| SCF Statement of Faith |
| We believe that the
truth of God's word is to be treasured and held in high
regard, for in the scriptures God has revealed to us who He
is and how He is to be worshiped. The scriptures tell
us who we are, they reveal to us the reality of our fallen
condition and they set forth so clearly our need for a
Savior. The scriptures contain the "words of life"
illuminating us to the truth of the Gospel, that God became
a man, the man Christ Jesus, He lived a sinless and perfect
life and then laid down His life for His friends. The
word of God promises that it contains all that we need for
life and godliness, so it is our endeavor to study,
understand and rightly apply the word of God. With
this being our goal, we have spend time to formulate a
fairly in depth statement of faith that we hope you will
find gives a clear answer to he question of what we believe
and what we teach. You can view this document below, or if you would like a PDF format document please click here. |
|
We believe that the Bible, consisting of the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, is God’s written revelation to man. We view these 66 books as being inerrant and infallible in their original manuscripts as penned by the original authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; John 16:12-15) We believe that every part of the Bible
is the inspired Word of God and that the inspiration of the
scripture extends to the exact words that are used in the
original. God
used men with their unique personalities, experiences and
styles of writing and yet operated in such a way that their
writing was without error and fully inspired to such a
degree that it is the exact and precise Word of God. (Matthew We believe that the Bible is God’s
complete revelation to man and constitutes the only
infallible rule of faith and practice. (Psalm
19:7-11; John 17:17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16) We believe that for all scripture there
is only one proper interpretation and extending from that
proper interpretation there may be multiple correct
applications derived.
Since the Bible is a written document, using human
language and set in a historical setting, the proper method
of arriving at the correct interpretation is to allow
scripture to interpret scripture using the literal,
historical, grammatical method of interpretation under the
enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:12-14) We believe that there is one true and
living God who exists eternally in three Persons referred to
as the Trinity; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy
Spirit. All
three Persons of the triune Godhead are co-eternal and
co-equal in power, nature and glory. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-7; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-3, 14; Acts
5:3-4; Romans 1:20; 1 Corinthians 8:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14;
Colossians 2:9) We believe in God the Father, the first
Person of the Trinity.
His fatherhood involves both His designation within
the Trinity and His relationship with mankind.
Creatively, He is the
Father of all mankind.
Spiritually, He is the Father to all who believe in
the atoning work of Jesus Christ. (John We believe that Jesus Christ is the
second Person of the Trinity and that He eternally exists as
the Son of God.
He is fully God, begotten, not created, being of one
substance with the Father. (Micah
5:2; John 1:1-3,14, 8:58, 10:30, 14:9; Hebrews 1:8;
Revelation 22:12-16) We believe in the incarnation of
Christ. Jesus
Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a
virgin. He being
God became Man, coming to earth in the flesh.
In the incarnation, Christ surrendered nothing of the
divine essence, either in degree or kind.
He took on all the characteristics of humanity, apart
from the sin nature, and so became the God-Man; fully human
and fully God. (Isaiah
7:14, 9:6; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1-3,14;
Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9)
Jesus Christ lived a life without sin, either in
thought or deed, perfectly accomplishing the will of His
Father. During
His earthly ministry, Jesus performed many miracles, signs
and wonders as recorded in scripture, confirming that He was
the promised Messiah. (Isaiah
53:9; Hebrews We believe that the atoning,
sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross was sufficient
to take away the sin of the whole world and through His work
He made open the way of salvation to all who would repent
and trust Him for salvation.
Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have
everlasting life.
Jesus Christ was buried in a tomb and on the third
day was literally and physically resurrected from the dead.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that His
sacrifice was an acceptable atonement for sin.
Jesus subsequently ascended to Heaven in His
resurrected glorified body and sat down at the right hand of
God the Father. (Leviticus
17:11; John 1:29; 1John 2:2; John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21;
1 Corinthians 15:3-7; Luke 24:39,51; Acts 17:31; We believe in the literal second coming
of Jesus Christ.
For a more detailed declaration of this position please
refer to the “End Times Events” section of this document. We believe in the lordship of Jesus
Christ over all things in heaven and on and under the earth.
He is the only Mediator between God and man. (Philippians
2:9-11; 1 Timothy 2:5) We believe in the Holy Sprit, the third
Person of the Trinity, possessing such personality
attributes as intellect, emotions and will.
