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Soldier's, Sailors's and
Airmen's International Online Church:
Christian Worship Services, Multi-Language Bibles &
Prayer Requests™
Our Statements of Faith,
The Apostle's
Creed & The Nicene Creed.
The Scriptures: We
believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, that it
is complete and without error, and that it is the authoritative rule
for Christian faith and practice.
God: We believe that
there is one God, Who is the maker of heaven and earth. That God is
infinite, almighty, immutable, and perfect in holiness, truth, and
love. That God is revealed in three distinct persons: Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. These three are co-existent, co-equal, and
co-eternal.
Jesus Christ: We believe
that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God made flesh. That He is
fully divine and fully human. That He was born of a virgin and led a
sinless life. That He was crucified for the sins of the world, was
dead and buried, and on the third day He rose again from the dead.
That He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the
Father where He ever lives to make intercession for His
people.
The Holy Spirit: We
believe that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin,
righteousness and judgment. That He brings about the new birth,
persuading men through the proclamation of the Gospel to repent and
confess Jesus as Lord. That He is the counselor, guide, and sealer
of our faith sent to indwell our lives. That He desires to fill each
believer continually with power to witness, and imparts His
supernatural gifts for the edification of the Church and the work of
ministry in the world. That all the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work
in the Church of the first-century are available today and are to be
earnestly desired and practiced. That these gifts are essential in
the mission of the Church in the world today.
The Fall and Redemption
of Man: We believe that man, in his natural state, is a sinner,
lost, without hope, and without God. That man's only hope of
redemption from sin is through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That salvation is received as a gift of God's grace through
repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That
Biblical repentance is characterized by a changed life, and saving
faith is evidenced by kingdom service.
Sanctification of the
Redeemed: We believe that the Holy Spirit is the active agent in our
sanctification and seeks to produce His fruit in us as our minds are
renewed and we are conformed to the image of Christ. That as we are
led by the Spirit, we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, freely
keeping His commandments and endeavoring to so live in the world
that all people may see our good works and glorify our Father who is
in heaven.
The Church: We believe
that God by His Word and Spirit creates the Church, calling sinful
men out of the whole human race into the fellowship of Christ's
Body. That by the same Word and Spirit, He guides and preserves that
new redeemed humanity. That the Church exists to worship and glorify
God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That the ultimate mission of the
Church is the making of disciples through the preaching of the
Gospel. That upon conversion, newly redeemed men and women are added
to a local church in which they devote themselves to teaching,
fellowship, the Lord’s Supper and prayer.
The Sacraments of the
Church: We believe that water baptism, in the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, is an outward and visible sign of an inward and
spiritual reality. That in baptism, we are identified with Christ
and His Church, demonstrating that we have been buried with Christ,
and raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
We believe that the
Lord's Supper is for those who have come to faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. That it shows the giving of His body and the shedding of His
blood on our behalf, and is to be observed throughout the Christian
life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of
His death. That as we partake of the Lord’s Supper with an attitude
of faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of
Christ, receive spiritual nourishment, and signify our unity with
other members of His body, the Church.
The Second Coming: We
believe in the visible, personal and glorious return of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the translation of
those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and
the fulfillment of Christ's kingdom in the new heavens and the new
earth. 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."
The Apostles'
Creed
I believe in God, The
Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth;
and in Jesus
Christ, His Only Son,
Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy
Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius
Pilate,
was Crucified, Died and was Buried.
He descended among
the dead;
on the third day He rose again from the dead.
He
ascended into Heaven, and is seated at
the Right Hand of God, the
Father Almighty.
From thence He shall come to judge the Living
and the Dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic
Church,
the Communion of Saints,
the Forgiveness of
Sins,
the Resurrection of the Body,
and Life
Everlasting.
Amen.
The Nicene
Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things
visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before
all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God;
begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom
all things were made.
Who, for us men for our
salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy
Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also
for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the
third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended
into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall
come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose
kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the
Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father
[and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is
worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy
catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the
remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and
the life of the world to come. Amen.
Statement of
Faith
We Believe:
-
The Scriptures, both Old and New
Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the
original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the
salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for Christian
faith and life.
-
In one God, Creator of all things,
infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
-
That Jesus Christ is true God and
true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the
Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins
according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the
dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the
Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and
Advocate.
