STATEMENT OF FAITH
HOLY BIBLE:
The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone
is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original
writing, it is inspired, infallible and inerrant (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter
1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26).
TRINITY:
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. These three are coequal and co-eternal (I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26;
Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11).
JESUS CHRIST:
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus
was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless
life. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died
on the cross for mankind and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of
His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures,
ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and
glory. (John 1:1,14, 20:28; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I
Timothy 2:5).
VIRGIN BIRTH:
Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the
third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary's womb; therefore, He is the
Son of God (Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35).
REDEMPTION:
Man was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression he fell; his
only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Gen. 1:26-31,
3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21).
REGENERATION:
For anyone to know God, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential
(John 6:44, 65; Matthew 19:28; Titus 3:5).
SALVATION:
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and
resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or
of any human efforts (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans
10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22).
REPENTANCE:
Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives
and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be
regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through repentance we receive forgiveness
of sins and appropriate salvation (Acts 2:21, 3:19; I John 1:9).
SANCTIFICATION:
Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit
in order to complete the development of Christ's character in us. It is through
the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian
is enabled to live a Godly life (I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; II Corinthians
3:18, 6:14-18, II Thessalonians 2:1-3, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11).
JESUS' BLOOD:
The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was
sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed
Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those
who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death (I John 1:7;
Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29).
JESUS CHRIST INDWELLS ALL BELIEVERS:
Christians are people who have invited the
Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They
relinquish the authority of their lives over to him thus making Jesus the Lord
of their life as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus
accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead
(John 1:12; John 14:17, 23; John 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelation 3:20).
BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT:
Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His
Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole
earth (Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5,2:1-4, 17, 38-39,
8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6).
THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and
sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm
the power of the Gospel. The Bible lists of these gifts are not necessarily
exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are
commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives.
These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be
used in violation of Biblical parameters. (Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8;
Ephesians 4:16; I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6-7; I Corinthians 12:1-31,
14:1-40; I Peter 4:10).
THE CHURCH:
The church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit,
with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus' Great Commission. Every
person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member
of the body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our
Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23).
TWO SACRAMENTS
Water Baptism: Following faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, the new convert is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water
in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19;
Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48).
The Lord's Supper: A unique time of communion in
the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (the Body and
Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice on
the Cross (Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25).
HEALING OF THE SICK
Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and
included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a sign,
which is to follow believers. It is also a part of Jesus' work on the Cross and
one of the gifts of the Spirit. (Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17;
Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; I Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans
11:29).
GOD'S WILL FOR PROVISION:
It is the Father's will for believers to become whole, healthy and successful in
all areas of life. But because of the fall, many may not receive the full
benefits of God’s will while on Earth. That fact, though, should never prevent
all believers from seeking the full benefits of Christ’s provision in order to
better serve others.
o Spiritual(John 3:3-11; II Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 10:9-10)
o Mental and Emotional(II Timothy 1:7, 2:11; Philippians 4:7-8; Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3).
o Physical(Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:17; I Peter 2:24).
o Financial(Joshua 1:8; Malachi 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; II Corinthians 9:6-10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Psalm 34:10, 84:11; Philippians 4:19).
RESURRECTION:
Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three
days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost
will be resurrected; they that are saved to the resurrection of life and they
that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation (Luke 24:16, 36, 39;
John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians
1:21-23, 3:21).
HEAVEN:
Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus
Christ (Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; II Corinthians
5:1; Hebrews 11:16; I Peter 1:4).
HELL:
After living one life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent
to Hell where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the Fallen
Angels (Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11,
20:12-15, 21:8).
SECOND COMING:
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to
establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures
(Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:15-17; II
Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7)