STATEMENT of Faith

SECTION ONE – DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE

We believe the Bible (the Holy Scriptures of both Old and New Testaments) to be the verbally (every word) and plenary (completely) inspired and preserved Word of God. The Word of God is inerrant, infallible, and God breathed; and therefore the final authority for faith and practice of life. We believe that the Word of God, being inspired of God, contains no contradictions and that the Canon, the sixty-six books of the Bible, is complete. Nothing shall be added unto them nor taken away from them. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning.

We believe that God has preserved His Word to the English-speaking peoples through divine inspiration of the Authorized King James Version of the Scriptures, and it shall be the official and only translation used by the church in its teaching and preaching ministries. Any other version of the Bible is considered a perversion of the scriptures.

(Psalm 12:6,7; II Timothy 3:16,17; Hebrews 1:1,2; II Peter 1:20,21; Revelation 22:18,19)

SECTION TWO – DOCTRINE OF GOD

We believe in one Triune God, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power, co-existing in three persons–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We also believe that each is co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and has the same attributes and perfection, each executing distinct but harmonious offices in the work of redemption. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

(Genesis 1:1,25; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1,14,16,17, 14:10,26; II Corinthians 13:14; I John 5:7)

SECTION THREE – DOCTRINE OF THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the manifestation of the Father and the Word of God made flesh. Jesus, the eternal Word, became man without ceasing to be God. He is equally divine and eternal with the Father.

(John 1:1,2,14)

We believe in the essential Deity and Virgin Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ: that He was begotten and conceived by the Holy Spirit, that He was born of the Virgin Mary, and that not having a human father, He is true God and true man, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man.

(Isaiah 7:14, 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:2-14; II Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4,5; Philippians 2:5-8)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.

(Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24,25; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5, 2:24)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate.

(Acts 1:9; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25, 9:24; I John 2:1,2)

SECTION FOUR – DOCTRINE OF THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe the Holy Spirit to be co-equal with the Father and with the Son. He is a person who came to the earth as the fulfillment of Christ's promise. His ministry includes convicting the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He regenerates, indwells, seals, infills, empowers, and guides believers. The Holy Spirit is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ and indwelling and sealing them until the day of redemption.

(John 3:35, 16:8-11; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 6:19, 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13,14, 5:18)

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit.

(Ephesians 1:17,18, 5:18; I John 2:20-27)

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry.

(Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11,28; Ephesians 4:7-12)

We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or the filling of the Holy Spirit and that the ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing.

(I Corinthians 1:22, 13:8, 14:21,22)

SECTION FIVE – DOCTRINE OF MAN

We believe that God created man (Adam) in His own image and likeness, and that man sinned and thereby all the human race fell and inherited a sinful nature and became alienated from God, thereby incurring not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is the conscious eternal separation from God. We believe that man is totally depraved and, of himself, is unable to change his lost condition. If man is not born again by the Spirit of God, he is eternally lost.

(Genesis 1:26,27; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Luke 16:23; Romans 3:22,23, 5:12, 6:23; I Corinthians 15:21,22; Ephesians 4:17-19; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8)

SECTION SIX – DOCTRINE OF SALVATION

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that a person is saved when he repents of his sin, and exercises faith by accepting Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. The basis of our salvation is the precious blood of Christ that was shed for the forgiveness of our sins according to I Peter 1:18-19: we are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

We believe the scope of our salvation includes the forgiveness of all our sins, past, present, and future; a perfect standing before God as in Jesus Christ; and the changing of our earthly body to be conformed like unto the body of Christ at His return for His own.

We believe that the attitude of reconciliation or enmity toward God is eternally fixed at death. We further believe that there is an appointed day of judgment for the wicked when they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, there to remain in everlasting conscious punishment, torment, and separation from God.

(Luke 16:23, John 1:12, 5:24, 10:28,29; Romans 6:23, 8:19-23; II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8,9; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Hebrews 9:27; I John 3:2, 5:17; Revelation 20:12-15, 21:8)

SECTION SEVEN – DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL SECURITY

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever.

(John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1,38,39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; Hebrews 7:25; I Peter 1:4,5; Jude 24)

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to continually indulge in the flesh.

(Romans 13:13,14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

SECTION EIGHT – THE ORDINANCES OF BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER

We believe there are two Divinely set ordinances for the local church. Neither are particularly dictated by a time or certain day, but both are to be observed within the assembly of the church. Neither ordinance is the real thing, but only a figure.

