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.
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.
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.
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.
He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
God
admonishes His people to assemble together regularly for worship, for
participation in ordinances, for edification through the Scriptures and
for mutual encouragement.
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.
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.
Jesus Christ will come again to the earth - personally, visibly and bodily - to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
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." 