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Our Statement of Faith |
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The Holy Scriptures |
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We believe the Scriptures--both the Old and New Testaments--to
be the verbally inspired Word of God, written by men in God's control,
inerrant and infallible, in the whole and in the part, in all areas
(including creation, science, geography, chronology, history, and in all
other matters in which it speaks), in the original manuscripts, and the
complete and final authority in faith and life. We accept the
grammatical-historical-literal system of interpretation of the Scriptures,
and accept the historical record of the Bible as accurate and adequate(1
Thes. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pe. 1:20,21; Psa. 19:7-9; Rev. 22:18-19). |
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Creation |
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We believe in the Biblical account of the creation of the
universe in six literal, solar days; that God created by His Word the
heavens, the earth, and all their hosts, without pre-existing materials; that
man was created by a direct act of God; that all humans were present in Adam
when he was created; that new individuals (in all their parts) come into
existence today, not by a continuing creation, but through the laws of
propagation established by God; that each individual is a living person from
the moment of conception; that all forms of evolutionary hypotheses are
serious errors which strike at the very person and glory of God (Gen. 1:1-31;
2:7; 5:3; Exo. 20:11; Heb. 11:13; Psa. 139:13-16; Lk. 1:41,44; Jn. 1:3; Rom.
5:12-24; 1 Cor. 15:22; Col. 1:15-19; Heb. 11:3). |
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The Godhead |
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We believe in one God, eternally existing in three
persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--who are identical in essence, equal in
power and glory, and possess precisely the same attributes and perfection
(Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; Lk. 3:22; 2 Cor. 13:14). |
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The Condition of Man |
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We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of
God, in innocence and without sin. But
in Adam's sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, became spiritually
dead and alienated from God so that man is a sinner by both nature and
imputation, thereby justly condemned to eternal damnation without defense or
excuse, and man, of himself, is incapable of remedying his lost and depraved
condition by any means whatsoever (Gen. 1:26; 3:1-24; Rom. 3:10-18; 5:12,19;
Eph. 2:1-3). |
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The Person and Work of Christ |
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We believe that God demands a life of perfect obedience to His
law; i.e., complete and total righteousness. Thus, God the Son had to become
man in order to provide for us what God the Father's holy nature (and self-consistency)
demanded--perfect righteousness. Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son
of God, became man without ceasing to be God; having been conceived of the
Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and
redeem sinful man. He accomplished this redemption by voluntarily giving
Himself as a sinless substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, thereby
satisfying God's righteous judgment against sin. He gave proof that He
accomplished that redemption by His bodily resurrection from the grave. He
then ascended to the right hand of His Father where He intercedes on behalf
of those who have believed on Him (Jn. 1:1,2,14,18; Lk. 1:34,35; 24:36-43;
Rom. 2:12,13; 3:24-26; 8:34; Heb. 4:14-16; 2 Cor. 5:21). |
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The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit |
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We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Person who
convicts the world of sin; that He alone brings new life to those who are spiritually
dead; that He baptizes(or places) all believers into the one true Church,
which is the Body of Christ; that He indwells them permanently, seals them
unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon them, and fills
(controls) those who are yielding to Him to empower for Christian life and
service (Jn. 3:3-8; 16:7-11; Acts 5:3,4; Eph. 4:5; 1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:9;
Jn. 14:16,17; Eph. 4:30; 1 Cor. 12:7-11; 1 Pe. 4:10; Eph. 3:16; 5:18; Gal.
5:22,23). |
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Satan and the Fallen Angels |
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We believe that God created an innumerable company of spiritual
beings, known as angels; that one, Lucifer, the highest in rank, sinned through
pride, and thereby became Satan; that a great company of the angels followed
him in his moral fall; that some became demons and are active as his agents
and associates in the prosecution of his unholy purposes; and that others who
fell are in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great
day; (Rev. 12:1-10; 2 Pe. 2:4; Jude 1:6). We believe that Satan is the author
of sin and, under the permission of God, was the deceiver of Eve in the Fall;
that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be
eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek.