Being God, one with the Father and the Son, the Holy
Spirit is eternal, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent
and possessing only truth. (1 Corinthians 2:10-13, We believe that the Spirit is in the
world to convict of sin, righteousness and judgment.
The Holy Spirit indwells and seals those who believe
in the finished work of Jesus Christ unto the day of
redemption, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ.
The Holy Spirit justifies, regenerates and sanctifies
the believer.
His sanctifying work transforms believers to be conformed to
the image of Jesus Christ.
The Spirit fills, enlightens, teaches and helps the
child of God.
The Holy Spirit guides the believer into all truth and
glorifies Christ.
He empowers the Christian for service to God.
The Holy Spirit yields the fruits of righteousness in
the believer’s life and bestows spiritual gifts as He wills
to further the purposes of God in the world, in the lives of
believers and in the church. (John
16:8-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13-14, We believe that the Holy Spirit guides
or leads the Christian to walk after the Spirit in three
ways. First, He
imparts newness of life to the believer, inclining the heart
toward God and holiness and infusing new habits into the
soul. Secondly,
He stirs our new life into action to pursue these new habits
and principles.
Thirdly, He directs our actions by enlightening our
understanding, guiding our inclinations and moving our wills
to do that which is pleasing to God.
While the Holy Spirit’s gentle sway over us and His
inward impulses or strivings brought to bear within us are
real, this can also be used by some as an excuse for actions
which ultimately dishonor God.
Such people will claim that they are prompted by the
Spirit so to act when, in fact, they are influenced by their
own restless spirit or an evil spirit.
However, the Holy Spirit never prompts anyone to act
contrary to the Scriptures.
The Word is the sure criterion for that which is from
Him and that which is not. (John
16:13, 14:16-18; Romans 8:4,13-14; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Romans
6:4, 7:6; Philippians 2:13; Isaiah 48:17; Psalm 25:4-9,
119:35-36,133; 2Corinthians 11:4; Ephesians 2:2; Romans
8:5-8) We believe that the Holy Spirit had
sovereign activity in the Creation, the incarnation of
Christ and the inspiration of scripture.
The Spirit is also essential to the work of
salvation. (Genesis
1:2; Matthew We believe in a literal interpretation
of the Bible in regards to the Creator, the Creation and the
worldwide Flood in the days of Noah.
It was given to God the Son to create all things.
Man and the whole of creation were created in six (6)
consecutive 24 hour type days on the order of 6000 years ago
according to biblical chronologies, not millions of years.
We find no basis for the ‘gap theory’, ‘progressive creation
theory’ or the evolution of ‘kinds’ in scripture.
Man was created in God’s image and likeness.
The various original life-forms (kinds) were all
created by God during Creation week.
We believe that God’s design of the original created
kinds provided sufficient genetic potential to account for
all of the diversity found in the fossil record and the
various species of living things on earth today. (John
1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:1-2; Genesis 1-11;
James 3:9) As with all of God’s Creation, the
first man (Adam) and woman (Eve) were created ‘very good’;
and at the end of Creation week there was no sin, decay or
death in God’s very good Creation. (Genesis
1:31) Although the Bible does not
specifically say when the angels were created, we believe
the evidence in scripture indicates their creation at a
point in time during the first three days of Creation Week;
between God stretching out the heavens and His laying the
foundations of the earth.
An earlier creation of angels lacks scriptural
support. (Colossians 1:16; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 104:2-5, 148:2-5; Genesis 2:1; Job
38:4-7; Hebrews 1:14) As created beings, angels are not to be
worshipped.
Rather, angels serve God and worship Him. (Job
38:4-7; Revelation 19:10; Luke 2:9-14; Hebrews 1:6,14;
Revelation 5:11-13) Lucifer is a created angel who was
still perfect in all his ways when he first visited the
Garden of Eden.
However, he subsequently became the author of sin and
incurred God’s judgment by rebelling against his Creator,
taking numerous rebellious angels with him and by
introducing sin to the human race when he came in the form
of a serpent to the Garden.
He is the enemy of God and man and he is a
counterfeiter.
Lucifer is also known as Satan, the devil, the prince of the
power of the air, the ruler of this world and the god of
this age. Satan
has been defeated through the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ and currently exerts power only to the extent
allowed by God.
