Having frequently and solemnly sought the Lord for help and direction, we humbly and freely offer up ourselves this day as a living sacrifice unto Him, who is our God in covenant through Christ our Lord and only Savior, to walk together according to His revealed word in a visible gospel church, submitting to Christ, our only head, and to each other as fellow-members of the same household of faith. Accordingly, we do covenant together as a church to endeavor to glorify God in worship as a community of believers who witness that Jesus is the Christ.
We believe our sole purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We purpose
to worship Him according to the simple pattern of the primitive, first-century
church by regularly gathering together for preaching, praying, and singing
praise to His Holy Name. We acknowledge and agree to observe Baptism and the
Lord's Supper as ordinances of the New Testament Church. Moreover, we will
follow the example of Christ in the washing of the saints' feet.
We consent to support the welfare of the church by our regular attendance,
prayer, communication of our prosperity, Bible study, worship in our homes,
and by endeavoring to attend to our ministers' needs as they spread the gospel.
We pledge to esteem our pastor highly in love for Christ's sake, as God has
appointed him as our overseer. This we will manifest by frequently and fervently
praying for him, diligently attending on his ministry, encouraging his heart
and strengthening his hand to the utmost of our power in the work of the Lord.
We will freely consult him as we have occasion respecting our spiritual affairs,
and communicate in a financial way to his needs as the Lord provides so that
his efforts may be wholly committed to the ministry of God's word.
With the Holy Bible as our only rule of faith and practice, we submit the
following articles to distinguish our beliefs in the areas they address.
1. We believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the infallibly
inspired word of God, a thorough furnisher for every good work, and the only
rule of faith and practice.1
1.) II
Timothy 3:16; Acts
8:35.
2. We believe there is one true and living God2
who is eternal,3 immutable,4
the creator of all things, visible and invisible,5
who governs all things in righteousness, according to the counsel of His own
will.6 He has revealed Himself in the
Scriptures as Father, Word, and Holy Ghost.7
The Word is Jesus Christ the Son of God who, while dwelling on earth
in the flesh, made sacrificial atonement on the cross for God's elect by suffering
death for their sins. He is God incarnate,8
the fullness of the Godhead manifest bodily.9
2.) Isaiah
43:11. 3.) Deuteronomy
33:27. 4.) Malachi
3:6. 5.) John
1:1-4. 6.) Daniel
4:35; Ephesians
1:11. 7.) I
John 5:7. 8.) John
1:14-17. 9.) Colossians
2:9
3. We believe in total depravity: God created Adam good and upright;10
but by Adam's disobedience he became dead in trespasses and sin.11 As
the fountainhead of humanity, Adam passed his depraved nature to every human
being,12 so that none are righteous, making them unwilling and unable to change
their own hearts and be saved from eternal condemnation.13
10.) Genesis 1:26-28. 11.) Genesis 2:16-17, 3:17-19.
12.) Romans 5:12-19. 13.) Romans 3:11-18.
4. We believe in election:14 God, before the foundation of the world,15
chose by His own sovereign will, and not by foreseen merit in any who were
chosen, a definite number of persons in Christ Jesus to salvation16 while
passing by others, leaving them in their reprobate condition.17 He thereby
demonstrated His sovereignty and power for the purpose of His own glory18
by having mercy on whom He will have mercy.19
14.) Romans 9:11. 15.)Ephesians 1:4. 16.)
Romans 8:33; John 10:27-29. 17.) Matthew 7:21-23; Jeremiah 18:4; Romans
9:21. 18.) II Timothy 2:10; I Peter 5:10-11. 19.) Romans 9:15-16.
5. We believe in regeneration: All elect persons in all ages
are born again in the same manner by the operation of God's Spirit, which
is a direct, immediate, and irresistible work of the Holy Ghost,20 void of
intermediate means or instrumentalities.21 Regeneration changes the
heart and creates a new spirit in Christ Jesus in all who are born again22
so that, as God's workmanship, they can and should do good works as God before
ordained.23 All who are thus quickened are preserved in Christ and shall
never fall from grace.24
20.) John 3:5-7; Colossians 2:10-15. 21.) Matthew
27:44; Luke 23:40-43; Acts 9:3-4. 22.) John 3:6; II Corinthians 5:17-21.
23.) Ephesians 2:10. 24.) John 10:27-28.
6. We believe that justification, the declaration of righteousness,25
is grounded entirely upon the imputed righteousness of Christ Jesus26 through
faith.27
25.) Romans 3:24-28. 26.) Romans 4:24-25, 5:1;
I Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:5-7. 27.) Romans 4:2-16; Ephesians 2:8-9;
Romans 3:23-28; Galatians 2:16.
