Our Doctrinal Statement
I. CONCERNING THE SCRIPTURES:
We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men supernaturally inspired, and
is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction; that it has God as its Author,
salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter;
that it reveals the principle by which God will judge us; and therefore is, and
shall remain to the end of the world, the only complete and final revelation of
the will of God to man, the true center of all Christian union, and the supreme
standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried.
By “inspiration” we mean that all books of the Bible were written down by holy
men of God as they were supernaturally moved by the Holy Ghost, in a definite
yet inexplicable way so as to record the very words and sense of God though
conveyed within their own literary styles; that such writings are free from all
error and from all omission as no other writings have been or ever will be; that
the Bible does not merely contain the Word of God, but is the very Word of God.
II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:19-21; Acts 1:16; 3:21; II Samuel 23:2; Acts 28:25;
Psalm 119:89,130,160; I Corinthians 2:12,13; Luke 24:25-27,44,45; Psalm 12:6.7;
Isaiah 40:8; I Peter 1:23-25; John 10:35; Matthew 5:18; 24:35; Luke 16:17,
29-31; 21:33; John 17:17; Proverbs 30:5,6; Romans 3:4; 15:4, Revelation 22:18,19
John 12:48; Isaiah 8:20; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 19:7-11; John 5:39,
45-47; Romans 10:17.
II. CONCERNING THE TRUE GOD.
We believe the Scriptures teach 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 Ghost; equal in every divine perfection, and
executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
1. Of God The Father.
We believe the Scriptures teach that God the Father reigns with providential
care over His universe, His creatures, and the events of human history according
to the purposes of His grace; that He is unchangeable in holiness, love and
truth; that He is Father in truth to those who are the children of God through
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and fatherly in His attitude toward all men, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and
receive His gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Genesis 1:1; 17:1; Exodus 3:14; 15:11; 20:2,3; I Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6;
John 4:24; Psalm 83:18; 90:2; 147:5; Jeremiah 10:10; Revelation 4:11; I Timothy
1:17; Romans 11:33; Mark 12:30; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7; II Corinthians 13:14;
Ephesians 2:18; I John 1:5; 4:8; Hebrews 12:29; Deuteronomy 6:4,5; Isaiah 6:3; I
Peter 1:15.
2. Of God The Son.
We believe the Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of
God, co-equal, co-essential, and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Holy
Ghost, the second Person of the Trinity; that He was born into this world of
Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can ever be born of a woman,
and that He is both perfect God and perfect man; that He lived a sinless life,
honoring the divine Law by His personal obedience, yet identifying Himself
completely with mankind; that He died a substitutionary death on the cross
securing redemption through His shed blood for sinners; that He supernaturally
rose again the third day with a glorified body, was seen of many, and ascended
into the heavens to be exalted and seated at the right hand of the Father where
He is the Head over His churches, the Mediator and Advocate with God the Father
for all believers; and that He is supernaturally coming again to this world to
reign personally and visibly over the earth.
Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; Mark 1:1; John 1:1-3,14;
Psalm 2:7; Hebrews 1:8; Galatians 4:4; I John 5:20; I Corinthians 15:47; Isaiah
9:6,7; John 8:58; 10:30; 17:5; Philippians 2:5-11; I Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:15;
7:26; Romans 9:5; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 13:8; II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews
9:24-28; Revelation 1:8; Hebrews 10:12; I John 2:1; Isaiah 53:6; I Peter 2:24;
3:18; I Corinthians 15:3,4; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Colossians 1:18.
3. Of God The Holy Spirit.
We believe the Scriptures teach that the Holy Ghost is a divine Person,
co-equal, co-essential, and co-eternal, and co-active with God the Father and
God the Son, the third Person of the Trinity; that He was active in the creation
of the universe; that He moved holy men of God to write the Bible; that He is
the present representative of the Godhead on this earth, and in His relationship
to the unbelieving world restrains evil, convicting men of sin, of
righteousness, and judgment; that He bears witness to the Truth of the Gospel in
preaching and testimony, and is the Agent of the new birth, regenerating those
who by faith believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; that He seals, fills, guides,
teaches, sanctifies, and comforts all believers, cultivating in them Christian
character and bestowing upon them spiritual gifts by which they serve God in the
church, these gifts being entirely unlike those false-hoods perpetrated within
the so-called “Charismatic Movement” of today.