28:11-19; Matt. 4:2-11; Jn. 12:31; Rev. 20:10). In his warfare, he appears as
an angel of light (2 Cor. |
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Salvation |
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We believe that salvation is the gift of God's grace given to
all who believe on the Son. It includes all that God does in saving the elect
from the penalty, power, and presence of sin, and in restoring them to a
right relationship with God. As such, it is solely the work of God from
initiation to completion. It cannot be gained by good works, but is a free
gift for all whom God has enabled to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and His
finished work on the cross. All who so put their faith in Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord have been forgiven and saved from their sins and declared
righteous before God, and have been born into the family of God by the
regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. God's purpose for saving His elect is
so that they bring glory to Him by their lives (Rom. 1:16; 10:17; Acts
16:14b; Eph. 1:7; 2:8,9; Jn. 1:12,13; Rom. 9:16; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 1:6;
Titus 2:11-14; 3:5-7; 1 Pe. 1:18- 19; Jn. 5:40; 6:44; 3:36; 5:24; 1 Jn. 5:1). |
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Security, Assurance, and Human Responsibility |
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We believe that all the saved--those in whom God has
accomplished His transforming work of grace--are kept by His power, and thus,
are secure in Christ forever. This assurance, however, is not the occasion
for sin, for God in holiness cannot tolerate willful and/or persistent sin in
His children, and in infinite love He corrects them. True faith in Christ is
always expressed by a fruitful, God-pleasing life (Jn. |
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Sanctification |
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We believe that God, in the Scriptures, has given us everything
pertaining to life and godliness. This includes the salvation from the penalty
of sin, and just as surely, the provision of sanctification (separation) from
sin. Sanctification from sin affects both the positional and practical
aspects. Positional sanctification (i.e., justification) as a work of the
Holy Spirit is complete and is without further growth; however, practical
sanctification(i.e., progressive sanctification), a result of the work of the
Spirit in regeneration using the Word of God, provides the nourishment for
growth in maturity in Christ. While practical sanctification is assured by
the Word and the Spirit, it is yet imperfect in this life. There is some
element of corruption in every part of the fallen nature which is the source
for the war between the flesh and the spirit. The maturing to obedience is
possible for believers as they feed on the Word, submit to the Spirit of God,
and are in fellowship with other believers for service and accountability
(Jn. 17:17; 1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 6:19,22; Heb. 10:25; 1 Pe. 2:2; 2 Pe. 1:3). |
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The Church |
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We believe that the true Church, called in Scripture the Body of
Christ, is a spiritual organism.
Every person who has trusted Jesus Christ for salvation in this present
age has been baptized (placed) into this organism by the Holy Spirit. The
local church, as established in Scripture, is made up of redeemed individuals
who have joined together for worship, instruction, fellowship and service
(Eph. 1:22,23; 5:25-32; 1 Cor. 12:12,13; Acts 2:42; 13:1,2), exhibiting the
true love of God to each other. |
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The Christian Life |
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We believe that a Christian should desire to live 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 (Js. 5:12), maintaining
the sanctity of the home (Eph. 5:22-6:4), settling differences between
Christians in accordance with the Word of God (1 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). |
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Giving |
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We believe that believers are to be generous in their giving,and
that all giving should preferably be done in secret according to the Lord's
command (Matt. 6:1-4). Thus, the giving of cash or by other means that
preserve the privacy of the giver is encouraged. |
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Missions/Evangelism |
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We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by
life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the
Gospel to all mankind (Mk. |
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The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts |
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We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His
gifts; and, that the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers are
sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today; and, that speaking in tongues
and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament
Scriptures were completed and their authority became established (1 Cor.
12:4-11; 2 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 4:7-12). |
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Attitude Toward Civil Government |
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We believe that civil government is ordained of God for the
welfare of human society to promote and protect the good and to restrain and punish
evil. Therefore, We consider it the duty of Christians to pray for rulers and
for those that are in authority over them and to give due loyalty, respect,
and obedience to them. However, where the demands of civil law would militate
against the supreme law and will of God, Christians should obey God rather
than man (Dan. 4:17; Matt. 22:17-21; Acts 4:19, 5:29; Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim
2:1-4; Acts 23:5; Titus 3:1; 1 Pe. 2:13,14). |
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Ordinances |
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We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances
to be observed by all believers until His return--water baptism (by
immersion) to show forth our identification with the crucified, buried, and risen
Savior (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:12) and the Lord's Supper as the
commemoration of His death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:23-26). |
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Biblical Dispensations |
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We believe that the dispensations are divinely ordered
stewardships, or rules of life (not ways of salvation), by which God
administers His purpose on Earth through man under varying responsibilities in
successive ages. Each dispensation begins with man being divinely placed in a
new position of privilege and responsibility, and each closes with a failure
of man resulting in righteous judgment from God. Three of these
dispensations, or rules of life, are the subject of extended revelation in
Scripture. They are the dispensation of the Mosaic Law, the present
dispensation of Grace (the Church age), and the future dispensation of the |
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The Second Coming of Christ |
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We believe in the imminent, personal, pre-tribulational coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church and His subsequent premillennial
return to earth with His saints to establish His Millennial Kingdom upon the
earth (1 Thes. 1:10; 4:13-18; Rev. 3:10; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 19:11- 16;
20:1-6). |
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The |
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We believe that at death the souls of those who have trusted
Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence and remain there in
conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at Christ's coming for the
Church, when soul and body will be reunited.
We then shall be with Him forever in glory. We also believe that at
death the souls of unbelievers remain in conscious misery until the final
judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the Millennium when the
soul and body will be reunited and cast into the lake of fire--not to be
annihilated, but to be separated from God forever in conscious punishment(Lk.
16:19-26; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:21-23; Jn. 5:28-29; 2 Thes. 1:7-9; Matt. 25:46;
Rev. 20:11-15). |
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This statement
of faith represents the opinion of believers of this church and should not be
substituted for the study of Scripture. The Word of God alone (sola
scriptura) is the final authority on all matters pertaining to the faith of
all believers everywhere. It is believed by this church that this statement
accurately represents the fundamentals of the Christian faith. |
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Proud Member of the Southern Baptist and the
Southern Baptist of
E-Mail: solidrockstephenville@yahoo.com