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OUR
CONVICTIONS
- Being:
on the cutting edge of
ministry.
- Balanced:
in doctrine and conduct.
- Blessing:
other local churches and
ministries by any means available.
spread of His cause is by giving of tithes and free-will
offerings.
(Malachi 3:10; 2 Corinthians 9:7).
WHAT WE
BELIEVE
SCRIPTURE
The Old and
New Testaments, are without error (inerrant
and
infallible)
as originally given, were verbally
inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the
salvation of people. They constitute the divine and only rule of
Christian faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
The
Bible is our guide and final authority in all matters regarding
doctrine, church practice, counseling and individual behavior.
The
Scriptures were written by divinely inspired humans and are God's
revelation of Himself to everyone. (Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2;
17:19; Joshua 8:34; Ps. 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16;
40:8; Jeremiah 36:1-32; Matt. 5:17-18; Luke 24:44-46; John 5:39;
16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy
3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:25; 2 Pet. 1:19-21).
Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose
and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through it in
living power. All believers are exhorted to study the Scriptures and
diligently apply them to their lives. The Scriptures are the
authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life,
practice and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be
added to, superseded or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical
revelation or worldly wisdom. Every doctrinal formulation, whether
of creed, confession or theology, must be put to the test of the
full counsel of God in Holy Scripture. Limited abilities,
traditional biases, personal sin, and cultural assumptions often
obscure Biblical texts. Therefore the work of the Holy Spirit is
essential for right understanding of the Bible, and prayer for His
assistance belongs to a proper effort to understand and apply God’s
Word. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16; Psalm
119:12,18)
Under the
name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now
contained all the Books of the Old and New Testament, which are
these:
|
Of the Old Testament |
|
Genesis |
Ecclesiastes |
|
Exodus |
The Song of Songs |
|
Leviticus |
Isaiah |
|
Numbers |
Jeremiah |
|
Deuteronomy |
Lamentations |
|
Joshua |
Ezekiel |
|
Judges |
Daniel |
|
Ruth |
Hosea |
|
I Samuel |
Joel |
|
II Samuel |
Amos |
|
I Kings |
Obadiah |
|
II Kings |
Jonah |
|
I Chronicles |
Micah |
|
II Chronicles |
Nahum |
|
Ezra |
Habakkuk |
|
Nehemiah |
Zephaniah |
|
Esther |
Haggai |
|
Job |
Zechariah |
|
Psalms |
Malachi |
|
Proverbs |
|
|
Of the New Testament |
|
The Gospels according to: |
Colossians |
|
Matthew |
Thessalonians I |
|
Mark |
Thessalonians II |
|
Luke |
To Timothy I |
|
John |
To Timothy II |
|
The Acts of the Apostles |
To Titus |
|
Paul’s Epistles to the… |
To Philemon |
|
Romans |
Hebrews |
|
Corinthians I |
James |
|
Corinthians II |
1st and 2nd Peter |
|
Galatians |
1st , 2nd , and 3rd
John |
|
Ephesians |
Jude |
|
Philippians |
Revelation |
GOD
There is one
God who exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
(Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19).
The one true God has
revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent "I AM," the creator
of heaven and earth, and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further
revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and
association as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 43:10,
11; Matt. 28:19; Luke 3:22)
The terms "Trinity" and
"Persons" as related to the Godhead, while not found in the
Scriptures, are words in harmony with Scripture, whereby we may
convey to others our immediate understanding of the doctrine of
Christ respecting the Being of God, as distinguished from "gods many
and lords many." We therefore may speak with propriety of the Lord
our God, who is One Lord, as a trinity or as one Being of Three
persons, and still be absolutely scriptural. (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor.
13:14; John 14:16, 17)
Christ taught a
distinction of Persons in the Godhead which He expressed in specific
terms of relationship, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but that this
distinction and relationship, as to its mode is inscrutable and
incomprehensible, because unexplained. (Luke 1:35; 1 Cor. 1:24;
Matt. 11:25-27; 28:19; 1 Cor. 13:14; 1 John 1:3, 4)
Accordingly, therefore,
there is that in the Son which constitutes Him the Son and not the
Father; and there is that in the Holy Spirit which constitutes Him
the Holy Spirit and not either the Father or the Son. Wherefore the
Father is the Begetter, the Son is the Begotten, and the Holy Spirit
is the one proceeding from the Father and the Son. Therefore,
because these three persons in the Godhead are in a state of unity,
there is but one Lord God Almighty and His name one. (John 1:18;
15:26; 17:11, 21; Zech. 14:9)
The Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit are never identical as to Person; nor confused as to
relation; nor divided in respect to the Godhead; nor opposed as to
cooperation. The Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son
as to relationship. The Son is with the Father and the Father is
with the Son, as to fellowship. The Father is not from the Son, but
the Son is from the Father, as to authority.
The Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son
proceeding, as to nature, relationship, cooperation and authority.
Hence, neither Person in the Godhead either exists or works
separately or independently of the others. (John 5:17-30, 32, 37;
8:17, 18)
THE GLORY OF GOD (GOD’S ATTRIBUTES)
God’s
glory is the display of God’s infinite worth and valuable
perfections. By perfections we mean, all the beautiful
characteristics that make up the reality of who God is. We
understand that God is made up of a multitude of different
characteristics or attributes, but is at the same time a unified
being. He is not one part this, and one part that, but we mean that
His whole being includes all of His attributes at the same time. For
example God can never be loving without at the same time being holy,
and vice a versa. Here is a list a God’s attributes that we embrace
at
AGM, though it may not be complete. God is:
eternally self-existent, infinite yet personal, unchanging,
all-knowing, ever present, invisible and spiritual, holy, good,
sovereign, wise, faithful and true, loving, merciful, graceful,
patient, peaceful, righteous/just, jealous, wrathful, and blessed
forever. We do not pick and choose different aspects of God that are
popular to the culture, but embrace the entirety of the Glorious God
we know, love, and worship. (Psalm 24; Heb 1:3; Isaiah 6:3;
Exodus 34:6-7)
GOD THE FATHER
God
the Father is the fountain head of all being. He is the
first among equals, and the leader of the Godhead. He is
not first in time or better in nature than the Son and
the Holy Spirit, but he is different in role, being
greater as a Father is greater than a Son. The issue is not one
of equality or time because the Father is the same in Deity and
Eternality as the Son and the Spirit. However there is a distinction
in role or function, as He is head over the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The Father has always been and will forever be the One from whom the
Son and the Holy Spirit proceeds forth from, as a ray proceeds forth
from the sun. Together with the Son and Spirit, God the Father is
the Creator of heaven and earth. By His word and for His glory, He
freely and supernaturally created the world out of nothing. Through
the same word, and through the agency of His Son, He daily sustains
all His creatures. He rules over all and, together with the Son and
the Spirit, is the Only Sovereign. His plans and purposes cannot be
thwarted. He is faithful to every promise, works all things together
for good to those who love
Him and in His
unfathomable grace gave His Son Jesus Christ for mankind's
redemption. He made all things for the praise of His glory and
intends for man, in particular, to live in fellowship with
Himself. (John 1:1,14; Hebrews 1:3; 1 Corinthians 11:3;
15:28, Gen 1:1-3; Revelation 4:11; Acts 17:24-25; 1 Timothy
6:15; Daniel 4:34-35; Psalm 33:4; Hebrews 6:17-18; Romans 8:28;
Ephesians 1;3-12; Rev. 21:3,4)
JESUS
CHRIST
Jesus Christ is true
God and true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born
of the Virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the Just for the
unjust, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in
Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. He arose from
the dead according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right
hand of the Majesty on high as our great High Priest. He will
come again to establish His kingdom of righteousness and peace.
(Philippians 2:6-11; Hebrews 2:14-18; Colossians 2:9; Matthew
1:18; Luke 1:35; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; 1 John 2:2; Acts 13:39;
Hebrews 4:14-15; 9:24-28; Matthew 25:31-34; Acts 1:11)
THE
DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST
is declared form the following Scriptures:
The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. The Scriptures
declare:
His virgin birth (Matt. 1:23; Luke 1:31, 35)
His sinless life (Heb. 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22)
His miracles (Acts 2:22; 10:38)
His substitutionary work on the cross (1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:21)
His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matt. 28:6; Luke 24:39; 1
Cor. 15:4)
His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9, 11; 2:33;
Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 1-3)
The appellation, "Lord Jesus Christ," is a proper name. It is
never applied, in the New Testament, either to the Father or to
the Holy Spirit. It therefore belongs exclusively to the Son of
God. (Rom. 1:1-3, 7; 2 John 3)
The Lord Jesus Christ, as to His divine
and eternal nature, is the proper and only Begotten of the
Father, but as to His human nature, He is the proper Son of Man.
