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THE SCRIPTURES

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. It is inerrant and infallible in its original manuscript, which is to be taken as verbally inspired. It reveals the principles by which God judges us; and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.
Ex. 24:4; Deut. 4:1-2; 17, 19, Josh 8:34; Ps. 19:7-10, 119:1-8, 11, 89, 105, 140; Isa. 34:16, 40:8; Jer. 15:16; Matt. 5:17-18, 22:29-32; Luke 16:29-31, 21:33, 24:44-46; John 5:39, 16:17-26, 17:17; Acts 2:16, 17:11; Rom. 15:4, 16:25-26; Eph. 2:20; Heb. 1:1-2, 4:12; II Tim. 3:6-17; I Pet. 1:25; II Pet. 1:19-21.
 

GOD

There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, The Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
Gen. 1:1; Ex. 3:14; Deut. 5:7, 6:4; I Cor. 8:4-6; Isa. 48:12; Jer. 10:10; Matt. 28:19; John 1:14-18, 5:26, 15:26; Gal. 4:6; I Tim. 1:17; Heb. 11:6.
 

GOD THE FATHER

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
Gen. 1:11; Ex. 3:14, 6:2-3; Lev. 22:2; Deut. 6:4, 32:6; I Chron. 29:10; Ps. 19:1-3; Isa. 43:3, 15, 64:8; Jer. 10:10, 17:13; Matt. 6:9, 7:11, 23:9, 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; Jn. 4:24, 5:26, 14:6-13, 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Rom. 8:14-15; I Cor. 8:6; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 4:6; Col. 1:15; I Tim. 1:17; Heb. 11:6, 12:9; I Pet. 1:17; I Jn. 5:7.
 

GOD THE SON

Christ is the only begotten eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying Himself completely with mankind, yet without sin. Jesus was fully God and fully man. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the Person Who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, partaking of the nature of God and of man, and in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
Gen. 18:1; Ps. 2:7, 110:1; Isa. 7:14, 53; Matt. 1:18-23, 3:17, 8:29, 11:27, 14:33, 16:16, 27, 17:5, 28:1 -6, 19; Mk. 1:1, 3:11; Luke 1:34-35, 4:41, 22:70, 24:46; Jn. 1:1-18, 29, 10:30, 38, 11:25-27, 12:44-50, 14:7-11, 16:15-16, 28, 17:1-5, 21-22, 20:1-20, 28; Acts 1:9, 2:22-24, 7:55-56, 9:4-5, 20; Rom., 1:3-4, 3:23-26, 5:6-21, 8:1-3, 10:4; I Cor. 1:30, 2:2, 8:6, 15:1-8; II Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Eph. 1:20, 4:7-10; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:13-22; I The. 4:14-18; I Tim. 2:5-6, 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Heb. 1:1-3, 4:14-15, 7:14-28, 9:12-15, 24-28, 12:2, 13:8; I Pet. 2:21-25, 3:22; I Jn. 1:7-9, 3:2, 4:14-15, 5:9; II Jn. 1:7-9; Rev. 1:13-16, 5:9-14, 12:10-11, 13:8, 19:16.
 

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of judgment and of righteousness. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the assurance of God to bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Gen. 1:2; Jdg 14:6; Job 26:13; Ps. 51:11; Isa. 61:1 -3; Joel 2:28-32; Matt. 1:18, 3:16, 4:1, 12:28-32, 28:19; Mark 1:10, 12; Luke 1:35, 4:1, 18-19, 11:13, 12:12, 24:49; Jn. 4:24, 14:16-17, 26, 15:26, 16:7-14; Acts 1:8, 2:1-4, 38, 4:31, 5:3, 6:3, 7:55, 8:17, 39, 10:44, 13:2, 15:28, 16:6, 19:1 -6; Rom.8:9-11, 14-16, 26-27; I Cor. 2:10-14, 3:16, 12:3-11, Gal. 4:6; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30, 5:18; I The. 5:19, I Tim. 3:16, 4:1.
 

