Doctrinal Statement
Basic Bible Truths
The Bible
The Bible is God's Word written, inspired, infallible,
and inerrant in the original manuscripts, and is the unique, full,
and final authority on all matters upon which it bears. (Psalm 119:89;
Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:18; II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:20, 21)
God
There is one true God, eternally existing in three persons
--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- each of whom possesses equally
all of the attributes of God and elements of personality. (Deuteronomy
6:4; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3, 4; II Corinthians 13:14;
Revelation 1:4-6)
God the Father
God is the Father of all mankind as their
Creator, and, in a specific way, He is the Father of the nation
of Israel as its Creator. He is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ
whom He sent to be the Savior of the world and whom He has decreed
will one day reign as King over the earth and be the Judge of all
mankind. He is also, in a special way the Father of all who believe
in Jesus Christ for eternal life, as He draws them to believe in
Christ, blesses them with every spiritual blessing, cares for them,
provides for them, forgives them, answers their prayers, eternally
rewards them, and disciplines them. (Exodus 4:22; Psalm 2:7-9;
Matthew
6:1-34; 7:7-11; John 1:12; 3:16; 5:22; 6:44; Acts 17:29; Galatians
3:26; Ephesians 1:3-6; Hebrews 12:9; James 1:17-18)
God the Son
The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully
man, born of a virgin, and sinlessly perfect. By His death as a
substitute for sinners He perfectly satisfied God's justice and accomplished
salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose bodily from the
dead and ascended to His Father's right hand where He now intercedes
as our Great High Priest. He will come again to rapture His church
and establish His kingdom on earth. (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:30-35;
John 1:1-14; Acts 1:10, 11; Romans 3:24, 25; 8:34; I Corinthians
15:1-4; II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:14-16; 9:23-28)
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father
and the Son into the world to apply the benefits of the saving
work of Christ. He enlightens the minds of sinners and convicts them
of
their need for a Savior. For every believer at the moment of faith
in Christ for eternal life, the Holy Spirit regenerates them, permanently
indwells them, baptizes them into the body of Christ, seals them
for the day they go to be with Christ and gives each of them a
spiritual gift, which is a special ability to serve others in the
church. The
indwelling Holy Spirit is the available source of power, comfort,
and teaching for all believers. (John 3:5-8; 14:16-26; 16:5-15;
Acts 5:3-4; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:11; Galatians 5:22, 23)
Humanity
The first human, Adam, was created in the image
of God. Through disobedience he sinned, choosing to go his own
independent way, and thus was alienated from God, died spiritually,
and suffered
the corruption of his nature, leaving him unable to please God.
This fall took place at the beginning of human history, and all individuals
born since suffer these same consequences, are fallen, sinful,
and
lost and are thus in need of the saving grace of God. (Genesis
3:1-19; Romans 3:10-20, 23; 8:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-3)
Salvation
God, out of love for the human race, sent the
Lord Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners. Jesus Christ
paid the full penalty for man's sin when He died on the cross. Any
person
who believes in Jesus Christ alone as their only hope of eternal
life, while not trusting in anything else, receives the gift of
eternal life, which once granted can never be lost. (John 3:16-18;
5:24;
6:47; 10:27-30; Romans 3:21-25; 4:5; 8:38, 39; Galatians 2:16;
Ephesians 2:1-10; I Timothy 1:15; Titus 3:3-7; Revelation 22:17)
Water Baptism
Being baptized in water is necessary in order
to become a disciple, but it is not necessary in order to receive
eternal life. It is God's way to publicly identify oneself with
the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Water baptism
is
necessarily baptism of believers (not infants) by immersion (not
sprinkling). (Matthew 3:16; 28:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 8:26-38;
10:47-48)
The Church
All believers in the present age are members
of the body of Christ, the universal church, united to Christ and
to one another by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Believers are to gather
together in local churches to devote themselves to the apostles'
teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer. All of these
things take place at the Lord's Supper, which is biblically defined
as the weekly meeting of the church, the only church meeting prescribed
and described in the New Testament. The purpose of the church is
to develop dedicated disciples. The church is to be led by elders
who meet biblical qualifications and who desire to do the biblical
work of elders. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:42a; I Corinthians 1:2;
11:17-34; 12:12-14; 14:34-38; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:11-16; 5:24-30;
I Timothy 2:1-3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25)
The Future
At an imminent time, the Lord Jesus Christ shall
descend from Heaven as all believers go up to meet Him in the air.
