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The Bible is our all-sufficient
rule for faith and practice. This Statement of
Fundamental Truths is intended simply as a basis
of fellowship among us (i.e., that we all speak
the same thing, 1 Corinthians 1:10 [KJV/NIV];
Acts 2:42 [KJV/NIV]).
The phraseology employed in this Statement is
not inspired nor intended to be, but the truth
set forth is held to be essential to a
full-gospel, evangelical ministry. No claim is made that it
covers all Biblical truth, only that it covers
our need as to these fundamental doctrines.
1. The Scriptures Inspired
The Scriptures, both the Old and New
Testaments, are inspired of God and are
the revelation of God to man, the authoritative rule of faith and practice.
2. The One True God
The one true God has revealed
Himself as the eternally self-existent "I AM,"
the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer
of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as
embodying the principles of relationship and
association as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Trinity or Godhead
a. Terms Defined
The terms "Trinity" and
"persons" as related to the Godhead, while not
found in the Scriptures, are words in harmony
with Scripture, whereby we may convey to others
our immediate understanding of the doctrine of
Christ respecting the Being of God, as
distinguished from "gods many and lords many."
We therefore may speak with propriety of the
Lord our God who is One Lord, as a trinity or as
one essence of three persons, and still be
absolutely scriptural.
b. Distinction and Relationship in the
Godhead;
Christ taught a distinction of
Persons in the Godhead which He expressed in
specific terms of relationship, as Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit.
c. Unity of the One God consisting of Father, Son and
Holy Spirit;
The Father is not the Son, The
Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit
is not the Father, but the Trinity is three
persons who are one God. Therefore, because these
three persons in the Godhead are in a state of
unity, there is but one Lord God Almighty .
e. The Title, Lord Jesus Christ;
The
appellation, "Lord Jesus Christ," is a proper
name. It is never applied in the New Testament,
either to the Father or to the Holy Spirit. It
therefore belongs exclusively to the Son of
God.
f. The Lord Jesus Christ, God with Us;
The
Lord Jesus Christ, as to His divine and eternal
nature, is the proper and only Begotten of the
Father, but as to His human nature, He is the
proper Son of Man. He is therefore, acknowledged
to be both God and man; who because He is God
and man is "Immanuel," God with
us.
g. The Title, Son of God;
Since the name
"Immanuel" embraces both God and man in the one
Person, our Lord Jesus Christ, it follows that
the title, Son of God, describes His proper
deity, and the title, Son of Man, His proper
humanity. Therefore, the title Son of God,
belongs to the order of eternity, and the title,
Son of Man, to the order of
time.
3. The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of
God. The Scriptures declare:
His virgin birth,
His sinless life,
His miracles,
His substitutionary work on the cross,
His bodily resurrection from the dead,
His exaltation to the right hand of God.
4. The Fall of Man
Man was created good and upright; for God
said, "Let us make man in our own image, after
our likeness." However, man by voluntary
transgression fell and thereby incurred not only
physical death but also spiritual death, which
is separation from God.
5. The Salvation of Man
Man's only hope of redemption is through the
shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Conditions to Salvation
Salvation is received through repentance
toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus
Christ. By the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by
grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God,
according to the hope of eternal life.
The Evidence of Salvation
The inward evidence of salvation is the
direct witness of the Spirit.
The outward evidence to all men is a life of
righteousness, obedience and true holiness.
6. The Ordinances of the
Church
Baptism in Water
The ordinance of baptism by
immersion is commanded by the Scriptures,
however, it is not necessary for Salvation. All
who repent and believe on Christ as Savior and
Lord have the opportunity to be baptized. Thus they declare to
the world that they have died with Christ and
that they also have been raised with Him to walk
in newness of life.
Holy Communion
The Lord's Supper, consisting of
the elements --bread and the fruit of the vine--
is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine
nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4 [KJV/NIV]),
a memorial of his suffering and death (1
Corinthians 11:26 [KJV/NIV]),
and a prophecy of His second coming (1
Corinthians 11:26 [KJV/NIV]),
and is enjoined on all believers "till He
come!"
7. The on going infilling of the
Holy Spirit
All believers are entitled to and
should ardently expect and earnestly seek the
promise of the Father, the continual filling of 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 enduement of power for life
and service, the bestowment of the gifts and
their uses in the work of the ministry.
This filling of the Holy Spirit is
needed every day.