He is, therefore, acknowledged to be both God and man; who
because He is God and man, is "Immanuel," God with us. (Matt.
1:23; 1 John 4:2, 10, 14; Rev. 1:13, 17)
Since the name
"Immanuel" embraces both God and man in the one Person, our
Lord Jesus Christ, it follows that the title, Son of God,
describes His proper deity, and the title Son of Man, His
proper humanity. Therefore, the title Son of God belongs to
the order of eternity, and the title Son of Man, to the
order of time. (Matt. 1:21-23; 2 John 3; 1 John 3:8; Heb.
1:1-13; 7:3).
Wherefore, since the Father has
delivered all judgment unto the Son, it is not only the
express duty of all in heaven and on earth to bow the knee,
but it is an unspeakable joy in the Holy Spirit to ascribe
unto the son all the attributes of Deity, and to give Him
all the honor and the glory contained in all the names and
titles of the Godhead (except those which express
relationship), and thus honor the Son even as we honor the
Father. (John 5:22, 23; 1 Peter 1:8; Rev. 5:6-14; Phil. 2:8,
9; Rev. 7:9, 10; 4:8-11).
SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT
“The Lord Jesus, by his perfect
obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he through the
eternal Spirit once offered up unto God, has fully satisfied
the justice of his Father; and purchased not only
reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the
kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father hath given
unto him.”
The word "vicarious" comes from the Latin vicar, which
literally means "in place of" or "a substitute." Isaiah 53
is a classic passage on the doctrine of the vicarious
atonement: "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried
our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten
by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our
transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his
wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid
on him the iniquity of us all" (vss. 4-6).
Isaiah repeatedly stresses the vicarious aspects of the
messianic offering when he states, "For the transgression of
my people he was stricken...he will bear their
iniquities...he bore the sin of many, and made intercession
for the transgressors" (Isa. 53:8, 11, 12). Certainly, the
vicarious atonement of the Messiah of Israel forms one of
the great pillars upon which rests the entire structure of
the Christian religion. The Old Testament points like a
massive arrow to the consummation of all sacrifices, an
event of immeasurable importance and worth.
In the New Testament, John the Baptist declares, "Look, the
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John
1:29). And our Savior Himself declares His flesh and blood
to be the sin offering for the whole world (John 6:51). When
coupled with Paul's declaration that the church of God was
"bought with his own blood" (Acts 20:28), such statements
give an incontrovertible answer to the question, "Why did
Jesus die?"
A key Greek word pertinent to understanding the concept of
substitutionary atonement -- the idea that Christ died in
our place -- is the word anti. In speaking of His
substitutionary sacrifice, Christ declared, "The Son of Man
did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for [anti] many" (Matt. 20:28). At the Last
Supper, during which Christ emphasized the vicarious nature
of Calvary, He said, "This is my body given for [anti] you"
(Luke 22:19).
Another key
Greek word is huper. In contexts dealing with the
substitutionary atonement, this word means "in place of." We
find this word used in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "Be reconciled to
God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for [huperemon]
us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of
God." We likewise read in 1 Peter 3:18, "For Christ died for
sins once for all, the righteous for [huper] the
unrighteous, to bring you to God."
Therefore,
we believe that
through living a perfect life and dying in our place, the
just for the unjust, Christ absorbed our punishment,
appeased the wrath of God against us, vindicated the
righteousness of God in our justification, and removed the
condemnation of the law against us.
We
believe that the atonement of Christ for sin warrants and
impels a universal offering of the gospel to all persons, so
that to every person it may be truly said, “God gave His
only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him might not
perish but have eternal life.” Whosoever will, may come for
cleansing at this fountain, and whoever does come, Jesus
will not cast out.
(John 3:16; Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8;
Revelation 22:17; John 4:14; 6:37)
We believe,
moreover, that the death of Christ did obtain more than
the bona fide offer of the gospel for all; it also
obtained the omnipotent New Covenant mercy of repentance
and faith for God’s elect. Christ died for all, but not
for all in the same way. In His death, Christ expressed
a special covenant love to His friends, His sheep, His
bride. For them He obtained the infallible and effectual
working of the Spirit to triumph
over their
resistance and bring them to saving faith.
(Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 8:6; 9:15;
Acts 13:20-21; John 15:13; 10:14-15; Ephesians 5:25;
Revelation 5:9; John 17:6,9,19; John 11:51-52; Romans
8:32)
HOLY SPIRIT
“In the unity of the Godhead there be three Persons of
one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of none,
neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally
begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally
proceeding from the Father and the Son”.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity,
fully divine, equal with the Father and the Son, yet
different in role. The main role of the Holy Spirit is
to manifest the active presence of God in the world, and
especially in the church, for he is the member of the
Trinity whom Scripture most often represents as being
present to do God’s work in the world.
The Holy
Spirit is a divine Person, sent to indwell, guide,
teach, and empower the believer, and to convince the
world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. (John
14:16-17; John 16:7-11; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12)
The book of Acts, chapter thirteen, reveals that the
Holy Spirit is a Person, because He possesses
"personality." Luke records therein that the Holy Spirit
as a Person has "personality" (13:2,4) and, furthermore,
that He (not "it") prophesies to His servants and
commissions them, as well (21:11). See also such verses
as John 14:26, 15:26, Acts 8:29, 13:2, and Romans 5:5.
The Scriptures are clear that the Holy Spirit has a
"will" (1 Cor. 12:11; Heb. 2:4), and since "will"
denotes personality, as opposed to the neuter
(animals), obviously the Spirit is a person. We have
also seen from Peter's words that when Ananias lied
to the Holy Spirit, he lied to Jehovah (Acts 5:4).
Both the thirteenth chapter of Acts and Isaiah 48
add to the proof that the Holy Spirit is God, since
He answers the prayers of the Apostles (Acts 13:1-4)
and is designated Deity by the prophet Isaiah
(48:16). Even the Watchtower admits that God alone
answers prayer.
The Bible, then, does indeed teach that the Spirit
is a Person and that He is called God. It is
therefore apparent that there are three Persons
mentioned in Scripture and that they are all
identified as God: Yet there is only one true God
(Isa. 45:22).
Works like,
creation, awakening faith in the remnant of God’s
people, performing signs and wonders, giving
triumphs in battle, empowering the preaching of
prophets and inspiring the writing of Scripture.
Yet, when Christ had made atonement for sin, and
ascended to the right hand of the Father, He
inaugurated a new era of the Spirit by pouring out
the promise of the Father on His Church.
We believe that the newness of this era is
marked by the unprecedented mission of the Spirit to
glorify the crucified and risen Christ. This He does
by giving the disciples of Jesus greater power to
preach the gospel of the glory of Christ, by opening
the hearts of hearers that they might see Christ and
believe, by revealing the beauty of Christ in His
Word and transforming His people from glory to
glory, by manifesting Himself in spiritual gifts
(being sovereignly free to dispense, as he wills,
all the gifts of 1 Corinthians 12:8-10) for the
upbuilding of the body of Christ and the
confirmation of His Word, by calling all the nations
into the sway of the gospel of Christ, and, in all
this, thus fulfilling the New Covenant promise to
create and preserve a purified people for the
everlasting habitation of God. (Acts 5:3-4; Isaiah
44:3; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:14, Genesis
1:2; Psalm 104:30; Romans 8:7-9; Judges 14:6; Judges
3:10; 1 Samuel 10:6; 2 Peter 1:21; Luke 24:49; Acts
2:33; John 16:13-14; John 7:39; Acts 1:8; Romans
15:18-19; Acts 16:14; John 3:8; 2 Corinthians
3:17-18; Hebrews 2:3-4; Jeremiah 31:33-34; 32:40; 2
Corinthians 6:16.
The Holy Spirit empowers believers for Christian
witness and service. The promise of the Father
is freely available to all who believe in Jesus
Christ, thereby enabling them to exercise the
powers of the age to come in ministry and
mission. The Holy Spirit desires to continually
fill each believer with power to witness, and
imparts His supernatural gifts for the
edification of the Body and the work of ministry
in the world. 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 in an orderly manner. The gifts
are essential in the mission of the Church in
the world today.
