Statement of Faith
Scripture
I believe in the plenary and verbal inspiration of the sixty-six books of the King James Version of the Holy Bible, equally and in all parts inerrant, infallible, and immutable. I believe that the King James Bible is the Sole Authority in all matters. I believe that man’s limited understanding has corrupted the other so-called English Translations of the Bible. (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
The Godhead
I believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in essence while distinct in personality and function. (Exodus 20:2-3; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 John 5:7)
Creation
I believe in God's direct creation of the universe without the use of pre-existent material and apart from any process of evolution whatsoever, as according to the Genesis account. (Genesis 1:1-31; Exodus 20:11; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3)
Jesus Christ
I believe that Jesus Christ, the pre-existent eternal Son of God, was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and is God incarnate: true God and true man. (Isaiah 7:14; John 1:1, 14; Luke 1:35; Galatians 4:4)
Sinless Life of Christ
I believe that Jesus Christ, being all God, could not sin. That He led a perfectly sinless life even though He was all man as well. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Substitute Death of Christ
I believe that Jesus Christ Suffered and died on the cross of Calvary as a sinless sacrifice for the sin debt of sinful man, nailing man’s sin to His cross. (Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Ephesians 2:16; Colossians 2:14)
Bodily Resurrection of Christ
I believe in the literal bodily resurrection of our Lord, and in His physical ascension into Heaven, and in His present life there as our High Priest and Advocate. (Matthew 28:1-7; Acts 1:8-11; 1 Corinthians 15:4-9; Hebrews 4:14-16)
The Holy Spirit
I believe that the Holy Spirit is the agent of the New Birth through conviction and regeneration, and that He seals and indwells everyone who trusts Christ as Saviour. I also believe that the Holy Spirit fills and empoIys believers, and that He distributes Spiritual gifts to all believers. (John 3:5; Romans 8:9 & 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:13 & 13:1-13; Ephesians 1:13 & 2:20 & 4:11-12 & 5:18; Hebrews 2:3-4)
The State of Man
I believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred, not only physical death, but also Spiritual death, which is separation from God in the Lake of Fire. All human beings are born with a sin nature and are sinners in thought, word, and deed. (Genesis 1:26-27 & 3:1-6; Romans 5:12, 19 & 3:10-13, 23)
The Scope of Salvation
I believe that Jesus Christ died as the substitute sacrifice for all men. The blood atonement He made is unlimited in its potential. It is limited only in its application, effectively saving all those who call upon the name of the Lord in repentance and faith. (Isaiah 53:4-11; John 3:5-8, 16; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; 1 Timothy 4:10; 1 John 2:1-2)
The Way of Salvation
I believe that all who receive, by faith, the Lord Jesus, are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become the children of God. (John 1:12-13 & 3:3-16; Acts 16:31; Romans 4:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5)
Security of the True Believer
I believe in the eternal security of the believer, that it is impossible for one who is truly born into the family of God, ever to be lost, because he is forever kept by the power of God. I believe that the question which arises is an issue of truthfulness in conversion in cases where parties are not able to overcome the world, and recant their faith. (John 10:28-29; 1 Peter 1:3-5, 1 John 5:4-5)
The Local Church
I believe the Local Church, according to Scripture, is constituted as a called out Local assembly of Scripturally Born-again and Scripturally Baptized believers. The Local Church is given the responsibility of propigating the gospel of Jesus Christ to both their community and abroad. The Local Church is to assemble regularly, and its members are not to forsake that assembly for worldly pleasures or gains. There are two scriptural offices within the local Church, and there are two scriptural ordinances of the Church, and there is one Scriptural calling without the Church and they are as follows:
Offices - The two offices set forth in Scripture are the offices of Bishop and Deacon:
Bishop -The Bishop, also known as Elder or Pastor, is to be a man, he is the undershepherd (Leader) of the flock. He is God's man called and gifted to preach and teach God's Word to the local Church. His life is to be currently blameless, as an ensample to the flock. He is to be duly honored by the Church. (Ephesians 4:11) (Noting that there are no more Prophets or Apostles in this age) (Philippians 1:1) (1 Timothy 3:1-7; 5:17)
Deacon - The Deacon is a servant of the Church, proved and elected by the congregation, ordained by and subjected to the Pastor, and responsible for tending to the daily needs of the congregation, allowing the Pastor to remain in the Word of God. They are to be men that are full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, and are to be currently Blameless. (Acts 6:1-6) (1 Timothy 3:8-13)
Ordinances - The two ordinances of the Church set forth in Scripture are Water Baptism and Communion:
Water Baptism - Baptism is the first step of obedience for the new believer. When a person accepts Christ as their Saviour they are to publicly identify with Christ through the ordinance of Baptism. Baptism has no mystical powers, it cannot wash away your sins, it cannot save you, and cannot be done for an infant. It is merely a public picture of what has taken place in the believer at Salvation. It is to be done by full submersion demonstrating the completeness in Salvation, and their full submersion into the Body of Christ. (Matthew 3:13-17) (Acts 8:36-39) (Acts 10:47-48) (Acts 18:18) (Romans 6:3-4) (Colossians 2:12)
Communion - Communion is the second ordinance of the Church. It is not to be taken unworthily by unbelievers, erred believers, believers who are in sin, nor by believers who have not yet yeilded to baptism as the first step of their obedience to Scripture, lest these eat unto themselves damnation. Communion is for the Church to do in remembrance of Christ's Sacrifice for their souls.
Scriptural Calling Without the Church - I believe there is one Scriptural Calling without the Church, and that would be the calling of an Evangelist:
Evangelist -This calling is placed upon a man of God to go and preach the Word outside the bounds or the walls of his local Church. This calling would include: Street Preachers, Church Planters, Missionaries, Prison Preachers, Nursing Home Preachers, Revival Preachers and any other preaching ministry a man is called to go and do. The Evangelist should be a member of and sent forth by a local assembly, he should be accountable to his local church. However, he is to follow the leadership of the LORD in the ministry. (Ephesians 4:11)(Acts 21:8)(2 Timothy 4:5)(1 Timothy 3 does not apply to Evangelists, only to Pastors and Deacons)
The Rapture
I believe in that "blessed hope," the personal, pre-millennial, pre-tribulation, imminent return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when He will gather all believers unto Himself and take them to Heaven. (John 14:1-3; I Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-13)
The Resurrection of all Men
I believe in the bodily resurrection of the saved and the unsaved, the everlasting blessedness of the saved in Heaven, and the everlasting punishment of the lost in the Lake of Fire. (Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 16:19-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 21:1-8)
Human Sexuality
I believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage covenant between a man and a woman. I believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's original intent for the proper and Biblical sexual relationship. (Genesis 2:24, 19:5, 13, 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
Abortion
I believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused, execution of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. I reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, population or birth control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5, 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24, 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)
Civil Government
I believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: (1) the Home, (2) the Church, and (3) the State. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the Church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-14)
Discipline
I believe that the Bible is clear in its condemnation of sin. I believe that any act of immorality on the part of any Church member is grounds for discipline and/or immediate dismissal from the membership role, as determined by the Pastor and members (1 Corinthians 5 & 2 Corinthians 7:8-12; Ephesians 5:3)
Brother Craig Moss • Hornsby, TN • (406) 521-0753