MAN

Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. In the beginning, man was innocent of sin and was endowed by His creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice, man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence; whereby his posterity inherits a nature and environment inclined toward sin. All men are born with and into a sinful nature. As soon as they are capable of moral action, men become aware that they are transgressors and that they are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
Gen. 1:26-30, 2:7, 3:4-7, 22-24, 9:6; Ps. 1, 8:3-6, 32:1-5, 51:5; Isa. 6:5; Jer. 17:5; Matt. 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Rom. 1:19-32, 3:10-18, 23: 5:6; I Cor. 1:21-31, 15:19, 21-22; Eph. 2:1-22; Col. 1:21-22, 3:9-11.
 

SALVATION

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and future glorification.
Matt. 1:21-25, 4:17, 16:21-26, 27:22 to 28:6; Luke 1:68-69, 2:11, 28-32; Jn. 1:11-14, 29, 3:3-21, 36, 5:24, 10:9, 28-29, 15:1-16; Acts 2:21, 4:12, 15:11, 16:30-31, 17:30-31, 20:32; Rom. 1:16-18, 2:4, 3:23-25, 5:8-10, 6:1-23, 8:1-18, 29-30. 10:9-10, 13, 13:11-14; I Cor. 1:18, 30, 6:19-20, 15:10; II Cor. 5:17-20; Gal. 2:20, 3:13, 6:15; Eph. 1:7-10, 2:8-22, 4:11-16; Phil. 2:12-13; Col. 1:9-22; II Tim. 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Heb 5:8-9, 9:24-28,11:1-12; Rev. 3:20, 21:1-22:5.
 

FREE GIFT OF SALVATION

The blessings of Salvation are made free to all by the gospel. It is the duty of all to accept the gift of salvation by penitent and obedient faith. Nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner except his own unbelief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Ex. 3:14-17, 6:2-8; Matt. 1:21, 27:22 to 28:6; Mk.16:16; Luke 1:68-69, 2:28-32; John 3:16; Rom.5:1-9; I Cor. 1:30-31; Eph. 1:5, 2:4-10; Rev. 22:17.

 

REPENTANCE AND FAITH

Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior.
Matt. 4:17; Mk. 1:15; Luke 22:31-34; John 16:8-11; Rom. 3:25, 27, 31; 4:3-9, 12, 16-17; I Tim. 1:12-14.

 

REGENERATION

Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 3:1-21; Rom. 8:22, 13:11-14; I Cor. 6:19-20, 15:10; II Cor. 5:17-20; Gal. 2:20, 5:22-25, 6:15; Eph. 2:1, 5:6, 8, 10, 4:30-32; Col. 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14, 3:5; Heb. 12:14.

 

SANCTIFICATION

Sanctification is the experience beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life.
Matt. 16:21-26; John 17:17, 15:1-16; Acts 20:32; Rom. 4:14, 6:1-23, 7:18-25, 8:1-18; II Cor. 3:18; Gal. 5:16, 24-26; Eph. 3:16, 4:11-16; Heb. 12:14.
 

GLORIFICATION

Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
Rom. 8:29-39; I Cor. 1-8, 30; II Cor. 5:17; Col. 1:9-22, 3:1; Rev. 21:1 to 22:5.

 

JUSTIFICATION

Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of righteousness toward all sinners who believe in Christ. This blessing is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness that we have done, but through the redemption that is in and through Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection. It brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor with God, and secures every other needed blessing.
Rom. 3:24, 4:2, 5:1-2, 8:30; Eph. 1:7; I Cor. 1:30-31; II Cor. 5:21.
 

PERSEVERANCE

All true believers endure to the end. Their continuance in well being is the mark which distinguishes them from those who merely profess. A special Providence cares for them, and they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Matt. 26:7-75; John 3:36, 5:24, 10:28-29, 17:1-26; Rom. 5:9-20, 8:1-2, 30, 9:11, 16; I Cor. 11:32; II Tim. 2:19; I
John 2:19, 5:18.
 

