Statements of Faith and Doctrine

The Church accepts that in the Bible and its Scriptures are the revealed Will of God, the all sufficient rule of faith and practice, and for the purpose of maintaining general unity.  The Church adopts these Statements of Faith and Doctrine.

The Scriptures Inspired:  In the Bible is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to humankind, the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and is superior to conscience and reason, but not contrary to divine reason. (II Timothy 3:16-17; I Peter 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12)

The One True Godhead:  The triune Godhead is comprised of three (3) separate and distinct personalities, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, who are eternally self-existent, self-revealed, and function as one entity.  Jesus Christ, who is God manifested in the flesh is the second member of the Godhead, co-equal and co-eternal with The Father and The Holy Spirit.

Man, His Fall and Redemption:  Man was created good and upright, “And God said, let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.”  And after creating man all that God had created, God proclaimed was “very good.”  But, humanity, 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)

Hope of Redemption:
Humanity’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  On the cross God through Jesus Christ became sin and sickness providing both salvation and divine healing for all humankind, (Psalms 103:2-5) being justified freely by His Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  For by grace we are saved through faith.  “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart – that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Romans 3:24; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 10: 8-10)

The Evidences 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 humanity is a life of righteousness and true holiness (the gradual & definite dismissal of sin in one’s life).  “And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” (I John 3:23)

Faith and Works:
Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ and not by human works (Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8).  All of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.” (Romans 14:10-12; and II Cor. 5:10)

Baptism in Water:
The ordinance of “water baptism by complete submersion” should be observed as commanded in the Scriptures by all who have really repented and in their hearts truly believed on Christ as Savior and Lord.  In so doing, they declare to the world that they have died with Jesus and that they have also been raised with Him to walk in newness of life (Matt. 28:19; Acts 10:47,48; Romans 6:4; Mark 1:9-11).

The Lord’s Supper:
 “And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.  In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  Let everyone examine him/her self, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (I Corinthians 11:24-28)

The Promise of the Holy Ghost Baptism:
 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 the endowment of power for 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 experiences of the new birth.  (Acts 2:38, 10:44-46, 11:14-16, 15:7-9)

 
The Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit:
The full consummation of the Baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is evidenced by “the imparting of spiritual gifts to the believer by the Spirit of God; which may include; utterance of wisdom, utterance of knowledge, faith, gift of healing, working of miracles, prophesy, discernment of spirits, various kinds of tongues and the interpretation of tongues; all are activated by this same Spirit as the Spirit chooses, (1Cor 12:1-11) The inability to speak with tongues is no indicator that the believer has not been baptized in the Holy Spirit.

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 general assembly and church of the first born, which are written in Heaven. (Ephesians 1:22; 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23)

The Necessity of Obedience:  The carnal mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law – indeed it cannot! Those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom 8:7-8); and must experience a rebirth through baptism of the Holy Ghost. Blessings can come only through the grace of God released to the believer through living according to the will of God as empowered by the Spirit of God. Obedience to the Word of God (the known revealed will of God) is the believer’s key to a successful and abundant life.

Spiritual – John 3:3 – 8, 11; II Corinthians 5:17-21

Mental – II Timothy 1:7; Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3.

Physical – Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:17; I Peter 2:24.

Financial – III John 1:2; Malachi 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; II Corinthians 9:6-10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14.

Social – Proverbs 3:3-4.

Blessed Hope:  Jesus is coming again to gather all His Saints to Heaven (I Corinthians 15:51-52; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; and II Thessalonians 2:1)

The Lake of Fire:  Those who have not accepted the redemptive work of Jesus Christ will suffer eternal separation from the Godhead.  The devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life, shall be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.  This is the second death, the lake of fire. (Revelations 19:20; 20:10-15)

The Millennial Reign of Jesus:  The return of our Lord Jesus Christ with His Saints from heaven to rule and reign for one thousand years on earth as the scriptures promised. (II Thessalonians 1:7; Revelations 19:11-16; 20:1-7)  After this, there shall be a new heaven and a new earth. (Revelations 21)