We of the Morningside Friends Church, in harmony with our historic position, believing the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible to be our infallible rule of faith and of practice, and feeling our responsibility to make known the divine message of the Bible, present the following articles as a statement of those basic truths taught in the Bible which are common to our Christian faith and practice:
1. THE BIBLE: The Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God, verbally inspired in all parts, and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God (II Tim.3:16; II Peter 1:21).
2. THE ONE TRUE GOD: There is one true God, existing eternally as three persons – The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Luke 3:22; Matt.28:19, II Cor. 13:14).
3. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: We believe in the preexistence and deity of Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3), His incarnation by virgin birth (John 1:14; Matt. 1:18-23), His sinless life (Heb. 4:15), His substitutionary death (II Cor. 5:21), His bodily resurrection (Luke 24:36-43), His ascension into heaven, His present ministry (Heb. 4:14-16), and His personal return (Acts 1:11).
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT: We recognize the personality (John 16:7-15) and deity (Acts 5:3-4) of the Holy Spirit and His work in each believer: He is given as an indwelling presence to every believer at the moment of regeneration (I Cor. 12:13; Rom 8:9). The Holy Spirit fills (Eph.5:18) and empowers the Christian for life and service (Eph. 3:16; Acts 1:8; Gal. 5:22-23).
5. MAN: Man is created in the direct image of God (Gen.1:26-28). Man subsequently fell into sin, resulting in spiritual death (Gen. 3:1-24; Rom 5:12). Man must undergo new birth for his salvation (John 3:3-5).
6. SALVATION: Complete and eternal salvation is achieved through God’s grace alone, received as the gift of God through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work (Eph.2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; Peter 1:18-19).
7. THE CHURCH: There is one true Church, the body and bride of Christ (Eph.1:22-23; 5:25-32). Composed of all true believers of the present age (I Cor.12:12-13), its members are organized into local churches for worship, for edification of believers, and for worldwide gospel witness. Each local church is autonomous but cooperating in fellowship and work (Eph. 4:11-16).
8. CHRISTIAN LIFE: The Christian life is characterized by righteousness, good works, and separation unto God from the evil ways of the world (Rom. 12:1 – 2), manifested by speaking the truth (James 5:12), maintaining the sanctity of the home (Eph. 5:22 – 6:4), setting differences between Christians in accordance with the word of God (I Cor. 6:1-8), not engaging in carnal strife but showing a Christ-like attitude toward all men (Rom.12:17 – 21), exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22 – 23), and maintaining a life of prayer (Eph.6:18; Phil.4:6), including the privilege, when sick, of calling for the elders of the church to pray and to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:13 – 18).
Morningside Church and Academy believe that drunkenness (Eph. 5:18); (2) abortion (Lev. 18:21); (3) premarital sex (I Thess. 4:3); (4) homosexuality (Rom. 1:26,27; Lev.18:22); and (5) pornography (Ps. 101:3a) are inconsistent with the Bible and Christian living.
9. SATAN: Satan exists and has personality as the great adversary of God and His people (Rev. 12:1 – 10). He will ultimately face judgment (John 12:31), and his final doom (Rev. 20:10).
10. SECOND COMING: We believe in the personal, visible, and imminent return of Christ to remove His church from the earth (I Thess. 1:10; 4:16 – 17; Rev. 20:6).
11. FUTURE LIFE: We believe in the conscious existence of the dead (Phil. 1:21 – 23; Luke 16:19 – 31), the resurrection of the body (John 5:28 – 29), the judgment and condemnation of unbelievers (Rev. 20:11 – 15), the eternal life of the saved (John 3:16), and the eternal punishment of the lost (Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:15).