Satan will soon have no further access to heaven to accuse
the brethren and at the end of the millennial reign of
Christ on earth Satan and his angels will be cast into the
lake of fire to be tormented day and night for eternity. (Genesis
1:31-2:1; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-15; Revelation
12:3-4; Genesis 3:1-15; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Corinthians
11:14; Ephesians 2:2; John 16:11; 2 Corinthians 4:4;
Colossians 2:13-15; Job 1:12, 2:6; Luke 22:31; Revelation
12:7-12, 20:10; Matthew 25:41)
The Fall of Man and the Nature of Man We believe that death (both physical
and spiritual), corruption and bloodshed entered into this
world subsequent to and as a direct consequence of Adam’s
sin. All people
are sinners, inherently from Adam and individually by
willful choice and are therefore subject to God’s judgment,
condemnation and wrath.
Sin has damaged man’s likeness to God, but not
destroyed it.
The lost are separated from God by their sinful condition.
Though they know of God through His Creation, they
suppress this truth in unrighteousness.
Their fallen condition leaves them unable to please
God and unable to come to God by their own self-effort.
Apart from God’s grace in drawing the fallen soul
back into fellowship with Himself through the redemptive
work of His Son, fallen man would remain dead in trespasses
and sin. (Genesis
2:17, 3:1-19; Romans 5:12; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10-18,23;
Ephesians 4:17-19; 1 John 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:1; Genesis 9:6;
Matthew 9:12, 18:11; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 1:18-21, 8:7-8;
Isaiah 64:6; 1 Corinthians 2:14; John 6:44,65; Ephesians
2:1-3) We believe that salvation is a gift of
God received by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Saving
faith is expressed in the individual’s repentance from sin,
recognition of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ
as the only payment for sin, and trusting only in Jesus
Christ as Lord, Savior and God. (John 3:16; Romans 5:15-19,
6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Peter 1:9; God graciously justifies those who
place their trust in Christ through faith.
Justification is a judicial act of God whereby He
pardons the believer’s sin and declares him righteous solely
on the merits of Christ’s perfect life and the shedding of
His blood through His death upon the cross.
Jesus’ sacrificial death fully appeased the righteous
requirements of God and is a completed and total payment for
the sins of all who would come to God by faith in Jesus
Christ. His
sacrifice is the only means of atonement for fallen man’s
sin and the only means by which man can be forgiven his sins
and reconciled to God.
Faith, as defined in the previous paragraph, in Jesus
and His atoning work is the only way that one can be saved
and go to heaven for eternity.
All other ways lead to eternal separation from God in
the lake of fire. (Romans
3:21-30, 5:1,6-8; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Galatians 3:13;
Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19, We believe that the Bible teaches both
the absolute sovereignty of God in man’s salvation and also
the condition for man to receive
salvation; his faith in the Jesus Christ.
We believe that all aspects of salvation are a gift
of God and that man can take no credit for any part of his
salvation. God’s
sovereignty over man’s salvation includes His choosing,
calling, foreknowledge, election and predestination as well
as His initiating, pursuing, persuading and saving grace
without which no one would ever be saved.
Yet the Bible says that God
desires that none would perish but that all would come to
repentance. God
has given man sufficient revelation of His existence, power
and Godhead in both creation and the conscience and has
given man the opportunity to either respond to or reject
that revelation.
While faith and repentance are gifts granted by God,
man is responsible to receive Jesus Christ by choosing to
exercise that faith and repentance.
God’s sovereignty and man’s
responsibility to freely respond to the call of the gospel
without being compelled, forced or coerced are both taught
in the scriptures and neither one should be diminished.
The two are not a contradiction but, rather, a
mystery. (Romans
8:28-30, 3:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 John 4:19; John 6:44;
Romans 9:16; Ephesians 1:4-11; John 15:5; 2 Corinthians 3:5;
2 Peter 3:9; Acts 17:26-30; 1Timothy 2:4,6; 1John 2:2;
Hebrews 2:9; Ezekiel 18:32; Matthew 23:37; John 1:12-13;
Deuteronomy 30:19; John 3:16-18; Revelation 22:17)
The New Birth (Regeneration) and
Sanctification We believe the new birth, or the
washing of regeneration, is the act of God which yields
eternal life and occurs instantly at the time that one turns
to Christ in repentant faith, placing their trust in Him for
salvation.
At that point in time the new believer is
baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ and
indwelt, sanctified (set apart to God) and sealed for the
day of redemption by the Holy Spirit.
