Section 1 - Of the Scriptures:
We believe that the Holy Bible was
written by men supernaturally inspired;
that it has truth without any admixture
of error for its matter and therefore
is, and shall remain to the end of the
age, the only complete and final
revelation of the will of God to man,
the true center of Christian union, and
the supreme standard by which all human
conduct, creeds, and opinions should be
tried.
Section 2 - Of the True God:
We believe that there is one, and only
one, living and true God, an infinite
intelligent Spirit, the Maker and
Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth,
inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and
worthy of all possible honor,
confidence, and love; that in the unity
of the Godhead there are three
persons-the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit-equal in every divine
perfection and executing distinct but
harmonious offices in the great work of
redemption.
Section 3 - Of the Holy Spirit:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a
divine person equal with God the Father
and God the Son and of the same nature;
that He was active in the creation; that
in His relation to the unbelieving world
He restrains the Evil one until God's
purpose is fulfilled for He convicts of
sin, of judgment, and of righteousness;
that He bears witness to the Truth of
the Gospel in preaching and testimony;
that He is the Agent in the new Birth;
that He seals, endues, guides, teaches,
witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the
believer.
Section 4 - Of the Devil or Satan:
We believe that Satan was once holy and
enjoyed heavenly honors, but through
pride and ambition to be as the
Almighty, fell and drew after him a host
of angels; that he is now the malignant
prince of the power of the air and the
unholy god of this world. We hold him to
be man's great tempter, the enemy of God
and Christ, the accuser of the saints,
the author of all false religions, the
chief power back of the present
apostasy, the lord of the Antichrist,
and the author of all the powers of
darkness-destined however to final
defeat at the hands of God's Son and the
judgment of an eternal justice in hell,
a place prepared for him and his angels.
Section 5 - Of the Creation:
We believe in the Genesis account of
creation and that it is to be accepted
literally, not allegorically or
figuratively; that man was created
directly in God's own image and after
His own likeness; that man's creation
was not a matter of evolution or
evolutionary change of species, or
developments through interminable
periods of time from lower to higher
forms; that all animals and vegetable
life were made directly; and that God's
established law was that they should
bring forth only after their kind.
Section 6 - Of the Fall of Man:
We believe that man was created in
innocence under the law of his Maker,
but by voluntary transgression fell from
his sinless and happy state, in
consequence of which all mankind are now
sinners-not by constraint, but by
choice-and therefore under just
condemnation without defense or excuse.
Section 7 - Of the Virgin Birth:
We believe that Jesus Christ was
begotten of the Holy Ghost in a
miraculous manner-born of Mary, a
virgin, as no other man was ever born or
can ever be born of woman; and that He
is both the Son of God and God the Son.
Section 8 - Of the Atonement for Sin:
We believe that the salvation of sinners
is wholly of grace through the
mediatorial offices of the Son of God
who by appointment of the Father freely
took upon Himself our nature-yet without
sin, honored the divine law by His
personal obedience, and by his death
made a full and vicarious atonement for
our sins; that his atonement consisted
not in setting us an example by his
death as a martyr, but was the voluntary
substitution of Himself in the sinner's
place, the just dying for the unjust,
Christ the Lord bearing our sins in His
own body on the tree; and that, having
risen from the dead, He is now enthroned
in heaven and uniting in His wonderful
person the tenderest sympathies with
divine perfection. He is every way
qualified to be a suitable, a
compassionate, and an all-sufficient
Saviour.
Section 9 - Of Grace in the New
Creation:
We believe that in order to be saved
sinners must be born again; that the new
birth is a new creation in Jesus Christ;
that it is instantaneous and not a
process; that in the new birth the one
dead in trespasses and in sins is made a
partaker of the divine nature and
receives eternal life, the free gift of
God; that the new creation is brought
about in a manner above our
comprehension, not by culture, not by
character, nor by the will of man, but
wholly and solely by the power of the
Holy Spirit in connection with Divine
truth so as to secure our voluntary
obedience to the Gospel; and that its
proper evidence appears in the holy
fruits of repentance and faith and
newness of life.
Section 10 - Of the Freeness of
Salvation:
We believe in God's electing grace; that
the blessings of salvation are made free
to all by the Gospel; that it is the
immediate duty of all to accept them by
a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith;
and that nothing prevents the salvation
of the greatest sinner on earth but his
own inherent depravity and voluntary
rejection of the Gospel, which rejection
involves him in an aggravated
condemnation.
