| |
The
Bible
 The
sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed
of the sixty-six books of the Old and New
Testaments. We believe that Scripture in its
entirety originated with God, and that it
was given through the instrumentality of chosen
men. Scripture thus at one and the same time
speaks with the authority of God and reflects
the backgrounds, styles and vocabularies of
the human clause. We hold that the Scriptures
are the unique, full and final authority on
all matters on which they speak, and that
there are no other writings similarly inspired
by God.
God
 We
believe that there is one true God, eternally
existing in three persons -- Father, Son and
Holy Spirit - each of Whom possess equally
all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics
of personality. In the beginning God created
out of nothing, the world and all the things
therein; thus manifesting the glory of His
power, wisdom and goodness. By this sovereign
power He continues to sustain His creation,
and by His providence He orders the affairs
of men and nations according to His own wise,
eternal plan.
Salvation
 The
central purpose of God's revelation in Scripture
is to call men into fellowship with Himself.
Originally created to have fellowship with
God, man chose to go his own independent way,
and was thus alienated from God and suffered
the corruption of his nature, rendering him
unable to please God. The fall took place
at the beginning of human history, and all
men since have suffered these consequences
and are thus in need of the saving grace of
God. The salvation of men is, then, wholly
a work of God's free grace, not the result,
in whole or in part, of human works or goodness,
and is appropriated by faith alone. When God
has begun a saving work in the heart of any
man He gives assurance in His Word that He
will go on performing it until the day of
its full consummation.
Jesus Christ
 The
saving object of faith is Jesus Christ, the
eternal second Person of the Trinity Who was
united forever with a true human nature by
a miraculous conception and virgin birth.
He lived a life of perfect obedience to the
Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins
of men by dying on the cross as their substitute,
thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing
salvation for all who trust in Him alone.
He rose from the dead in the same body, though
glorified, in which He lived and died. He
ascended bodily into heaven, and sat down
at the right hand of the Father, where He,
the only Mediator between God and man, continually
makes intercession for His own. He shall come
again to earth, personally and visibly, to
consummate history and the eternal plan of
God. He has instituted two ordinances -- baptism
and the Lord's Supper - to bear witness through
visible symbols to His saving work.
The Christian
Life
 The
essential accompaniment of a genuine saving
relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of
holiness and obedience, wrought in the believer
by the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the
Godhead. He was sent into the world by the
Father and the Son to apply to men the saving
work of Christ. He enlightens the minds of
sinners; awakens in them a recognition of
their need of a Savior, regenerates them,
and at the point of salvation permanently
indwells every believer to become the source
of assurance, strength, wisdom, and guidance.
His power and control are appropriated by
faith, enabling the believer to live a life
of Christ-like character and to bear fruit
to the glory of the Father.
Human Destiny
 The
consummation of God's saving work embraces
the whole man -- body, soul and spirit. For
all men there is a life to come, a resurrection
of the body, and a future judgment. At physical
death, the believer enters immediately into
eternal conscious fellowship with the Lord;
and the non-believers into eternal conscious
separation from the Lord; bodies of all the
dead shall be raised - some to a resurrection
of glory, some to a resurrection of condemnation.
There are two aspects of the righteous judgment
of God: the judgment of believers reveals
the quality of works done in the body for
the purpose of bestowing rewards, there being
no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus; the judgment of unbelievers reveals
the depth of sin and the justice of God in
allowing men to perpetuate in eternity their
rejection of God.
The Church
 The
corollary of union with Jesus Christ is that
all believers become members one of another.
There is one true Universal Church, which
is composed of all people everywhere, living
and dead, who have trusted in Christ alone
for salvation, without regard to organizational
affiliation. God commands us to assemble together
for the purposes of worship, edification,
and mutual encouragement, and wherever God's
people meet in obedience to this command there
is a local expression of the Church. It is
the responsibility of each member to keep
the unity of the Spirit for the upbuilding
of the Body, and to work with other members
of the fellowship to show Christian concern
for the needs of people everywhere, and to
fulfill our Lord's final command to His Church
-- to spread the Good News of redemption throughout
the World.
|
|
|
 |
