Iron men statement of belief

God

We believe in one God, maker of heaven and earth, and eternally existent as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The three are one God, three equal persons. We affirm a historic, trinitarian view. (Gen. 1:1; John 10:30; John 4:24; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)

The Scriptures

We believe the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is God's inspired and infallible Word. It is inerrant in the original manuscripts, and is the authority for conduct, belief, and practice. (2Tim.3:16;2Peter1:21)

Jesus Christ

We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. We believe He is the manifestation of God in the flesh. We believe He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. We believe in His sinless life and in His miracles. He is true God and true man. His death on the cross was substitutionary for the sins of those who would call upon Him for salvation. He bodily rose from the grave, He ascended into Heaven, and He will return to the earth in power and glory. (John 1:1, 14, 18; 5:18; Heb. 1:1-9, 5:8, 1 John 5:20; 1 Tim. 2:5; 1 Cor. 15:1-5)

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit, that His present work is to reveal Jesus Christ to people, to convict of sin, and to regenerate those who believe. We believe He permanently indwells believers at the moment of salvation, that He guides, instructs, comforts, and empowers believers for godly living and service. (Mat.28:19; John3:3 7; Acts 1:8; Titus3:5; 1 Cor .6:19; Rom.8:9; 1 Eph. 4:30; Col. 3:14)

Man

We believe people are created in the image of God. Through Adam all people inherit a sin nature. Because of sin all people in their natural condition are separated from God and under His wrath and condemnation. (Rom. 2:2, 3, 5; 3:10, 23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1, 8, 9; Gen. 1:27: 9:6)

Salvation

We believe people may be saved from the wrath of God, be forgiven of sin, be justified by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and be reconciled to God through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This salvation is a free, permanent gift to all who believe. (Acts 4:12; 16:31; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 4:4-5; 5:1; 8:28-29; John 3:16; Eph. 2:8-9)

Ordinances

The Bible sets forth two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

We believe the local church was commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ to baptize those who come to faith in Him. This baptism is an act of obedience to the Lord's Command, an outward testimony of a person's belief in Christ, expresses our union with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and is a basic requirement for local church membership. Immersion is the mode of baptism set forth in Scripture.(Matt.28:19-20;Acts2:41;10:47,48)

We believe the local church was commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ to remember His death until He returns by taking communion (the Lord's Supper) with one another preceded by a time of self- examination. (1 Cor. 11:23-26)

The Church

We believe that the Church, the body of Christ, is made up of all believers of the church age; that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church; and that local churches are the practical expression of the Church. The local church is a group of baptized believers voluntarily joined together to Worship God and to glorify Jesus Christ through an aggressive effort to disciple others by the preaching of the gospel, and the exercise of spiritual gifts. (Matt. 28:19-20; Eph. 1:22, 23; 4:1-16; 1 Cor. 12:4-13, 27)

Final Judgments

We believe there is an eternal state of punishment for the unsaved and an eternal state of blessing for the saved. All unbelievers of all ages will be judged and condemned to eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire. All believers will be saved from the wrath of God, but they will give an account of their works as God's children. (Rom. 2:8, 9; 5:1; 5:12; 2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20:11-15)

Sanctity of Life

We believe that all human life is sacred from conception throughout the entire natural human life; that human beings are created in His image and, as such, are to be protected; that the weak, vulnerable, infirm, handicapped, pre-born, and needy deserve our respect and our care. (Psalm 51:5; 71:6; 139:14-16; Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:44; 1 Cor. 11:12)

Human Sexuality and Marriage

We believe God has commanded that no sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. God has ordained marriage as a sacred union between a man and a woman for life. We believe God created only two genders; male and female. (Gen. 2:24; Exo. 20:14; Rom. 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 6:9; Col. 3:5; Heb. 13:4)

Authority of Statement of Faith

This doctrinal statement does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing statement of faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible.