Doctrinal Statement:

The Scriptures

Inspiration: We believe that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, the very words of the
text being communicated to holy men of old by the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 2:13; John 10:34-36). Inspiration
extends equally and fully to all parts of Scripture. The Spirit guided in the choice of every word used in
the original writings (Ps. 110:1; Mark 12:36-37). Those original inspired writings were absolutely free
from error (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).

Preservation: We further believe that every word of the inspired Scriptures has been preserved
by God (Ps. 12:6-7). For the English speaking people the Authorized (King James) Version is what we
believe to be God’s Holy Word. We reject all of the modern English versions and its underlying critical
texts. We only use the King James Bible and its underlying recieved texts which are the Hebrew
Masoretic Text and the Greek Received Text.

Interpretation: We believe that the Grammatical-historical interpretation is proper and that it

leads to a premillennial and dispensational interpretation of Scripture must be followed at all times.
Further, the plain, literal sense of the Scripture should be sought unless the context or related passages
of Scripture clearly indicate otherwise.

The Trinity

We believe that God eternally exists in three distinct persons and that these three are one God
having the exact same and equal nature, attributes, perfections, and with differing offices and functions
(Deut. 6:4; Matt 28:18-19; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 John 5:7).

God the Father: We believe that God the Father is the First Person of the Godhead, eternal, Self-
existent, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent (Ps. 139:1-10).

God the Son: We believe that God the Son, Jesus Christ, is the Second Person of the Godhead,
only eternally begotten Son of God the Father, and the Saviour of all who by faith repent of sin and trust
on Him alone for Salvation. He is perfect God and perfect man, never changing. God the Son came into
this world through the Virgin birth that He might manifest God to men, fulfill prophecy, and become the
redeemer of sinners through His death, blood atonement, and resurrection. He pre-existed in eternity
past, was active in the creation of the world, left Heaven to receive a human body, lived a sinless life,
performed miracles in His 3 1/2 year ministry, died an unjust death on the Cross in man's place for man's
sin, satisfying the holy demands of God’s law, and arose the third day according to the Bible (Rev. 3:21-
22; Col. 1:16-19; Heb. 4:15; Luke 1:30-35; John 1:18; John 3:16; Isa. 7:14). He then ascended to the right
hand of the Father where He lives to make intercession to the Father as our High Priest until He returns
for His bride at the rapture of the saints, and to establish His Kingdom on Earth (Heb. 7:25) and rule for
all eternity.

God the Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Godhead eternally
proceeding from the Father and Son and dwelling within every believer. He never departs from the
feeblest of all saints. His work to the believer consists of regeneration, indwelling, teaching,
discernment, filling, sealing, etc. (John 14:16, 26; 16:7-11; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:30; 5:18). The sign gifts as
manifested in during the apostolic age are no longer operational for today (1 Cor. 13:8).
Lucifer and the Angels

We believe that God created a company of sinless spirit-beings called angels. The greatest of all
the angels was Lucifer who sinned through pride, and was followed by a great company (1/3) of the
angels in his fall (Rev. 12:4, 9; 1:20). These fallen angels then became demons some of which are active
today in the execution of Satan’s unholy purposes on earth while others are reserved in chains under
darkness (Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:11-19; Jude 1:6; 2 Pet. 2:4; 1 Pet. 5:8). The Bible teaches us much
about God’s Holy Angels (Matt. 25:31) they are ministering spirits (Heb. 1:14). They are powerful (Ps.
103:20) and they are consistently in the masculine form and noun.

Man

We believe God created man in His own image and likeness and that man fell through sin in the
Garden. As a result, man lost his spiritual life becoming dead in trespasses and sins. We also believe that
this depravity of man has been transmitted to the entire human race making every child of Adam born
into the world with a nature which is essentially sinful apart from divine grace. The depravity of man
simply means that man is unable to save himself by his any means including good works. It does NOT
mean that man is totally unable to respond to God’s offer of salvation as Calvinists teach. (Rom 5:12;
3:10-20; 6:23; 8:6-7; Eph. 2:1-3, 8-9; Gen 3:8-19; 1:26; John 3:8) We reject both false theories of
evolution and theistic evolution. God created everything in six literal days (Gen. 1:31).