GOD’S PURPOSE OF GRACE

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is a glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility. All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the cause of Christ, and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Gen. 12:1-3; Ex. 19:5-8; I Sam. 8:4-7, 19-22; Isa. 5:1-7; Matt. 16:18-19; 21:28-45, 24:22, 31, 25:34; Luke 1:68-79, 2:29-32, 19:41-44, 24:44-48; Jn. 1:12-14, 3:16, 5:24, 6:44-45, 65, 10:27-29, 15:16, 17:6, 12, 17-18; Acts 20:32; Rom. 5:9-10, 8:28-39, 10:12-15, 11:5-7, 26-36; I Cor. 1:1-2, 15:24-28; Eph. 1:4-23, 2:1-10, 3:1-11; Col. 1:12-14; II The. 2:13-14; II Tim. 1:12, 2:10, 19; Heb. 11:39-12:2; I Pet. 1:2-5, 13, 2:4-10; I John 1:7-9, 2:19, 3:2.
 

THE CHURCH

BODY OF CHRIST

The New Testament speaks of the church as the Body of Christ that includes all of the redeemed of all the ages.
 

LOCAL BODY

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), committed to His teachings, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. This church is an autonomous body, operating through democratic processes under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  In such a congregation members are equally responsible.  Its Scriptural officers are pastors and deacons.
 

BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.
Matt 3:13-17; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; Rom 6:3-5; Col 2:12.
 
The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby believers in Christ, through partaking of bread and fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
Matt. 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 20:7; I Cor. 10:16, 21; 11:23-29.
 

THE LORD’S DAY

The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day.  It is a Christian institution for regular observance.  It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private, and refrain from worldly amusements, and rest from secular employments, work of necessity and mercy only being excepted.
 

THE KINGDOM

The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly, the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trusting, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God’s will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.
Gen. 1:1; Isa. 9:6-7; Jer. 23:5-6; Matt. 3:2; 4:8-10, 23, 12:25-28; 13:1-52; 25:31-46; 26:29; Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:2; 12:31-32; 17:20-21; 23:42; John 3:3; 18:36; Acts 1:6-7; 17:22-31; Rom. 5:17; 8:19; I Cor. 15:24-28; Col. 1:13; Rev. 1:9.
 

THE RETURN OF THE LORD

The second coming of Jesus Christ is the satisfying hope of the Christian. It is our satisfying hope that Jesus may come for His church at anytime.
Acts 1:11
 
We believe that there are two phases of His coming:
 
CHRIST WILL RECEIVE HIS OWN
Jesus is coming in the air to receive His own. This is the rapture.
 
At His first coming, the dead in Christ will receive their resurrected bodies to meet the Lord in the air.
I Thess. 4:16; I Cor. 15:51-58; Phil. 3:20-21; I Cor. 15:42-44.
 
Then the saved who are alive at His coming will be changed in a moment and shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air and so shall they ever be with the Lord.
I Thess. 4:13-17; I Cor. 15:51-58; I John 3:2; Rev. 19:7-9; Rev. 22:20; Rev.22:7.
 
CHRIST WILL COME WITH HIS OWN
Jesus is coming back to earth with His own. This is the second coming.
 
At the second phase of His coming, Jesus will come back to earth with His saints.
Rev. 1:7; Isa. 66:15; Jude 14-15; II Thess. 1:7.
 
At this time, Jesus’ judgment will fall upon all nations. This is the battle of Armageddon.
Rev. 19:11-21; Rev. 16:14-16; Joel 3:12-14; Rev. 14:19-20; Zech. 14:1-3; Col. 3:4; Jude 14.
 
When the nations are destroyed, Jesus will set up His millennial reign for a thousand years.
Isa. 2:4; Isa. 11:6-10; Rev. 20:4-6; II Tim. 2:12; I Cor. 6:2-3; Matt. 24:31-32; Hab.2:14; I Cor. 15:24-26; Isa. 66:15; Jude 14-15; Rev. 1:7; II Thess. 1:7.
 
