Monday, November 23, 2009

Statement of Faith



1. The Bible is God’s word to man, written by human authors, under the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without error. (2 Timothy 3:16 | 2 Peter 1:20,21 | 2 Timothy 1:13 | Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6 | Proverbs 30:5)

2. God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are equal and are one God. (Genesis 1:1,26,27, 3:22
Psalm 90:2 | Matthew 28:19 | 1 Peter 1:2 | 2 Corinthians 13:14) 


3. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles and died on the cross. He shed His blood as atonement for the sins of mankind, offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return again to earth to reign as King of kings, and Lord of lords. (Matthew 1:22,23 | Isaiah 9:6 | John 1:1-5, | 4:10-30 | Hebrews 4:14,15 | 1 Corinthians 15:3,4 | Romans 1:3,4 | Acts 1:9-11 | 1 Timothy 6:14,15 | Titus 2:13)

4. Man is made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme objects of God's creation. Although every one of us has a great potential for good, we are all flawed by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin." This sin nature separates us from God and is the root cause of many of life’s problems. (Genesis 1:27 | Psalm 8:3-6 | Isaiah 53:6 | Romans 3:28)

5. Salvation is a gift from God to man. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by accepting God’s gift to us and trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can we be saved from sin’s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment we receive Jesus Christ into our lives by faith. (Romans 6:23 | John 14:6, 1:12 | Ephesians 2:8,9 | Galatians 3:26 | Titus 3:5 | Romans 5:1)

6. Baptism is commanded in the Scriptures. All who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord should be baptized by immersion. In doing so, we declare to the world that we have died with Christ and have also been raised with Him to walk in newness of life. (Matthew 28:19 | Mark 16:16 | Acts 10:47,48 | Romans 6:4)

7. Communion is the Lord's Supper and consists of the elements of bread and the fruit of the vine. It symbolizes our sharing in the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. Communion is a memorial of His suffering and death, a prophecy of His second coming and is to be practiced by all believers "until He comes!" (John 6:32-35 | 2 Peter 1:4 | 1 Corinthians 11:26 1 Corinthians 11:26)

8. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for lifetime and is a sacred institution established by God. Hence, we believe that sexual purity is a necessary expression for all of God’s children and requires abstinence from adultery, fornication, incest, homosexuality, or other sexual relationships or practices forbidden by Scripture. (Hebrews 13:4 |  I Corinthians 6:12-20 | Matthew 19:4-6)

9. Baptism in the Holy Spirit, as on the day of Pentecost, is the continuing ministry of the Holy Spirit as evidenced in charismatic gifts and in the fruit in the life of the believer. (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6
Ephesians 4:11 | I Corinthians 12:8-11 | Galatians 5:22,23)

10. Divine healing is made available through the Atonement. (Matthew 8: 17 | I Peter 2:2 | James 5:14-15)

11. The soul of every human being was created to live forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through salvation and forgiveness. Hell is eternal separation from God. Heaven is eternal union with God. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. (John 3:16; 2:25)

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