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WE BELIEVE that God is the Eternal King. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory.WE BELIEVE that God's kingdom is everlasting. From His throne, through his Son, His eternal Word, God created, upholds and governs all that exists: the heavenly places, the angelic hosts, the universe, the earth, every living thing and mankind. God created all things very good. WE BELIEVE that Satan, originally a great, good angel, rebelled against God, taking a host of angels with him. He was cast out of God's presence and, as a usurper of God's rule established a counter-kingdom of darkness and evil on the earth. WE BELIEVE that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for the relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born in sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. WE BELIEVE that God did not abandon His rule over the earth which he continues to uphold by His providence. In order to bring redemption, God established covenants which revealed His grace to sinful people. In the covenant with Abraham, God bound himself to his people WE BELIEVE that as King, God later redeemed His people by his mighty acts from bondage in WE BELIEVE that when WE BELIEVE that in the fullness of time, God honored His covenants with WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is our abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide. We believe in the filling or empowering of the Holy Spirit, often a conscious experience, for ministry today. We believe in the present ministry of the Spirit and in the exercise of all of the biblical gifts of the Spirit. We practice the laying on of hands for the empowering of those whom God has ordained to lead and serve the Church. WE BELIEVE that the whole world is under the domination of Satan and that all people are sinners by nature and choice. All people therefore are under God's just judgment. Through the preaching of the Good News of Jesus and the
WE BELIEVE in the one, holy, universal Church. All who repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and form the living Body of Christ, of which He is the head and of which we are all members.
WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of Holy Scripture so that the Bible is without error in the original manuscripts. We receive the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments as our final, absolute authority, the only infallible rule of faith and practice. WE BELIEVE IN THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE ... Marriage is a provision of God whereby a man and a woman enter into a lifelong relationship[1] through a marriage ceremony which is recognized by the church and legally sanctioned by the state. Marriage establishes a "one-flesh" relationship[2], which goes beyond a physical union and is more than either a temporary relationship of convenience intended to provide personal pleasure or a contract, which binds two people together in a legal partnership. Marriage establishes an emotional and spiritual oneness, which enables both partners to respond to the spiritual, physical and social needs of the other.[3] It provides the Biblical context for the procreation of children. Marriage is to be an exclusive relationship that is maintained in purity.[4] It is intended by God to be a permanent relationship. It is a witness to the world of the relationship between Christ and His Church.[5] Marriage requires a commitment of love, perseverance and faith. Because of its sanctity and permanence, marriage should be treated with seriousness and entered into only after counsel and prayer for God's guidance. Christians should marry only those who are believers.[6] An individual who becomes a believer after marriage should remain with his or her partner in peace, and should give witness to the gospel in the home.[7] The Bible holds family life as a position of trust and responsibility. The home is a stabilizing force in society, a place of nurture, counsel, and safety for children.[8] Marriage can only be broken by "porneia" which is understood as marital unfaithfulness[9] involving adultery, homosexuality, or incest. While the Scriptures give evidence that the marriage vow and "one-flesh" union are broken by such acts, and therefore do recognize the breaking of the marriage relationship, the Scriptures do recommend that the most desirable option would be reconciliation.[10]
[1] Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:6 [2] Matt. 19:5; Mal. 2:15 [3] Gen. 2:18, 1 Cor. 7:2-5; Heb. 13:4 [4] Eph. 5:3,26,27 [5] Eph. 5:25,31,32 [6] 2 Cor. 6:6:14,15 [7] 1 Cor. 7:12-14,16 [8] Eph. 6:4 [9] Matt. 5:32; 19:9 [10] Eph. 4:32
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ committed two ordinances to the Church: water baptism and the Lord's Supper. Both are available to all believers. WE BELIEVE that God's kingdom has come in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, that it continues to come in the ministry of the Spirit through the Church, and that it will be consummated in the glorious, visible and triumphant appearing of Christ - His return to the earth as King. After Christ returns to reign, He will bring about the final defeat of Satan and all of his minions and works, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment and the eternal blessing of the righteous and eternal conscious punishment of the wicked. Finally, God will be all in all and His kingdom, His rule and reign, will be fulfilled in the new heavens and the new earth, recreated by His mighty power, in which righteousness dwells and in which He will forever be worshipped.
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