After the millennial kingdom, a new heaven and new earth will be made and saints will be forever more with the Lord.
Rev. 21:3-4.
 

RESURRECTION

The Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus rose from the dead. His grave was emptied of its bodily contents. He appeared to the disciples after His resurrection in many convincing manifestations. He now exists in His glorified body at God’s right hand. There will be a resurrection of the righteous and unrighteous. The bodies of the righteous will conform to the glorious spiritual body of Jesus.
Matt. 28:6, John 5:28-29, 20:9, Acts 24:15; I Cor. 15:1-58; II Cor. 5:1-8, I Thess. 4:17; Phil 3:21.
 
The unrighteous will be consigned to hell, the place of everlasting punishment. This is the Great White Throne judgment, occurring at the end of the thousand year reign.
Ps. 9:17, 55:15; Pr. 7:27; Is. 14:9-15; Ez. 31:16; Mt. 5:22, 10:28, 11:23; Mk. 9:43-44; Lk. 12:5, 16:23, II Pt. 2:4; Rev. 1:18, 20:11 – 15.
 

EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS

It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations.  The new birth of man’s spirit by God’s Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others.  Missionary effort on the part of all rests thus upon a spiritual necessity of the regenerate life,  and is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ.  It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort and by all other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ. The cause of education in the Kingdom of Christ is coordinate with the causes of missions and general benevolence, and should receive along with these the liberal support of the churches.  An adequate system of Christian education is necessary for a complete spiritual program for Christ’s people.  In Christian education, there should be a proper balance between academic freedom and academic responsibility.  Freedom in any orderly relationship of human life is always limited and never absolute.  The freedom of a teacher in a Christian school, college, or seminary is limited by the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ, by the authoritative nature of the Scriptures, and by the distinct purpose for which the school exists.
 

STEWARDSHIP

God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him.  Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions.  They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others.  According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute with their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The tithe is to be considered the starting place of Christian stewardship, and the tithe is 10% of the gross income.
 

COOPERATION

Christ’s people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may better secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God.  Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches.  They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner. Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ’s Kingdom.  Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends by various groups of Christ’s people.  Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations, when the end to be attained is itself justified, and when such cooperation involves no violation of conscience or compromise of loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Testament.
 

THE CHRISTIAN AND THE SOCIAL ORDER

Every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in his own life and in human society.  Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Christ Jesus.  The Christian should oppose in the spirit of Christ every form of greed, selfishness and vice.  He should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the aged, the helpless and the sick. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love.  In order to promote these ends, Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.  It should be realized that social change must be the result of changed hearts.  Therefore, the greatest contribution the Church can make to social betterment, is to help bring individual men to a heart-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.
 

PEACE AND WAR

It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness.  In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ, they should do all in their power to put an end to war.  The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord.  The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations and the practical application of His law of love.
 

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it.  Church and state should be separate.  The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends.  In providing for such freedom, no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others.  As civil government is ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God.  The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work.  The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends.  The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind.  The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion.  A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.
 

THE FAMILY

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents. We believe the term “marriage” refers only to the union sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in an     exclusive marital relationship as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10-11; Ephesians 5:22-33). We believe God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other, and He has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage.  Therefore, any form of homosexuality, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and polygamy are sinful and incompatible with rightful Christian living (Genesis 19:5-13, 26:8-10; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1: 24-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4). Based upon the above doctrinal statement no pastor, elder, or deacon will officiate, participate in, promote or endorse, a wedding ceremony, or any other union that violates West Colonial Hills Baptist Church’s beliefs. In addition, West Colonial Hills Baptist’s facilities cannot be used for any wedding ceremony, or any other union that violates the above stated doctrinal beliefs on human sexuality and marriage. Regardless of one’s past sinful behavior, we believe God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, and who seek God’s mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.  We believe every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity regardless of any ongoing lifestyle that is inconsistent with Scripture.