What I Believe The following is a statement of my personal beliefs: I offer solid Biblical teaching on the essential elements of the Christian faith. However, when there are godly people on both sides of a non-essential issue, I offer love rather than rigid teaching. This contains 20 Biblical teachings. I believe these 20 teachings are what the Bible calls "sound doctrine" (Titus 1:9). The sole basis of my beliefs is the Bible, God's written Word. I believe that it was uniquely, verbally and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit. It speaks in the supreme and final authority. I explicitly affirm my belief in these essential Bible teachings: 1.THE TRINITY - There is one true God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each person possesses equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality. Deuteronomy 6:4; John 1:1-2; 8:58; 2 Corinthians 3:17. 2.JESUS' DEITY & HUMANITY - Jesus Christ is God, the Living Word, who became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. For this reason, He is perfect deity and true humanity united in one person forever. Matthew 1:18-25; Romans 1:3-4; John 1:1-4,14,18. 3. SUBSTITUTE ATONEMENT - He lived a sinless life and voluntarily atoned for the sins of men by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and provides salvation for all who trust in Him alone. 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:26-28. 4. JESUS' BODILY RESURRECTION - He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died. Acts 2:32; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4,12-20; John20: 24-28. 5. JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GOD - He ascended bodily into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own. Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:23-25; Romans 8:34.6.THE FALL OF MANKIND - Mankind was originally created in the image of God. However, they sinned by disobeying God and alienated themselves from their Creator. That historic fall brought all people under divine condemnation. Genesis 1:26-3:24; Colossians 1:21; Romans 5:12, 15-19; Romans 3:23.7. MAN’S TOTAL INABILITY - Man's nature is corrupted, and he is, therefore, totally unable to please God without being born again and renewed by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:1-3; John 3:1-8; 6:44, 65; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 12:3; Acts 16:14; Titus 3:5.8.SAVED BY GOD'S GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST'S WORK - A person's salvation is entirely a work of God's free grace and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human works, goodness or religious ceremony. God declares people righteous who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation. Ephesians 2: 5, 8-10 9. ASSURANCE OF SALVATION - It is the privilege of all who are born again by the Spirit to be assured of their salvation, from the very moment in which they trust Christ as their Savior. This assurance is not based on any kind of human merit, but is produced by the witness of the Spirit, who confirms in the believer the testimony of God in His written Word. 1 John 5:13; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:15-16. 10.THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply His saving work to people. The Spirit convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life to them, continually indwells them from the moment of salvation, and seals them until the day of redemption. His fullness, power, and control are appropriated in the believer's life by faith. John 15:26; 2 Corinthians 3:18; John 16:7-11; Titus 3:5; Acts 2:38; Ephesians 1:13; 3:16-17. 11.HOLINESS - Every believer is called to live so in the power of the indwelling Spirit that he will not fulfill the lust of the flesh but will bear fruit to the glory of God. Galatians 5:16-24; Luke 6:43-44.12.THE CHURCH - Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, which is His body, composed of all men, living and dead, who have been joined to Him through saving faith. Colossians 1:18.13.THE PURPOSE OF GATHERING - God urges His people to assemble together regularly for worship, for participation in ordinances, and for building each other up through mutual encouragement. Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Psalm 23:25; 26:12; 35:18; 40:9.14.THE DEATH OF A CHRISTIAN - At physical death, the believer enters immediately into eternal conscious fellowship with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:1-8; Luke 16:19-31. 15.THE DEATH OF AN UNBELIEVER - At physical death, the unbeliever enters immediately into eternal conscious separation from the Lord. Luke 16:19-31 Revelation 19:11-21:4.16.JESUS' RETURN - Jesus Christ will come again to the earth, personally, visibly and in his resurrection body to establish His Kingdom. At this time, the dead will be resurrected with their bodies, the believer to eternal joy with the Lord, and the unbeliever to condemnation and endless, conscious suffering. Matthew 24:30-31; 25:31-46; John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54; Acts 1:11; 1 John 3:2; 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-1717.OUR MISSION AS A CHURCH - The Lord Jesus commanded all believers to proclaim the Good News throughout the whole world and to teach men of every nation. The fulfillment of this Great Commission requires that all selfish ambitions be subordinated to a total commitment to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8.18.THE KINGDOM OF EVIL - A personal spirit of Evil, Satan, our adversary, who, with great power, carries on opposition to the Kingdom of God, and seeks the demise of man; he will suffer total defeat at the hands of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 6:12; 6:16; Revelation 12:17; 20:10. 1 Thessalonians 2:18; 1 Peter 5:8-9; Job 1:6-2:7; Matthew 25:41; 19.BAPTISM -All believers should be water baptized by immersion as an outward act of obedience to the Lord and for the purpose of public identification with Christ and his church and not for securing of our salvation. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41; 8:36-39; 16:32-33; 18:7-8; 1 Peter 3:21)20.CHURCH LEADERSHIP - The Bible teaches that plurality of spiritually qualified Men is responsible for the oversight (leadership, and direction) and nurture (teaching of the truth, protection from error) of the church. Women are not to assert any authority over men and are thus not to have leadership roles in the church -including the roles of pastor elder and deacon. Acts: 17-21; Titus 1:5-6; 1 Timothy 5:17-25: Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Corinthians 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:12)