-
That the ministry of the Holy Spirit
is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and, during this age, to
convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide,
instruct and empower the believer for godly living and
service.
-
That man was created in the image of
God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost, and only through
regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life
be obtained.
-
That the shed blood of Jesus Christ
and His Resurrection provide the only ground for justification and
salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus
Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and, thus become children of
God.
-
That water baptism and the Lord's
Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the
present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of
salvation.
-
That the true Church is composed of
all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have
been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the
Body of Christ of which He is the Head.
-
That only those who are, thus,
members of the true Church shall be eligible for membership in the
local church.
-
That Jesus Christ is the Lord and
Head of the Church and that every local church has the right,
under Christ, to decide and govern its own affairs.
-
In the personal and premillennial
and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and that this
"Blessed Hope" has a vital bearing on the personal life and
service of the believer.
-
In the bodily resurrection of the
dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the
Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious
punishment.
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."
Statement of
Faith
The Christadelphian Statement of
Faith
Also known as the Birmingham Amended
Statement of Faith
Clause 24 below outlines the amendment
made in January 1898 to the original statement of faith.
THE FOUNDATION -- That
the book currently known as the Bible, consisting of the Scriptures
of Moses, the prophets, and the apostles, is the only source of
knowledge concerning God and His purposes at present extant or
available in the earth, and that the same were wholly given by
inspiration of God in the writers, and are consequently without
error in all parts of them, except such as may be due to errors of
transcription or translation. (This paragraph was added in
1886.)
2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Cor. 2:13; Heb. 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:21; 1 Cor.
14:37; Neh. 9:30; John 10:35.
1. That the only true God
is He Who was revealed to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, by angelic
visitation and vision, and to Moses at the flaming bush (unconsumed)
and at Sinai, and Who manifested Himself in the Lord Jesus Christ,
as the supreme self-existent Deity, the ONE FATHER, dwelling in
unapproachable light, yet everywhere present by His Spirit, which is
a unity with His person in heaven. He hath, out of His own underived
energy, created heaven and earth, and all that in them is.
Isa.
40:13-25; 43:10-12; 44:6-8; 45:5; 46:9-10; Job 38-40; Deut. 6:1-4;
Mark 12:29-32; 1 Cor. 8:4-6; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:5; Neh. 9:6; Job
26:13; Psa. 124:8; 146:6; 148:5; Isa. 40:25-27; Jer. 10:12-13; 27:5;
32:17-25; 51:15; Acts 14:15; 17:24; 1 Chron. 29:11-14; Psa. 62:11;
145:3; Isa. 26:4; 40:26; Job 9:4; 36:5; Psa. 92:5; 104:24; 147:4-5;
Isa. 28:29; Rom. 16:27; 1 Tim. 1:17; 2 Chron. 16:9; Job 28:24;
34:21; Psa. 33:13-14; 44:21; 94:9; 139:7-12; Prov. 15:3; Jer. 23:24;
32:19; Amos 9:2-3; Acts 17:27-28; Psa. 123:1; 1 Kings 8:30-39, 43,
49; Matt. 6:9; 1 Tim. 6:15-16; 1:17.
2. That Jesus of Nazareth
was the Son of God, begotten of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit,
without the intervention of man, and afterwards anointed with the
same Spirit, without measure, at his baptism.
Matt. 1 :23; 1 Tim.
3: 16; Acts 2:22-24, 36; Matt. 1:18-25; Lk. 1:26-35; Gal. 4:4; Isa.
7:14; Matt. 3:16-17; Isa. 11:2; 42:1; 61:1; John 3:34; 7:16;
8:26-28; 14:10-24.
3. That the appearance of
Jesus of Nazareth on the earth was necessitated by the position and
state into which the human race had been brought by the
circumstances connected with the first man.
1 Cor. 15:21-22; Rom.
5:12-19; Gen. 3:19; 2 Cor. 5:19-21.
4. That the first man was
Adam, whom God created out of the dust of the ground as a living
soul, or natural body of life, "very good" [Publisher's Note: Gen.
1:31] in kind and condition, and placed him under a law through
which the continuance of life was contingent on obedience.
Gen.
2:7; 18:27; Job 4:19; 33:6; 1 Cor. 15:46-49; Gen. 2:17.
5. That Adam broke this
law, and was adjudged unworthy of immortality, and sentenced to
return to the ground from whence he was taken-a sentence which
defiled and became a physical law of his being, and was transmitted
to all his posterity.
