What We Believe
What We Believe
Grace
This is the title of God's plan, will, and purpose for the believer. It describes all that God is free to do for us based on the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. For Grace, to be grace, it must never depend upon anything we think, say or do. Grace is the motivation of divine love; it is the policy of divine righteousness and it is the function of divine justice. The source of grace must always be from God; never man. We are saved through grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are provided all our necessities through grace (Matthew 6:33) and our spiritual growth is by means of grace (2 Peter 3:18). The Trinity
We believe in the co-equal, co-eternal, and co-infinite existence of a triune Godhead which is One in essence and Three in personality. The One essence is God while the three Personalities are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14). Creation
We believe that the entire universe, its matter, energy, and space, were all created in a nanosecond of time in eternity past by divine decree. In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew word for creation is BARAH and means to create something from nothing. Thus where nothing existed, by command of God, all came into existence. The Person of the Trinity Who was the Agent of Creation was Jesus Christ. (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3). The Bible
We believe that the Bible contains God's complete and coherent message to man and that, in the original manuscripts, its contents are inerrant and infallible. Beyond the Bible, there is no communication vehicle between God and the human race. We believe God used the human writers of Scripture in such a manner that without waiving their human intelligence, their vocabulary, their personal feelings, or their literary style, His message to man was permanently recorded with perfect accuracy in the original language of Scripture, the very words bearing the authority of divine Authorship (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21). Man's Condition
We believe that humanity's original parents were created in the Garden of Eden. They were perfect people in a perfect environment but due to personal sin, both they and their offspring fell into total depravity. Because the man was aware of his sin, his sinful nature was passed down genetically through him to his entire human family. As a result, the human condition is one of complete separation from God. Man, left to his own devices, is completely incapable of reestablishing a relationship with God and is thus lost in his sins (Romans 3:23; 5:12; 6:12-14). The Person of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, in order to provide a substitute for sinful man, He agreed to lower Himself to the form of a man, to live life facing the same pressures and trials, yet to do so without sin. Consequently, Jesus Christ is both undiminished deity and true humanity in one Person forever. This union of God and impeccable Man. (Philippians 2:5-11) His Birth
We believe that Jesus Christ entered human history in the fullness of time by means of the Virgin Birth. We believe His biological life to have been the product of a Virgin Pregnancy, initiated by a miracle of the Holy Spirit and delivered by Mary in Bethlehem. Further, we believe that His soul life and human spirit were imputed to Him by the sovereignty of God at the Virgin Birth. The Virgin Birth is also the point at which His undiminished deity was united with His true humanity forming the Hypostatic Union. (Galatians 4:4; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:20-24; Psalms 22:10; Hebrews 10:5) His Work
When on the Cross, Jesus Christ received the divine imputation to Himself of all the sins of all human history, past, present, and future. The justice of God judged those sins in Him. God is said to have been satisfied with His sacrifice, man is redeemed from his slavery to sin, and is reconciled to God through faith in Christ. (2Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:20-6:14) His Status
Jesus Christ is presently seated at the right hand of the throne of God in heaven. His true humanity now exists in a resurrection body inseparably united to His undiminished deity in Hypostatic Union forever. He presently serves as Head of the Church wherein, as our Advocate in heaven, He offers intercessory prayers to the Father on our behalf. (Luke 24:44-51; Hebrews 12:2; Ephesians 5:23; 1 John 2:1; Hebrews 7:25) His Return
We believe that Jesus Christ will physically return to planet earth, geographically to the Mount of Olives. He will thereby establish His Millennial Kingdom, headquartered in Jerusalem. He will then commence His reign on David's throne for 1,000 years. (Acts 1:9-12; Revelation 19:11-16; Zechariah 14:4; 2 Samuel 7:16; Revelation 20:6) The Gospel
Jesus Christ died on the Cross for the sins of the entire world and three days later He arose from the dead in resurrection body. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) Salvation
Salvation is appropriated by grace through faith alone in Christ alone. Stand advised that salvation is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. (John 3:15-16; 18,36; 6:47; 11:25; 20:31; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8,9) Security
