walking humbly, seeking diligently the hidden life where self decreases and Christ increases; then as strong men having on the whole armor of God, marching forth to new conquests in His name beneath His blood-stained banner, ever living a patient, sober, unselfish, godly life that will be a true reflection of Christ within.

9. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that water baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, according to the command of our Lord, is a blessed, outward sign of an inward work, a beautiful and solemn emblem reminding us that even as our Lord died upon the cross of Calvary, so we reckon ourselves now dead indeed unto sin and the old nature was nailed to the tree with Him; that even as He was taken down from the tree and buried, so we are buried with Him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life. We believe in the commemoration and observance of the Lord’s Supper by the sacred use of the broken bread, a precious type of the Bread of Life, even Jesus Christ, Whose body was broken for us; and by the juice of the vine, a blessed type which should ever remind the participant of the shed blood of the Saviour Who is the true Vine of which His children are the branches; that this ordinance is as a glorious rainbow that spans the gulf of years between Calvary and the coming of the Lord when, in the Father’s kingdom, He will partake anew with His children; that the serving and receiving of this blessed sacrament should be ever preceded by the most solemn heart searching, self-examination, forgiveness and love toward all amen, so that none partake unworthily and drink condemnation to his own soul.

10. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the incoming of the promised Comforter in mighty and glorious fullness to endue the believer with power from on high; to glorify and exalt the Lord Jesus; to give inspired utterance in witnessing of Him; to foster the spirit of prayer, holiness and sobriety; to equip the individual and the church for practical, efficient, joyous, Spirit-filled soul winning in the fields of life; that this being still the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, the believer may have every reason to expect His incoming to be after the same manner as that in which He came upon Jew and Gentile alike in Bible days and as recorded in the Word, that it may be truly said of us as of the house of Cornelius, “the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning.”

11. The Spirit-Filled Life

We believe that while the holy Spirit is as a rushing mighty wind and as tongues of living flame that can shake and set ablaze whole communities for God, He is also as a gentle dove, easily grieved and wounded by impiety, coldness, idle conversation, boasting, a judging or criticizing spirit, and by thoughts and actions dishonoring to the Lord Jesus; that it is therefore the will of God that we live and walk in the Spirit, moment by moment, under the presence of the King, being patient, loving, truthful, sincere, prayerful, not murmuring, instant in season, out of season, serving the Lord.

12. The Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit has the following gifts to bestow upon the believing church of the Lord Jesus Christ: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues and interpretation; that according to the degree of grace and faith possessed by the recipient, these gifts are divided to every man severally as the Holy Spirit will; that they are to be most earnestly desired and coveted in the order and proportion wherein they prove most edifying and beneficial to the church; that the fruit of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, should be put forth, cultivated and diligently guarded as the resultant adornment of the constant, eloquent, and irrefutable evidence of a Spirit-filled life.

13. Moderation

We believe that the moderation of the believer should be known of all men; that his experience and daily walk should never lead him into extremes, fanaticism’s, unseemly manifestations, backbiting and murmuring, but that his sober, thoughtful, balanced, mellow, forgiving and zealous Christian experience should be one of steadfast uprightness, equilibrium, humility, self sacrifice and Christ-likeness.

14. Divine Healing

We believe that Divine healing is the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to heal the sick and the afflicted in answer to believing prayer; that He Who is the same yesterday, today and forever has never changed, but is still an all-sufficient help in the time of trouble, able to meet the needs of and quicken into newness of life the body, as well as the soul and spirit, in answer to the faith of them who ever pray with submission to His divine and sovereign will.

15. The Second Coming of Christ

We believe that the second coming of Christ is personal and imminent; that He will descend from Heaven in the clouds of Glory with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God; that at this hour, which no man knoweth beforehand, the dead in Christ shall rise, then the redeemed that are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and that so shall they ever be with the Lord; that also seeing that a thousand years is as a day with the Lord, and that no man knoweth the hour of His appearance, which we believe to be near at hand, each day should be lived as though He were expected to appear at eventide, yet that in obedience to His explicit command, “Occupy till I come,” the work of spreading the Gospel, the sending forth of missionaries and the general duties for the building up of the church should be carried on as diligently and thoroughly as though neither ours nor the next generation should live in the flesh to see that glorious day.