John 14:16,17,26; 15:26,27; 16:8-11,13; Acts 5:3,4,30-32; 11:16; I Corinthians
2:10,11; 12:4-6; Hebrews 9:14; Luke 1:35; 3:16; 24:49; Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8;
John 1:33, 3:5,6; Ephesians 1:13,14; II Thessalonians 2:7,13; Romans
8:14,16,26,27; I Peter 1:2.
III. CONCERNING MANKIND.
We believe the Scriptures teach that God created man in His own image and after
His own likeness; that man is notably distinct from all other forms of life,
being tripartite in nature and having an everlasting soul; that man’s creation
was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary change of species, or development
through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms of life; that
the entire Genesis account of creation is to be accepted literally and not
allegorically or figuratively; that all animal and vegetable life was made
directly and specially, and God’s established law is that they should bring
forth only “after their kind.”
1. Of The Fall Of Man.
We believe the Scriptures teach that man was created in innocence under the law
of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression through an act of deliberate
disobedience fell from that sinless and happy state; in consequence of which all
mankind are now sinners, being by nature utterly void of that holiness required
by the Law of God, positively inclined to evil; that upon reaching a capability
of moral action becomes a transgressor and therefore under just condemnation to
eternal ruin without defense or excuse.
Genesis 1:1,11,25-27,31; 2:21-23; Exodus 20:11; Acts 4:24; Colossians 1:16,17;
Hebrews 11:3; John 1:3; Revelation 10:6; Romans 1:20; Acts 17:23-26; Jeremiah
10:12; Nehemiah 9:6; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Genesis 3:1-6,24; Romans 1:18,20,28,32;
3:10-19; 5:12,19; Ezekiel 18:19,20; Galatians 3:10,22; Psalm 51:6; Isaiah 53:6;
Ephesians 2:3; Matthew 20:15.
2. Of Civil Government.
We believe the Scriptures teach that civil government is of divine appointment,
for the interest and good of human society; that all those in authority are to
be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except only in things opposed
to the revealed will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the
conscience, and the coming Prince of the rulers of the earth; that civil rulers
have no rights or control over, or interference with, religious matters; that
churches and religious organizations should receive no help from the State,
except protection and full freedom in the pursuit of spiritual ends; and that
the requiring of an implicit faith and absolute blind obedience destroys liberty
of conscience and reason.
Romans 13:1-7; I Peter 2:13,14,17; Matthew 22:21; Titus 3:1; I Timothy 2:1-8;
Acts 5:29; Matthew 10:28; Daniel 3:15-18; 6:7,10; Acts 4:18-20; Matthew 23:10;
Romans 14:4; Revelation 19:14; Psalm 72:11; II Samuel 23:3; Exodus 18:21,22;
Acts 23:5; Philippians 2:10,11.
IV. CONCERNING THE WAY OF SALVATION.
We believe the Scriptures teach that the salvation of sinners is wholly of the
grace of God, through the merits of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. Of The Law And The Gospel.
We believe the Scriptures teach that the Law of God is the eternal and
unchangeable rule of His moral government; that it is holy, just, and good; and
that the inability which the Scriptures ascribe to fallen men to fulfill its
precepts arises entirely from their sinful nature; to deliver them from which,
and to restore them through a Mediator of unfeigned obedience to the holy Law is
the one great end of the Gospel, that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day
according to the Scriptures.
Romans 3:20,31; Matthew 5:17; Luke 16:17; Romans 4:15; 7:7,12,14,22; Galatians
3:21; Romans 8:2,4,7,8; 10:4; I Timothy 1:5; Hebrews 8:10.