1. BAPTISM: The believer in Christ is commanded to be baptized by immersion in water after he makes a public profession. Baptism is not essential for salvation, nor is it an aid. Water baptism is a picture of the Spirit baptism the Christian experiences during the new birth (I Corinthians 12:13). It is a visible proof of the believer’s identification with Jesus Christ. Water baptism is a figure of the true baptism, which is the death, burial, and resurrection one partakes of as he puts full faith in Jesus Christ (I Peter 3:21). Baptism identifies the Christian to be a follower of Christ. Baptism always follows profession of faith, never precedes. Infant baptism is not a scriptural baptism. Sprinkling is not a scriptural form of baptism. One cannot be allowed membership into the local church until he is scripturally baptized.

(Matthew 3:15,16, 28:18-20; Mark 16:16,17; Acts 2:41, 8:12,36-39, 9:18)

2. LORD’S SUPPER: The church is commanded to conduct a memorial service of Christ’s redemptive work for the Christian. This time of remembering the Lord’s death is held during the assembly of the saints. The Lord’s Supper is not essential to salvation, nor is it an aid. It is purely symbolic, as it pictures the believer’s partaking of Christ’s life and salvation through faith. When one believes on Christ, he is receiving both the broken body and shed blood of our Lord. Transubstantiation is a damnable heresy that must be removed from our teaching. The Lord’s Supper was ordained by Jesus Christ for us to show both His death for us, and His certain return to receive us to Himself. One is not to partake of the Lord’s Supper until he is a saved and scripturally baptized.

(Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19,20; I Corinthians 11:23-28)

SECTION NINE – DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH

We believe that the local church, which is composed of born again and baptized believers, is a local representation of the body of Christ (the church of the one body) and the espoused bride of Christ.

(I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27)

We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures.

(Acts 14:27, 20:17,28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free from any external authority or control.

(Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1,4; I Corinthians 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; Colossians 1:18; I Peter 5:1-4)

We recognize water baptism (immersion) and the Lord's Supper as the two Scriptural ordinances of obedience and observance for the church in this age.

(Matthew 28:19,20; Acts 2:41,42, 18:8; I Corinthians 11:23-26)

We attest that Cornerstone Baptist Church is an independent Baptist church with the following Baptist Distinctives, that may or may not differentiate it from other churches and or denominations. These beliefs are gauges by which our lives and our church are governed.

1. Biblical Authority: The Bible (Authorized Version) is the only rule of faith and practice (II Timothy 3:16).

2. Autonomy of each local church (Colossians 1:18).

3. Priesthood of All Believers (I Peter 2:5,9, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 1:6).

4. Two Ordinances: Baptism by Immersion (Acts 2:41, Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10) and the Lord's Supper (I Corinthians 11:20-34, Luke 22:14-20).

5. Individual Soul Liberty (Romans 10:13).

6. Saved church Membership (Acts 2:41,47).

7. Two church Offices: pastors and deacons (I Timothy 3:1-13).

8. Separation of church and State (Acts 5:29).

SECTION TEN – DOCTRINE OF SATAN AND FALLEN ANGELS

We believe that Satan is a person. He was created as an angelic being who sinned and became the arch enemy of God and His creation. He is the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. He is the chief adversary of God's children. He seeks to keep man from the Lord and salvation, and, when he cannot succeed at this, he seeks to weaken or destroy the testimony of Christians. He has at his command a great host of fallen angels and demons to carry out his purposes. He is not omnipotent, nor omniscient, nor omnipresent and can be overcome by the power of God. His doom is set by God and he will be eternally banished and punished in the Lake of Fire forever.

(Job 1:6,7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:12-19; Matthew 4:2-11; Revelation 12:10-15, 20:10)

SECTION ELEVEN – DOCTRINE OF LAST THINGS

We believe there will be a resurrection of all, first the just at the coming of Jesus Christ, and finally the unjust after the millennium. The saints (the saved) are raised to be forever with the Lord, and the unsaved will be confined for eternity in the Lake of Fire.

(Matthew 25:46; John 5:28,29, 11:25,26; 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, Revelation 20:5,6,12-15)

We believe in the “blessed hope”, which is the personal, bodily, pretribulation, premillennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Saviour for His church (the rapture) and His later return to set up His Kingdom (the millennium). This Messianic Kingdom was promised to the nation of Israel.

(Psalm 89:3,4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-21; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9,11, 24:15; I Corinthians 15:3-20; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 10:25; I John 2:1,2; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6, 21:1-8)

We believe that all believers will appear before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ for rewards or loss of rewards, but not as a determination of salvation.

