Statement of Faith

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 in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and final authority in all matters on which it speaks. (II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:21; I Corinthians 2:13; 10:11; John 10:35)

We explicitly affirm our belief in basic Bible teachings as follows: There is one true God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each of these possesses equally all the attributes of deity and thus the characteristics of personality. (Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Acts 5:3,4; II Corinthians 13:14)

God the Father sent the Son to obtain satisfaction for divine justice and proclaim reconciliation. The Holy Spirit sent to teach truth. He is spoken of as the Father of all creation, of angels, of Israel, of believers, and of Christ. (John 14-17; 20:17; Job 1:16; Psalm 103:13)

Jesus 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 us. (Matthew 1:16, 20, 23; Luke 1:34; Hebrews 4:15; II Corinthians 5:21; I Corinthians 15; Acts 1:9-11; I Peter 2:5-9; I John 2:1)

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. He is the source and power of all acceptable worship and service, the infallible interpreter of the infallible Word and seeks to occupy us with Christ and not with ourselves or our experiences. (John 16:8-11; Titus 3:5; I Corinthians 6:19; Romans 8:9b; I Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:22, 23; John 16:13,14; I Corinthians 2:12-14; Romans 8:26,27)

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. Since man is unable to save himself, he is in need of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. He cannot see nor enter the kingdom of God until he is born again. A new life, implanted by the Holy Spirit through the Word, is absolutely essential to salvation. (Genesis 1:26,27; Ephesians 2:1; Romans 1:18; 3:20; 7:21-25; 5:12; John 3:3, 6, 7; Titus 3:5,6)

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 effort or goodness or religious ceremony. God imputes His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation and thereby justifies them in His sight. (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 3:16; Titus 3:5-8)

Jesus Christ became the sinner’s substitute before God and died as a propitiating sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Nothing can be added to the finished work of Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection on behalf of sinners. (Hebrews 2:9; Colossians 1:13, 14, 20, 21)

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 the testimony of God in His written Word. The Holy Spirit’s fullness, power, and control are appropriated in the believer’s life by faith (Romans 5:9,10; 8:1, 29-30, 38-39; John 5:24; 10:27-30; 14:16; I Timothy 1:12; Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 7:25; Jude 24)

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. The Scriptures set out the principles and rules of the Christian life. (Romans 12:1,2; Galatians 5:16-26; II Corinthians 6:14)

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. Every believer, whether Jew or Gentile, is baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, and having thus become members of one another, all are responsible to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, loving one another fervently with pure hearts. God admonishes His people to assemble together regularly for worship, for participation in ordinances, for edification through the Scriptures, and for mutual encouragement. (I Corinthians 12:12,13; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 2:15, 16; 4:1-3; 2:19-22; Romans 12:4,5; Hebrews 10:25)

At physical death, the believer enters immediately into the eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting glory and blessing. (I Corinthians 15:12ff; II Corinthians 5:1-10; Philippians 1:23; John 12:26)

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. (Ephesians 2:12; Romans 3:23; 5:12; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15)

Jesus Christ will come again to the earth, personally, visibly, and bodily, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. (Revelation 19:11-16; Zechariah 14:4-11; I Thessalonians 1:10)

The Lord Jesus Christ commanded all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to disciple men of every nation. The fulfillment of the great commission requires that all worldly and personal ambitions be subordinate to a total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47-48)

Satan is a person and the author of sin. He is the open and declared enemy of God and man, and he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. His work today is to thwart the plan of God and to create confusion among Christians, deceiving the whole world. (Isaiah 14:12-17; I Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 12:9; 19:11-16; 20:1-6; I Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:11,12)

*Statement of Faith provided by Scope Ministries International and used by permission