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1. THE SCRIPTURES - The
Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments have their authority
from God alone, and are given to us by divine inspiration.
They are the only perfect, supreme, infallible, and sufficient
standard of faith and practice.
2. GOD - There is one
true and living God; He is an infinite Spirit; self-existent,
omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, good, wise, just and
merciful. He is the creator, preserver and sovereign of the
universe; He is inexpressible glorious in holiness, and worthy
of all honour, confidence and love. In the Godhead there are
three persons in one - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
who are equal in every divine perfection, and who execute
distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
3. JESUS CHRIST - Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, is the person of the Trinity who,
by virtue of His sacrificial work, is the world's Redeemer
and the Saviour of all who believe. He is at present the intercessor
of all His people at the right hand of the Father, and is
to be the Judge of all men.
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT - The
Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, by whom all
saving, comforting and sanctifying power is exerted upon human
hearts.
5. STATE AND FALL OF MAN
- Man was created sinless. By his own disobedience he fell
into sin. Through his fall into sin, an evil nature was transmitted
to the whole race, revealing itself in actual transgression,
and bringing all under the reign of condemnation and death.
6. ATONEMENT - The perfect
life, vicarious death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, have
removed the obstacles in the way of the Holy Spirit's regeneration
power and of the Father's forgiving grace being extended to
the sinner and constitute for every believing soul an all-prevailing
plea and sufficient ground for righteousness before God.
7. REGENERATION - In regeneration
a new life principle is begotten in the soul of man by the
Holy Spirit through the word of truth, producing a disposition
to joyful obedience to Christ and to Holy conduct in life.
8. REPENTANCE - In repentance
the sinner, having seen his sin, being moved by the energy
of the Holy Spirit, is led to grieve for and hate it as an
offense against God, and apprehending the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, he lovingly returns to God to walk in the way
of His commandments.
9. FAITH - Faith is a
conviction of the intellect that God will perform all that
He has promised and an implicit trust of the heart in Christ
as a personal Saviour. It includes a hearty concurrence of
the will and affections with the whole plan of salvation as
revealed in the gospel, and is a condition of justification
and of cleansing from the pollution of sin and of all subsequent
gospel blessings.
10. JUSTIFICATION - Justification
is an act of God wherein He accepts as righteous the sinner,
to whom, is imputed the perfect righteousness of Christ, on
the condition of faith alone.
11. SANCTIFICATION - The
scriptures teach that sanctification is the process by which,
according to the will of God, Christians are made partakers
of His holiness; that it has its beginning in regeneration,
and that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the
presence and power of the Holy Spirit, in the continual use
of the, appointed means - the Word of God - self-examination,
self-denial, watchfulness and prayer.
12. THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH
- We believe that the first day of the week is the Lord's
day of Christian Sabbath and is to kept sacred to religious
purposes by abstaining from all secular labour and sinful
recreations, by the devout observance of all means of grace,
both private and public, and by preparation for that rest
that remains for the people of God.
13. A GOSPEL CHURCH -
We believe that a church of Christ 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. In more general sense the word
Church is used to designate all whose manes are written in
the Lamb's Book of Life. The only scriptural officers are
Bishops or Pastors, and Deacons, whose qualifications, claims
and duties are defined in the epistles of Timothy and Titus.
14. BAPTISM - This is
the immersion of believers in water into the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, in which are represented their death
to the world, the washing of their souls from the pollution
of sin, their resurrection to newness of life, the burial
and resurrection of Christ, their resurrection at the last
day, and their engagement to serve God.
15. THE LORD'S SUPPER
- The Lord's Supper is an ordinance of Christ, to be observed
by the churches in the manner indicated by Him in Matthew
xxvi, : 26-30.
16. DEATH - At death our
bodies return to dust, our souls to God who gave them. The
righteous being then perfected in happiness are received to
dwell with God, awaiting the full redemption of their bodies.
The wicked are cast into Hades reserved unto the judgment
of the great day.
17. RESURRECTION - There
will be a general resurrection of the bodies of the just and
of the unjust; the righteous in the likeness of Christ, but
the wicked to shame and everlasting contempt.
18. GENERAL JUDGMENT -
There will be a judgment of the quick and dead, of the just
and unjust, on the principles of righteousness, by our Lord
Jesus Christ, at His second coming. The wicked will be condemned
to eternal punishment, and the righteous received into the
fullness of eternal life and joy.
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