Gen. 3:15-19, 22-23; 2 Cor. 1:9; Rom. 7:24;
2 Cor. 5:2-4; Rom. 7:18-23; Gal. 5:16-17; Rom. 6:12; 7:21; John 3:6;
Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22; Psa. 51:5; Job 14:4.
6. That God, in His
kindness, conceived a plan of restoration which, without setting
aside His just and necessary law of sin and death, should ultimately
rescue the race from destruction, and people the earth with sinless
immortals.
Rev. 21 :4; John 3: 16; 2 Tim. 1: 10; 1 John 2:25; 2
Tim. 1: 1; Titus 1:2; Rom. 3:26; John 1:29.
7. That He inaugurated
this plan by making promises to Adam, Abraham and David, and
afterwards elaborated it in greater detail through the
prophets.
Gen. 3:15; 22:18; Psa. 89:34-37; 33:5; Hos. 13:14; Isa.
25:7-9; 51:1-8; Jer. 23:5.
8. That these promises
had reference to Jesus Christ, who was to be raised up in the
condemned line of Abraham and David, and who, though wearing their
condemned nature, was to obtain a title to resurrection by perfect
obedience, and, by dying, abrogate the law of condemnation for
himself, and all who should believe and obey him.
1 Cor. 15:45;
Heb. 2:14-16; Rom. 1:3; Heb. 5:8-9; 1:9; Rom. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5;
Rom. 8:3-4; Heb. 2:15; 9:26; Gal. 1:4; Heb. 7:27; 5:3-7; 2:17; Rom.
6:10; 6:9; Acts 13:34-37; Rev. 1:18; John 5:21-22, 26-27; 14:3; Rev.
2:7; 3:21; Matt. 25:21; Heb. 5:9; Mark 16:16; Acts 13:38-39; Rom.
3:22; (Psa. 2:6-9; Dan. 7:13-14; Rev. 11:15; Jer. 23:5; Zech. 14:9;
Eph. 1:9-10) -- [Publisher's Note: These passages in parathensis
must be considered together.]
9. That it was this
mission that necessitated the miraculous begettal of Christ of a
human mother, enabling him to bear our condemnation, and, at the
same time, to be a sinless bearer thereof, and, therefore, one who
could rise after suffering the death required by the righteousness
of God.
Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; Isa. 7:14; Rom. 1:3-4; 8:3;
Gal. 4:4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 2:14-17; 4:15.
10. That being so
begotten of God, and inhabited and used by God through the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was Emmanuel, God with us, God
manifested in the flesh-yet was, during his natural life, of like
nature with mortal man, being made of a woman of the house and
lineage of David, and therefore a sufferer, in the days of his
flesh, from all the effects that came by Adam's transgression
including the death that passed upon all man, which he shared by
partaking of their physical nature.
Matt. 1:23; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb.
2:14; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 2:17.
11. That the message he
delivered from God to his kinsmen, the Jews, was a call to
repentance from every evil work, the assertion of his divine sonship
and Jewish kingship; and the proclamation of the glad tidings that
God would restore their kingdom through him, and accomplish all
things written in the prophets.
Mark l:l5; Matt. 4:17; 5:20-48;
John 10:36; 9:35; 11:27; 19:21; 1:49; Matt. 27:11-43; John 10:24-25;
Matt. 19:28; 21:42-43; 23:38-39; 25:14-46; Luke 4:43; 13:27-30;
19:11-27; 22:28-30; Matt. 5:17; Luke 24:44.
12. That for delivering
this message, he was put to death by the Jews and Romans who were,
however, but instruments in the hands of God, for the doing of that
which He had determined before to be done-namely, the condemnation
of sin in the flesh, through the offering of the body of Jesus once
for all, as a propitiation to declare the righteousness of God, as a
basis for the remission of sins. All who approach God through this
crucified, but risen, representative of Adam's disobedient race, are
forgiven. Therefore, by a figure, his blood cleanseth from
sin.
Luke 19:47; 20:1-26; John 11:45-53; Acts 10:38-39; 13:26-29;
4:27-28; Rom. 8:3; Heb. 10:10; Rom. 3:25; Acts 13:38; 1 John 1:7;
John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Pet. 3:18; 2:24; Heb. 9:14; 7:27; 9:26-28;
Gal. 1:4; Rom. 3:25; 15:8; Gal. 3:21-22; Gal. 2:21; 4:4-5; Heb.
