Tenets Of Faith
These ten tenets of faith describe in detail what we believe.
1. Bible
We accept the Scriptures to be the revealed will of God, the all sufficient rule of faith and practice for the purpose of maintaining general unity. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to man, the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and is superior to conscience and reason, but not contrary to reason.
(2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Peter 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12)
2. GoD
We believe in one God, who is comprised of three (3) separate and distinct personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holly Spirit, who are eternally self-existent, self-revealed, and function as one entity.
(In example: Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17)
3. Jesus Christ
We believe Jesus Christ is the second member of the Trinity, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He became incarnate (made flesh, embodied), was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is True God and True Man.
(Mark 5:7; Luke 2:11; Romans 5:15 and 10:9)
4. Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. Holy Spirit convicts and convinces men and women of their sin, revealing their need for salvation through Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit is the comforter-advocate, who is with all believers in Christ. He works in the life of the believer to direct, guide, and lead into understanding of all truth.
(John 14:15-17 and 15:5-15; Galatians 5:16-26)
5. Man
We believe man was created good and upright for God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness." Man, by voluntary transgression, fell. His only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
(Genesis 1:26-31 and 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21).
We believe the provision of marriage is an institution by God for His man and His woman, and is only between a man and a woman together in the eyes of God.
(Genesis 2:24)
6. Salvation
We believe man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. On the cross, Jesus Christ became sin and sickness, providing both salvation and divine healing for all mankind (Psalm 103:4). Man is justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.
"For by grace we are saved, through faith."
Ephesians 2:8)
"The word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it."
(Deuteronomy 30:14, Romans 10:8)
"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
(Romans 8:9-10)
7. Spiritual Gifts
We believe that each believer is endowed at the moment of conversion with one or more task-oriented gifts from the Holy Spirit. The believer has the responsibility to learn what those gifts are, develop and cultivate his/her gifts, and ultimately find a place of ministry where those gifts can be used in exalting Jesus Christ. This use of the gifts enables the church to fulfill the Great Commission through reaching and teaching others the good news of Jesus Christ. We believe that the spiritual gifts are the tools of the Holy Spirit that allow the believer to serve God in a practical, functional, and task-oriented manner. The purposes of the spiritual gifts are evangelism, edifying the church, and perfecting the saints.
(1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:1-13)
8. Baptism In The Holy Spirit
It is our belief that all believers are entitled to, and should earnestly expect and seek, the promise of the Father: the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church. With it comes the endowment of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts, and their uses in the work of the ministry. (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31)
This wonderful experience is distinct from, and subsequent to, the experience of the new birth (Acts 2:38, 10:44-46, 11:14-16, 15:7-9). We further believe the evidence of the baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) and the subsequent manifestation of spiritual power in public testimony and service. A manifestation of glossolalia, speaking in other tongues as a prayer language, may also be evident.
(Acts 1:8, 2:4, 10:44-46, 19:2,6)
9. The Church
The Church is the Body of Christ, inhabited by God through the spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her Great Commission. Each believer, born of the spirit, is an integral part of the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.
(Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23)
10. Eternity
We believe Jesus is coming again to gather all His saints to heaven and meet them in the air.
(1Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1)
Thereafter, the Lord Jesus Christ will return with His saints from heaven to rule and reign for one thousand years on earth, as the scriptures promised.
(Romans 11:25, 27; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-7)
After this, there shall be a new heaven and a new earth.
(Revelation 21)
Those who have not accepted the redemptive work of Jesus Christ will suffer eternal separation from God. The devil, his angels, and anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life shall be sent to everlasting punishment in the lake of fire, burning with sulfur. This is what the Bible calls the second death.
(Revelation 19:20, 20:10-15)
