OUR BELIEFS
TENETS
OF FAITH AND DOCTRINE
The corporation
accepts the Scriptures as the revealed Will of God, the all sufficient
rule of faith and practice, and for the purpose of maintaining
general unity, adopts these fundamental Tenets of Faith and Doctrine.
Section
1. The Scriptures Inspired.
The Bible is the
inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to man, the living,
infallible, and everlasting rule of faith and conduct, and is
superior to conscience and reason. (II Timothy. 3:15-17; I
Peter 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12).
Section 2. The One True Godhead.
The triune Godhead
is comprised of 3 separate and distinct personalities, The Father,
The Son, and The Holy Spirit, who are eternally self-existent,
self-revealed and function as one entity. Jesus Christ, who is
God manifested in the flesh, is the second member of the Godhead,
co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and The Holy Spirit.
(John 1:1-5, 10-14; Matthew 28:18-20)
Section 3. Man, His Fall and Redemption.
Man was created
good and upright, for God said, Let Us make man in Our image,
after Our likeness . But, man, by voluntary transgression,
fell, and his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ the Son
of God. (Genesis 1:26-31, 3:1-7: Romans 5:12-21)
Section
4. The Salvation of Man.
(a) Man s
only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
(Romans 3:24; John 3:3) On the cross Jesus Christ became
sin and sickness providing both salvation and divine healing for
all mankind (Psalm 103:3), being justified freely by His
Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. For by grace
we are saved through faith. (Ephesians 2:8) The word
is near you, in your mouth and in your heart; that is, the word
of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your
mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised
Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man
belle yes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses,
resulting in salvation. (Romans 10:8- 10)
(b) The Evidences
of Salvation. The inward evidence to the believer of his salvation
is the direct witness of the Spirit. (Romans 8:16; I John 3:
18-19, 24) The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness
and true holiness. You will know them by their fruits.
(Matthew 7: 16-20)
(c) Faith and Works. Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ and
not by human works; however, our works will determine the rewards
in eternity. (Ephesians 2:8-10; Galatians 2:16; II Corinthians.
5:10)
Section
5. Baptism in Water.
The ordinance of
baptism by a burial with Christ should be observed as commanded
in the Scriptures by all who have truly repented and in their
hearts have truly believed on Christ as Savior and Lord. In so
doing, they declare to the world that they have died with Jesus
and that they have also been raised with Him to walk in newness
of life.
(Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4; Acts 10:47-48)
Section
6. The Lords Supper.
And when
He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, This is my body
which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In
the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, This
cup is the new covenant in my blood; Do this, as often as you
drink it, in remembrance of me. Let a man examine himself,
and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (I Corinthians
11:24-25, 28)
Section
7. The Promise of the Father.
All believers are
entitled to, and should ardently expect and earnestly seek, the
promise of the Father, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, according
to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Luke 24:49; Acts
1:4-5; Acts 2:38) With it comes the endowment of power for
fife and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in
the work of the ministry. (Acts 1:8; / 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).
Section
8. The Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
The full consummation
of the Baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is evidenced by
the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the
Spirit gives utterance and by the subsequent manifestation of
spiritual power in public testimony and service. (Acts 2:4;
10:44-46; 19:2, 6; 1:8; Galatians 5:16-26)
Section
9. The Church.
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
general assembly and church of the first born, whose names are
written in Heaven.
(Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23)
Section
10. Total Prosperity.