Section 11 - Of Justification:
We believe that the great Gospel which
Christ secures to such as believe in Him
is justification; that justification
includes the pardon of sin and the gift
of eternal life on principles of
righteousness; that His righteousness is
imputed unto us not in consideration of
any works or righteousness which we have
done, but solely through faith in the
Redeemer's blood.
Section 12 - Of Repentance and Faith:
We believe that repentance and faith are
solemn obligations and also inseparable
graces wrought in our souls by the
quickening Spirit of God; thereby, being
deeply convicted of our guilt, danger,
and helplessness, and of the way of
salvation by Christ, we turn to God with
unfeigned contrition, confession, and
supplication for mercy-at the same time
heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ
and openly confessing Him as our only
and all-sufficient Saviour.
Section 13- Of the Local Church:
We believe that a church of Christ is a
congregation of baptized believers
associated by a covenant of 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 officers of ordination
are pastors or elders and deacons, whose
qualifications, claims, and duties are
clearly defined in the Scriptures. We
believe the true mission of the church
is found in the Great Commission: first,
to make individual disciples; second, to
build up the Church; third, to teach and
instruct as He commanded. We do not
believe in the reversal of this order.
We hold that the local church has the
absolute right of self-government, free
from the interference of any hierarchy
of individuals or organizations; that
the one and only superintendent is
Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it
is Scriptural for true churches to
cooperate with each other in contending
for the faith and for the furtherance of
the Gospel; that every church is the
sole and only judge of the measure and
method of its cooperation; and that in
all matters of membership, policy,
government, discipline, and benevolence,
the will of the local church is final.
Section 14 - Of Baptism and the Lord's
Supper:
We believe that Christian baptism
is the immersion in water of a believer
in the name of the Father, of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit, with the
authority of the local church, to show
forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem
our faith in the crucified, buried, and
risen Saviour with its effect in our
death to sin and resurrection to a new
life; that it is a prerequisite to the
privileges of a Church relation and to
the Lord's Supper, in which the members
of the church are to commemorate
together the dying love of Christ,
preceded always by solemn
self-examination.
Section 15 - Of the Perseverance of the
Saints:
We believe that such only are
real believers as endure unto the end;
that their persevering attachment to
Christ is the grand mark which
distinguishes them from superficial
professors; that a special providence
watches over their welfare; and that
they are kept by the power of God
through faith unto eternal salvation.
Section 16 - Of the Righteous and the
Wicked:
We believe that there is a radical and
essential difference between the
righteous and the wicked; that such only
as through faith are justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus and sanctified by
the spirit of our God are truly
righteous in His esteem, while all such
as continue in impenitence and unbelief
are in His sight wicked and are under
the curse, and that this distinction
holds among men in and after death in
the everlasting felicity of the saved
and the everlasting conscious suffering
of the lost.
Section 17 - Of Civil Government:
We believe that civil government is a
divine appointment for the interest and
good order of human society; that
magistrates are to be prayed for,
conscientiously honored, and
obeyed-except only in things opposed to
the will of our Lord Jesus Christ who is
the only Lord of the conscience and the
coming Prince of the kings of earth.
Section 18 - Of the Resurrection and
Return of Christ and Related Events:
We believe in and accept the sacred
Scriptures upon these subjects at their
face and full value. Of the
resurrection, we believe that Christ
arose bodily "the third day according to
the Scripture;" that He ascended "to the
right hand of the throne of God; that
this same Jesus which is taken up from
you into heaven shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen Him go into
heavenly-bodily, personally and visibly;
that the dead in Christ shall rise
first; that the living saints "shall be
changed in a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trump; that the Lord
God shall give unto Him the Throne of
His father David;" and that Christ shall
reign a thousand years in righteousness
until he hath put all enemies under His
feet.
Section 19 - Of Missions:
We believe that the command to give the
Gospel to the world is clear and
unmistakable and this commission was
given to the churches.
Section 20 - Of the Grace of Giving:
We believe that God's method of
financing His earthly work of spreading
the gospel to all nations, the care of
the churches, and the support of the
ministry is by the tithes and offerings
of His people. That tithes and offerings
are to be given to the Lord through His
church to be distributed as directed by
the leadership of the Spirit as the need
arises; that the time to tithe is upon
the first day of the week; that everyone
is accountable to the Lord for one-tenth
of his income; and that tithing was
instituted long before the law was ever
given and was practiced by the early
church.