2. Of God’s Purpose Of Grace.
We believe the Scriptures teach that election is the eternal purpose of God,
according to which He graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and saves those
sinners who by faith believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; that being perfectly
consistent with the free agency of man, it comprehends all the means in
connection with the end; that it is a most glorious display of God’s sovereign
goodness, being infinitely free, wise, holy, and unchangeable; that it utterly
excludes boasting and promotes humility, love prayer, praise, trust in God, and
active imitation of free mercy; that it may be ascertained by its effects in all
who truly believe the Gospel; and that it is the foundation of Christian
assurance.
II Timothy 1:8,9; II Thessalonians 2:13,14; II Timothy 2:10; I Corinthians 9:22;
Romans 8:28-30; John 6:37-40; II Peter 1:10; I Thessalonians 4:10; Isaiah 42:16;
Romans 11:29.
3. Of The Freeness Of Salvation.
We believe the Scriptures teach 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 except his own inherent depravity and voluntary
refusal to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, which refusal will subject him to
an aggravated condemnation.
I Thessalonians 1:4; Colossians 3:12; I Peter 1:2; Titus 1:1; Matthew 11:28;
Isaiah 55:1,6,7; Revelation 22:17; Romans 10:13; John 6:37; Acts 2:38; John
3:15,16; I Timothy 1:15; I Corinthians 15:10; Ephesians 2:4,5; John 15:40; John
3:18,36.
4. Of The Atonement For Sin.
We believe the Scriptures teach that the Son of God, by appointment with the
Father, freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin; that by His death on
the cross 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 sinners’ place, the Just dying for the
unjust; that having risen from the dead He is now enthroned in Heaven and,
uniting in His wonderful Person the tenderest sympathies with divine
perfections, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate, and
all-sufficient Saviour.
Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24,25; John 3:16; Matthew 18:11; Philippians
2:7,8; Hebrews 2:14; Isaiah 53:4-7; I John 4;10; I Corinthians 15:3,20; II
Corinthians 5:21; John 10:18; Galatians 1:4; I Peter 2:24; 3:18; Isaiah
53:11,12; Hebrews 7:25; 9:12-15; 12:2; I John 2:2.
5. Of Regeneration.
We believe the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the “new birth,” is that
change wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, by which a new nature and a
spiritual life, not before possessed, are imparted, and the person becomes a new
creature in Christ Jesus; that a holy disposition is given to the mind, the will
subdued, the dominion of sin broken, and the affections changed from a love of
sin and self, to a love of holiness and God; that the change is instantaneous
and not a process, effected not by culture or character, nor by the will of man,
but solely through the power of God through the Word of God, in a manner
incomprehensible to reason.
John 3:3,6; I Peter 1:23; James 1:18; II Corinthians 5:17; I John 2:29;
Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 1:13; 2:13; Romans 6:13; John 1:12,13; I Corinthians
6:11; Titus 3:5-7.
6. Of Repentance.
We believe the Scriptures teach that repentance is a personal act, prompted by
the Spirit of God; and consists in a godly sorrow over sin, as offensive to God
and ruinous to the soul; that it is accompanied with great humiliation in view
of one’s sin and guilt, together with prayer for pardon; also by sincere hatred
of sin, and a persistent turning away from, and abandonment of, all that is evil
and unholy.
Matthew 3:1,2; 4:17; Mark 1:15; Acts 3:19; 5:31; 17:30; 20:21; Luke 18:13;
24:47; II Corinthians 7:2; Romans 2:5; Isaiah 55:7; Psalm 51:1-4,7.
7. Of Faith.
We believe the Scriptures teach that faith, inseparably united with repentance,
is a solemn obligation and a grace wrought in our soul by the quickening Spirit
of God; that it is an assent of the mind and a consent of the heart, consisting
mainly of belief and trust, wherein the testimony of God is accepted and
believed as true, while Christ is unreservedly received for salvation; that
through it the believer is brought into vital relations with God, as seeing Him
Who is invisible, freely justified; that it reveals Christ to the soul as a
willing and sufficient Savior, and commits the heart and life to Him.
Acts 16:31; Romans 1:17; 3:22; 5:1; 10:3,9-13; Hebrews 11:1,6; James 2:23;
Jeremiah 17:7; Psalm 34:22; 125:1; II Corinthians 5:7.
