Statement of beliefs
DOCTRINAL BELIEFS
The Bible is our all-sufficient rule for faith and conduct and we yield to it as the final measuring rod by which our practices and beliefs are reviewed. The following Statement of Fundamental Truths is intended simply as a basis of fellowship among us (i.e.; “That we all speak the same thing…,” 1 Corinthians 1:10; Acts 2:42). The phraseology used in this Statement is not inspired or contended for, but the truths set forth are held to be essential to a full-gospel ministry such as this one. No claim is made that this Statement contains the whole of Biblical truth, only that it covers our need as to outlining our basic fundamental doctrines.
Section 1: The Scriptures Inspired.
We believe the scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired by God and are the revelation of God to man; the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct applicable to all men (2 Timothy 3:15 – 17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:12).
Section 2: The One True God.
We believe the one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent “I AM,” the Creator of heaven and earth, and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10, 11; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22).
Section 3: The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. The scriptures declare:
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His virgin birth (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31, 35).
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His sinless life (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22).
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His miracles (Acts 2:22; 10:38).
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His substitutionary work on the cross (1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
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His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:4).
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His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9, 11; 2:33; Philippians 2:9 – 11; Hebrews 1:3).
Section 4: The Fall of Man.
We believe man was created to please God but through willful and sovereign choices becomes separated from God’s original intention resulting in not only physical death but spiritual alienation from God who is the source of man’s life and existence (Genesis 1:26 – 27; 2:17; 3:6; Romans 5:12 – 19).
Section 5: The Salvation of Man.
We believe man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
a) Conditions to Man’s Salvation:
We believe salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. By regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life (Luke 24:27; John 3:3; Romans 10: 13 – 15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; 3:5 – 7).
a) The Evidences of Salvation:
We believe the inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16). The outward evidence for all men to see is a life of righteousness and true holiness expressed in love for God and our fellowmen (Ephesians 4:24; Titus 2:12).
Section 6: The Ordinances of the Church.
a) Baptism in Water.
We believe the ordinance of baptism by immersion in water is commanded in scripture. All who repent and believe on Christ as their Savior and Lord are to be baptized. By this means they declare to the world that they have died to their old life and that they have been raised in Christ to walk in the newness of His Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered life (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10 47, 48; Romans 6:4).
b) Holy Communion.
We believe the Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements of bread and the fruit of the vine, is the symbol expressing our sharing the Divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4); a memorial of His suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26); and is enjoined by all believers “’til He comes!”
Section 7: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
We believe all believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek for the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian church. With this baptism comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts of the Spirit and their uses in the work of the ministry (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4; 1 Corinthians 12: 1 – 31). This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of salvation through faith in The Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12 – 17; 10:44 - 46; 15:7 – 9. With this baptism comes such experiences as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit (John 7:37 – 39; Acts 4:8), a deepened reverence for God (Acts 2:43; Hebrews 12:28), and an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work, and for the lost (Mark 16:20).
Section 8: Sanctification.
We believe sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil and of dedication unto God (Romans 12:1 – 2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:12). The scriptures teach a life of “holiness without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Through the moral attributes that God has placed within each person and with the assistance of His Word and the Holy Spirit we are able to obey God’s command: “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 15, 16).
Sanctification becomes a reality in the believer when they identify and unite themselves with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by faith reckon daily upon the fact of that union; and by offering every faculty they possess continually to the dominion and direction of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1 – 11, 13; 8:1, 2, 13; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:12, 13; 1 Peter 1:5).
Section 9: The Church and Its Mission.
The Church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through His Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18 – 20). Each believer should see themselves as being an integral part of the Church and seek to understand their part in being united with other believers for the sake of fellowship, edification, and evangelism (Ephesians 1:22, 23; Hebrews 12:23). The Church exists to fulfill three basic needs:
1. To offer worship that corporately and individually honors and exalts God.
2. To provide a setting where each believer can be nurtured in the faith and find uplifting fellowship and communion with other believers.
3. To spread the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ which is the good news that His Kingdom has come and to invite others to come under its power, love, and influence.
Section 10: Ministry Gifts.
“We believe that the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ, established the ministry gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;” (Ephesians 4:11 – 13) and that these giftings to the church are still valid today and should be encouraged and recognized in the body of Christ for the purpose of giving stability, authority, and soundness to the work of the church.”
Section 11: The Blessed Hope of the Church.
We believe that the resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the blessed hope of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17; Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52).
Section 12: The Final Judgment.
We believe there will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Whoever is not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to everlasting punishment in the Lake of Fire which is, according to scripture, the second death (Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43 – 48; Revelation 19:20; 20:11 – 15; 21:8).
Section 13: The New Heavens and the New Earth.
We believe that according to God’s promise we are to “look for the new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:22).