| |
Jesus answered
them, and said, My doctrine is not mine,
but his that sent me. If any man will do
his will, he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be of God, or whether I speak
of myself. (John 7:16-17).
Inspiration of Scriptures: We believe
that the Holy Bible is the written Word
of the Living God. We believe it was
inspired by the Holy Spirit and recorded
by holy men of old. It is infallible in
content and a perfect treasure of
heavenly instruction which is truth
without any mixture of error. When we
speak of the divine nature of the Bible
it applies strictly speaking to the
original writings (the Autographs) and
not to the translations; however, we
believe mankind has received the actual
Word of God in His divine plan as the
Bible has withstood all attempts at its
extinction down through the ages. The
Bible reveals the principles by which
God will judge us and reveals His great
plan of salvation. It will remain
eternally. We believe the Bible is the
true center of Christian union and the
supreme standard by which all human
conduct, creeds, and opinions should be
tried. Therefore, we believe this Word
should go into all the world and should
be given first place in every believer's
life (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; 1
Peter 1:23-25; and 2 Peter 1:19-21).
God and The Trinity: We believe in one
God revealed in three persons: the
Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost...making up the blessed Trinity.
The Scriptures clearly teach that there
is one God who is an infinite being and
who exists in three persons: the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each
person is wholly God, equal in power and
glory, and possesses precisely the same
attributes and perfection. Though
undivided in nature and being, they each
have different roles, eternally
functioning with perfect harmony.
(Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:18-20; John
1:1-14; John 14:5-14; Matthew 3:16-17; 1
John 5:6,7).
Jesus, Fully God and Fully Man: Jesus
Christ, the Son of God and second person
of the Trinity, is God. He is of the
same essence as the Father and equal to
him. At just the right time, according
to the predestined plan of God, the
eternal Son became a man. He was made
like us in every way, except for his
sinlessness. He was conceived by the
Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin
Mary. This union of the divine and human
made Jesus forever both God and man in
one person. He is fully God and fully
man. Jesus Christ, the only mediator
between God and man, was, and is, fully
God and fully man. (John 1:1-14; Romans
1:1-4; John 3:16; Matthew 28:18-20; John
14:5-14; John 10:22-39; Galatians 4:1-7;
Hebrews 4:14-16; Luke 1:26-38; Matthew
1:18-24; 1 Timothy 2:5-6).
Man: We believe that man, in his natural
state, is a sinner- lost, undone,
without hope, and without God (Romans
3:19-23; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians
2:1,2,12).
Salvation: We believe the terms of
salvation are repentance toward God for
sin and a personal, heartfelt faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. This is how the
new birth occurs, which we call being
"born again." Salvation is possible only
through God's grace by faith, not by our
works. When one believes and accepts
Christ, he is then justified by the
saving work of the Cross. Good works are
simply the fruit or proof of salvation
(Acts 3:19-20; Romans 4:1-5, 5:1;
Ephesians 2:8-10). Water Baptism should
immediately follow the experience of the
new birth as a public witness to one's
faith (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38).
Body of Christ: We believe the Body of
Christ is made up of all who have been
"born again" regardless of
denominational differences. We believe
in the spirit of unity, while allowing
for variety in individual ministries as
to their work, calling, and location as
directed by the Holy Spirit (Acts
10:34-35; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31).
Blood Atonement: We believe in the
saving power of the blood of Jesus and
His imputed righteousness (Acts 4:12;
Romans 4:1-9, 5:1-11; Ephesians 1:3-14).
Bodily Resurrection: We believe in the
bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ
(Luke 24:39-43; John 20:24-29).
Ascension: We believe that Christ Jesus
ascended to the Father and is presently
engaged in building a place for us in
His Kingdom and interceding for the
saints (John 14:2-3; Romans 8:34).
Second Coming: We believe in the
visible, bodily return of Christ Jesus
to this earth, to meet His Church
(Bride) and to judge the world (Acts
1:10-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2
Thessalonians 1:7-10; James 5:8;
Revelation 1:7).
Judgment: God has appointed a day when
he will judge the world with perfect
justice through Jesus Christ, to whom he
has given all power and authority. On
that day the fallen angels will be
judged as well as everyone who has ever
lived on the earth. All must appear
before the judgment seat of Christ to
give account for everything they have
done (their thoughts, words, and
actions) while they lived on the earth.
The Lord Jesus will give his
unchangeable verdict on that day,
forever sealing the destinies of
everyone. The wicked will be sent into
the Lake of Fire to experience eternal
torment, while the righteous, those whom
Jesus purchased on the cross, will be
rewarded and will enter into eternal
life (John 5:24-30; Jude 5-7; 2
Corinthians 5:6-10; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5;
Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15).
Ordinances: We believe that the two
ordinances of the Body of Christ are
water baptism and the Lord's Supper
(Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-26).
Heaven and Hell: We believe Scripture
clearly sets forth the doctrines of
eternal punishment for the lost and
eternal bliss and service for the saved
-- a literal hell for the unsaved and
Heaven for the saved (Matthew
25:34,41,46; Luke 16:19-31; John 14:1-3;
Revelation 20:11-15).
Holy Spirit: We believe the Holy Spirit
to be the third person of the Trinity
whose purpose in the redemption of man
is to convict of sin, regenerate the
repentant believer, guide the believer
into all truth, indwell all believers,
and give gifts to those He wills that
they may minister as Christ would to
men. We believe that the manifestations
of the Holy Spirit recorded in (1
Corinthians 12:1-11) will operate
through present-day Christians who yield
to Jesus (Luke 11:13; John 7:37-39,
14:16-17, 16:7-14; Acts 2:1-18).
Baptism in the Holy Spirit: We believe
the baptism in the Holy Spirit, with the
evidence of speaking in other tongues as
the Spirit gives utterance (1
Corinthians 14), is for all believers as
promised by John the Baptist (Matthew
3:11), Jesus (Acts 1:4-8), and Peter
(Acts 2:38-41). The fulfillment of this
promise was witnessed by early disciples
of Christ (Acts 2:4, 10:44-47, 19:1-6)
and operates in many present-day
disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Divine Healing: We believe God has used
doctors, medicines, and other natural
means as channels of healing; however,
we believe divine healing is provided
for believers in the atonement made by
Jesus' blood shed on the cross (Isaiah
53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). We believe divine
healing may be received by the laying on
of hands by the elders (James 5:14-16),
by the prayer of an anointed person
gifted by the Holy Spirit for healing
the sick (1 Corinthians 12:9), or by a
direct act of receiving this provision
by faith (Mark 11:23-24).
Marriage: Marriage was originally
established by God to join a man and a
woman together for life. Believers are
instructed to only marry another
believer. Marriage serves a variety of
God-ordained purposes. Its primary
purpose is to provide companionship. A
secondary purpose is procreation.
Another reason for marriage is to
provide a legitimate outlet for our
sexual drive. Marriage also functions as
a picture for the relationship between
Jesus Christ and the church. (Genesis
2:18-25; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1
Corinthians 7:39-40; Romans 7:1-3;
Genesis 1:26-31; 1 Corinthians 7:1-7).
Although most individuals will get
married, there is a special enabling for
some to be single. Singleness (celibacy)
provides greater freedom for service to
the Lord and is to be honored in the
church (Matthew 19:10-12; 1 Corinthians
7:8-9, 1 Corinthians 7:25-40).
|