Simultaneously, God imparts a new nature to the born
again believer, the evidence of which will be the fruit of
the Spirit, responsive obedience to the Word of God and good
works. (John We believe
that every believer is sanctified (set apart) unto God by
justification, is declared to be holy, and is therefore
identified as a saint.
This sanctification is positional and instantaneous
and should not be confused with progressive sanctification.
This sanctification has to do with the believer’s
standing, not his present walk or condition. (Acts We believe
that there is also, a continued work of grace that God does
through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
This continued work is a progressive sanctification
by which the state of the believer is brought closer to the
standing the believer enjoys positionally through
justification.
Through obedience to the Word of God and the empowering of
the Holy Spirit, the believer is able to live a life of
increasing holiness in conformity to the will of God,
becoming more and more like our Lord Jesus Christ. (John We believe
that the born again believer will be involved in a daily
battle against the flesh and the temptations of the world,
but God has given to every believer adequate provision to
have victory over these temptations through the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit.
Nevertheless, this battle against sin will be with
the believer all through this earthly life.
All claims to the eradication of sin in this life are
unscriptural.
Eradication of sin is not possible, but the Holy Spirit does
provide for victory over sin. (Romans 12:1-2; Galatians
5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Philippians 3:12; Colossians
3:9-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16)
We believe that all who place their
faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ are immediately
placed into one united spiritual body, the church
(universal), which is, at once, the body of Christ and the
bride of Christ.
Individual Christians are members, with Christ as the head.
The church is more than just a building or a
gathering of people.
It is a body, living in relationship and harmony
under the direction of Jesus Christ.
The church is distinct from The structure of leadership in our
local church follows the scriptural framework for the early
church. The
biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over
the assembly are elders (also called bishops,
pastors/pastor-teachers and overseers).
All who serve as elders must meet the biblical
qualifications for that position. We also have within the
body those serving in the position of deacons.
This is a position of practical service to the body
of Christ and all serving as deacons must meet all of the
requirements of this position as set out in scripture. (Romans
12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 14:40; Ephesians 4:11; Acts 14:23; 1
Peter 5:1-2; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9) We believe in
the importance of the regular gathering of the local body;
that we are called as Christians to be in consistent
fellowship with one another as well as sit under the
teaching and authority of biblically qualified leadership.
We believe that the local body should meet regularly
as a whole for the purpose of worship, prayer, instruction
in the Word of God, keeping the ordinances of Christ and
when necessary to practice church discipline.
We also believe that there can be great benefit
gained from the additional gathering of small groups, but
that those groups should remain under the authority of the
church leadership and should be led by people who are not
necessarily elders but have been found to be sound in
doctrine. (2
Corinthians 1:1; Acts 2:42; Matthew 28:19; Hebrews 10:24-25) We believe
that it is the responsibility of the church to advance and
communicate the gospel both locally and when possible
through other forms of mission outreach beyond the local
area, either through the sending of missionaries or through
financial support of missionaries. (Matthew
28:19; Acts 1:8; Philippians 4:18) In the event that discipline of a
member of our body becomes necessary due to sin, we adhere
to biblical guidelines in its administration.
Church discipline should be administered in a spirit
of meekness, gentleness and, when appropriate in
confidentiality.
The threefold purpose of church discipline is to glorify God
by maintaining purity in the local church, to edify
believers by deterring sin, and to promote the spiritual
welfare of the offending believer by calling him or her to
return to a biblical standard of doctrine and conduct.
Specific procedures for church discipline are
delineated in the church Bylaws and are in accordance with
scripture. (Galatians
6:1; Matthew 18:15-22; Acts 5:1-5; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13;
1Timothy We believe that there are two and only
two ordinances instituted and commanded by our Lord Jesus
Christ for the Church; baptism and the Lord’s Supper
(communion).
Neither is required for salvation but rather both are
outward visible signs of an inward spiritual reality in
regards to the believer. (Acts
Baptism – Whenever possible, we desire to baptize born
again believers by their immersion in water.
As commanded by Christ, we baptize in the name of the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Baptism is an act of obedience to Jesus Christ and a
public testimony of faith in Him.
Baptism is also a symbol of identification with
Christ; the death of the old man and the birth of the new
man in Christ.
As baptism is only for believers, we believe the teachings
of infant baptism and baptism of the dead to be false.
