Statement of Faith

We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired of God, God-breathed, and infallible in the original writing. We believe that they are of supreme and final authority for faith and practice; that they will remain until the end of the age the true center of Christian Union by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried. II Tim. 3:16; II Peter 1:19-21. THE TRUE GOD We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is infinite, holy and intelligent Spirit, Whose name is Jehovah, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. We believe that the three persons of the Godhead are equal in every perfection and have harmonious offices in the work of redemption. Matt. 28:19; Matt. 3:16-17; Heb. 3:4; II Cor. 13:14; Eph. 1:3-14 We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary; that He was both the Son of God and God the Son that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. John 1:1-2; 1:14; Isa. 7:14; Gal. 4:4. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person; equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the Evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of judgment and of righteousness; that He bears witness to the Truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the New Birth; that He baptizes, seals, indwells, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. He also fills yielded believers with Himself for service. John 14: 16-17; Gen. 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; II Cor. 3:6; I Cor. 12:12-14; Eph. 1:13-14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 5:18. THE DEVIL, OR SATAN We believe in the distinct personality of Satan; that he is the god of this age, the cause of the fall of man and the author of the powers of darkness and sin; and that he is destined to judgment and eternal justice in the Lake of fire. Matt. 4:11; Job 1:6-7; II Cor. 4:4; Rev. 20:10. THE FALL OF MAN We believe that the material universe including man came into being by the direct creation of God and not by the process of evolution from the lower to higher forms. We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God; that through Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; that man is totally depraved and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. This means that man in his natural unsaved state is utterly incapable to receive the things of the Spirit of God apart from the quickening grace of the Holy Spirit. Gen. 1:1; Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3; I Cor. 2:14. SALVATION We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation. Salvation of the sinner is wholly of Grace and is made possible only through the vicarious death of Jesus Christ and His shed blood upon the cross of Calvary; that there is no salvation apart from personally receiving Christ as Savior. When a sinner is saved he is born again. The new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus and it is instantaneous and not a process. Evidence of the new birth appears with visible fruit of the Holy Spirit. Eph. 2:8-9; Acts 16:31; Rom. 6:23; I John 5:13; II Cor. 5:17; Gal. 5:22-24. THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS We believe that only those who receive Christ as their own personal Savior are Eternally Secure in Him. Only those truly born again are kept by the power of God and will endure to the end. We believe that those who may make a profession of salvation and after a time go back into sin but are never chastised by God have never experienced the new birth. Time is the best test of our confession. John 10:27-30; I Peter 1:5; Rom. 8:31-39; John 8:31; Heb. 7:25; Heb. 10:38-39; Heb. 12:2-8. JUSTIFICATION We believe that justification is the judicial act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner to have a right standing in His presence and to be righteous in His sight. In justification God pronounces the believer free from guilt and blame. This is only accomplished in the believer through the finished work of Christ upon the cross. Rom. 4:1-5; Rom. 5:1 & 18; Acts 13:39; Rom. 5:9; Titus 3:5-7. REPENTANCE AND FAITH We believe that repentance and faith are sacred duties, and inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convicted of our guilt, danger, and helplessness and of our need of salvation in Christ, we turn to God with contrition, confession and a plea for divine mercy; that at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest and King, and relying on Him only as an all sufficient Savior. Acts 20:21; John 16:8; Rom. 10:9-10; Rom. 10:12-13. GOD’S PURPOSE OF GRACE We believe that sinners are saved from sin by the Grace of God, the unmerited favor of God. That God in His favor deals with sinners in mercy which none deserve, whereas otherwise He would have to deal with sinners in His wrath. God loved us so much, that even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, exercising His Grace and extending His mercy to us. This we believe to be God’s purpose in Grace. Eph. 2:1-10; Rom. 3:24; Titus 2:11; Titus 3:7. THE BELIEVER’S TWO NATURES We believe every person has two natures with provision made for victory of the new nature over the old through the indwelling Holy Spirit; and that all claims of eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural. Rom. 6:11-13; 8:2; Gal. 5:16-25; Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:22-24. SEPARATION We believe that all saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon our Savior and Lord; that they should abstain from worldly and sinful practices and habits that would be a stumbling block to others. Believers are created unto good works. We believe further, that it is scriptural to be separated from all religious apostasy, individually and as a Church. The scripture says, "come out from among them and be separate." Rom. 12:1-2; I John 2:15-17; I Tim. 4:1-5; II John 9-11; II Cor. 6:14-18. THE CHURCH We believe that the Church which is His Body, is manifested in the local church which is congregational in form. The local Church is composed of scripturally immersed believers associated by covenant of faith fellowship of the Word, exercising the gifts, recognizing Christ as the Head and the Holy Spirit as the Guide; that its officers are Pastor and Deacons; that it has absolute right to self-government guided only by the Word and the Holy Spirit; that in all matters of membership, policy, government, discipline, and benevolence, the will of the local Church is final. I Cor. 1:2; Acts 2:41-42, 47; Eph. 4:7-12; Eph. 5:23; I Tim. 3:1-15; Matt. 18:15-17. BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER We believe there are just two ordinances given by God in the Holy Bible, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and is properly called "Believer’s Baptism". It sets forth in a beautiful and solemn way our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior with its effects in our lives of death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of Church Membership and as the first command of obedience should also precede the partaking of the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the Lord’s death until He comes and our continual fellowship with Him and should be preceded by self-examination. Acts 8:36-39; Rom. 6:3-5; I Cor. 11:23-32; Acts 2:41-42. THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED DEAD We believe there is a radical difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only those who place personal faith in Christ Jesus are justified, sanctified by the Spirit and the truly righteous in His sight; while all those who continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under the curse and everlasting suffering of the wrath of a just God. We believe that the resurrection unto everlasting life will occur at the Rapture, and the resurrection unto damnation will occur at the close of the Millennium, when the thousand years are finished. Mal. 3:18; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:10; I Thes. 4:16; Rev. 20:5. CIVIL GOVERNMENT We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed except in things opposed to the will of God; that perfect government will be brought about only when Christ rules from the throne of David. Rom. 13:1-7; I Tim. 2:1-4; Acts 4:19, 20. THE RESURRECTION, RAPTURE AND CHRIST’S RETURN We believe in the literal bodily resurrection of Christ; that He arose from the grave the third day according to the Scriptures, that after manifesting Himself for forty days to His disciples, He ascended to His Father’s right hand, where, as our Great High Priest, He ever lives to make intercession for His own. We believe in the Rapture, the eminent, personal, bodily return of Jesus, in the air, to catch away His Church, that this will be pretribulational, pre-millennial. That He will come a second time to this earth with His church to judge the living nations and to set up His kingdom on earth. Matt. 28:6-7; Luke 24:36-43; I Thes. 4:13-18; Matt. 25:31-46. FELLOWSHIP This church may affiliate in the ministry of the Word of God with such organizations or bodies of believers as are true to the Word of God and not contaminated by liberalism, modernism or apostasy. Such affiliation shall be determined by congregational decision; however, such affiliation shall never be construed as a surrender of its local church privileges and responsibilities. We declare ourselves in fellowship and harmony with Baptist Mid-Missions and thankful for its part in this work here. We also declare ourselves in fellowship with the Wisconsin Association of Regular Baptist Churches, the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, and American Council of Christian Churches.

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