CREATION OF THE
WORLD AND MANKIND
We believe that God
created the universe, and everything in it, out
of nothing, by the Word of His power. Having no
deficiency in Himself, nor moved by any
incompleteness in His joyful self-sufficiency,
God was pleased in creation to display His glory
for the everlasting joy of the redeemed, from
every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
(Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1-2; Hebrews 1:2; 11:3;
Acts 17:24-25; Exodus 3:13-14; Isaiah 43:7;
35:10; Matthew 25:23; Rev. 5:9)
We believe that God created human beings,
male and female, in his own image. Adam and
Eve belonged to the created order that God
himself declared to be very good, serving as
God’s agents to care for, manage, and govern
creation, living in holy and devoted
fellowship with their Maker. Men and women,
equally made in the image of God, enjoy
equal access to God by faith in Christ Jesus
and are both called to move beyond passive
self-indulgence to significant private and
public engagement in family, church, and
civic life. Adam and Eve were made to
complement each other in a one-flesh union
that establishes the only normative pattern
of sexual relations for men and women, such
that marriage ultimately serves as a type of
the union between Christ and his church. In
God’s wise purposes, men and women are not
simply interchangeable, but rather they
complement each other in mutually enriching
ways. God ordains that they assume
distinctive roles which reflect the loving
relationship between Christ and the church,
the husband exercising headship in a way
that displays the caring, sacrificial love
of Christ, and the wife submitting to her
husband in a way that models the love of the
church for her Lord. In the ministry of the
church, both
men and women are
encouraged to serve Christ and to be
developed to their full potential in the
manifold ministries of the people of God.
The distinctive leadership role within the
church given to qualified men is grounded in
creation, fall, and redemption and must not
be sidelined by appeals to cultural
developments. (Genesis 1:27; 2:18-25;
Ephesians 5:30-31)
(We also
recommend
The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood
and Womanhood)
THE FALL
“They being the root of mankind, the guilt
of this sin was imputed, and the same death
in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all
their posterity, descending from them by
original generation. From this original
corruption, whereby we are utterly
indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to
all good, and wholly inclined to all evil,
do proceed all actual transgressions”.
Mankind, originally created in the image and
likeness of God, fell through disobedience,
and chose to take what was forbidden, and
thus declare his independence from, distrust
for, and disobedience toward his all-good
and gracious Creator,
incurring thereby both physical and
spiritual death.
Thus, our first parents, by this sin, fell
from their original innocence and communion
with God.
Although God created man morally upright, he
was led astray from God’s Word and wisdom by
the subtlety of Satan’s deceit, We believe
that, as the head of the human race, Adam’s
fall became the fall of all his posterity,
in such a way that corruption, guilt, death,
and condemnation belong properly to every
person. All persons are thus corrupt by
nature enslaved to sin, and
morally unable to delight in God
and overcome their own proud preference for
the fleeting pleasures of self-rule.
Therefore, all people
are born with a sinful nature, are separated
from the life of God, and can be saved only
through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus
Christ. The destiny of the impenitent and
unbelieving is existence forever in
conscious torment, but that of the believer
is everlasting joy and bliss. (Genesis 1:27;
Romans 8:8; 1 John 2:2; Matthew 25:41-46; 2
Thessalonians 1:7-10)
We
believe God has subjected the creation to
futility, and the entire human family is
made justly liable to untold miseries of
sickness, decay, calamity, and loss. Thus
all the adversity and suffering in the world
is an echo and a witness of the exceedingly
great evil of moral depravity in the heart
of mankind; and every new day of life is a
God-given, merciful reprieve from imminent
judgment, pointing to repentance.
THE DECREE OF ELECTION
Those of mankind that are predestinated unto
life, God, before the foundation of the
world was laid, according to his eternal and
immutable purpose, and the secret counsel
and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen
in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of
his free grace and love alone, without any
foresight of faith or good works, or
perseverance in either of them, or any other
thing in the creature, as conditions, or
causes moving him thereunto; and all to the
praise of his glorious grace.
As God hath
appointed the elect unto glory, so hath he,
by the eternal and most free purpose of his
will, foreordained all the means thereunto.
Wherefore they who are elected being fallen
in Adam are redeemed by Christ, are
effectually called unto faith in Christ by
his Spirit working in due season; are
justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by
his power through faith unto salvation.
Neither are any other redeemed by Christ,
effectually called, justified, adopted,
sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.
Union between Christ and his people was
planned already in eternity, in the
sovereign pre-temporal decision whereby God
the Father selected certain sinners as His
own. Christ himself was chosen to be our
Savior before the creation of the world (1
Pet. 1:20); When the Father chose Christ, he
also chose us (Ephesians 1:4). We are
initially united with Christ in
regeneration; next we appropriate and
continue to live out of this union through
faith. Third, we are justified in union with
Christ. Fourth, we are sanctified through
union with Christ. Fifth, we persevere in
the life of faith in union with Christ.
