Doctrinal Statement

I hold the following truths to be an accurate and honest portrayal of my beliefs as a Fundamental Independent Baptist:

I. The Inspiration of the Bible

I believe the Holy Scriptures, composed of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, are the verbally inspired word and Revelation of God. The Bible is inerrant, infallible-God-breathed. The initial miracle of divine inspiration of the original autographs also extends to the divine preservation of a pure text to this day.

II. The Trinity

I believe in the Triune God-God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit-coequal and coeternal. Each has His individual identity and separate responsibilities for the purposes of redemption, yet perfectly united as three Persons in One. 1 John 5:1-8; John 16:7-18; Matthew 28:19; Genesis 1:26.

III. The Deity and Virgin Birth of Christ

I believe in the Deity of Jesus Christ. He is the only begotten, virgin born Son of God, the second Person in the Trinity, God the Son, God manifest in the flesh. 1 Timothy 3:16; John 1:1-14; John 14:9; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; John 10:36.

IV. The Blood Atonement

I believe in the substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man, and all must be born again or be forever lost. Hebrews 2:9; John 6:44-69; John 3: 118; Romans 3:25; Revelation 1:5; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19. As he was perfect and sinless, Christ is the only means by which a person may receive atonement for his sins. The Lord's atonement was not limited with respect to whom God's salvation is offered, i.e., His shed blood is sufficient for all sin and, therefore, "whoso ever will" may believe and be saved to the uttermost. 1 John 2:2; Hebrews 7:22-25; Revelation 22:17.

V. The Resurrection

I believe in the physical resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He ascended bodily into the heavens and is now at the right hand of God as our Mediator, Priest, and Advocate. Acts 3:12-26; John 20; Hebrews 9:24; 1 Corinthians 15:12-28; 1 John 2:1.

VI. The Second Coming

I believe in the Rapture; the personal, premillennial, pretribulational and imminent return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ "in the air." This is the "blessed hope" of every born-again believer in the Church Age. At that time He will receive to Himself the resurrected bodies of those who "died in Christ" and also all those who are presently alive and "in Christ." 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:6-10; 1 Corinthians 15:50-55; Acts 1:11; Titus 2:13. He will then come "with His saints" seven years thereafter to execute judgment upon the ungodly nations before the inauguration of His earthly millennial reign at His second coming to the earth. Jude 14,15; Matthew 25:31-46. The Lord will cast the anti-christ and the false prophet into the lake of fire, send Satan into the bottomless pit and establish His earthly kingdom. The Lord Jesus Christ will reign one thousand years, thus literally fulfilling the covenant promises made to a believing remnant of Israel through the Patriarchs of the Old Testament. Isaiah 11:1-16; Revelation 19:19-20; 20:1-6. After the earthly reign of one thousand years, He will bring all the unsaved dead to the judgment of the Great White Throne and all who stand before that Throne will be cast into the lake of fire forever. Revelation 20:11-15; Matthew 7:21-23. Satan will also be cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:10.

VII. The Person of Satan

I believe in the person of Satan, "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world." He is actively opposing the cause of Christ and is the arch enemy of every true believer. His warfare incorporates the deception of mixing error and truth as well as promoting that which is flagrantly vile and evil. 2 Corinthians 11:1-15; 2 Peter 5:8-9; Revelation 12:9-10; Matthew 4:2-11; Isaiah 14:12-17; John 8:24. He marshals a host of fallen angels that can also serve to deceive the unsuspecting by "transforming themselves into...apostles of Christ [and] ministers of righteousness..." (2 Corinthians 11:315). Every experience and teaching must be examined in light of the word of God to determine its true source. Isaiah 8:20; 1 John 4:1.

VIII. Heaven and Hell

I believe that Heaven is a real place prepared by God for those whose garments have been "made white" through faith in the shed "blood of the Lamb." Hell is a real place of eternal suffering for those whose names are not written in the "book of life." There is no intermediate state in which the unsaved can atone for his own sins. John 14:1-6; Revelation 7:13-17; 20:11-15; 21:22-27; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Luke 16:19-31.

IX. Creation and Man's Fall

I believe God created all things in a time frame of six literal, twenty-four hour days. I believe evolution in any form, including "theistic evolution" and the "gap theory", to be contradictory to the clear teaching of Scripture. I believe in the universality and exceeding sinfulness of sin. In Adam all have sinned and, therefore, are guilty before God by nature as well as by deed. Man was created by a direct act of God and subsequently fell into sin in the Garden of Eden. Romans 5:12-21 Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 3:10-26; 6:23; Psalm 51:5 Genesis 1-3.

