Statement of Faith

1. We believe that the Bible is fully and verbally inspired of God. It is the complete revelation of God for man, whose original text has been providentially preserved and is inerrant. Consequently, it cannot be modified or completed by another revelation. The Word of God constitutes the supreme and unique authority for the Church and the believer in all areas of doctrine, as well as spiritual and moral life and practice. The Holy Scriptures are comprised of the 39 canonical books in the Old Testament and the 27 canonical books of the New Testament. By its light, all tradition, all religious systems and all methods of action can and should be evaluated. (Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 19:19; II Samuel 23:2; Psalm 119:111,128; Proverbs 20:5,6; Matthew 5:17-18; Mark 7:9,13; Luke 16:29-31; John 5:39-40; 10:35; 12:47,48; Acts 1:16; 3:21; Romans 3:1-2; II Timothy 3:16,17; II Peter 1:19,21; 3:15,16; Revelation 22:18,19).
   
   
2. There is only one God in three persons: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, of whom we recognize the deity, the equality and the distinct personality in unity. God is creator and sovereign in all things, infinite, immutable, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, wise, perfect, righteous and good. Humanity owes to Him obedience, confidence, thanksgiving, love, praise and worship. (Genesis 1:27; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 139: 1-6; Proverbs 30:4; Matthew 4:10; 20:19; John 1:1-14; 4:24; 10:30; 15:26; II Corinthians 3:6; 13:13; Ephesians 4:4-8; Colossians 1:16-20; 2:9; I John 5:20; Revelation 4:11).
   
   
3. Jesus-Christ, God the Son, existed eternally with the Father in glory before His incarnation and his miraculous birth of a virgin. He is the Word made flesh, only mediator between God and men. Entirely God, entirely man, He was tempted (or tried) in all things like us, without sin, and thereby, He can rescue us in our weakness. His substitutionary death on the cross for all men was followed by His bodily resurrection and ascension. Presently, Jesus-Christ is our High Priest and He intercedes for us in Heaven near the Father. He will personally return in the air to rapture His church unto Himself before the Tribulation. He will evaluate all the redeemed at the Judgment Seat of Christ. After the Tribulation, He will return to earth to judge the Antichrist, bind up Satan, and establish his millennial reign. At the end of time, He will be seated upon the Great White Throne and will judge all unbelievers. (Isaiah 4:4; 53:4,5; Matthew 1:18; 24:44; Luke 1:26-55; John 1:1-3, 14; 3:16; 14:1-5; Acts 3:19; 4:12; Romans 1:3,4; 3:21-25; I Corinthians 3:11-15; II Corinthians 5:10; Galatians 4:4; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 2:2-11; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 1:6-10; I Timothy 2:5-6; Hebrews 1:2-6; 4:15-16; I John 5:12-13; Revelation 20).
   
   
4. The Holy Spirit, third Person of the Trinity, is co-equal with the Father and the Son, and shares all of their attributes. His work is to convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He regenerates, sanctifies, illuminates, baptizes, seals, is the earnest, and fills the believer. The Holy Spirit abides in the heart of all the children of God in order to guide them and to comfort them, producing in each one who is submitted to Him the fruit of the Spirit and the manifestation of spiritual gifs for service. We are called to be continually filled with the Spirit, and to neither grieve nor quench Him by our lives. (John 15:26-27; 16:7,13,14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; Romans 8:9-27; I Corinthians 3:16; 12:3-13; II Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:16,18,22,23; Ephesians 1:13; 2:18; 4:30; I Peter 1:2; I John 2:20).
   
   
5. Mankind was created by God in the persons of Adam and Eve. The first couple was placed in the Garden of Eden in innocence. By a voluntary act of disobedience to the commandment of God, mankind lost his state of innocence, to the point that each person is born with a sin nature and in a state of spiritual death. By their sins, mankind has fallen under the condemnation of God. Man is incapable in and of himself to deserve salvation and the forgiveness that God offers him in Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:27,31; 2:17; 3:6,24; 5:3; Isaiah 64:5,6; Romans 3:10, 19-23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1,2,5; Hebrews 12:25; I John 5:9,12).
   