Finally, we shall be eternally glorified
with Christ.
This pre-temporal choice was not based on
the fact that God knew which persons would
believe of their own free will, for there is
no person who fits that
description. This decision was based upon
God's sovereign good pleasure alone. It is
God's gracious decision, from eternity past,
to save fallen souls of His own choosing.
Therefore, God will infallibly bring all of
His elect to final perseverance and eternal
life (Phil 1:6; John 10:29; Rom 8:30; John
6:37, 39). The Persons of the Trinity work
in harmony to accomplish and apply
salvation. The Father, from eternity, elects
a particular people (Ephesians 1:4, 5; Rom
8:29, 30) Christ redeems those the Father
has "given Him" (John 6:37, 39; 10:29) and
the Holy Spirit likewise applies the
redemptive benefits of the atonement to the
same. (John 1:13; James 1:18, 1 Peter
1:23,25)
GOD’S
COVENANTS
In spite of humanity's
rebellion against God, His great love was
revealed in His purpose to bless humanity,
which was made known in His post-fall
redemptive promise to crush the head of the
the serpent with the seed of the woman (Gen
3:15). God then began to implement this plan
of redemption, through the means of
covenants, in order to mercifully bring
humanity back into the fellowship of the the
divine life and glory that He originally
intended for us. The essence of the covenant
between God and man is "I will be your God,
and you will be My people"(Rev 21:3). The
progressive unfolding nature of the
covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and
David laid the covenantal groundwork for the
culmination of God's redemptive work in His
new covenant in Christ (Heb 8:6). These
successive covenants of Scripture form a
unity. The probationary covenant of life by
which man was to keep God's commandments
perfectly was ultimately and consummately
fulfilled by Christ, God in the flesh (Rom
5:12-21). That covenant of grace is where
God's elect are attributed Christ's
satisfaction by faith. Thus, the nation of
Israel shares a primary role in God's
self-revelation in redemptive history. It is
the revelation unfolding through the Old
Testament that provides the crucial
framework for understanding God's complete
self-revelation through Jesus Christ (Heb
11:39-40; 1 Peter 1:10-12; 1 Corinthians
10:11).
THE GOSPEL
We believe that the Gospel (good news)
of Jesus Christ is the central message
of the Christian faith. It is the wisdom
and power of God for those who are being
saved, and apart from the regenerating
work of the Holy Spirit, it is seen as
foolishness to a spiritually dead world.
The good new about Jesus Christ is also
interchangeably used with the phrase,
the Gospel of the Kingdom because it is
a message about a king and His kingdom,
of which believers enter through new
birth. The Gospel is first, the Biblical
message of how Jesus Christ entered
history in order to offer up himself as
an acceptable sacrifice on behalf of and
in order to redeem the children of
Abraham. His substitutionary work
consists of His life of perfect
obedience to the Law of Moses, His
sin-bearing and wrath absorbing work on
the cross, His resurrection to new life,
and ascension to the throne of God to
reign as our Savior King. Secondly, our
Lord’s substitutionary work purchased
for all believers’ reconciliation to
God, forgiveness of sins, justification
and adoption as children, sanctification
and all many other blessings that come
along with eternal life. The third
aspect of the gospel is that it is a
free
offer
to all and is in now way based upon
ethnicity, sex, economic status,
intellectual capacity, or any other
classification. Fourthly, the gospel and
all its spiritual blessings is
applied personally into an
individual’s life, not on the basis of
any good works or character traits, but
on the basis of faith alone.
Finally, the gospel is radically God
centered in all of its fruits. There
is no sweetness or real joy in
forgiveness, justification or any other
blessing of the gospel apart from an
intimate communion with God Himself. God
is the prized possession and ultimate
blessing of this wonderful gospel.
(1 Corinthians 2:2; 1:18; Matthew 24:14;
John 3:5; Hebrews 2:14-16; Matthew 3:15;
Romans 3:25; Galatians 3:13-14; 1
Corinthians 15:50-57; Ephesians 2:6-7;
1:7; Romans 5:1; 8:15; 2 Thessalonians
2:13; John 7:37; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans
5:11; Psalm 63)
REGENERATION, REPENTANCE, FAITH
Those whom God effectually calls, he
also freely justifies: not by
infusing righteousness into them,
but by pardoning their sins, and by
accounting and accepting their
persons as righteous; not for any
thing wrought in them, or done by
them, but for Christ’s sake alone;
not by imputing faith itself, the
act of believing, or any other
evangelical obedience to them, as
their righteousness; but by imputing
the obedience and satisfaction of
Christ unto them, they
and resting
on him and his righteousness by
faith; which faith they have not of
themselves, it is the gift of God.
