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Statement of Faith

Our Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. The following abbreviated Statement of Faith accurately represents the elementary teachings of the Bible that we “…should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3b).” If you would like a full copy, including scriptural references, please attend one of our services and ask our Pastor for one of our book-bound MBC Articles of Faith.

The Holy Scriptures. We believe that the traditional Masoretic Hebrew text and Textus Receptus Greek manuscripts, which underlie the King James Version (KJV), are the preserved words of God. Furthermore, we believe that the KJV of the Holy Scriptures is an accurate English translation of the preserved word of God and cannot be improved upon. Therefore, the KJV shall be the official and only translation of the Holy Scriptures used by this Church and all of its ministries.

Dispensationalism. We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life, which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages.

 The Godhead. We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three distinct persons which are one in essence: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit-each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections.

The Person and Work of Christ. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. 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. 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 fulfils the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate.

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, indwelling and sealing believers unto the day of redemption. That He 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. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were a 1st century phenomenon and no longer applicable in today’s NT church.

The Total Depravity of Man. We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God; but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Thus, man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.

Salvation. We believe that salvation is a gift of God, freely given to “whosoever will” and it is by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that those who have been born again have everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but have passed from death unto life. The conditions to salvation are repentance and faith.

The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers. We believe that once saved, the redeemed are kept by God’s power and thereby secure in Christ forever. We believe that it is a privilege for believers to celebrate in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word.

The Church. We believe that the local visible church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control and we recognize water baptism (by immersion) and the Lord’s Supper as the two Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age.

Separation. We maintain the historic Baptist position of Biblical separation and reject the liberal and unscriptural religious trends of the day.

The Second Advent of Christ. We believe in that blessed hope, the personal imminent return of Christ, Who will rapture His church prior to (pre-tribulation) the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return (pre-millennial) with His saints to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom, which was promised to the nation of Israel. 

The Eternal State. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with 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 and torment.

The Personality of Satan. We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire.

Creation. We believe that God created the heaven and earth in six literal, 24-hour periods. We believe God created Adam and Eve as mature individuals. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, the Big Bang Theory, the Theistic Evolution and all such other unscriptural theories of origin.

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. 

 

Practical Theology:

Human Sexuality. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman.

Family Relationships. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men only are to fill the position of pastors and deacons of the church. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are “an heritage from the Lord.” Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. 

Divorce and Remarriage. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Although divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon.

Abortion. We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder.

Euthanasia. We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift of God and must be respected from conception until natural death.

Love. We believe that we should demonstrate love toward others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward both those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions.

Missions. We believe that God has given the church a 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. 

Giving. We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his local church. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that 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.