Salvation

We believe that redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of Christ and that
nothing on the part of man can avail for salvation. Every man needs to accept Jesus Christ as Saviour
because all are dead in sin. Christ's blood is sufficient for the salvation of the whole world. Through
repentance of sin and believing on the Lord Jesus, the sinner receives the new birth, and having
experienced the new birth, is saved for all eternity (John 3:1-21; 1 Pet 1:18-20; Rom 5:6-11; 2 Cor. 5:21;
Eph. 2:1-10).

1. Justification: We believe that justification is the act of God whereby He declares as righteous the
sinner who believes and accounts him as righteous. The justification is through the blood of
Christ, appropriated by faith alone, and results in the believer having peace with God (Rom 5:1;
4:24). We do not accept the modern day substitution of “the death of Christ” for “the blood of
Christ” either in modern Bible versions or in teaching. Rather, we believe the Bible when it says
that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22).

2. Sanctification: We believe that sanctification is positional, progressive, and ultimate. Positional

sanctification is a complete setting apart to God by our position in Christ (Heb. 10:10),
Progressive sanctification is our growing in grace as a child of God (2 Pet. 3:18) Ultimate
sanctification is when we shall be like Him upon our glorification (1 John 3:1-3). We do not
accept, as some holiness groups do, that sanctification is a “second work of grace” making
believers sinlessly perfect.

3. Preservation of the Saints: We believe that a Christian can never be lost again based upon the
eternal purpose of God, His gift of eternal life, His unchangeableness, and the abiding work of
the Holy Spirit in us. (John 5:24; Jude 1:24; Rom. 8:29, 35-39; 1 Cor. 6:19; Ps. 37:23-24; Heb.
 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2; 2 Tim 1:12; Eph. 4:30). We reject all Arminianism as well as Calvinism. We
believe the Bible, not the theological structures of mere men such as Arminius or Calvin.

4. Heaven and Hell: Heaven will be the eternal abode of all believers where they will forever
rejoice in the presence of the Lord. Hell is the eternal abode of all unbelievers where they will be
eternally separated from God’s benevolence and consciously punished and tormented in the
Lake of Fire (Luke 16:19-31; Rev 20).

The Church

The church is an assembly of baptized believers who assemble for the purpose of glorifying God,
winning the lost, edifying fellow believers, and carrying out the Lord’s ordinances. The use of the word
church in the Bible is restricted to the local church. Therefore, we reject theories of "The Universal
Church" or "The Worldwide Invisible Church."

1. Officers

o Pastor: We believe that God’s dealings are through His local church under the leadership
of the Pastor who is the husband of one wife and maintains other Biblical qualifications
(Heb. 13:7, 17, 24; Acts 20:28; 1 Tim 3:1-7).

The licensed minister is one who is generally examined in doctrine, moral purity,
faithfulness, and training by the Pastor, deacons, and congregation and approved to be
a minister at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. This license must be renewed annually. By it, a
minister may preach, be an associate or assistant pastor, lead, serve in the church,
perform weddings and funerals, administer communion, etc.

The ordained minister is one who is specifically examined in detail in doctrine, moral
purity, faithfulness, and training by the Pastor, deacons, and congregation and approved
to be a minister at Mt. Zion Baptist Church or anywhere. This license is for life or until
that minister change in doctrine or moral purity. By it, a minister may preach, lead,
serve in any capacity in the church including as Senior Pastor, perform weddings and
funerals, administer communion, etc. or be sent out to other churches to pastor.

o Deacons: The only other office of the church is the deacon which exists to “free” the
Pastor for prayer and the ministry of the Word. The deacons are spiritual men who
provide service to the church and counsel to the Pastor. They are given no authority in
Scripture (Acts 6:1-7; 1 Tim 3:8-13; Phil 1:1).

