Fort Seneca Community Church is an independent, bible believing church. Take a look at what we believe and teach in detail below.
Statement of Faith
The Scriptures
We teach that the bible consists of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. These were given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, through men who wrote exactly and precisely what God desired to be recorded. We teach that Scripture is the Word of God, without error and without omission. We teach that the Word of God contains all that is needed for every issue of life and is the only means by which any person may be saved from the penalty of sin and may grow in Christ-likeness.
1 Peter 1:19-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 5:18; 1 Corinthians 2:7-13; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:13
God
We teach there is one true and living God, externally existing in three persons; God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Spirit (the Holy Spirit). Each is worthy and deserving of our praise, worship and obedience. Each is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient and perfect.
Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-7; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Daniel 4:35; Psalms 147:5; Jeremiah 23:23-24; 1 Peter 1:15-16
God the Father
We teach that God the Father is the sovereign ruler over all things. He is Father to all of mankind through His work of creation. All those who are saved, become His spiritual children at salvation. The Father is the One who sent His Son to die for the sins of the elect and it His acceptance of that sacrifice that makes it propitiatory (satisfactory). He is the One who draws sinners to the Lord Jesus Christ so they can be saved, and all who come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ are saved.
Ephesians 4:6; Romans 8:14; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Ephesians 1:4-6; John 1:12; Romans 8:15; John 6:65; Colossians 1:12-14; 1 John 2:1-2; John 3:16
God the Son
We teach that Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity and the Son of God. He is eternally existent, born into this world of the virgin Mary after she had been over shadowed by the Most High. We teach that Mary did not remain a virgin and is not to be worshipped. We teach that the Lord Jesus entered into creation to reveal God and redeem men. He was the lamb that was slain from before the foundation of the world. He lived a perfect sinless life and voluntarily went to the cross. We teach that through His sacrificial death on the cross, He paid the full penalty for the sin of all those who have and will trust in Him as Savior. We teach that He arose bodily three days later and was seen by many.
Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23-25; John 7:3-5; Luke 1:35; Luke 12:46-49; Revelation 13:8, Colossians 1:15; John 1:29; 1 Timothy 2:6; John 20-1:29; Matthew 28:1-10
God the Holy Spirit
We teach that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, eternally existent and coequal with the Father and the Son. It is He whom convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. We also teach that He keeps and empowers believers day by day, makes intercession for them and is the divine teacher of God’s Word and the guide for our daily life. It is our privilege and duty to be filled with the Spirit.
John 16:8-11; John 16:13; John 3:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Romans 8:9; Romans 8:26-27; Romans 8:14; Ephesians 5:18
Creation
We teach that all things were created by God in six literal 24 hours days as explained in Genesis 1. We teach a young earth and the propagation of species according to their own kind thereby rejecting any form of evolution including theistic evolution.
Genesis 1; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16; Exodus 20:11
Satan
We teach that Satan is a real, created being, who desires to be God and fell from his state of perfection because of his pride and rebellion against God. He is the author of sin, the god of this world, the accuser of the brethren and will be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire which was prepared for him and his angels.
Isaiah 14:12-17; Genesis 3:1-7; Job 1:6-12; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:7-11; Matthew 25:41
Man
We teach that man was directly created by God in the image and likeness of God to be in fellowship with God, to glorify God and to live according to God’s will. We teach that man was created free from sin, with free will, intelligence and moral responsibility but Adam freely chose to sin therefore dying spiritually and bringing physical and spiritual death to all mankind because all are descendants of Adam. We teach that as a result of Adam’s sin, man became inherently corrupt, and unable to turn to God or do anything pleasing to God without God’s divine grace, Jesus Christ being the only exception. Therefore all men are sinners by birth and by choice.
Genesis 1:26-27; Isaiah 43:7; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11; Genesis 2:15-25; James 3:9; Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12; Romans 3:10-18
Salvation
We teach that salvation is wholly an act of God by which He, through His grace, imparts faith to sinners so that they can respond to the Gospel. We teach that this faith is imparted through the hearing or reading of God’s Word. We teach that salvation is only possible because of the finished work of redemption which was accomplished by Christ on the cross through His shed blood. We teach that all men are destined for hell as a result of their sinful nature, and only through salvation can anyone enter into heaven. We teach that it is the responsibility of all Christians to share the Gospel since it is only through God’s Word that anyone is saved. We teach that works have no part in salvation, but works are a proof of salvation that will naturally follow salvation. We teach that all that are saved are commanded in scripture to become increasingly more Christ-like. We teach that salvation is eternal and secure and can not be taken back or given back. We teach that all Christians are to be separate from sin and live in a manner that glorifies God because of His great worth.