This event, referred to as the Rapture, will be followed by a seven
year Tribulation on the earth during which time many people, especially
the Jews, will believe in Christ for eternal life. At the end of
the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will return to establish His kingdom
on the earth, which will last for one thousand years. This period,
referred to as the Millennium, will be followed by the eternal state
in which there will be a new heaven and a new earth. (Isaiah 2:1-4;
11:1-16; Daniel 9:24-27; Zechariah 12:10; 14:1-21; Matthew 24:1-44;
I Thessalonians 4:16-18; Revelation 6:1-19:21; 20:1-6; 21:1-22:5)
Human Destiny
At physical death the believer enters immediately
into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and the unbeliever
into eternal, conscious separation from Him. The bodies of all
the dead shall be raised; those of believers to a resurrection of
eternal
glory; those of unbelievers to a resurrection of eternal condemnation.
(Luke 16:19-31; Philippians 1:23; I Thessalonians 1:6-10; II Peter
3:8-13; Revelation 20:1-15; 21:1-22:21)
Basic Salvation Truths
Salvation
The sole condition for receiving eternal salvation
from hell is faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. God can
make this offer because Christ died on the cross for man's sin
and rose from the dead. No act of obedience should be added to, or
be
considered a part of, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal
life. This means that nothing done before or after saving faith
has anything to do with the receiving of eternal life. A commitment
to
obey, sorrow for sin, turning from one's sin, baptism, submission
to the headship of Christ or any other act of obedience may and
should follow saving faith. Yet none of these things should be added
to,
or be considered a part of, the sole condition for receiving eternal
life which is faith alone in Christ alone. Eternal Salvation is
a transaction between God and the one who believes in Jesus Christ
for eternal life. It is simply the giving and receiving of a free
gift. (John 3:16-18; John 4:10; John 6:47; Acts 16:31; Romans 4:5;
Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8, 9; Titus 3:5; Revelation 22:17)
Assurance
Assurance of eternal salvation is based only on
the promise God makes in His Word that everyone who trusts in Jesus
Christ alone possesses eternal life. Good works are not necessary
to have assurance of eternal life. Good works can and should be
a part of the Christian life but they are not a good measurement
for
one's assurance. (John 5:24; Ephesians 2:10; I John 5:9-13; Titus
3:8)
Discipleship
(Growing in Christ) The ultimate goal of the
Holy Spirit's work in the believer's life is to produce spiritual
maturity reflected in consistent Christ-like behavior and attitudes.
Therefore, obedience to the Word of God, while not necessary for
obtaining eternal salvation from hell, is the essential responsibility
of each Christian. However, the Bible does not teach that this
obedient life-style will be manifested in all believers or to the
same degree
in all believers. If a believer does not yield to the ministry
of the Holy Spirit in his experience, failure will result, evidenced
by sinful acts or even prolonged disobedience. (Luke 14:25-33;
Romans 6:12-23; I Corinthians 2:14-3:4; I Corinthians 10:1-13;
Galatians
5:16-21; 5:22-25; Colossians 1:23-29; Hebrews 5:13, 14)
Motivation
The believer is assured of salvation from hell,
and is eternally secure, since that salvation is based solely
upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the receiving
or
keeping of that salvation cannot be a motivation for godly living.
The Scripture,
however, does present several motivations for obedience in the
Christian life.
- A powerful motivation for living the Christian life is gratitude
to God for saving us by His grace.
- Believers should also be motivated by the knowledge that their
heavenly Father both blesses obedience and disciplines disobedience
in His children.
Finally, every Christian must stand before the judgment seat
of Christ, not to determine his destiny in Heaven or Hell,
but to be rewarded according
to the quality of his Christian life on earth. Anticipating either
reward or loss
of reward at the judgment seat should motivate believers to be faithful
to
God's revealed will. (Leviticus 26:1-45; John 10:28, 29; Romans 8:38,
39; 12:1, 2; I Corinthians 3:10-17; 9:24-27; II Corinthians 5:10, 14,
15; Galatians
2:20;
Hebrews 12:3-11; James 5:8- 9; I John 2:28; Revelation 22:12)
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