X. Justification by Faith

I believe that man is justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood and bodily resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 Ephesians 2:8-9. The all-sufficient and completed work of Redemption accomplished through His death and resurrection is fully appropriated at the moment in time by those who receive, by faith, the free gift of salvation. Salvation is made available to all who believe. The adding of works, baptism, sacraments, or any other condition in order to obtain God's gift of salvation results in "another gospel" that is under God's curse. Galatians 1:6-10; Romans 1:16 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 5:24; Ephesians 5:8.

XI. Eternal Security

I believe in the eternal security of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. Once a lost sinner has become a "new creature in Christ," he can never lose that new relationship in the family of God because it is based upon Christ's imputed righteousness and not his own. The life that God imparts to the believing sinner is not "eternal life" if it can be terminated. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; John 10:25-29. Sin in the life of the believer affects his fellowship with the Father not sonship. All who are truly born of the Spirit and who continue in sin will be dealt with by the chastening hand of God. 1 John 1:5-10; Hebrews 12:6-13 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. All who are in Christ are sealed unto the day of redemption and will be glorified. We are to "work out" our salvation not "work for" our salvation; Philippians 2:12. Texts used to erroneously teach one can lose his salvation are speaking of loss of reward, not the loss of salvation or the right to be called a child of God. 1 Corinthians 3:8-15; 2 John 8; Revelation 3:11; Romans 8:29-30; 1 Timothy 1:12; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30.

XII. The Holy Spirit and Body of Christ

I believe all regenerated people are baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit the moment they receive Christ as their Saviour. 1 Corinthians 12:13; 1 Corinthians 10:32; Ephesians 2:13-18. The Holy Spirit indwells all who have been born again. Also, the baptism of the Spirit is not a separate event apart from the reception of the gift of the Holy Spirit upon believing on Christ unto salvation. Acts 15:6-11; Galatians 3:2,14; Romans 10:1317; Romans 8:9. The Church which is Christ's Body consists of all those who, truly believe and accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. Romans 8:14-27; James 1:18; John 1:12; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Matthew 16:16-16.

XIII. Separation

I believe that all Christians are first to be separated wholly unto the Lord, and as a necessary result, they must be:

1) Separated from worldly and sinful practices. They are to be holy, even as He is holy, and this desired behavior will always be diametrically opposed to the course of this present age. 1 Peter 1: 13-16; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17.

2) Separated from apostasy and unbelief. A believer must not be "unequally yoked together with unbelievers," thereby being identified with unbelief by association, whether in ministry, worship, or by joint religious activities. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 2:19-22; 3:1-5; Amos 3:3.

3) Separated from disobedient brethren and doctrinal compromise with respect to all ministry and service. A believer is identified with the doctrinal positions and practices of those he is in fellowship with, both before God and man. Separation from those who are not walking according to truth deters the leavening effect of compromise, and gives a faithful warning to the erring brother. Romans 16: 17; 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14-15; 2 John 10-11; Galatians 2:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:33.

XIV. The Local Church and Its Mission

I believe God has ordained the ministry of local, independent, indigenous assemblies of believers to accomplish His work in this dispensation extending from Pentecost to the Translation of Christ's Body at His appearing. The church's membership is to be composed of regenerated, baptized believers. The two ordinances of the local church are believer's baptism by immersion, and the memorial of the Lord's supper until He returns. The church is to be missionary and evangelistic in spreading the Gospel into the entire world. It is not the mission of the church to "bring in the Kingdom," major on social improvement, or "Christianize" society. It is to strive together for the faith of the Gospel, proclaim and maintain purity of doctrine and practice, and worship and serve the Lord in "spirit and truth." Acts 2:41-47; 20:17-32; Matthew 28:16-20; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34.

XV. Good Works

I believe that all followers of the Lord Jesus Christ should maintain good works, a "good work" being that which is done in obedience to the will of God as revealed in the word of God. Works will determine the reward or loss of reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ before which every Christian will stand. Every believer must realize his responsibility before God to "maintain good works," i.e., walk in the light of the word of God. The Bible is the believer's absolute Standard of faith and practice, his perfect Counsel. The word provides him with "all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3-4). The Bible, not any form of psychological counseling or therapy, is the answer. Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14; 3:1-11; 2 Thessalonians 5:23; 1 Corinthians 1:18-29; 3:8-15; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11.

XVI. Mission Work

I believe that the only hope for this world is the Gospel of Jesus Christ being preached to “all the world” by consecrated men called by God and sent out by a local church of like faith. We are commissioned to: “ Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15 The principal work of the missionary is to establish local, independent, indigenous Baptist churches in which saved, baptized believers work together to further propagate the gospel of Christ. Personal evangelism, literature distribution, Bible classes and so on must accomplish this. Any outreach to be effective whatsoever must come under the authority of the local church to be successful. Acts 2 46,47; Matthew 28:19,20