Doctrinal Statement of Faith
We are a Fellowship of Churches organized to preach the distinctive message as committed to the Apostle Paul. (Romans 16:25, Ephesians 3:1-9) It is our desire, as the Apostle Paul's, to preach this message to all the world. We adhere to the following Doctinal Statement:

THE BIBLE - The entire Bible in its original writings is verbally inspired of God and is of plenary authority in all matters of faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:21)

THE GOD HEAD - There is One God, eternally existing in three Persons and One divine essence, known respectively as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4, John 4:24, 10:30, Ephesians 4:4-6)

THE PERSON OF CHRIST - Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary and is true God and true man. (Luke 1:35, Philippians 2:6-9, Romans 1:3-4)

TOTAL DEPRAVITY - all men by nature are dead in trespasses and sins and are therefore totally unable to do anything pleasing to God. (Ephesians 2:1-3, Romans 8:7-8)

REDEMPTION - God justifies ungodly sinners by His grace, upon the groung of the blood of Christ, through the means of faith. This complete salvation is bestowed as the free gift of God apart from man's work. (Romans 3:24-28, 5:1,9, Ephesians 2:8-9)

ETERNAL SECURITY - all the saved are eternally secure in Christ. (Collosians 3:1-4, Philippians 1:6)

PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - the Holy Spirit is a Person who convicts the world of sin and who generates, baptizes, seals, indwells, enlightens, and empowers the saved. (John 16:8, Titus 3:5, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 1:13, 17-18, 3:16)

THE CHURCH - in the present dispensation there is only one Church, which is called the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 1:22, 3:1-6)separate and distinct from the prophesied earthly kingdom of Christ. The historical manifistation of the Body of Christ began with the Apostle Paul before he wrote his first epistle. (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 cf. Acts 13:45-46, Philippians 1:5-6 cf.Acts 16:, 1 Corinthians 12:13,27 cf.Acts 18)

MINISTRY GIFTS - the only gifts necessary fot the ministry for the Body of Christ are those enumerated in Ephesians 4:7-16 and Romans 12:6-8. The miraculous gifts, being temporary in nature, have been withdrawn by God. (1 Corinthians 13:8-11)

BELIEVER'S WALK - by reason of Christ's victory over sin and of His indwelling Spirit, all of the saved may and should experience deliverance from the power of sin by obedience to Romans 6:11. However, the sin nature is never eradicated during this life. (Romans 6:6-14, Galatians 5:16-25, Romans 8:37, 2 Corinthians 2:4, 10:2-5)

LORD'S SUPPER - the communion of the Lord's Supper as revealed through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 is for members of the Body of Christ to observe until He comes! There is no place in Scripture where the Lord's Supper and water baptism are linked together either as ordinances or as sacraments for the church.

BAPTISM - all saved persons have been made members of the Body of Christ by ONE divine baptism. By that ONE baptism every member of the Body of Christ is identified with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. In the light of the statement concerning the one baptism in Ephesians 4:5 and the statement concerning baptism in Collosians 2:12 and Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 1:17 that Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel, we affirm that water baptism has no place in God's spiritual program for the Body of Christ in this day of Grace.

RESURRECTION - Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily from the dead. At His coming He will raise all of the saved to everlasting glory. At the end He will raise all of the lost to everlasting condemnation. (Luke 24:3-9, 1 Corinthians 15:22-24, Revelation 20:11-15)

THE RETURN OF CHRIST - the rapture of the church "which is His body," and the second coming of Christ will be premillenial. He will come first to receive the members of His body to Himself (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Philippians 3:20-21) and later to receive His millenial kingdom over which He will reign (Zechariah 14:4,9, Acts 1:10-11, Revelation 19:11-16, 20:4-6). Because of the distinctive nature of the Body of Christ, the ressurection and rapture of the Church, which is His Body, will take place before the tribulation (Jeremiah 30:7, Matthew 24:15-31) at His appearing in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Philippians 3:20-21, Titus 2:13-14, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53). The resurrection the other saved dead will occur after the tribulation (Revelation 11:18, 20:4-6)

STATE OF THE UNSAVED DEAD - The Scriptures in no place extends the hope of salvation to the unsaved dead, but instead reveals that they will ever continue to exist in a state of concious suffering. The teaching of universalism, of probation after death, of annihilation of the unsaved dead, and of the unconcious state of the dead are opposed by us as being thoroughly unscriptural and dangerous doctrines. (Luke 13:23-28, John 3:16, Ephesians 5:5, Collosians 3:6, 2 Thessalonians 1:9)

MISSION AND COMMISSION - the mission and commission of the Church is to follow the Apostle Paul in the revelation of the truth which our Lord Jesus Christ in glory gave to Him for us (1 Corinthians 1:6, Romans 11:13,15,16, Ephesians 3:1, 1 Timothy 2:7, 2 Timothy 1:11,2:2) That gospel which Paul called "my gospel" in contrast to the gospel of the circumcission is God's message for today. (Romans 2:16,16:25, 2 Timothy 2:8, Galatians 1:9,11,2:2,5-8). We, as Paul, should stive to preach the gospel in the regions beyond, where Christ is not yet name. (Romans 15:20, 2 Corinthians 10:16)
____________________________________________________