My Doctrinal Beliefs
1. The Bible
I believe the Holy Bible, consisting of the Old Testament and the New Testament Scriptures was written by divinely inspired men and is a perfect treasure of Heavenly instruction; that it has God for its Author, salvation for its end, and truth without a mixture of error for its matter; that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us and therefore is and shall remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried. I believe the King James Version is the only accurately preserved Word of God for the English-speaking people. (Isaiah 40:8; II Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:21)
2. God
I believe in the triune God, the Creator, Preserver, and Ruler of all things, eternally existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections. (Genesis 1:1, 26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19, 20; John 1:1, 2; 10:30)
3. The Lord Jesus Christ
I believe in a) His eternal existence as God: b) His incarnation through the virgin birth: c) His death on the cross as the substitutionary atonement for sin: d) His literal bodily resurrection from the dead: e) His present ministry of intercession in Heaven: f) His return to earth. (Hebrews 1:8; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:14; Luke 24:36-43; Acts 10:40, 41; Hebrews 8:1,2: I John 2:1; Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:16)
4. Man
I believe a) God created man in His image and a state of innocency; b) man fell through the sin of disobedience; c) because of this fall, men are corrupted in body, mind, and soul; d) all men need redemption. (Genesis 1:26, 27; Romans 5:12, 19; Ephesians 2:3)
5. Salvation
I believe a) that salvation is solely by grace through faith in the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead; b) that all who repent and receive Jesus are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become children of God; c) that all who are truly saved are kept forever by the power of God. (Ephesians 2:8, 9; John 1:12; I Peter 1:5)
6. Eternal Security
I believe once a person has truly become a child of God that he/she is eternally secure and that they will forever be a child of God. They are kept secure by the promise and power of God. (Ephesians 1:13; Philippians 1:6; John 10:28, 29; John 3:16, 36)
7. Church
I believe that the Lord’s church is a visible body of scripturally baptized believers, who are associated together by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its only Scriptural officers and bishops are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are defined in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus. (Matthew 18:17; 28:20; I Corinthians 1:1-13; 11:2; Acts 2:41; I Timothy 3)
8. Baptism
I believe that Scriptural baptism is done by the authority of a local New Testament Church and is the immersion of a believer in water, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Believer’s Baptism is meant to show forth a solemn and beautiful picture of our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior, and our faith’s effect concerning our death to sin and resurrection to a new life. (Matthew 3:13; 28:19; Acts 10:47)