THE SCRIPTURES
We believe where the Bible speaks, we speak where the Bible is silent, we are silent. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God (2 Tim 3:16-17)”, by which we understand the whole Bible is inspired in the sense that holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit to write the very words of Scripture. We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of the writings-historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical- as appeared in the original manuscripts. We believe that all Scriptures center about the Lord Jesus Christ in His person and work in His first and second coming and hence that no portion, even of the Old Testament, is properly read, or understood, until it leads to Him. We also believe that all the Scriptures were designed for our practical instruction.
THE GODHEAD
We believe that the Godhead eternally exist in three persons- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - and that these three are one God; having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfection and worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience.
MAN CREATED AND FALLEN
We believe that man was originally created in the image and after the likeness of God, and that he fell through sin, and, as a consequence of his sins, lost his spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses and sin, and that he became subject to the power of the devil. We also believe that this spiritual death, or total depravity if human race of man, the Man Christ Jesus alone being excepted; and hence that every child of Adam is born into the world with a nature which not only possesses no spark of divine life, but is essentially and unchangeably bad apart from divine grace.
Salvation Only Through Christ
We believe that, owing to universal death through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again; and that no degree of reformation however great, no attainments in morality however high, no culture however attractive, no baptism or other ordinance however administered, can help the sinner to take even one step toward heaven, but a new nature imparted from above, a new life implanted by the Holy Spirit through the Word, is absolutely essential to salvation, and only those thus saved are sons of God. We believe also that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was made to be sin and was made a curse for us, dying in our room and stead; and that no repentance, no feeling, no faith, no good resolution, no sincere efforts, no submission to the rules and regulations of any church, nor all the church that have existed since the days of the finished work wrought for us by Him who united His person true and proper deity with perfect and sinless humanity.
We believe the new birth of the believer comes only through faith in Christ and that repentance is a vital part of believing, and is no way, in itself a separate and independent condition of salvation; nor are any other acts, such as confession, baptism, prayer, or faithful service, to be added to believing as a condition of salvation.
The Extent of Salvation
We believe that when an unregenerate person exercises that faith in Christ which is illustrated and described as such in the New Testament, he passes immediately out of spiritual death into spiritual life, and from the old creation into the new; being justified from all things, accepted before the Father according as Christ His Son is accepted, loved as Christ is loved, having his place and portion as linked to Him and on with Him forever.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit, the Third person of the blessed Trinity, though omnipresent from all eternity, took up His abode in the world in a special sense on the day of Pentecost according to the divine promise, dwells in every believer, and by His baptism unites all to Christ in one body and that he as the Indwelling One, is the source of all power and all acceptable worship and service.
We believe that He never takes His departure from the church, but is ever present to testify of Christ; seeking to occupy believers with Him and not with themselves nor with their experiences. We believe that His abode in the world in this special sense will cease when Christ comes to receive His own at the completion of the church.
We believe that, in this age, certain well-defined ministries are committed to the Holy Spirit and that it is the duty of every Christian to understand them and to be adjusted to them in his own life and experience. These ministries are: The restraining of evil in the world to the measure of divine will; the convicting of the world respecting sin, righteousness, and judge men; the regenerating of all believers; the indwelling and anointing of all who are saved; thereby sealing them unto the day of redemption; the baptizing into the one body of Christ of all who are saved; and the continued filling for power, teaching, and service of those among the saved who are yielded to Him and who are subject to His will.