John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7,2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Matthew 25:41; Rom 6:23; Ezekiel 3:18-21; Romans 10:17; Revelation 21:27; Titus 3:5; Philippians 2:12; James 2:14-26; Romans 6:1-22; 2 Corinthians 3:18; John 5:24; John 6:37-40; John 10:28-30; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Peter 1:5; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1-2
The Church
We teach that all that place their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual body known as the church. We teach that Christ is the one head of His church, and all who are saved are members of the body of Christ. We teach that the church began on the day of Pentecost and will continue until the rapture when Christ Jesus will return for the church. We teach that the church is a spiritual body, designed by Christ and separate from Israel. We do not teach that the church has replaced Israel.
We teach that there were two types of gifts given to the early church: miraculous gifts of divine revelation and healing given temporarily in the infancy of the church for the purpose of confirming the authenticity of the apostle’s message, the second type of gift is ministering gifts which were given to equip believers for the edification of one another. We teach that the canon of scripture was closed with the book of The Revelation, therefore Scripture is now the sole test of a man’s message, so miracles are no longer needed to verify God’s calling on a man’s life, therefore God no longer gives the gifts of tongues, interpretations, healings and miracles. In addition Satan will use the sign gifts to deceive believers. As a result, the only gifts in operation today are those which edify the body but do not claim new revelation from God.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22; Acts 2:1-21,38-47; Ephesians 2:11-3:6; 1 Corinthians 10:32; Hebrews 2:3-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12; 1 Corinthians 13:8-12; Revelation 13:13-14; Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11-15
Two Ordinances
We teach two ordinances in the church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We teach baptism by immersion for those who have given clear testimony that they know the Lord as their Savior. There is no saving quality to baptism; it is strictly a witness to our death to our old self, and to our rising with Christ in salvation. The Lord’s Supper is the proclamation and commemoration of Christ’s death until He returns and is to follow solemn self-examination.
Acts 8:36-38; Romans 6:1-11; Acts 2:41-42; 1 Corinthians 11:28-32
The Eternal State
We teach the bodily resurrection of all men; the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. We teach that, at death the soul of the redeemed goes into the presence of the Lord to be in conscious bliss until the return of the Lord at the rapture when soul and body is reunited. We teach that the unredeemed soul goes into conscious torment until the return of Christ when soul and body are reunited and they appear at the Great White Throne Judgment after which they will be cast into the Lake of Fire to suffer eternal punishment.
Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; 2 Corinthians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; John 11:25-26; Luke 16:19-26; Revelation 20:10-15; Matthew 25:41-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Mark 9:43-48
The Sanctity of Life
We teach that life begins at conception. No pregnancy is a mistake or a surprise to God. This includes incidents of rape and incest. Therefore abortion is murder of an unborn child.
Abortion as referenced here does not include:
- Delivering a baby prior to the completion of the pregnancy due to medical issues with the mother or the child.
- Miscarriages.
God is the giver of life, and He is the One who has already determined the beginning and end of each person’s life. Since God is the creator and we are made in His image, we must do all we can to preserve life. Suicide or doctor assisted suicide are against the nature of God as the life giver.
Genesis 1:26-28, 2:7, Deuteronomy 30:19, Job 12:10, 13:14, Psalm 139:13-16, 127:3, Luke 12:22-25, 1 Timothy 6:13, Hebrews 9:27, James 3:9
Marriage
We teach that marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman made in the presence of God and man. It is the first human institution given to us by God and is a picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church. The husband is to be the head of the home, the head of the family and the spiritual protector of his wife and family. Christ is the head of the husband. Marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.
Genesis 2:24; Exodus 20:14; Malachi 2:14; Matthew 19:4,5,6; Mark 10:7,11; 1 Corinthians 7:2,3,4,10,12,14,16,27,39; 11:3; Ephesians 5:23,28,31,33