9:15; Luke 22:20; 24:26, 46-47; Matt. 26:28.
13. That on the third
day, God raised him from the dead, and exalted him to the heavens as
priestly mediator between God and man, in the process of gathering
from among them a people who should be saved by the belief and
obedience of the Truth.
1 Cor. 15:4; Acts 10:40; 13:30-37;
2:24-27; 4:27-33; [Publisher's Note: The following passages were
removed from Clause 14, where they were wrongfully placed:] Luke
24:51; Eph. 1:20; Acts 5:31; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:1; Acts 15:14;
13:39; Heb. 4:14-15.
14. That he is a priest
over his own house only, and does not intercede for the world, or
for professors who are abandoned to disobedience. That he makes
intercession for his erring brethren, if they confess and forsake
their sins.
Luke 24:51; Eph. 1:20; Acts 5:31; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:
1; Acts 15:14; 13:39; Heb. 4:14-l5.
15. That he sent forth
apostles to proclaim salvation through him, as the only Name given
under heaven whereby men may be saved.
Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:19-20;
Luke 24:46-48; Acts 26:16-18; 4:12.
16. That the way to
obtain this salvation is to believe the Gospel they preached, and to
take on the Name and service of Christ, by being thereupon immersed
in water, and continuing patiently in the observance of all things
he has commanded, none being recognized as his friends except those
who do what he has commanded.
Acts 13:48; 16:31; Mark 16:16; Rom.
1:16; Acts 2:38, 41; 10:47-48; 8:12; Gal. 3:27-29; Rom. 6:3-5; 2:7;
Matt. 28:20; John 15:14.
17. That the Gospel
consists of "The things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name
of Jesus Christ."
Acts 8:12; 19:8, 10, 20; 28:30-31.
18. That the "Things of
the Kingdom of God" are the facts testified concerning the Kingdom
of God in the writings of the prophets and apostles, and definable
as in the next 12 paragraphs.
19. That God will set up
a Kingdom in the earth, which will overthrow all others, and change
them into "the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ."
Dan. 2:44;
7:13-14; Rev. 11:15; Isa. 32:1, 16; 2:3-4; 11:9-10.
20. That for this purpose
God will send Jesus Christ personally to the earth at the close of
the times of the Gentiles.
Acts 3:20-21; Psa. 102:16, 21; 2 Tim.
4:1, Acts 1:9, 11; Dan. 7:13 [Publisher's Note: Additional passages:
Luke 21:24-27; Rom. 11:25-26].
21. That the Kingdom
which he will establish will be the Kingdom of Israel restored, in
the territory it formerly occupied, namely, the land bequeathed for
an everlasting possession to Abraham and his Seed (the Christ) by
covenant.
Mic. 4:6-8; Amos 9:11, 15; Eze. 37:21-22; Jer. 23:3, 8;
Gen. 13: 14-17; Heb. 11:8-9; Gal. 3: 16; Lev. 26:42; Mic.
7:20.
22. That this restoration
of the Kingdom again to Israel will involve the ingathering of God's
chosen but scattered nation, the Jews; their reinstatement in the
land of their fathers, when it shall have been reclaimed from "the
desolation of many generations"; the building again of Jerusalem to
become "the throne of the Lord" and the metropolis of the whole
earth.
Isa. 11:12; Jer. 31:10; Zec. 8:8; Eze. 36:34-36; Isa.
5l:3; 60:15; 62:4; Jer. 3: 17; Mic. 4:7-8; Joel 3: 17; Isa.
24:23.
23. That the governing
body of the Kingdom so established will be the brethren of Christ,
of all generations, developed by resurrection and change, and
constituting, with Christ as their head, the collective "Seed of
Abraham," in whom all nations will be blessed, and comprising
"Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets," and all in their
age of like faithfulness.
Dan. 12:2; Luke 13:28; Rev. 11:18; 1
Thess. 4:15-17; John 5:28-29; 6:39-40; Luke 14:14; Matt. 25:34, 46
[Publisher's Note: additional passages: Rev. 5:9-10; Dan.
7:27].
24. That at the appearing
of Christ prior to the establishment of the Kingdom, the responsible
(namely, those who know the revealed will of God, and have been
called upon to submit to it), dead and living -- obedient and
disobedient -- will be summoned before his judgment seat "to be
judged according to their works," and "receive in body according to
what they have done, whether it be good or bad."
