Beliefs
Belief determines behavior. That biblical principle is illustrated in the lives of Bible characters from Genesis to Revelation. It is also taught clearly in 2 Timothy 3.16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” If we really believe the Bible is God’s Word and that it is relevant to our everyday life, that belief would cause us to read, study, and obey it. The Psalmist said in Psalm 116.10a, “I believed, therefore have I spoken.” Belief determined the psalmist’s behavior.
Many people today are concerned with the behavior of individuals. All around us, sin and crime are on the rise; indeed “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse.” (2 Tim 3.13) The answer is not for God’s people to quit or become discouraged, but to continue. “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of.” (2 Tim 3.14a) We are to continue in God’s Word, learning more and more about Him and His will for our lives.
At MCBC, we recognize that belief determines behavior, and as such we place great emphasis on God’s Word and its doctrines. As a New Testament church, we believe that it is our responsibility to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) God gave us His Word once, but it must be contended for in every generation.
In a day and age when doctrine is considered irrelevant and boring, confusing and divisive, we realize that what we believe is critical and eternally important. What we believe individually will affect how we behave individually; what we believe corporately will affect how we behave corporately. As a New Testament church, it is our prayer that when it comes to Bible doctrine, we will always stand steadfastly for “the faith.”
We believe in the one and only true living God and that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons. (Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 John 5:7)
Father
God the Father, whose name is Jehovah, infinite in wisdom, goodness, and love. (Exodus 3:13-14; Acts 17:23-25)
Son
God the Son, Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior, born of a virgin, who lived a sinless life, died and rose again for our justification and lives forevermore that we might be redeemed. (John 3:16; Galatians 4:4-5; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18; Acts 1:10-11, 5:30-31; 1 Peter 2:22; Romans 5:1)
We believe that this same Jesus will come again the second time, first in the air at the rapture of born-again believers and then all the way to earth in glory after the tribulation period to rule and reign a thousand years. (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; Revelation 20:6)
Holy Spirit
God the Holy Spirit, a divine person, of the same nature as God the Father and God the Son, who was active in creation, who in His relation to the unbelieving world restraints the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled, who convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment, who bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony, who is an Agent in the new birth; in that He indwells, seals, empowers, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believers in accordance with the Scriptures. (John 14:16-17, 16:7-11; Acts 5:32, 11:16; Romans 8:14-16)
We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and healing, were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the filling of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 1:22, 13:8-10, 14:21-22)
GOD
BIBLE
We believe the Old and New Testament Scriptures are the verbally and plenarily inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed and are, therefore, the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. The Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the Church in preaching and teaching. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
MAN
We believe that in the beginning man was created in holiness, in the image of God, but by voluntary transgression fell from that holy and happy state; in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God. Therefore, under just condemnation to eternal separation from God in Hell. (Genesis 1:26, 31, 3:1, 24; Romans 3:23, 5:12)
We believe that salvation of sinners is wholly of grace by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that Christ by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin, honored the divine law by His personal obedience; and by His death made full atonement for our sins and having risen from the dead, He is now at the right hand of the Father interceding and will return to earth in due time to rule in righteousness for a thousand years. We believe that once a person is saved, he is kept by God’s power and remains secure in Christ forever. (John 3:16, 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39, 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:4-5; Ephesians 2:8-10)
SALVATION
GOSPEL
We believe that the Gospel is the good news that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures and that He was seen by many. (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)
SATAN
We believe that Satan is a person, that he was created as an angelic being, that he fell and was cast out of Heaven because of his sin of pride in that he said that he would ascend above the heights of the clouds and would be like the Most High. That he became the prince of this world and is called Lucifer, son of the morning. That he is the originator of sin and that under the permission of God, he, through subtlety, led our first parents into transgression, thereby accomplishing their moral fall and subjecting them and their posterity to his own power; that he is the enemy of God, and the people of God, opposing God and exalting himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped. That though he now is the prince of the world, he will be bound and cast into the abyss for a thousand years at the second coming of Christ; after the thousand years he will be loosed for a little season and cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where he shall be tormented forever and ever. (Job 1:6-12; Isaiah 14:12-15; Revelation 20:1-3, 10)
HEAVEN
We believe in a literal Heaven, that it is a real place, the abode of God, the abode of the soul and spirit of the believer between death and resurrection and the eternal abode of the soul, spirit and resurrected body of the believer, where the redeemed of all ages will live with God forever and ever. (2 Corinthians 5:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11, 21 and 22)
HELL
We believe in a literal Hell, that it is a real place of eternal punishment. That all unsaved persons will be tormented there day and night forever and ever along with the Devil and his angels. (Revelation 20:10-15)
CHURCH
We believe that preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the saving of the lost and exalting His name in all should be the objective of any church. In the practice of this belief, this Church maintains public worship, provides religious instructions according to the Scriptures, exercises Christian care over its members, and endeavors to bring Christian influence to bear upon the homes and lives of this community.
We believe that this Church must operate free and independent of all other organizations being affiliated only with the true Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of which He is the Head. This Church acknowledges the Lord Jesus Christ as its sole head.
We believe in the common salvation of all born-again believers in Christ. We also believe in the autonomy of the local Church free of any external authority or controls. Any affiliations, societies, organizations, associations, or agencies with which this Church affiliates to further the purpose and objective stated in Article II are not authoritative in matters of Church practice or belief. (Jude 3; Ephesians 5:23-27)
CREATION
We believe that the Genesis account of creation is neither an allegory or a myth, but a literal, historical account of God’s creation of the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject Evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11)
HUMAN
SEXUALITY
Gender
We believe that Bible describes two genders, male and female. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 1:27; Mark 10:6)
Practice
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one naturally born man and one naturally born 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. (Genesis 2:24, 19:5, 13, 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
Marriage
We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman for life. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23)
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. We reject any teaching that abortions due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5, 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24, 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)
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. Thus, we believe that an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God. Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment. (Exodus 20:13, 23:7; Matthew 5:21; Acts 17:28)
Divorce
and Remarriage
We believe that God disapproves of divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons or 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. (Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; 1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)
Lawsuits Between Believers
We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the Church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the Church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32; Matthew 18:15-17)