16. Church Relationship

We believe that having accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Saviour and King, and having thus been born into the family and invisible body or Church of the Lord , it is the sacred duty of the believer, whenever it lies within his power, to identify himself with and labor most earnestly for the up building of God’s kingdom with the visible church of Christ upon earth; that such visible church is a congregation of believers who have associated themselves together in Christian fellowship and in the unity of the Spirit; observing the ordinances of Christ; worshipping Him in the beauty of holiness; speaking to each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; reading and proclaiming His Word; laboring for the salvation of souls; giving of their temporal means to carry on His work; edifying, encouraging and establishing one another in the most holy faith; and working harmoniously together as dear children who are many members, but one body, of which Christ is the head.

17. Civil Government

We believe that civil government is of Divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; and that governors and rulers should be prayed for, obeyed and upheld at all times, except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the ruler of the conscience of His people, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. yield to his tender ministration, preparing them for the great day of the Lords appearing.

18. Final Judgment

We believe that the dead, both small and great, shall be raised up and stand with the living before the judgment seat of God; that then a solemn and awful separation shall take place wherein the wicked shall be judged to everlasting punishment and the righteous to life eternal, and that his judgment will fix forever the final state of men, in heaven or in hell, on principles of righteousness set forth in His Holy Word.

19. Heaven

We believe that Heaven is the indescribably glorious habitation of the living God; that thither the Lord has gone to prepare a place for his children; that unto this foursquare city, whose builder and maker is God, the earnest believers who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and have overcome by the word of their testimony will be carried, and that the Lord Jesus Christ will present them to the Father without spot or wrinkle; that there, is unutterable joy, they will ever behold His wonderful face in an everlasting kingdom whereunto come no darkness nor night, neither sorrow, tears, pain, nor death, and wherein hosts of attending angels sweep their harps, sing the praises of our King, and, bowing down before the throne, cry “Holy, holy, holy.”

20. Hell

We believe that hell is a place of outer darkness and deepest sorrow, where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched; a place prepared for the devil and his angels where there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth; a place of grief and eternal regret on the part of those who have rejected the mercy, love and tenderness of the crucified Saviour, choosing death rather than life; and that there, into a lake that burns with fire and brimstone, shall be cast the unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, sorcerers, idolaters, all liars, and they who have rejected and spurned the love and sacrifice of the bleeding Redeemer, passing the cross to their doom in spite of every entreaty and warning of the Holy Spirit.

21. Evangelism

We believe that seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved and that the end of all things is at hand, the redeemed children of the Lord Jehovah should rise and shine forth as a light that cannot be hid, a city set upon a hill speeding forth the Gospel to the ends of the earth, girdling the globe with the message of salvation, declaring with burning zeal and earnestness the whole counsel of God; that when the Lord of Glory shall appear, they shall be found standing with their loins girded about with truth, their activities and ministry laden down with the wealth of jewels they have won and guarded for Him, the precious souls who , by their faithful testimony, they have been instrumental in leading from darkness into light; that soul winning is the one big business of the church upon earth; and that therefore every weight and hindrance which would tend to quench the flame or hamper the efficiency of worldwide evangelism should be cut off and cast away as unworthy of the church, detrimental to the most sacred cause of Christ and contrary to the great commission of our Lord.

22. Tithes and Offerings

We believe that the method ordained of God to sustain His ministry and the spread of the Gospel, after His command, is “tithing” and is generally accepted throughout, not only as God’s method to take care of the material and financial needs of His Church, but to raise the spiritual morale of His people to the extent that God must bless them. We are commanded in Malachi 3:10 “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Host, if I will not open the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” In the matter of “giving” and “free will offerings.” they are ordered of the Lord and practiced as part of God’s plan for the Church’s material needs and the spirituality of His people. We are admonished in Luke 6:38 “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”