What We Believe According To The Bible – Doctrinal Statement
We Believe
The Scriptures Inspired.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to man, the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and is superior to conscience and reason, but not contrary to reason. (II Timothy 3:15, 16; I Peter 2:2)
The One True God.
The one true God has revealed himself as the eternally self-existent, self-revealed “I AM” and has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association, i.e., Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29; Isaiah 43:10, 11; Matthew 28:19)
Man, His Fall and Redemption.
Man was created good and upright for God said, “Let Us make man in our image, after our likeness.” But man, by voluntary transgression, fell and his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ the Son of God. (Genesis 1:26-31; 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21)
The Salvation of Man.
(A) Conditions of Salvation. The grace of God, which brings salvation, hath appeared to all men, through the preaching of repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ; the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, and being justified by hope of eternal life. (Titus 2:11; Romans 10:13-15; Luke 24:47; Titus 3:5-7) (B) The Evidence of Salvation. The “inward evidence” to the believer of His salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit. (Romans 8:16) The “outward” evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness.
Baptism in Water.
The ordinance of Baptism by a burial with Christ should be observed as commanded in the Scriptures, by all who have really repented and in their hearts have truly believed in Christ as Savior and Lord. In so doing, they have the body washed in pure water as an outward symbol of cleansing, while their heart has already been sprinkled with the Blood of Christ as in inner cleansing. Thus they declare to the world that have died with Jesus and that they have also been raised with Him to walk in newness of life. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:47, 48; Romans 6:4; Acts 20:21; Hebrews 10:22)
The Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements, bread and the fruit of the vine, is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (II Peter 1:4); a memorial of His suffering and death (I Corinthians 11:26); a prophecy of His second coming (I Corinthians 11:26); and is enjoined on all believers “until He comes.
Regeneration.
All persons who turn from their sins and put their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ receive a new berth by which their life is regenerated by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. (John. 3:3-6; Tit. 3:5). At that time forth the regenerated person has God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within them enabling them to live a holy life. (I Corinthians 3:16; II Pet.1: 3-4) Also giving them power to be witnesses for Jesus Christ. (Acts 1:8)
The Father.
All believers are entitled to, and should ardently expect, and earnestly seek, the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church. With it comes a deeper spiritual life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,8 I Corinthians 12:1-31) This wonderful experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth. (Acts 10:44-46; 11:14-16; 15:7-9)
The Holy Ghost.
The Baptism of believers in the Holy Ghost is witnessed by the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the spirit of God gives them utterance (Acts 2:4). The speaking in tongues in this instance is the same in essence as the gift of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:4-10, 28), but different in purpose and use.
Sanctification.
The Scriptures teach a life of holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. By the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to obey the command, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” Sanctification is the will of God for all believers, and should be pursued by walking in obedience to God’s Holy Spirit. Sanctification is experienced in basically three ways:
- Instant or Positional Sanctification. This is what happens to each and every person the minute they put their trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are saved through faith in Jesus, we are sanctified in the eyes of God through the Blood of the cross. As God the Father looks at us, He sees the holiness of Jesus, which is imputed to us, and does not see our sin. (Heb. 10:10 & 14)
- Progressive or Practical Sanctification. This is that process by which we strive to live on a day to day basis by considering ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in holy living through the power of God’s divine nature within our lives. (Rom. 6; Philippians 2:12,13; 2 Peter 1:3,4)
- Final Sanctification. This is when we are totally set free from the presence of sin within our life after seeing Jesus our Lord and being made like Him because of seeing Him as He really is in all His glory. (I John. 3:2)
The Church.
The Church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the Church of the First-born, which is written in heaven. (Ephesians 1:22, 23; 2:22;Hebrews 12:23)
The Ministry and Evangelism.
A divinely called and Scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for a two-fold purpose: (A) The evangelization of the world, and (B) The edifying of the Body of Christ. (Mark 16:15-20; Ephesians 4:11-13)
Divine Healing.
Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement, and is the privilege of all believers. (Isaiah 53:4, 5; Matthew 8:16, 17)
The Rapture.
The rapture, or 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 imminent and blessed hope of the Church. (I Thessalonians 4:16, 17; Titus 2:12; 1 Corinthians 15:51; Romans 8:23)
The Millennial Reign of the Messiah
The revelation of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah from heaven, the salvation of national Israel, and the millennial reign of Christ on earth are the Scriptural promise and the world’s hope. (II Thessalonians 1:17; Revelation 19:11-14; Romans 11:26, 27; Revelation 20:1-7)
The Lake of Fire.
The devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, and whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, shall be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake, which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:10-15)
The New Heavens and the New Earth.
We, “according to His promise, look for new heavens, and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness.” (II Peter 3:13; Revelation 21 and 22)
Gender
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological gender is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
Marriage
We believe that term “marriage” has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
Sexual Immorality
We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, and attempting to change one’s biological sex or otherwise acting upon any disagreement with one’s biological sex) is sinful and offensive to God who created male and female.
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, should abide by and agree to this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality and conduct themselves accordingly.
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with scripture nor the doctrines of the church.