Statement of Faith
The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, God's infallible written Word,
the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that it was uniquely, verbally
and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it was written without error
(inerrant) in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and final authority
in all matters on which it speaks.
We accept those areas of doctrinal teaching on which, historically, there
has been general agreement among all true Christians. Because of the
specialized calling of our movement, we desire to allow for freedom of
conviction on other doctrinal matters, provided that any interpretation is
based upon the Bible alone, and that no such interpretation shall become an
issue which hinders the ministry to which God has called us.
1. There is one true God, eternally
existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each of whom
possesses equally all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of
personality.
2. Jesus Christ is God, the living
Word, who became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and
His virgin birth. Hence, He is perfect Deity and true humanity united in one
person forever.
3. 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 accomplishing salvation for all
who trust in Him alone.
4. He rose from the dead in the same
body, though glorified, in which He lived and died.
5. 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.
6. Man was originally created in the
image of God. He sinned by disobeying God; thus, he was alienated from his
Creator. That historic fall brought all mankind under divine condemnation.
7. Man's nature is corrupted, and he
is thus totally unable to please God. Every man is in need of regeneration and
renewal by the Holy Spirit.
8. The salvation of man is wholly a
work of God's free grace and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human
works or goodness or religious ceremony. God imputes His righteousness to those
who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justified
them in His sight.
9. It is the privilege of all who are
born again of 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 upon
any kind of human merit, but is produced by the witness of the Holy Spirit, who
confirms in the believer the testimony of God in His written word.
10. The Holy Spirit has come into the
world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to
men. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life to them,
continually indwells them from the moment of spiritual birth and seals them
until the day of redemption. His fullness, power and control are appropriated
in the believer's life by faith.
11. 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.
12. Jesus Christ is the Head of the
Church, His Body, which is composed of all men, living and dead, who have been
joined to Him through saving faith.
13. God admonishes His people to
assemble together regularly for worship, for participation in ordinances, for
edification through the Scriptures and for mutual encouragement.
14. At physical death the believer enters
immediately into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the
resurrection of his body to everlasting glory and blessing.
15. At physical death the unbeliever
enters immediately into eternal, conscious separation from the Lord and awaits
the resurrection of his body to everlasting judgment and condemnation.
16. Jesus Christ will come again to the
earth - personally, visibly and bodily - to consummate history and the eternal
plan of God.
17. The Lord Jesus Christ commanded all
believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to disciple men of
every nation. The fulfillment of that Great Commission requires that all
worldly and personal ambitions be subordinated to a total commitment to
"Him who loved us and gave Himself for us."