2 Cor. 5:10; 2
Tim. 4:1; Rom. 2:5-6, 16; 14:10-12; 1 Cor. 4:5; Rev.
11:18.
Note: Clause 24 was
amended in Jan. 1898, to refute the teaching that one may avoid
being raised for judgment by refusing baptism. With this change,
this document came to be known as the Birmingham Amended Statement
of Faith (BASF). While nearly all Christadelphian ecclesias
worldwide have adopted this amended statement of faith, a few
ecclesias in North America still use the original Birmingham
Statement of Faith (BSF) which has also been called "Unamended" or
BUSF. This clause in the original document reads "... the
responsible will be summoned before his judgement seat
..."
25. That the unfaithful
will be consigned to shame and "the second death," and the faithful,
invested with immortality, and exalted to reign with Jesus as joint
heirs of the Kingdom, co-possessors of the earth, and joint
administrators of God's authority among men in everything.
Matt.
7:26; 8:12; 25:20-30; Dan. 12:2; Gal. 6:8; 5:21; 2 Thess. 1:8; Heb.
10:26-31; 2 Pet. 2:12; Rev. 21:8; Mal. 4:1; Psa. 37:30-38; Prov.
10:25-29; 1 Cor. 15:51-55; 2 Cor. 5:1-4; James 1:12; Rom. 2:7; John
10:28; Matt. 5:5; Psa. 37:9, 22, 29; Rev. 5:9; Dan. 7:27; 1 Thess.
2:12; 2 Pet. 1:11; Rev. 3:21; 2 Tim. 2: 12; Rev. 5: 10; Psa. 49:7-9;
Luke 22:29-30.
26. That the Kingdom of
God, thus constituted, will continue a thousand years, during which
sin and death will continue among the earth's subject inhabitants,
though in a much milder degree than now.
Rev. 20:4-9; 11:15; Isa.
65:20; Eze. 44:22, 25; 1 Cor. 15:24-28.
27. That a law will be
established which shall go forth to the nations for their
"instruction in righteousness," resulting in the abolition of war to
the ends of the earth, and the "filling of the earth with the
knowledge of the glory of Yahweh as the waters cover the
sea."
Mic. 4:2; Isa. 42:4; 11: 1-10; 2:4; Hab. 2:14.
28. That the mission of
the Kingdom will be to subdue all enemies, and finally death itself,
by opening up the way of life to the nations, which they will enter
by faith, during the thousand years, and (in reality) at their
close.
1 Cor. 15:24-28; Rev. 21:4; 20:12-15; Isa.
25:6-8.
29. That at the close of
the thousand years, there will be a general resurrection and
judgment, resulting in the final extinction of the wicked, and the
immortalization of those who shall have established their title
(under the grace of God) to eternal life during the thousand
years.
Rev. 20:11-15; 1 Cor. 15:24.
30. That the government
will then be delivered up by Jesus to the Father, Who will manifest
Himself as the "All-in-All"; sin and death having been taken out of
the way, and the race completely restored to the friendship of the
Deity.
1 Cor. 15:28.
Statement of
Faith
We Believe:
-
The Scriptures, both Old and New
Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the
original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the
salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for Christian
faith and life.
-
In one God, Creator of all things,
infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
-
That Jesus Christ is true God and
true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the
Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins
according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the
dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the
Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and
Advocate.
-
That the ministry of the Holy Spirit
is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and, during this age, to
convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide,
instruct and empower the believer for godly living and
service.
-
That man was created in the image of
God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost, and only through
regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life
be obtained.
-
That the shed blood of Jesus Christ
and His Resurrection provide the only ground for justification and
salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus
Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and, thus become children of
God.
-
That water baptism and the Lord's
Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the
present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of
salvation.
-
That the true Church is composed of
all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have
been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the
Body of Christ of which He is the Head.
-
That only those who are, thus,
members of the true Church shall be eligible for membership in the
local church.
-
That Jesus Christ is the Lord and
Head of the Church and that every local church has the right,
under Christ, to decide and govern its own affairs.
-
In the personal and premillennial
and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and that this
"Blessed Hope" has a vital bearing on the personal life and
service of the believer.
-
In the bodily resurrection of the
dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the
Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious
punishment.