7. We believe the gospel is the principle means by which the righteousness
of God is revealed from faith to faith.28 It is the power of God unto
salvation to everyone who believes,29 in that it calls on regenerates to repent
and be converted.30 The gospel is an instrument of evangelism,31 and
evangelism is a principle expression of conversion.32
28.) Romans 1:16-17; Philippians 1:7. 29.) Romans
1:16; Acts 13:48. 30.) Acts 3:19. 31.) II Timothy 4:2-5; Mark
16:9-10. 32.) Psalms 51:10-13; Galatians 1:16-17.
8. We believe the visible Church of Christ is a local assembly composed
of a body of baptized believers33 with Christ as the head,34 who have obtained
fellowship by submitting themselves to each other and the Lord in regularly
assembling and worshiping together35 and keeping a godly discipline according
to the word of God alone.36 The church receives all its authority from
and is wholly accountable to Christ alone in all matters of faith and practice.37
33.) Acts 2:44-47, 8:1, 14:27, 15:6-35; I Corinthians
12:18-27. 34.) Ephesians 1:22, 5:23-24. 35.) Acts 2:46-47; Hebrews
10:24-25. 36.) I Timothy 5:20; I Corinthians 5:4-8; II Corinthians 2:6-8;
II Thessalonians 3:6. 37.) Revelations 2:1-5.
9. We believe Baptism38 and the Lord's Supper39 are ordinances in
the Church that are administered by appropriately ordained ministers of the
gospel; and washing the saints' feet is a duty incumbent on those who are
properly baptized and thereby privileged to partake of the Lord's Supper.40
38.) Acts 2:41-47; I Corinthians 1:16. 39.) Luke
22:15-20; I Corinthians 10:15-17, 11:23-26. 40.) John 13:14; I Timothy
5:9-10.
10. We believe those who are born again, profess faith in Christ,
and make it known by their fruits of good works are fit subjects for baptism41
in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.42
41.) Acts 8:36-38, 8:12-13; Matthew 3:7-11. 42.)
Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38, 8:12, 10:47-48.
11. We believe the proper mode of baptism is immersion.43 The
proper administrator is one called of God to preach the gospel who has come
under the hands of the presbytery.44
43.) John 3:23; Romans 6:3-4; Matthew 28:19; Acts 8:37.
44.) Acts 19:1-6; Matthew 28:19; Acts 13:2-3; I Timothy 4:14.
12. We believe in a general, bodily resurrection of the dead, including
both the just and unjust, at the Second Coming of Christ when God shall declare
His judgment toward all.45 The wicked shall be raised to receive an
eternal punishment of fiery torment in hell46 for the things they have done.
The righteous, by virtue of the shed blood of Christ, shall be raised
in immortal, incorruptible bodies47 and shall forever reside with God and
thereby receive eternal blessing.48
45.) Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:28-29; II Thessalonians
1:6-9. 46.) Revelations 20:12-14; Romans 9:22-24. 47.) Philippians
3:19-21; II Thessalonians 1:10; I Corinthians 15:51-57. 48.) I Thessalonians
4:16-17.
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, we confess
that God has called us out from the world to unite in Christ as a community
of believers. We submit to walk together in a local assembly to the glory
of God and the edification of each other in love, to bear one another's burdens,
strengthen one another's faith, encourage each other's gifts, and comfort
one another's souls. We will spend ourselves in seeking to uphold the spiritual,
emotional, and physical welfare of one another, rejoicing with those that
do rejoice and weeping with those that do weep. In so doing, we will endeavor
to have consistent, godly fellowship with all the members of this church in
times of worship and in our daily lives.
We further agree to consistently exhort one another to deny ungodliness, charitably
reprove those that need direction, and with all long suffering, rebuke those
who have stepped out of the way; while always seeking reconciliation, being
mindful of our Savior's admonition that we forgive those who repent. We further
assert that if any of us move from this place we will, as soon as possible,
unite with some other body of believers where we can carry out the tenets
and spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's word.
Inasmuch as the gospel church is a light set upon a hill, we promise to guide
our walk in a manner which becometh those who profess godliness. We also pledge
to seek God's glory in our daily walk by promoting the gospel, praying, studying
the word, fleeing all appearance of ungodliness, and humbling ourselves before
God and others, being careful to maintain good works while seeking to live
quietly and peaceably with all men. In seeking to present our lives as credible
witnesses, we will at every opportunity testify to others that Jesus is the
Christ, endeavoring to witness as to the goodness, mercy, holiness, righteousness,
and judgment of God in our lives. In this, we commit to stand ready to give
an answer for the wonderful hope we have in Christ Jesus, our Lord. As part
of our witness testimony, we will encourage others to come hear the good news
presented in the gospel.
We humbly submit to these and all other gospel duties, promising and purposing
to perform them, not in the power of our own strength, being conscious of
our many weaknesses, but in the power and strength of the blessed God, to
whom we belong and desire to serve. To God be glory both now and forevermore.
Amen.