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BRIEF
DOCTRINAL STATEMENTS & BELIEFS
THE SACRED
SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Sacred Scriptures are a sufficient Guide for
all things necessary to Salvation (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
THE
HOLY TRINITY
We believe in the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost (1 John 5:7; Revelation 22:1; Matthew 3:16-17).
THE
FATHER
We believe in God the Father Almighty, the Author and Creator of
all things (Genesis 1:1; Ephesians 3:9).
THE
SON
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Only-Begotten Son of God, co-equal
in wisdom, power, and holiness with the Father, and that by His
Atonement for the sins of the world we may be saved from sin and
reconciled to God (John 1:1-3; Romans 5:10).
THE
HOLY GHOST
We believe in the personality of the Holy Ghost, and that He proceeds
from the Father and the Son (Revelation 22:1), and that He co-equal
in power with the Father and the Son, and as executive of the Holy
Trinity, reveals and offers God’s Plan of Salvation to this
present age (Genesis 1:2; John 6:63; 16:13)
THE
DEPRAVITY OF MAN
We believe that man is by nature a sinner, born in sin, and that
he needs to be born anew, sanctified and washed from all his sins
by the blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:12; 1 John 1:9).
JUSTIFICATION
AND REGENERATION
We believe that man is justified by Grace (Romans 3:24) after confessing
and turning from his sins and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ
(1 John 1:9; Romans 10:9). As a son of God by having thus received
Christ, he can and ought to accept his inheritance with those who
are sanctified (John 1:12; 1 John 3:3-9; Acts 26:18).
ENTIRE
SANCTIFICATION
We believe that the Will of God is for our Entire Sanctification
(1 Thessalonians 5:23; 4:3), and that by faith, and the working
of the Holy Ghost, we may be set free from the man (or body) of
sin (Romans 6:6-7) and sanctified by the death of Jesus Christ (Hebrews
10:14-20).
THE
BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY GHOST
We believe that the Baptism with the Holy Ghost is a religious experience
needed by the believer, subsequent to the Regeneration (Acts 1:1-8;
2:1-4; 19:1-6), in which the recipient is prepared, both within
and without, by the fullness of the Holy Ghost, to do the work of
God (Acts 1:8). This Baptism with the Spirit is the gift of God
(Acts 2:38) and, when received as on the Day of Pentecost, is accompanied
with the initial evidence of Speaking in Other Tongues (Acts 2:4;
10:44-46; 19:6).
DIVINE
HEALING
We believe in Divine Healing for the body, by faith in God, and
through the Atonement of Christ (Psalms 103:3; Matthew 4:23; Hebrews
13:8).
THE
SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
We believe in the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
(John 14:3), and that He shall reign with power and glory (1 Corinthians
15:24-25) and, that in the Rapture of the Church, we shall be united
with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
THE
FINAL JUDGMENT
We believe that man’s next responsibility after death is to
stand before God in Final Judgment (Hebrews 9:27), and that there
he must give account of all his deeds (Romans 14:10-12; 2:5-16).
HEAVEN
AND HELL
We believe that both Heaven and Hell are definite places (John 14:3;
Psalms 9:17) and that all men in the Day of Judgment shall be separated
and assigned to one or the other (Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46). We
further believe in the literal character of heaven’s reward
and hell’s fire (Revelation 21: 1-4, 8; Matthew 13:38-42;
25:41).
BAPTISM
IN WATER
We believe in administering Baptism in Water as an ordinance (Galatians
3:27) according to the instructions of Christ in Matthew 28:19.
THE
LORD’S SUPPER
We believe in celebrating the Lord’s Supper as an ordinance,
in memory of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, according to His instructions in Luke 22:19-20.
THE
WASHING OF FEET
We believe in practicing the Washing of Feet as an ordinance, according
to the instructions of Christ in John 13:14-15.
THE
CHRISTIAN SABBATH
We believe that the First Day of the week is to be observed as the
Christian Sabbath— as a Day of Rest and Worship for Christians
(Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2).
HOLY
MATRIMONY
We believe that Matrimony is an institution ordained by God for
mankind, and that (apart from certain exceptions) it is binding
until death (Hebrews 13:4; Romans 7:2).
DIVORCE
We believe that the only legal cause for divorce is fornication
or adultery. Christ stated in Matthew 19:9, “And I say unto
you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication,
and shall marry another, commiteth adultery; and whosoever marrieth
her which is put away, doth commit adultery.”
GOVERNMENTS
We believe that the powers of government are ordained of God for
the benefit of mankind, and that they are worthy of respect, obedience,
and honor (Romans 13:1-7).
SEPARATION
OF CHURCH AND STATE
We believe in the Separation of Church and State in order that each,
in its respective place of authority, may give due attention to
its particular emphasis. We note that in the New Testament Scriptures
the two forces are considered as being separate, and that Christians
are exhorted to subject themselves to both Church and State (Matthew
22:21; 1 Corinthians 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:13-14; Romans 13:1-7).
THE
CHURCH
We believe that the Church consists of those who are sanctified
in Christ Jesus, called saints (1 Corinthians 1:2), who by one Spirit
are baptized into one body (1 Corinthians 12:12). We believe that
this spiritual body of Christ has its present expression in the
fellowship of the saints in a church organization — for us,
the “Church of God in Christ” (1 Thessalonians 2:14;
2 Thessalonians 1:1; Galatians 1:22).
THE
CONSECRATED MINISTRY
We believe that the Ministry consists of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists,
Pastors, and Teachers (Ephesians 4:11; Titus 2:3-4), Bishops (1
Timothy 3:1), Elders (Titus 1:5), Deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-10), and
Deaconesses (Romans 16:1). We recognize also that believers have
a part in the ministry, as witnesses unto others of the Grace and
Power of God (Acts 1:8).
THE
SUPPORT OF THE MINISTRY
We believe that the ministries of the Lord as carried on the local
church should be supported by the members with tithes and offerings.
From this fund, the temporal support of the pastor is provided (Genesis
14:18-20, 28:20-22; Malachi 3:1-12).
CHURCH
MEMBERSHIP
We believe that the Church is one, as the body is one, having many
members (1 Corinthians 12:12) and that the Lord adds daily to the
Church such as should be saved (Acts 2:47), and that such members
maintain all their rights and privileges in the Church until such
time as they may be proved unworthy by legal process within the
Church.
THE
ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
We believe
that in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be
established (2 Corinthians 13:1), and that the Administration of
Justice in the Church is, first of all, in the hands of the ministry
(Matthew 18:18; 2 Corinthians 13:1-10) who shall mercifully follow
the instructions of the Scriptures as found in Galatians 6:1 and
Matthew 18:15-17.
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