With the baptism in the Holy
Spirit come such experiences as:
-
an overflowing
fullness of the Spirit, John 7:37-39 [ KJV/ NIV],
Acts 4:8 [ KJV/ NIV]
-
a deepened
reverence for God, Acts 2:43 [ KJV/ NIV],
Hebrews 12:28 [ KJV/ NIV]
-
an intensified
consecration to God and dedication to His work,
Acts 2:42 [ KJV/ NIV]
-
and a more active
love for Christ, for His Word and for the lost,
Mark 16:20 [ KJV/ NIV]
8. Sanctification
Sanctification is an act of
separation from that which is evil, and of
dedication unto God.
The Scriptures teach a life of
"holiness without which no man shall see the
Lord."
By the power of the Holy Spirit we
are able to obey the command: "Be ye holy, for I
am holy."
Sanctification is realized in the
believer by recognizing his identification with
Christ in His death and resurrection, and by the
faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that
union, and by offering every faculty continually
to the dominion of the Holy Spirit. It is an
ongoing process of washing and being set apart
for exclusive use by and for God.
9. The Church and its
Mission
The Church is the Body of Christ,
the habitation of 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 Church of the Firstborn, which are
written in heaven.
Since God's purpose concerning man
is to seek and to save that which is lost, to be
worshipped by man, and to build a body of
believers in the image of His Son, the priority
reason for being part of the Church is:
-
To be an agency of God for evangelizing the
world.
Acts 1:8 [KJV/NIV]
Matthew
28:19,20 [KJV/NIV]
Mark
16:15,16 [KJV/NIV]
-
To be a corporate body in which man may
worship God.
1 Corinthians 12:13
[KJV/NIV]
-
To be an expression of God's purpose to build a
body of saints being perfected in the image of
His Son.
Ephesians 4:11-16 [KJV/NIV]
1 Corinthians 12:28 [KJV/NIV]
1 Corinthians 14:12 [KJV/NIV]
It is imperative that all we do is in the
strength and Power of the Holy Spirit. This
experience:
-
Enables them to evangelize in the power of
the Spirit with accompanying supernatural
signs.
Mark 16:15-20 [KJV/NIV]
Acts
4:29-31 [KJV/NIV]
Hebrews
2:3,4 [KJV/NIV]
-
Adds a necessary dimension to worshipful
relationship with God.
1
Corinthians 2:10-16 [KJV/NIV]
1
Corinthians 12 [KJV/NIV]
1
Corinthians 13 [KJV/NIV]
1
Corinthians 14 [KJV/NIV]
-
Enables them to respond to the full working
of the Holy Spirit in expression of fruit and
gifts and ministries as in New Testament times
for the edifying of the body of
Christ.
Galatians 5:22-26 [KJV/NIV]
1
Corinthians 14:12 [KJV/NIV]
Ephesians
4:11,12 [KJV/NIV]
1
Corinthians 12:28 [KJV/NIV]
Colossians
1:29 [KJV/NIV]
10. The Ministry
A divinely called and scripturally
ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord
for the threefold purpose of leading the Church
in:
Evangelization of the world.
Worship of God.
Building a body of saints being
perfected in the image of His Son.
11. Divine Healing
Divine healing is an integral part
of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness is
provided for in the atonement, and is the
privilege of all believers.
- However, it is dependant on
God's will. Sometimes God allows sickness
for our growth and His glory. Paul and
Timothy were not healed!
- Matthew 8:16,17 [KJV/NIV]
- James 5:14-16 [KJV/NIV]
12. The Blessed Hope
The resurrection of those who have
fallen asleep in Christ and their translation
together with those who are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord is the
blessed hope of the church. Known as the
Rapture. It will take place prior to the
wrath that is to come on this world.
13. The Millennial Reign of
Christ
The second coming of Christ (after
the Rapture and the marriage supper of the
Lamb in heaven with all those who put their
faith in Jesus Christ ) with His saints to reign on earth for one
thousand years.
This millennial reign will bring
the salvation of national Israel,
and the establishment of universal
peace.
14. The Final Judgment
There will be a final judgment in
which the wicked dead will be raised and judged
according to their works. Whosoever is not found
written in the Book of Life, together with the
devil and his angels, the beast and the false
prophet, will be consigned to the everlasting
punishment in the lake which burneth with fire
and brimstone, which is the second death.
15. The New Heavens and the New
Earth
We will live for eternity in the
new Jerusalem, that city built by Christ for His
Bride, the Church. It will be on the new
earth.
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