1. We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. (II Tim. 3:16; II Peter 1:21)
2. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Matt. 28:19; Luke 3:21, 22; John 14:16; 26:1 John 5:7)
3. We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the conception of His body by the Holy Spirit and His birth by the virgin Mary, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. (Matt. 1:20-23; II Cor. 5:21: Matt. 11:15; l Pet. 3:18; Luke 24:36-40; Acts 1:9-Il)
4. Salvation
We believe that salvation is wholly of grace, but conditioned solely on repentance toward God and acceptance of Christ by faith. (Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5) When the sinner has met these requirements, God justifies and regenerates him. Justification is a judicial act absolving from punishment and restoring to divine favor. (Rom. 5:1-9; Acts 13:39) Regeneration is the impartation of divine life effecting a change in the believer’s nature. By the operation of the Holy Spirit through the Word he is given a disposition to obey God. (II Cor. 5:17; l Pet. 1:23) This experience is witnessed to by the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 8:16)
5. The Holy Spirit
a. We believe in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, that He personally dwells within and guides those who are true believers, and empowers them for service, giving to them various gifts and producing within their lives the fruits of Christian Character. (I John 2:27; Rom. 8:9, 11, 16, 26; John 14:26:16:13; Acts 1:5, 8; I Cor. 12:4, 13; Gal. 5:22, 23)
b. We believe that all believers the moment they are regenerated are simultaneously baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:27; Cot. 2:10-12) and also at that moment He comes to dwell within the believer. (John 14:16; I Cor. 6:19; Rom. 8:9). The filling of the Holy Spirit should be a continuous and repeated action. (Eph. 5:18)
6. Sanctification
a. Sanctification is that work of grace begun by the Holy Spirit at the moment of regeneration and continues progressively until physical death.
b. We believe the old nature is not eradicated until after death, but that we must constantly guard against its influence in our lives. (I John 1:8; Rom. 6:16; 17:7-21)
7. Resurrection and Immortality
We believe that at the return of the Lord, the bodies of the righteous dead will be raised and the living believers will be changed so that both will have literal, spiritual, and immortal bodies like unto Christ’s own glorious body. (Rom. 8:23; I Cor.15; I Thess. 4:16; Phil. 3:20, 21)
8. Man
a. His creation: We believe that man was created by God and not by any accidental or spontaneous or self-propagated occurrence, action, method, or process; that he was created in the image and likeness of God, possessing personality and holiness, and that he is a free moral agent possessing the power of choice, and that the purpose of his creation was to glorify God. (Gen. 1:27, 28; Gal. 3:10; Eph. 1:5, 6)
b. His fall: We believe the Biblical teaching about the fall of man (Gen. 2:16, 17) and that because of his fall, death passed upon all men and sin entered into the world. (Rom. 5:12, 13), therefore, condemnation rests upon each person who has reached the age and development with which comes account-ability before God and he is forever lost, except he be born again. (Rom. 3:23; 6:23; John 3:3, 5, 16, 36)
9. Church
We believe in the oneness of the church of Christ, composed of all Spirit-regenerated believers, (John 3:3:1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13-27; Eph. 4:4), and that these believers both living and dead, shall be caught up together at His Second Coming. (I Thes.4:13-18; I Cor. 15:51, 52).
10. Ordinances
We believe the Christian Ordinances are outward rites appointed by Christ to be administered in each church, not as means to salvation, but as visible signs of the facts and realities of salvation.
11. Baptism
a. We believe in water Baptism, (Matt. 28:19) and that it is to be administered to believers only. (Mark 16:15, 16; Acts 8:12).
b. We recommend immersion as the mode of baptism, but grant to our pastors permission to use other modes when requested by the candidates.
12. The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance instituted by Christ for observation by his followers until He returns. It consists in partaking of the consecrated emblems of bread and wine, and symbolizes the death and suffering of Christ for the remission of our sins and our continual dependence upon Him for our sustenance. The Lord’s Table should be open to all believers who are in right relationship with God, regardless of denomina tion. (Matt. 26:26-30; Luke 22:19; I Cor. 10:16; I Cor. 11:23, 26).
13. Marriage
a. We believe that marriage is a sacred institution ordained of God in the time of man’s innocence and that it is the mutual union of one man and one women and morally binding so long as both shall live, and that therefore it cannot be dissolved by a decree of a civil tribunal, except on evidence that one party is guilty of adultery. (Matt. 5:31, 32; Matt. 19:4-9.)
b. On positive evidence of such guilt the innocent party is free from further matrimonial obligations and justly entitled to marry again, but the guilty party has no such right. (Matt. 5:32, Matt. 19:9)
c. We deny the right of marriage to both parties who have been divorced for other causes than adultery.
d. Any person sustaining a marriage relation contrary to that above recognized as justifiable shall be ineligible to enter into the office of the ministry of The Christian Union.
20. Tithing
We believe that the Scriptural teaching concerning the financing of the Lord’s work is through tithes and offerings of God’s people. (MaI. 3:10; Matt. 23:23; I Cor. 16:2.)
2. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Matt. 28:19; Luke 3:21, 22; John 14:16; 26:1 John 5:7)
3. We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the conception of His body by the Holy Spirit and His birth by the virgin Mary, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. (Matt. 1:20-23; II Cor. 5:21: Matt. 11:15; l Pet. 3:18; Luke 24:36-40; Acts 1:9-Il)
4. Salvation
We believe that salvation is wholly of grace, but conditioned solely on repentance toward God and acceptance of Christ by faith. (Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5) When the sinner has met these requirements, God justifies and regenerates him. Justification is a judicial act absolving from punishment and restoring to divine favor. (Rom. 5:1-9; Acts 13:39) Regeneration is the impartation of divine life effecting a change in the believer’s nature. By the operation of the Holy Spirit through the Word he is given a disposition to obey God. (II Cor. 5:17; l Pet. 1:23) This experience is witnessed to by the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 8:16)
5. The Holy Spirit
a. We believe in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, that He personally dwells within and guides those who are true believers, and empowers them for service, giving to them various gifts and producing within their lives the fruits of Christian Character. (I John 2:27; Rom. 8:9, 11, 16, 26; John 14:26:16:13; Acts 1:5, 8; I Cor. 12:4, 13; Gal. 5:22, 23)
b. We believe that all believers the moment they are regenerated are simultaneously baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:27; Cot. 2:10-12) and also at that moment He comes to dwell within the believer. (John 14:16; I Cor. 6:19; Rom. 8:9). The filling of the Holy Spirit should be a continuous and repeated action. (Eph. 5:18)
6. Sanctification
a. Sanctification is that work of grace begun by the Holy Spirit at the moment of regeneration and continues progressively until physical death.
b. We believe the old nature is not eradicated until after death, but that we must constantly guard against its influence in our lives. (I John 1:8; Rom. 6:16; 17:7-21)
7. Resurrection and Immortality
We believe that at the return of the Lord, the bodies of the righteous dead will be raised and the living believers will be changed so that both will have literal, spiritual, and immortal bodies like unto Christ’s own glorious body. (Rom. 8:23; I Cor.15; I Thess. 4:16; Phil. 3:20, 21)
8. Man
a. His creation: We believe that man was created by God and not by any accidental or spontaneous or self-propagated occurrence, action, method, or process; that he was created in the image and likeness of God, possessing personality and holiness, and that he is a free moral agent possessing the power of choice, and that the purpose of his creation was to glorify God. (Gen. 1:27, 28; Gal. 3:10; Eph. 1:5, 6)
b. His fall: We believe the Biblical teaching about the fall of man (Gen. 2:16, 17) and that because of his fall, death passed upon all men and sin entered into the world. (Rom. 5:12, 13), therefore, condemnation rests upon each person who has reached the age and development with which comes account-ability before God and he is forever lost, except he be born again. (Rom. 3:23; 6:23; John 3:3, 5, 16, 36)
9. Church
We believe in the oneness of the church of Christ, composed of all Spirit-regenerated believers, (John 3:3:1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13-27; Eph. 4:4), and that these believers both living and dead, shall be caught up together at His Second Coming. (I Thes.4:13-18; I Cor. 15:51, 52).
10. Ordinances
We believe the Christian Ordinances are outward rites appointed by Christ to be administered in each church, not as means to salvation, but as visible signs of the facts and realities of salvation.
11. Baptism
a. We believe in water Baptism, (Matt. 28:19) and that it is to be administered to believers only. (Mark 16:15, 16; Acts 8:12).
b. We recommend immersion as the mode of baptism, but grant to our pastors permission to use other modes when requested by the candidates.
12. The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance instituted by Christ for observation by his followers until He returns. It consists in partaking of the consecrated emblems of bread and wine, and symbolizes the death and suffering of Christ for the remission of our sins and our continual dependence upon Him for our sustenance. The Lord’s Table should be open to all believers who are in right relationship with God, regardless of denomina tion. (Matt. 26:26-30; Luke 22:19; I Cor. 10:16; I Cor. 11:23, 26).
13. Marriage
a. We believe that marriage is a sacred institution ordained of God in the time of man’s innocence and that it is the mutual union of one man and one women and morally binding so long as both shall live, and that therefore it cannot be dissolved by a decree of a civil tribunal, except on evidence that one party is guilty of adultery. (Matt. 5:31, 32; Matt. 19:4-9.)
b. On positive evidence of such guilt the innocent party is free from further matrimonial obligations and justly entitled to marry again, but the guilty party has no such right. (Matt. 5:32, Matt. 19:9)
c. We deny the right of marriage to both parties who have been divorced for other causes than adultery.
d. Any person sustaining a marriage relation contrary to that above recognized as justifiable shall be ineligible to enter into the office of the ministry of The Christian Union.
20. Tithing
We believe that the Scriptural teaching concerning the financing of the Lord’s work is through tithes and offerings of God’s people. (MaI. 3:10; Matt. 23:23; I Cor. 16:2.)