8. Of Justification.
We believe the Scriptures teach that the great Gospel blessing which Christ
secures to such as believe on Him is justification; that justification includes
the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life on principles of righteousness;
that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we
have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood; by virtue of which
faith His perfect righteousness is imputed to us of God; that it brings us into
a state of most blessed peace and favor with God, and secures every other
blessing needed for time and eternity.
John 1:16; Ephesians 3:8; Acts 13:39; Isaiah 3:11,12; Romans 5:1-3,9,11; 8:1;
Zechariah 13:1; Matthew 9:6; Acts 10:43; Matthew 6:33; I Corinthians 1:30,31; I
Timothy 4:8; Isaiah 53:11.
9. Of Adoption.
We believe the Scriptures teach that adoption is a gracious act by which the
Father, for the sake of Christ, accepts believers to the estate and condition of
children, by a new and spiritual birth; sending the Spirit of Adoption into
their hearts, whereby they become members of the family of God, and entitled to
all rights, privileges, and promises of children; and if children, then heirs of
God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ to the heritage of all saints on earth,
and an inheritance reserved in Heaven for them.
Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 3:26; 4:5-7; Ephesians 1:5; I John 3:1; Hebrews12:7; I
Peter 2:9.
10. Of Sanctification.
We believe the Scriptures teach that sanctification is that work by which,
according to the will of God, we are set apart unto God and made partakers of
His holiness; that it is both a declared fact and a progressive work; that it is
begun in regeneration; and that it is carried out in the hearts of believers by
the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, through the
continual use of the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness,
prayer, and in the practice of all godly exercises and duties.
II Thessalonians 4:3; 5:23; II Corinthians 7:1; 13:9; Ephesians 1:4; 4:11,12;
Proverbs 4:18; II Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 6:1; II Peter 1:5-8; Philemon 12-16;
Philippians 2:12,13; I Peter 2:2; II Peter 3:18; II Corinthians 13:5; I Timothy
4:7.
11. Of The Preservation Of The Saints.
We believe the Scriptures teach that such as are truly regenerate, being born of
the Spirit of God, cannot utterly fall away and finally perish, but will endure
to 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 salvation.
John 6:39,66-69; 8:31,32; 13:8; I John 2:19,27,28; 3:9; 5:18; Matthew 13:19-21;
Romans 8:28,35-39; Matthew 6:20,30-33; John 4:4; Philippians 1:6; 2:12,13; Jude
24,25; Hebrews 1:14; 13:5; John 10:28,29; 16:8; Colossians 1:21-23; I Peter 1:5.
12. Of The Righteous And The Wicked.
We believe the Scriptures teach that there is a radical and essential difference
between the righteous and the wicked; that only such as through faith are
justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit of
God, are truly righteous in God’s esteem; while all such as continue in
impenitence and unbelief are, in His sight, wicked and under the curse; and that
this distinction holds among men in this life and after death, in the
everlasting felicity of the saved, and the everlasting conscious suffering in
the lake of fire of the lost.
Malachi 3:18; Proverbs 12:26; Isaiah 5:20; Genesis 18:23; Jeremiah 15:19; Acts
10:34,35; Romans 1:17; 6:16,18,22,23; 7:6; I John 2:7,29; 3:7; 5:19; I
Corinthians 11:32; 15:22; Galatians 3:10; John 3:36; Isaiah 55:6,7; 57:21; Psalm
10:4; Proverbs 14:32; Luke 16:25; John 8:21-24; 12:25,26; Luke 9:26; 12:4,5;
11:23-26; Matthew 7:13,14; 25:34; Proverbs 11:31; I Peter 1:18.
V. CONCERNING THE UNSEEN WORLD.
1. Of Angels.
We believe the Scriptures teach that there is a vast celestial kingdom of spirit
beings called Angels, in ages past created holy, glorious, and higher than man;
a vast company of various ranks worshiping God, ministering to His glorious
Person and to His children.