(Romans 14:10; II Corinthians 5:10)

We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss and blessing they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord.

(Luke 23:43; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16,17; Revelation 20:4-6)

We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection when, the soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment, torment, and separation from the presence of God.

(Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)

SECTION TWELVE – DOCTRINE OF CREATION

We believe that God created the universe in six, literal 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin.

(Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11)

SECTION THIRTEEN – DISPENSATIONALISM

We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life that define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not necessarily ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Men are required to live by the revealed truth given for His specific time on earth. Three of these dispensations—the law, the church, and the kingdom—are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture.

(Genesis 1:28; I Corinthians 9:17; II Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10, 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24,25,27; Revelation 20:2-6)

SECTION FOURTEEN – DOCTRINE OF SEPARATION

We believe the Bible teaches that Christians (the saved) should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord, and that separation from all religious apostasy and all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded by God according to II Corinthians 6:17-18 and 7:1: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Cornerstone Baptist Church will be separated from all forms of apostasy and religious inclusivism. We reject the ecumenical movement, joining all churches into one body regardless of doctrine or practice, and the charismatic movement with its unscriptural emphasis on tongues and healing. The church will enjoy fellowship with churches of like faith and practice, but will have no part in any council of churches that is ecumenical in nature or thrust in matters of doctrine and faith.

We believe Christians are to be personally separated from all worldly practices that hinder spiritual growth and stability. We believe that a Christian should seek to live a holy life and maintain a testimony that is consistent with a follower of Christ and the teachings of the Word.

SECTION FIFTEEN – DOCTRINE OF CHRISTIAN PRACTICE (COVENANT AND

AGREEMENT)

We believe that when one joins Cornerstone Baptist Church, they are led by the Spirit and are entering into agreement with other believers of like faith and practice. Realizing that all are on different levels of spiritual maturity, all members must exercise grace and patience with one another. Being a church that is to be composed of saved members (i.e. all were led by the Holy Spirit to repent of personal sin and to believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and all having been baptized by immersion in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit), we joyfully and without outside pressure or influence enter into agreement with one another to compose the membership of Cornerstone Baptist Church.

Being led by the Holy Spirit of God and by His direction, we seek to walk together in Christian love. It is our desire to promote the growth of this church in scriptural knowledge and in holiness, compassion, and comfort. We seek to promote the church's prosperity and spirituality. We strive to maintain the worship of the Lord, the two ordinances given to the church, and to teach and preach sound doctrine from the Word of God. As members of Cornerstone Baptist Church, we desire to be obedient to give cheerfully and regularly by tithes and offerings to the support of the ministries, the expenses of the local church, the relief of the needy, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations by supporting world- wide missionaries.

We agree to promote and practice family and private devotions: to bring up and instruct our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and to pray for and seek the salvation of our families, friends, and all others. We encourage one another to maintain a Christian testimony in the world, to be honest in our dealings, to walk in the Spirit before all thereby avoiding gossip, backbiting, and anger. Furthermore, we seek to encourage one another to abstain from worldly amusements that would compromise our testimonies for the Lord. Knowing that “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (I Corinthians 6:12), we encourage one another to know that “our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in us, which we have of God, and we are not our own. For we have been bought with a price: therefore we are to glorify God in our body, and in our spirit, which are God's” (I Corinthians 6:19,20). “Whether therefore we eat or drink or whatsoever we do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31). We strive to maintain a testimony honoring to the Lord in this world, to be just in our dealings with others, to be faithful in our engagements and word, and to be exemplary in our disposition with others. We encourage and exhort one another to be free from all oath bound secret societies, unequal yokes with unbelievers, and any forms of habit forming destructive vices and addictive substances as a testimony for Christ.

As fellow members of this church, it is our Christian duty to watch over one another in brotherly love, to remember one another in prayer, to aid each other in sickness and distress and sorrow, to be courteous in our speech and have compassion for one another, to be slow to take offence and to be ready always to seek reconciliation when offences occur, to be mindful of the Lord's rules of securing reconciliation without delay, and to be like Jesus in our dealings with one another.

We encourage all members, should job or family concerns move us from Cornerstone Baptist Church, to as soon as possible find and unite as the Lord leads and directs with another church of like mind and faith and practice. It is the obligation of every member to so live and carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of the Word of God.

