We believe that the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is the Word of God and therefore is without error.
While there may be some differences between Bible versions, even when different languages are involved, the Biblical concepts and teaching have
not changed.
The truth the Bible teaches is not predicated on any one word or phraseology. The truth of the Bible is dependent on the power of God to fulfill His Word by making sure it does not come back void. (Isaiah 55:11 (NASB) So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it)
The way to question and challenge the Word of God is to put it into practice and see the results. (Malachi 3:10 (NASB) “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.)
Because the teachings of the Bible are without error, it can be trusted to provide life lessons for all situations and circumstances where God wants change. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB) All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.)
We believe, according to the Scriptures, that God, creator of the heavens and the earth, is One and exists eternally in Three Persons; The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The name God is a plural word. This means it represents more than one.
The Bible speaks of the Father as God (Philippians 1:2 (NASB) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ),
Jesus as God (Titus 2:13 (NASB) looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus), and
the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-4 (NASB) But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”).
See also: Genesis 1:1-2 (NASB), “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
John 1:1-2 (NASB), “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
Just as a person’s last name may represent several people in the family (dad, mom, brothers, and sisters), the word God represents the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as a family.
It is appropriate to refer to God as He and/or They. (Genesis 1:26 (NASB) Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” and Genesis 11:7 (NASB) “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”)
We believe, according to the Scriptures, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin named Mary and who lived a sinless life.
Jesus is the Son of God (in essence, God).
John 8:58 (NASB), ‘Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.’”
John 10:30 (NASB), “I and the Father are one.”
Jesus did not sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB), “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
BY sinless we mean He did not disobey, transgress (go astray from the road the Father want Him on), commit iniquity, or was ever rebellious against the Father.
Since Jesus, a human, could live without sinning against the Father, then we know that we can also choose not to sin.
We believe that He died crucified for the sins of all humanity, that He was buried and that after three days he rose bodily from the dead.
2nd Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
1st Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
The belief extends to the idea that the Father raised Jesus from the dead so that by this He could assure us that He would also raise us.
We believe that He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God interceding for us.
In Jewish custom, the one who sits at the right hand of the master of a home is given high honor.
In the case of Jesus, this means the Father has given Jesus power and authority.
It is with this power and authority that Jesus intercedes (prays for us, defends us, and stands for us), before the Father in the face of the accusations from Satan. Hebrews 7:25 (NASB), “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Why did He ascend? Ephesians 4:10 (NASB), “He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.”
What did He accomplish by ascending?
He intercedes for us.
So that He could send the Holy Spirit to us (John 16:7 (NASB), “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”)
We believe that the church will be raptured with the Holy Spirit when He departs to make way for the seven-year reign of the Anti-Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NASB)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
We believe in the return of Jesus Christ to reign over all the nations of the world for one thousand years.
John 14:1-3 says, “Let not your heart be troubled…In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
One thousand years.
Revelation 20:1-4 (NASB), “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
The purpose of the 1,000-year reign is to fulfill the promises God made to the world that cannot be fulfilled while Satan is free and humans have political authority.
We believe in the Resurrection of the dead, some for eternal life and others for eternal damnation.
Yes, our bodies will be raised not spiritually or ethereally, but physically and materially. Our souls will be reunited with our transformed physical bodies, brought back to life from the dead.
Eternal Life means to know God, and eternal damnation is to be separated from God.
John 17:3 (NASB) “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
(Matthew 22:29-32 (NASB), “But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (NASB), “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NASB), “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
We believe in the salvation of the soul and that such salvation is a gift of God, given by grace alone, without our works to deserve it, received through faith in Jesus.
Romans 6:23 (NASB), “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB), “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Romans 10:9-10 (NASB), “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the sign of speaking in other tongues, as described in Acts chapter 2, and which is for all believers of Jesus Christ today.
Acts 10:45-47 (NASB), “All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”
We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit to train and prepare believers for the work of the ministry.
Ephesians 4:4-16, (NASB)
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
8 Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”
9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
