The covenant by which this church exists as a distinct body, and which every member accepts, is as follows:
Acknowledging Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord, and submitting to the authority of the Holy scriptures as our rule of faith and practice, and recognizing the privilege end duty of uniting ourselves for Christian fellowship, the enjoyment of Christian ordinances, the public worship of God, and the advancement of His church on earth, we do now, in the sight of God and invoking His blessing, solemnly covenant and agree with each other to associate ourselves as a church of the Lord Jesus Christ, as warranted by the Word of God.
We agree to maintain the teaching and the preaching of the Word of God, to submit ourselves to the orderly administration of the affaire of the church and to walk together in brotherly love.
This we do depending on the aid of our Heavenly Father, who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son for our salvation, and of Jesus Christ who has redeemed us with His blood, and of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Guide.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
The “Statement of Faith in which this church shall embrace, preach and defend is specifically set forth as follows:
1. THE BIBLE: the Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, verbally inspired in all parts, and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God (II Timothy 3:16 ; II Peter 1:21)
2. THE ONE TRUE GOD: existing eternally as three persons the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22 ; Matt. 28:19 ; II Cor. 13:14)
3. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: His preexistence and deity (John 1:1-3), incarnation by virgin birth (John 1:14 , Matt. 1:18 , 23), sinless life (Heb.4: 15), substitutionary death (I Cor. 5:21), bodily resurrection (Luke 24: 36-43), ascension into heaven and present ministry (Heb. 4:14-16), and coming again (Acts 1:11).
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT: His personality (John 16:7-15); and deity (Acts 5:3-4); and His work in each believer: baptism and indwelling at the moment of regeneration (I Cor. 12:13 ; Rom. 8:9 ); and filling (Eph. 5:18), to empower for Christian life and service (Eph, 3:16; Acts 1:8 ; Gal. 5:22-23).
5. MAN: his direct creation in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-28), his subsequent fall into sin resulting in spiritual death (Gen. 3:1-24 ; Rom. 5:1 2), and the necessity of the new birth for his salvation (John 3:3-5).
6. SALVATION: a complete and eternal salvation by God’s grace alone, received as the gift of God through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work (Eph. 2:8-9 ; Titus 3:5-7 ; I Peter 1:18-19).
7. THE CHURCH: one true church the body and bride of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23 ; 5:25-32), composed of all true believers of the present age (I Cor. 12:12-13); and the organization of its members in Local churches for worship; for edification of believers, and for worldwide gospel witness, each local church being autonomous but cooperating in the fellowship and work (Eph. 4:11-16).
8. CHRISTIAN LIFE: a life of righteousness, good works, and separation unto God from the evil ways of the world (Rom. 12:1-2), manifested by speaking the truth (James 5:12), maintaining the sanctity of the home (Eph. 5: 22-6: 4), settling differences between Christians in accordance with the Word of God (I Cor. 6:1-8), not engaging in carnal strife but showing a Christ-Like attitude toward all men (Rom. 12:17-21 ), exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), and maintaining a life of prayer (Eph. 6:18 ; Phil. 4:6), including the privilege, when sick, of calling for the Elders of the church to pray and to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:13-18).
9. ORDINANCES: the Christian should observe the ordinances of our Lord Jesus Christ, which are (1) baptism of believers by triune immersion (Matt. 28:19) and (2) the threefold communion service, consisting of the washing of the saints’ feet (John 13:1-17), the Lord’s Supper (I Cor.11: 20-22 , 33-34 ; Jude 12), and the communion of the bread and the cup (I Cor. 11:23-26).
10. SATAN: his existence and personality as the great adversary of God and His people (Rev.12: 1-10), his judgment (John 12:31), and final doom (Rev. 20:10).
11. SECOND COMING: the personal, visible, and imminent return of Christ to remove His Church from the earth (I Thess. 4:16-17) before the tribulation (I Thess. 1-10 ; Rev. 3:10), and afterward to descend with the Church to establish His millennial kingdom upon the earth (Rev. 19:11-20:6).
12. FUTURE LIFE: the conscious existence of the dead (Phil. 1:21-23 ; Luke 16:19-31), the resurrection of the body (John 5:28-29), the judgment and reward of believers (Rom. 14:10-12 , II Cor. 5:10), the judgment and condemnation of unbelievers (Rev. 20:11-15), the eternal Life of the saved (John 3:16), and the eternal punishment of the Lost (Matthew. 25:46; Rev. 20:15).
The “Statement of Faith” herein set forth cannot be changed or diminished.