(Romans 6:1-11; Matthew 28:18-19; Matthew 10:32-33; Ephesians 2:8-9)
Lord’s Supper (communion) – Communion is observed in
remembrance of our Lord and His sacrifice on the cross in
saving us from our sins.
The Church celebrates the Lord’s Supper with the
bread and the cup (fruit of the vine), symbolizing the
broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ according to
scripture. While
the elements of communion are symbolic of the body and blood
of Jesus Christ, the elements in no way become the body and
blood of Christ.
We believe that the teachings of transubstantiation and
consubstantiation are false. (Matthew
26:20-30; 1 Corinthians 11:23-30; Luke 22:19; Acts 2:42)
We believe that the Holy Spirit bestows
gifts upon whom He wills as He wills, as defined by
scriptures, to further the purposes of God in the world and
in the lives of believers.
We believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for
today (e.g. 1
Corinthians 12:4-11) and that
those gifts listed in the scriptures are not necessarily an
exhaustive list.
Spiritual gifts are to be for the edification of the body of
Christ and their proper use should not exceed
instruction found in Scripture.
We do not believe that any particular gift today is a
primary evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
We are told in
1 Corinthians 14:3
that prophecy speaks forth edification, exhortation and
comfort to men.
We do not believe that the gift of prophecy signifies a
foretelling of events nor will it be new revelation.
We do not believe that God is operating
through so-called “faith-healers” and the “Word of Faith”
movement today but that God does hear and answer the prayer
of faith, according to His will, for the miraculous healing
of the sick, suffering and afflicted. (Romans
12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 4:8; 1 Timothy We believe
that the receiving of direct authoritative revelation
ceased with the Apostles.
We possess God’s completed revelation of Himself and
His plan of salvation in the Bible.
(Acts We do not believe that the working of
miracles is a test of the authenticity or validity of a
man’s message.
We are warned that there will be false prophets, false
Christs and ultimately the antichrist who will work great
signs and wonders with the intent to deceive and lead people
to follow a false message and a false gospel.
Therefore, we believe that the sole test of the
authenticity of a person’s message is found in the
scriptures alone.
(Matthew 24:24;
Galatians 1:6-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:13-14, We believe that the Holy Spirit has a very active role in the life of the believer. The Holy Spirit, in tandem with the Word of God works within the heart and the mind of believers. By their very nature most spiritual gifts are subjective (i.e. bringing something or someone to mind, burdening the heart, the application of rightly understood scripture, granting wisdom in particular situations, etc.) and therefore there is to be no divine authority (i.e. on par with scripture as a command) given to such things. The only authoritative rule for life and practice is the Scriptures; therefore we cannot place the subjective in a place that supersedes the objective Word of God and all must be tested by the Scriptures and are subject to being judged by other’s within the church. (1Corinthians 12:8-11, 14:32; 1 John 4:1)
Eternal Security for the Believer We believe in
the eternal security of the believer and in the perseverance
of the saints. A
true saint will persevere. (John
5:24, 6:37-40, 10:28-29; Romans 8:1; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8;
Ephesians 1:13-14;
Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Jude 24) We believe that the soul of the
unbeliever at death is kept under punishment in Hades until
reunited with the body at the resurrection of condemnation.
The unsaved will then appear at the great white
throne judgment where their name will not be found written
in the Book of Life and they will incur eternal torment in
the lake of fire in outer darkness, separated from God,
which is the second death.
(John 5:28-29;
Luke 16:19-26; Daniel 12:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9;
Revelation 20:11-15; Matthew 8:12, 25:30, 41-46; 2 Peter
2:17; Conversely, we believe that when a
believer dies during the present church age their soul and
spirit immediately go to be with the Lord, while their
decaying dead body is described by scripture as asleep (i.e.
picturing a temporary state), awaiting the return of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the resurrection to eternal life. (Genesis
35:18-19; Matthew We believe that with the church indwelt
by the Holy Spirit removed from earth, the son of perdition
who is the antichrist, will be revealed and arise to world
power.
Concurrently, the righteous judgments of God will be poured
out upon an unbelieving world during a seven (7) year period
of tribulation. The tribulation period is the seventieth
week of Daniel’s prophecy.
The tribulation period will conclude with the return
to earth and the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ with His
bride. It will
be then that the Lord takes victory over the enemies of God
at the battle of Armageddon. (Revelation
3:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-9; Daniel 12:1; Jeremiah 30:7;
Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 24:15-31; Titus 2:11-13; Revelation
19:7-8, 11-16; Zechariah 14:3-5; Jeremiah 25:30-33) At this time all of This will usher in the 1000 year reign
of Jesus Christ on the present earth (the Millennium).