   
6. Eternal salvation is given only by the grace of God, with no personal merit, in virtue of the sacrifice of Christ, and by the efficacious action of the Holy Spirit, to all those who repent of their sin and place their confidence in His propitiatory sacrifice on the cross. This gift of God is received by faith. Justification is the legal declaration by God that the sinner is righteous in His eyes, because he is now clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Justification comes at the new birth. Sanctification concerns our life with Christ, and our spiritual growth to resemble Him. Glorification, the ultimate phase, will take place when Jesus carries the believer to heaven where he will be rendered perfect for eternity. (John 14:6; 11:25-26; Romans 3:23-28; 5:1-8;I Corinthians15:51-53; Ephesians 2:8-9;II Thessalonians 1:9-10; Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7).
   
   
7. The universal Church, which we prefer to call the body or the bride of Christ, is constituted of all the believers both living and deceased since the Day of Pentecost until the return of Christ to rapture His church. The Local Church is an assembly of baptized believers who are voluntarily engaged in serving the Lord Jesus-Christ together in a given locality. They meet in His name to celebrate baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to worship, pray and praise God, to benefit from the fellowship of the brethren, to witness, and to participate in the ministry of the Word of God, through teaching, in view of the progress of the Gospel. Each local church is a sovereign, independent, autonomous body, governing its own affairs, under the conduct of one or more pastors or elders, assisted by deacons, which excludes all outside interference. Its’ one and only Head is the Lord Jesus-Christ, by the intermediary of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 18:15-20; 28:18-20; John 1:12,13; Acts 1:8; 2:21,38,41-47; 4:31-35; 5:11-14; 6:1-7; 8:1,36,37; 11:21-26; 14:23; 15:23; Romans 16:1; I Corinthians 1:1-12; 11:23-33; 12; 16:1-3; II Corinthians 8:19-24; Ephesians 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:12-13; I Timothy 3; Titus 1:15; I Peter 5:1-4).
   
   
8. Baptism, the sign of identification with Jesus-Christ, was practiced by our Savior and was taught by the apostles. Although baptism confers no merit upon the believer, it is nevertheless an essential step of obedience and shows forth the identification of the Christian with Jesus-Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. Consequently, it must be preceded by a personal testimony of conversion; it must be done publicly, by immersion in water, and whenever possible, in the framework of a local church. Following baptism, one becomes a member of the local church. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38-42; 8:36-39; 10:47-48; Romans 6:1-10; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:12; I Peter 3:21)
   
   
9. Separation from the world is a duty for every redeemed child of God. In the measure that each Christian is called to serve the Master, he is responsible to live a life separated from all practice, association or pleasure of which the moral sense is perverted. He is an ambassador of God and a witness in the midst of an unbelieving generation. He must show an example of a holy and active life, and manifest the divine love which has been shed abroad into his heart. (John 17:14-16; Romans 12:1-2; I Corinthians 5:17-20; 6:11 - 7/1; I Timothy 6:9-11; James 4:4; I Peter 1:14-16; 2:1).
   
   
10. Satan has an existence and a personality. Created by God as a cherubim angel, he voluntarily rebelled against God by pride. He is at the origin of sin, and the agent of the fall of man. He is the supreme enemy of God and of man, the “prince and the power of the air”, “the prince of this world”. He will be judged and punished eternally in a lake of fire. (Genesis 3:1-6; Job 1:6; Isaiah 14:11-15; Ezekiel 28:12-19; Mark 1:13; John 16:11; II Corinthians 11:13-15; Ephesians 2:1-3; Colossians 2:18; I Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:1-10).
    
    
11. The angels are beings created by God, possessing intelligence and powers superior to those of man in his present state. The holy angels serve God faithfully in many areas, among which is the protection of believers. The fallen angels have participated in the program of Satan and will be judged with him. They will be tormented forever and ever. (Matthew 16:27; 24:31; Hebrews 1:4,14; II Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 5:11,12; 14:9-11, 20:10).
    
    
12. The Lord’s Day, the first day of the week, should be employed essentially in the worship of God and the edification of our souls in the local church, in conformity to the example of the apostles and the first Christians. (Mark 2:27; John 20:19; Acts 2:1-4; 20:7; I Corinthians 16:1,2; Colossians 2:16; Hebrews 10:25).
    
    
13. We believe in the separation of Church and State. The civil government is divinely established in the interest and for the good order of society. We must therefore pray for the authorities, honor them conscientiously and obey them, except in those areas which are opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus-Christ, who is the only Master of the conscience, the King of kings and the Lord of lords of the earth. (Matthew 17:24-27; 22:21; Luke 20:25; John 18;36; Acts 4:18-20; 5:29; Romans 13:1-7; I Timothy 2:1,2; Titus 3:1; I Peter 2:13-17; Revelation 19:16).