ARTICLE THREE: STATEMENT OF FAITH
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3.1
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The Triune God We believe that the one and only true God is
Spirit; self existent, eternal, infinite, personal, and unchangeable; perfect in
every good attribute and work; omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent; creator
and sustainer of all things; eternally existent in three persons Father; Son and Holy
Spirit. (Exodus 34:6; Deuteronomy 32:4; Matthew 28:19)
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- God the Father
We believe that the Father is self-existent, neither
begotten nor proceeding; the external Father of the Lord Jesus Christ; the Author of
salvation; the Father of all who are begotten into newness of life through faith in Christ.
(Psalm 90:2; 1 Peter 1:3)
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- God the Son
We believe in the Deity of Christ; in His eternal generation from
the Father; in His incarnation, whereby He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin
Mary, thereby uniting the divine and the human nature in His one unique person; in His sinless life
and His vicarious death to make atonement for the sins of the world; in His bodily resurrection and
ascension to the Father; in His present mediatorial work for the believer; and in His imminent coming
in power and glory.
(Hebrews 1:8; Acts 2:22-25)
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- God the Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit as the person of the Holy Trinity who lives
within the believer. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, empowers us to live a holy life, counsels, comforts and
guides us in truth. (John 15:26 and Acts 15:8 & 9)
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3.2 The Bible
We believe that the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments,
is the word of God given by divine inspiration, inerrant in the original manuscript, and is the
unchanging authority in matters of Christian faith and practices.
(John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; and Peter 1:20 & 21)
3.3 Man
We believe that mankind was created by God, in His own image, but because of Adam's
sin (disobedience) man inherits a corrupt nature that inclines him to do wrong. Man cannot
save himself by his own will or works (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 3; Romans 5:12)
3.4 Salvation
Salvation is accomplished by Grace, through Faith. Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, was given
by God as a sacrifice for the sins of all men. Christ died on the cross to mend the relationships between
God and man which has been broken by man's sin of disobedience. Belief and faith in Jesus Christ,
recognizing Him as Lord and Savior, gives men and women the free gift of eternal life. (John 3:16-18; Romans 3:22-24;
Romans 10:9-10; and Ephesians 2:8-9)
3.5 Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit to cleanse the heart, indwell the person of the believer, and direct
and empower a life dedicated to the will of God. (1 Corinthians 1:30-31: Philippians 2:12-13; 2 Thessalonians 2:13)
3.6 The Church
We believe that the invisible and universal church is an organism composed of all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who have been called out from the world, separated from sin, and vitally united by faith to Christ, its head and sovereign Lord.
(Ephesians 1:22,23; Hebrews 12:23)
3.7 The Second Coming of Christ [Heaven and Hell]
We believe that those who have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior and are unrepentant, will be judged by God in His
perfect justice and doomed to eternal punishment. We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ to receive His believers into heaven
and eternal life. The time of His return is unknown but may be at any moment. This is the glorious hope of all of God's children.
(Matthew 25:31-46; Corinthians 15:50-54; 2 Corinthians 5:10; John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)