SECTION SIXTEEN – DOCTRINE OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions:

1. The Home, 2. The Church, and 3. The State. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God.

(Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:7,17; I Peter 2:13,14)

SECTION SEVENTEEN – DOCTRINE OF HUMAN SEXUALITY AND IMMORALITY

We believe that God has commanded no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that God has designed marriage to be between one man and one woman only. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, transsexuality, transvestism, pedophilia, polygamy, bigamy, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sexual intimacy. We believe that genders were determined at birth, by God’s sovereign choice, and there should be no altering of God’s will in this or any other matter. We believe the profession of one to be non-binary is false, for God made them to be male and female. This also includes a prohibiting of transgender and gender re-assignment. Everything associated with LGBTQ+ is not acceptable in the Bible, nor the church.

(Genesis 1:27, 2:24, 19:5,13, 26:8-11; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-32; I Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1-8; I Timothy 1:8-10; Hebrews 13:4)

SECTION EIGHTEEN – DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE

We believe God hates divorce, and intends that marriage is to last until “death do us part”. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons who walk in God's forgiveness can have membership in the church and may hold positions of service within the church and may be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon. We believe that “marriage” has one legitimate meaning, and that is marriage, sanctified by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, covenantal union, as delineated by the Scripture. Whenever there is a conflict between the church’s position and any new legal standard for marriage, the church’s statement of faith, doctrines, and Biblical positions will govern.

(Genesis 1:27, 2:24; Proverbs 18:22, 19:14; Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 7:1-3; I Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:22-23; I Timothy 3:2,12; Titus 1:6)

SECTION NINETEEN – DOCTRINE OF ABORTION

We believe that life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of a human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental and physical well-being of the mother are acceptable.

(Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5, 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24, 49:1,5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

SECTION TWENTY – DOCTRINE OF GIVING

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of the portion of God's wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe (10%) as the basis for giving, but every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the gospel world- wide. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made.

(Genesis 14:20, 28:22; Numbers 18:26; Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 23:23; Luke 18:12; Acts 4:34-37; I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:17,18; I John 3:17)

SECTION TWENTY-ONE – DOCTRINE OF MISSIONS

We believe that God has given the church the Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all means available to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. We will endeavor to interview, pray for, and financially support those who are called to specific mission fields to proclaim the gospel, as well as to assist and support worthy homeland mission projects.

(Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Corinthians 5:20)

SECTION TWENTY-TWO – DOCTRINE OF LAWSUITS BETWEEN BELIEVERS

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian's insurance company, so long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander.

(I Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31,32)

SECTION TWENTY-THREE – THE ROLE OF WOMEN

We believe that all women who are saved and baptized will have full membership and voting rights stated within the bylaws of this constitution, with the exception of making and seconding motions during called meetings. Furthermore, there are certain offices that women cannot hold in the church. These offices are the pastor and deacons. Women are to remain silent in the congregation in matters of teaching and preaching doctrine, or leading of services. Women cannot teach, nor hold positions of authority over men. Women can give testimonies, share prayer requests, and teach other women and children. Women can be involved in personal evangelism and sharing the gospel with others.

(Acts 1:14, 18:25,26; I Corinthians 14:33-37; I Timothy 2:9-15; Titus 2:3-5; Revelation 2:20)

SECTION TWENTY-FOUR – EUTHANASIA

We believe that all people have the right to live until God chooses to take the breath of life from them. Men do not have the right to choose between life and death for others, except for capital punishment on crimes worthy of death. The Bible also does not allow someone to choose to take their own life. Death is the enemy of us all, and life must be cherished, and fought for until God decides.

(Genesis 9:5-6; Psalm 6:5, 30:9; Ecclesiastes 8:8, 9:4-6; Matthew 27:3-5; Romans 13:1-5; I Corinthians 15:26, 54-57)

SECTION TWENTY-FIVE – BEHAVIOR AND APPEARANCE OF THE CHRISTIAN

We believe that God’s people are His peculiar treasure, and ambassadors of His character and holiness on earth. We expect the church membership to be modest and appropriate in all dress and appearance before the world. Face piercings, tattoos, and unnatural appearances are discouraged in our services, and special meetings. People are welcome to visit our services any time, but members are expected to be exemplary in all manners and behavior.

(II Corinthians 6:14-18; I Thessalonians 5:22; I Timothy 2:9-10; I Peter 1:15,16, 2:9, 3:1-22)

SECTION TWENTY-SIX – AUTHORITY OF THE STATEMENT OF FAITH

This Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source and authority of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible and is therefore binding upon all members.