2. Ordinances

o The Lord’s Supper: We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by our Lord as a
memorial of His death and is to be observed only by believers. This ordinance should be
practiced until He comes for us (1 Cor. 11:23-32; Matt 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke
22:14-20). We believe that the unfermented grape juice and the unleavened bread are
symbols of Christ’s blood and body. We reject the teaching that the symbols actually
become His blood and body as we partake (these false doctrines are called
 transubstantiation, and consubstantiation). The Lord Supper is strictly a memorial
service, and nothing mystical.

o Water Baptism: We believe that Believer’s Baptism is an outward testimony of an

inward work already accomplished by God. Water Baptism is not necessary for salvation
(a false teaching called Baptismal Regeneration). However, it should, by an act of
obedience, be observed by every believer as soon after conversion as possible. We
reject Infant Baptism since the candidate for baptism must already be a professed
believer in Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly teaches baptism by immersion as the only
mode that maintains the symbolism of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. We reject
baptism by pouring or sprinkling (Acts 8:36; 10:47-48; Rom. 6:3-5; Matt. 3:13-17; Eph.
4:5)

Things to Come

We believe that the next event in God’s timetable is the appearing of Christ in the air to receive
all who are saved or born again. All saints who have died prior to the Lord’s appearance will be bodily
resurrected. Then all living believers will be called bodily to join them and Christ in the air. This we call
the Rapture of the saints (1 Thess. 4:13-18).

Those left behind on earth will have to endure a seven-year period known as the Great
Tribulation immediately following the Rapture of the saints. During that time a seven years judgment
will be poured out upon all nations and the Jews will recognize Christ as their Messiah. Simultaneously in
Heaven, believers will face the Judgment Seat of Christ where their works will be judged. The Marriage
Supper of the Lamb also occurs during this seven year period.

Upon completion of the Great Tribulation, Christ will return to this earth in bodily form with His
saints to fight the Battle of Armageddon and to set-up His 1,000 year Kingdom, during which Satan will
be bound. After Satan is briefly loosed and then cast into the Lake of fire, the dead who rejected Christ
will face God’s Great White Throne Judgment and will be cast into the Lake of Fire, too. Then, the New
Heavens and the New Earth will appear and we will live with the Lord for all eternity (Revelation, Daniel,
Matt 24; Luke 16:19-27; 2 Thess. 2).

Separation

We believe in separation from the world on two levels:

1. Ecclesiastical: We refuse to lend credibility and endorsement and to cooperate or agree in joint-
ventures with other organizations and men who are lost, from erring brethren, and from those
who do not take similar stands of separation. We further intend to expose error in an attempt to
contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). We see these co-
operations as steps to ecumenism and the one world church (Matt. 12:34; 18:15-17; 23:23-27;
John 2:13-16; Acts 2:42; Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 5:1-2, 6-7,11; 2 Cor. 6:11-18; 7:1; Gal. 2:11-14; Eph.
4:14; 5:11; 2 Th. 3:6, 14-15;1 Tim 1:18-20; 2:15-18; 6:3-5; 2 Tim. 4:10, 14-18; Titus 1:13; 1 John
4:1; 2 John 1:1, 7-11; 3 John 1:9; Rev. 2:2, 14-15). Groups that we would avoid cooperating with
would be the liberals, neo-orthodox, new evangelicals, the World Council of churches (WCC),
 the NCC, the National Association of Evangelicals, Catholic, Charismatic and Pentecostal groups,
etc.

2. Personal: We are Biblicists; man-made religious traditions and practices that do not line up with
the Bible is to be rejected. We also believe that how we appear, what we listen to, what we say,
what we do, where we go, and who we choose as companion is important. We believe that
biblical principles of modesty and identification (as either a male or a female) are important in
consideration of appearance (Deut. 22:5; 1 Tim 2:9-10). Additionally, the Bible teaches that it is
a shame for a man to have long hair but it is proper for a woman to have long hair (1 Cor. 11:14-
15). We also believe that all music in every church ought to be conservative and God-honoring
in music, words, and presentation. No rock or contemporary Christian music is acceptable in our
services (Ps. 40:3; Rom. 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15). Finally, we believe that believers ought to abstain
from drinking intoxicating beverages, smoking or chewing tobacco, using illegal drugs, looking at
pornography, fornication, adultery, gambling, and participating in any activity, saying any words,
and going any place where we might do damage to the Christian testimony, the cause of Christ
or that might lead us into carnal living and thinking.