The saints from the church age will reign with Christ
during this period.
Also God’s covenant promises will be fulfilled to Satan will be released at the end of
1000 years and will deceive the nations to fight against the
saints and Following this, the present earth and
heavens will be burned up and God will replace them with new
heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells and
the New Jerusalem.
Thus, the saved will be with the Lord forever. (2
Peter We believe that God has given sex to
the human race for the purposes of procreation and mutual
enjoyment and that no intimate sexual activity is to be
engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. (Proverbs
5:15-23; 1 Corinthians 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 19:4-6;
Genesis 2:21-25)
Any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality,
bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, pornography,
rape, molestation, etc. are sinful perversions of God's gift
of sex.
Involvement in any of these practices will be grounds to
refuse employment or further employment, continuation in
volunteer ministry in this church or, if necessary, the
curtailment of freedom of movement within the church
facility. Also,
we believe that God rejects any attempt to alter one’s
gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis
19:4-5,13; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1Corinthians
5:1, 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage We believe that marriage is to be
between one man and one woman only and is intended by God to
last a lifetime, until the death of one of the spouses.
We believe that scripture teaches that God hates
divorce and that hardness of heart is the root cause of all
divorce. The
bond of marriage can be scripturally dissolved, but does not
have to be, when an unbeliever has left his or her spouse or
because of adultery.
Married couples should do all possible to pursue
reconciliation, but we do understand that divorce may be
outside of the control of one or the other persons in a
marriage. (Genesis
2:21-25; 1 Corinthians 7:39; Romans 7:1-3; Malachi 2:14-16;
Matthew 19:3-8; 1 Corinthians 7:15; Matthew 19:9) Jesus taught that divorce and
remarriage for reasons other than that stated above
constitutes adultery.
Also, scripture teaches that marriage is a picture of
the relationship between Christ and His church and is to be
held in high esteem.
Therefore, divorce and remarriage for reasons outside
of what the New Testament allows is not to be among God’s
people. (Matthew
5:31-32; 19:9; Being involved in a divorce before
becoming a born again believer will not constitute
disqualification from consideration for the offices of elder
or deacon or for any other position of service in our
church. Being
involved in a divorce after becoming a born again believer
will constitute disqualification from consideration for the
offices of elder or deacon, but not necessarily for other
volunteer positions of service in our church if the
individual has repented. (2
Corinthians 5:17; 1 Timothy 3:2,12; Titus 1:6) We believe that human life begins at
conception and that the unborn child is a living human
being. Abortion
constitutes the unjustified, inexcusable taking of unborn
human life and is murder.
We do not believe that an abortion of pregnancy due
to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or
population control, or the mental well-being of the mother
are acceptable or justified. (Exodus
21:22-25; Job
3:16; Psalm 139:13-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1,5; Jeremiah 1:5;
20:15-18; Luke 1:44) We believe that scriptures are clear
concerning helping those in need, with a special emphasis
upon fellow Christians. This
is true for our local church as well as for the individual
members of the church.
Where God guides, we will share our material goods
with those in need and will minister to them to the best of
our abilities. (Romans
12:13; Galatians 6:10; 1 Timothy 6:18-19; Hebrews 13:16)
Deliverance From Demonic Bondage We believe that there may be an
occasional need to pray in the name of Jesus Christ to
deliver an unbeliever who is possessed by an unclean spirit,
that they would be set free and trust in Christ.
Also, prayer may be
required for a believer who may be oppressed by our
spiritual enemy. ( We believe in engaging in public prayer
as a body of believers as needs arise.
For example, we pray corporately for the sick and
needy, for those going out from our body and for new elders
and deacons. We
will also accommodate the parent’s request for a Pastor led
prayer on behalf of an infant or small child; that their
life would be dedicated to the Lord and blessed by Him. (Acts We believe that God has ordained and
created all authority consisting of three basic
institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state.
Every person is subject to these authorities, but all
(including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God
and governed by His Word.
God has given each institution specific biblical
responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with
the understanding that no institution has the right to
infringe upon the other.
The home, the church, and the state are equal and
sovereign in their respective biblically-assigned spheres of
responsibility under God. (Romans
13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews
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