Psalm 148:2,5; Colossians 1:16; Nehemiah 9:6; Hebrews 1:14; Psalm 103;20; 104:4;
Daniel 9:21,22; Luke 9:26; Mark 8:38; Daniel 10:13; 12:1; Jude 9; Revelation
12:7; Psalm 80:1; 99;1,11; Revelation 4:6-8; Ezekiel 1:4-28; Isaiah 6:1-3; II
Thessalonians 1:7,8; Psalm 34:7; Acts 12:7-11; II Kings 6:17.
2. Of The Devil, Or Satan.
We believe the Scriptures teach that Satan, as the mighty angel Lucifer, was
once holy, enjoying heavenly honors; but that 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”, the unholy god of this world; that
he is man’s great tempter, the enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ, the accuser of
the saints, the author of all false religions, the chief power 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 own son, and
the judgment of an eternal justice in hell, a place prepared for him and his
angels.
Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:14-17; Revelation 12:9; Jude 6; Ephesians 2:2; II
Peter 2:4; John 14:30; I Thessalonians 3:5; Matthew 4:1-3; I Peter 5:8; I John
3:8; Matthew 13:25,37,39; Luke 22:3,4; Revelation 12;10; II Corinthians
11:13-15; Mark 13:21,22; I John 4:3; II John 7; I John 2:22; Revelation
13:13,14; 12:7-9; 19:11,16,20; 20:1-3,10; II Thessalonians 2:8-11; Matthew
25:41.
VI. CONCERNING SIN.
We believe the Scriptures teach that sin is any transgression of or want of
conformity to, the revealed will of God; that it has permeated the entire
universe, including every realm and affecting every race and species amongst
creation; that every man is born with a sin nature, an inherent inclination
toward evil which results in acts of wrong-doing; that the wages of sin is
death, being separation from God in this life and throughout eternity.
I John 3:4; Numbers 32:23; Isaiah 53:13; Matthew 7:23; 23:28; Romans 6:19;
Judges 20:16; Romans 3:23; I Samuel 15:23; Jeremiah 2:25; Luke 19:14; Isaiah
53:6; Jeremiah 17:9; Genesis 3:14,18; Romans 8:22; 1:18-32; Psalm 51:5; 58:3;
John 3:19; James 4:17; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:27; Romans 5:12,14; Ephesians 2:1;
4:8; Matthew 10:23; Revelation 20:15.
VII. CONCERNING THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH.
We believe the Scriptures teach that a Baptist Church is a congregation of
baptized believers, associated by covenant in the 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 only
Scriptural offices are pastors (elders, bishops), and deacons, whose
qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the New Testament;
that the true mission of each church is found in the Great Commission, first, to
make individual disciples, second, to build up the church by baptizing those
believers, third, to teach and instruct as He has commanded; that his order
cannot be reversed; that each church has the absolute right of self government,
free from any interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations;
that the one and only Head of each church is Jesus Christ through the Holy
Spirit; that it is Scriptural for churches of like faith and order to co-operate
with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the
Gospel, but that every church is the sole and only judge of the measure and
method of its co-operation; that in all matters of membership, policy,
government, discipline, and benevolence, the will of each church is final.
Acts 2:41,42,47; 5:11; 8:1; 11:31; I Corinthians 4:17; 5:5,11,18; 11:2,23; II
Corinthians 8:5,23,24; I Timothy 3:5,15; II Thessalonians 3:7; Romans16:17-20;
Matthew 18:15-20; 28:19,20; John 14:15; 15:10; I John 4:21; I Thessalonians 4:2;
II John 6; Philippians 1:1; Acts 14:23; 15:22,23; 20:17-28; I Timothy 3:1-13;
Titus 1:5-9; Ephesians 1:22,23; 4:11; I Corinthians 12:4,8-11; Acts 6:5,6;
Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:23,24; I Peter 5:1-4; Jude 3,4; I Corinthians
5:11-13; 6:1-3.
