ARTICLES OF FAITH

1.  THE BIBLE.  The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and are our infallible rule of faith and practice.

2.  GOD.  There is one living and true God, revealed in nature as the Creator, Preserver, and Righteous Governor of the universe; and in the Scriptures as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; yet as one God, infinitely wise and good, whom all intelligent creatures are supremely to love, adore, and obey.

3.  CHRIST.  Christ is God manifest in the flesh; in His divine nature truly God, in His human nature truly man.  The mediator between God and man, once crucified, He is now risen and glorified, and is our ever present Saviour and Lord.

4.  THE HOLY SPIRIT.  The Scriptures assign to the Holy Spirit all the attributes of God.

5.  THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD.  God exercises a wise and benevolent providence over all beings and all things by maintaining the constitution and laws of nature.  He also performs special acts, not otherwise provided for, as the highest welfare of men requires.

6.  THE SINFULNESS OF MAN.  Man was created innocent, but by disobedience fell into a state of sin and condemnation. His posterity, therefore, inherits a fallen nature of such tendencies that all who come to years of accountability, sin and become guilty before God.

7.  THE WORK OF CHRIST.  The Son of God by His incarnation, life, sufferings, death, and resurrection effected for all a redemption from sin that is full and free, and is the ground of salvation by faith.

8.  THE TERMS OF SALVATION.  The conditions of salvation are:

a.         Repentance or sincere sorrow for sin and hearty renunciation of it.

b.         Faith or the unreserved committal of one’s self to Christ as Saviour and Lord with purpose to love and obey Him in all things.  In the exercise of saving faith, the soul is renewed by the Holy Spirit, freed from the dominion of sin, and becomes a child of God.

c.         Continuance in faith and obedience unto death.

9.  ELECTION.  God determined from the beginning to save all who should comply with the conditions of salvation.  Hence by faith in Christ men become His elect.

10.  FREEDOM OF THE WILL.  The human will is free and self-controlled, having power to yield to the influence of the truth and the Spirit, or to resist them and perish.

11.  SALVATION FREE.  God desires the salvation of all, the Gospel invites all, the Holy Spirit strives with all, and whosoever will may come and take of the water of life freely.

12.  PERSEVERANCE.  All believers in Christ, who through grace persevere in holiness to the end of life, have promise of eternal salvation.

13.  GOSPEL ORDINANCES.  BAPTISM, or the immersion of believers in water, and the LORD’S SUPPER, are ordinances to be perpetuated under the Gospel.  FEET WASHING, an ordinance teaching humility, is of universal obligation, and is to be ministered to all true believers.

14.  TITHING.  God commanded tithes and offerings in the Old Testament; Jesus Christ endorsed it in the Gospel (Matt 23:23), and the apostle Paul said, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him.”       (I Cor 16:2a)

15.  THE LORD’S DAY.  For Spiritual renewal one day in seven should be set apart for rest, worship, holy works, and activities, and for personal communion with God.

16.  RESURRECTION, JUDGMENT, AND FINAL RETRIBUTION.  The Scriptures teach the resurrection of all men at the last day.  They that have done good will come forth to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation; then the wicked will “go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

17.  THE WORKING OF THE SPIRIT.  On the Day of Pentecost believers spoke in distinct foreign languages which were readily understood by the nationalities present.1  Tongues were given as a special gift to the early church as only one sign which confirms the witness of the Gospel to unbelievers.2  While tongues were bestowed by the sovereign will of God on some believers, all did not speak with tongues.When this gift was abused, it became a source of disturbance in the congregational meetings.  To eliminate confusion and correct the error, Paul set particular guidelines for the Christian church to follow.  The gift of tongues was neither an evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, nor does it bring about sanctification.We believe that speaking in tongues as a visible sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an erroneous doctrine to be rejected.  Any implication of a “second work of grace” will not be tolerated nor permitted in our church.  We believe that speaking in tongues, prophesy, and direct knowledge ceased with the completion of the scripture.We teach and preach the fullness of the Holy Spirit and heed the scriptural admonition, “Be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.7

18.  APOSTLES AND PROPHETS.  The officers of apostles and prophets ceased to exist with the completion of Scripture.  Therefore the signs, wonders, and miracles that accompanied those offices, to confirm the Word of God, also ceased.8

 

1Acts 2:5, 8, & 11

2I Cor. 14:1-40, Heb. 2:4

3I Cor. 12:10 & 30

4I Cor. 14:18, 19, 23 & 33

5I Cor. 12:13

6I Cor. 13:8-13

7Eph. 5:18b-20

8Mark 16:20 and II Cor. 12:12