Upload
others
View
0
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Doctrinal Statement The Bible We believe that the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God without error in the original manuscripts. This process called “inspiration” took place as holy men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to record the words of Scripture. We believe that the Bible is the final authority in all matters about which it speaks—historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical—as appeared in the original manuscripts. We also believe that all the Scriptures were designed for our practical instruction, source of spiritual growth, and basis for personal and corporate conduct as the New Testament church. (Mark 12:26, 36; 13:11; Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Acts 1:16; 17:2–3; 18:28; 26:22–23; 28:23; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21, Psalm 19:7-‐11). God We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfection and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience. We believe that each person in the Godhead has a specific role or function within the Godhead. We believe that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, rules supremely over it, and desires the worship of His creation. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19-‐20; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3-‐4, 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:1-‐3; Revelation 1:4-‐6; Colossians 1:14-‐16). We believe that God the Son took on human form in the person of Jesus Christ and that as the Son of God was fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was sinless in His life on earth and as such was worthy to die for the sin of the world. (2 Corinthians 5:21; John 1:14; Hebrews 2:14; 4:15; John 1:14; Hebrews 1:3). We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. His role is to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He regenerates the unbeliever, seals and baptizes the believer, and sets apart the believer to a holy life. At regeneration He baptizes the believer into the body of Christ and comes to indwell him fully and permanently. (1 Corinthians 2:10-‐11; Titus 3:5; John 14:16-‐17; Ephesians 1:13; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:9).
Christ
Person of Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ, as the eternal Son of God, is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy concerning the Messiah. He came into this world that He might reveal the Father and save the lost world from their sin. He was born physically of the virgin Mary but was sinless in nature (Luke 1:30–35; John 1:18; 3:16; Hebrews 4:15). We believe that His unique nature was both fully God and fully man. During His earthly life and ministry, he functioned in both the human and divine realm (Luke 2:40; John 1:1–2; Philippians 2:5–8). We believe that in fulfillment of prophecy He came first to Israel as her Messiah, and that, being rejected by Israel, gave His life as a ransom for all people (John 1:11; Acts 2:22–24; 1 Timothy 2:6). We believe that He arose from the dead in a glorified body and that believers will also have a resurrected body (John 20:20; Philippians 3:20–21).
Work of Christ: We believe that Christ demonstrated the infinite love of God by becoming the sacrificial Lamb and by dying took away the sin of the world. Through His death, He took the penalty for sin which God’s holy, righteous nature demanded. He died in man’s place and by His death He became the Savior of the lost (John 1:29; Romans 3:25–26; 2 Corinthians 5:14; Hebrews 10:5–14; 1 Peter 3:18). We believe that His death and resurrection were fully accepted by God the Father as sufficient payment for the sin of mankind. Presently Christ functions as Head over the church, which is His body, and in this ministry He intercedes for His people as their Great High Priest (Ephesians 1:22–23; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1).
Angels and Satan
We believe that angels are created beings and are therefore not to be worshiped. They are created to serve God and to worship Him (Luke 2:9-‐14, 14; 2:6-‐7; Revelation 5:11-‐14; 19:10; 22:9). We believe that Satan is a created angel and the author of sin. He incurred the judgment of God by rebelling against his Creator (Isaiah 14:12-‐17; Ezekiel 28:11-‐19), by taking numerous angels with him in his fall (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:1-‐14), and by introducing sin into the human race (Genesis 3:1-‐5). Satan is the open and declared enemy of God and man. He has been defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 16:20).
Man We believe that in His act of creation God made man in His image. When Adam chose to sin, this image of God was marred in man. As a result of sin entering the world, man became dead in His sin, separated from God, and under the bondage and power of Satan. In Adam’s act of sin he brought spiritual death upon all those who would come behind him, except for the perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ. As a result, each person is born with a sin nature and in need of God’s work of grace in salvation to give spiritual life where there was only spiritual death.
(Genesis 1:26; 2:17; 6:5; Psalm 14:1–3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:6; 5:40; 6:35; Romans 3:10–19; 8:6–7; Ephesians 2:1–3; 1 Timothy 5:6; 1 John 3:8). The Christian Life We believe that as followers of Christ our calling is to walk worthy of the Gospel of Christ, which is a call to holy living in a culture that often presents challenges and temptations contrary to that calling. The Christian life is characterized by a tension between the flesh and the Spirit, a tension that strives to press us into its mold. As we take advantage of the power of the Holy Spirit, we will walk in the Spirit and not give in to the desires of the flesh. By God’s grace, as we strive to live a holy life for Christ in a culture that opposes Him, we can expect some level of opposition from the world around us, a reality that should not take us by surprise. (Romans 6:11–13; 8:2, 4, 12–13; Galatians 5:16–23; Ephesians 4:22–24; Colossians 2:1–10; 1 Peter 1:14–16; 1 John 1:4–7; 3:5–9; Romans 12:1-‐2; 2 Timothy 3:12). The Church We believe that every person who has believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and has accepted by faith His finished work on the cross as their gift of salvation is a member of the Universal Church, which began at Pentecost. As a Christian, each believer is a member of the Church regardless of their standing or membership in localized assembly of believers. We believe that the Holy Spirit places each person into this Church at the point of salvation without regard for gender, ethnicity, class, or culture. Among other titles, the Church is referred to as the body and bride of Christ. As the bride, the Church’s special relationship to Christ is presented and Christ’s care for His Church celebrated. As the body of Christ, Christ’s position as head emphasizes His authority and leadership over His Church. As the body, each member plays a key role in serving each other member. Within this relationship, each believer bears responsibility for promoting peace, through the power of the Holy Spirit. The love for one another that produces peace marks the body as true followers of Jesus. We believe that within the Church the ordinances of baptism and communion should be consistent practices of worship to celebrate the work of Christ while waiting for His return. In order for these practices of worship to take place, Christ emphasizes consistent gathering together for prayer, fellowship, and teaching. (Matthew 16:16–18; Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27; Ephesians 1:20–23; 4:3–10; Colossians 3:14–15; Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19–20; Acts 10:47–48; 16:32–33; 18:7–8; 1 Corinthians 11:26; Hebrews 10:25). End Times We believe that the present Christian life both individually and corporately should be lived in light of Jesus’ promised return. His return is imminent -‐ that is, He could descend from heaven at any moment to gather the Church together with Him for eternity. All Christians should live in a state of readiness as we live out our brief lives upon this earth. God’s future plan for His church provides hope and perspective as we serve the Lord in light of future events. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-‐18; Titus 2:11-‐13; 1 Corinthians 15:51-‐58).