VIII. CONCERNING THE ORDINANCES.
1. Of Scriptural Baptism.
We believe the Scriptures teach that baptism is the immersion in water of the
believer in Christ, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, performed with the church’s authority; to show forth in solemn and
beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its
effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is a pre-
requisite to the privileges of church membership; that infants are God’s little
ones, whether children of Christian or non-Christian parents, and are safe in
Christ until an age of moral accountability is reached, thus making any thoughts
of “infant baptism” unnecessary.
Matthew 28:19,20; Acts 2:41; 8:12,13,26-39; 9:17,18; 10:25,26,44-48;
16:14,15,25-37; 18:7-11; Matthew 3:1-16; 21:24,25; John 3:22,23; 4:1,2;
Galatians 3:27,28; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12; I Peter 3:15,20,21; II Samuel
12:22,23; Proverbs 20:11.
2. Of The Lord’s Supper.
We believe the Scriptures teach that the Lord’s Supper, is a provision of
unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, as symbols of Christ’s body and shed
blood; partaken of by the members of a church, in commemoration of the suffering
and death of their Lord, and in hopeful anticipation of His return.
Matthew 26:27-30; 28:20; Mark 14:20-26; Luke 22:19,20; I Corinthians 10:16;
11:2,17-34.
IX. CONCERNING HERESY AND APOSTASY.
We believe the Scriptures teach that it is necessary to maintain a total and
complete separation from all forms of heresy and ecclesiastical apostasy. We
believe the Scripture admonishes us to try them, mark them, rebuke them, have no
fellowship with them, withdraw ourselves, receive them not, have no company with
them, reject them, and separate ourselves from them.
Romans 16:17; II Corinthians 6:17; Ephesians 5:11; II Thessalonians 3:6,14;
Titus 1:13; 3:10; I John 4:1; II John 10,11.
X. CONCERNING THE GRACE OF GIVING.
We believe the Scriptures teach that giving is one of the fundamentals of the
faith; that God is the Source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; that
tithing is a Bible principle, and that the storehouse for the tithe in this
present age is the common treasury of the church; that we are under obligation
to serve God with our time, talents, and material possessions; and are commanded
to cheerfully, regularly, and liberally bring our tithes and offerings into the
storehouse upon the first day of the week.
Psalm 24:1; Haggai 2:8; Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 8:18; Genesis 14:18-20;
28:20-22; Leviticus 27:30; Malachi 3:8-10; Matthew 23:23; I Corinthians 9:13,14;
16:1,2; Hebrews 7:2,4; Acts 4:35,37; Proverbs 3:9; II Corinthians 8:3,12; 9:7,8;
Luke 6:38.
XI. CONCERNING THE RESURRECTION AND LAST THINGS.
We believe the Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ rose literally and bodily from
the dead on the third day; that having ascended into glory, He alone is our
merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God; that this same
Jesus shall return to earth bodily, personally, and visibly; first to raise the
righteous dead and catch up all living believers in the twinkling of an eye,
then to return with the saints to set up His glorious kingdom of a millennium of
peace and righteousness, having executed judgment upon an unbelieving world;
that at the final day of judgment all Christ-rejecting sinners will be raised,
judged, and cast into the lake of fire for everlasting damnation, that the saved
will live with Him for eternity according to the sure promises of God.
Matthew 28:6,7; Luke 24:2,4-6,19,51; John 20:27; I Corinthians 15:4; Mark
16:6,19; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 3:21; Hebrews 8:1,6; 12:2; I Timothy 2:5; I
John 2:1; Hebrews 2:17; 5:9,10; John 14:3; I Thessalonians 4:16,17; Matthew
24:27,35,42; Hebrews 9:28; I Corinthians 15:25,42-44,51-53; Philippians 4:20,21;
Luke 1:32; Isaiah 11:4,5; Psalm 72:8; Revelation 20:1-4,6,15; 21:7,8,24-27;
22:11; I Peter 4:7; I Corinthians 7:29-31; Hebrews 1:10-12; Revelation 1:7; I
John 2:17; Acts 24:15; Luke 14:14; Daniel 12:2; John 5:28,29; 6:40; 11:25,26; II
Timothy 1:10; Acts 10:42; Matthew 13:37-43,49; 25:35-41; II Peter 2:9,11,12;
Revelation 20:20.