We believe that once a person expresses personal faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he becomes a son of God, receives the imputation of His perfect righteousness, and is adopted into God's royal family. Once a son, always a son. Further, the grammar of Ephesians 2:8 reveals through exegesis that our salvation is secure. An expanded translation of that verse reads this way: "For by grace you have been saved in the past with the result that you stand saved forever through faith, and this (salvation) is not from yourselves; it is a gift from God, not by works, lest any man should boast." (Galatians 3:26; Romans 3:22; Acts16:31; Romans 8:16-17; Galatians 4:7; and the grammar of Ephesians 2:8-9) The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer at the moment of belief in Christ. (Ephesians 1:13-14) The Holy Spirit maximizes and infuses a believers grace giftings (can be natural) given by God by His design and will. (Rom.12:3-13) A believer can also be gifted by the Holy Spirit with supernatural giftings that enable him/her to fulfill a mission or office. (1Cor.12,14)
The Church
We believe that the Church may be defined in two ways: As an organism and as an organization. As an organism, the Universal Church is made up of all who have believed on Jesus Christ for their salvation. This group of believers, in any generation of the Church Age, is called the Body of Christ, or, The Royal Family of God. The organization is any physical facility established by a local group of believers as a place for them to assemble and worship God. (Ephesians 5:25-27; Hebrews 10:25) Heaven
This is the command center for the eternal state and is defined in Scripture as being the dwelling place of God. Acts 1:11 tells us that Christ ascended into Heaven while 1 Peter 3:22 says that He is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. When a person believes in Christ his citizenship changes from the Devil's world to Heaven according to Philippians 3:20. Believers are issued resurrection bodies in eternity and their origin is said to be Heaven in 2 Corinthians 5:1-5. Our rewards and blessings are reserved in Heaven (1 Peter 1:4). At the Second Advent, Jesus Christ will return from Heaven (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:16; 1:7). When the believer dies, his soul and spirit go to Heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8; 12:2-4; Philippians 1:23). Prior to the resurrection of Christ, the souls and spirits of departed believers resided in the Paradise division of Hades, known to Jews as Abraham's bosom. (Luke 16:22). Following the resurrection, Jesus Christ escorted these saints into Heaven (Ephesians 4:8-10). He has assured all believers that he has prepared a place for them in Heaven.
(John 14:2-3) Hades
Hades is a complex made up of four divisions. Each division serves as a place of detention for specific groups of men and angels. As each group is processed, they are transferred to a permanent location for all eternity. a. Paradise or Abraham's Bosom: A part of Hades where all the Old Testament believers went immediately after physical death. Once departed from the body, their soul and spirit went to Paradise. (Luke 16:22; 23:43) No believer resided in Heaven until Jesus Christ was judged for man's sins and was resurrected. The resurrection of Jesus Christ resulted in the permanent transfer of all believers in Paradise to Heaven. (Ephesians 4:8-10) b. Torments: The residence of all unbelievers since the beginning of time. The reason a person goes to Torments, later to be condemned to the Lake of Fire, is because he has rejected Jesus Christ as Savior. (Luke 16:23) c. Tartarus: The residence of certain fallen angels who became involved in an assault on the genetic line of Christ in Genesis 6. This special category of fallen angels is called BENI HA ELOHIM in the Hebrew, translated lessons of God. They are demons who are not operational at the present time. Tartarus is mentioned in 2 Peter 2:4 as the place where these fallen angels reside. d. The Abyss: The present place of incarceration for the demon assault army under the command of a demon general named Abaddon. This demon army will invade earth during the Tribulation, Revelations 9:1-12. They are released from their prison to become part of the administration of punishment to unbelievers. These events indicate a tremendous and radical change in God's plan after the Rapture of the Church occurs.
Lake of Fire
The final destination for both fallen angels and unbelieving mankind. It is both literal and eternal. It was prepared originally for Satan and his angels. (Matthew 25:41). Revelation 20:11-15 is the key passage on the Great White Throne judgment. This is the judgment of all unbelievers. They are pulled out of the Torments division of Hades, judged for their works and cast into the Lake of Fire for all eternity. Satan
We believe that Satan is a fallen angel who revolted against the rulership of God in eternity past. His given name is Lucifer and he presently has command authority over those angels who joined him in his revolt. He is also called the Devil and those fallen angels who are with him are called demons. His domain includes planet earth and encompasses within its jurisdiction all humans who have not believed on Christ as Savior. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-17; 1 Timothy 4:1; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 13:2; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
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