Repentance unto life is an
evangelical grace, the doctrine
whereof is to be preached by every
minister of the gospel, as well as
that of faith in Christ.
By it a sinner, out of the sight and
sense, not only of the danger, but
also of the filthiness and
odiousness of his sins, as contrary
to the holy nature and righteous law
of God, and upon the apprehension of
his mercy in Christ to such as are
penitent, so grieves for, and hates
his sins, as to turn from them all
unto God, purposing and endeavoring
to walk with him in all the ways of
his commandments.
Although
repentance be not to be rested in as
any satisfaction for sin, or any
cause of the pardon thereof, which
is the act of God’s free grace in
Christ; yet is it of such necessity
to all sinners, that none may expect
pardon without it.
The grace
of faith, whereby the elect are
enabled to believe to the saving of
their souls, is the work of the
Spirit of Christ in their hearts;
and is ordinarily wrought by the
ministry of the Word: by which also,
and by the administration of the
sacraments, and prayer, it is
increased and strengthened.
Our union with Christ has its roots
in divine election, its basis in the
redemptive work of Christ, and its
actual establishment with God's
people by the regeneration of the
Holy Spirit. All of God's elect will
be regenerated by the Holy Spirit
during their life, at a time of
God's choosing. This regeneration is
a spiritual resurrection given to
sinners who are spiritually dead. It
infallibly results in faith,
repentance and obedience. This
regeneration is accomplished by the
irresistible power of the Holy
Spirit (Jn.6:37,44; Eph.2:4-5;
Ps.110:3).
The gospel declares that repentance
and faith (commands of God) are
themselves God's working in us both
to will and to do (2 Tim 2:25, Eph
2:5, 8) and not something that the
sinner himself contributes towards
the price of His salvation.
Repentance and faith can only be
exercised by a soul after, and in
immediate consequence of, its
regeneration by the Holy Spirit (1
John 5:1; Acts
16:14b; Acts
13:48; John 10:24-26; Ezekiel
36:26-27; John 6:37; John 1:13; 1
Cor. 4:7; 1 Cor. 15:10; Jas. 1:17;
John 3:27). God regenerates, and we,
in the exercise of the new gracious
ability given, repent. God disarms
the opposition of the human heart,
subduing the hostility of the carnal
mind, and with irresistible power
(John 6:37), draws His chosen ones
to Christ. The gospel confesses "We
love him because He first loved us."
Whereas before we had no desire for
God, God's regenerating grace gives
us desire, willingness and delight
in His person and commands. Faith
and works are the evidence of new
birth, not the cause of it.
THE
KINGDOM OF GOD
We believe
that those who have been saved by
the grace of God through union with
Christ by faith and through
regeneration by the Holy Spirit
enter the kingdom of God and delight
in the blessings of the new
covenant: the forgiveness of sins,
the inward transformation that
awakens a desire to glorify, trust,
and obey God, and the prospect of
the glory yet to be revealed. Good
works constitute indispensable
evidence of saving grace. Living as
salt in a world that is decaying and
light in a world that is dark,
believers should neither withdraw
into seclusion from the world, nor
become indistinguishable from it:
rather, we are to do good to the
city, for all the glory and honor of
the nations is to be offered up to
the living God. Recognizing whose
created order this is, and because
we are citizens of God’s kingdom, we
are to love our neighbors as
ourselves, doing good to all,
especially to those who belong to
the household of God. The kingdom of
God, already present but not fully
realized, is the exercise of God’s
sovereignty in the world toward the
eventual redemption of all creation.
The kingdom of God is an invasive
power that plunders Satan’s dark
kingdom and regenerates and
renovates through repentance and
faith the lives of individuals
rescued from that kingdom. It
therefore inevitably establishes a
new community of human life together
under God. (Ephesians 2:8-10;
Hebrews 8:6; Matthew 5:13-16;
Galatians 6:10; Matthew 11:12;
25:31-34; Daniel 2:44; Revelation
12:1-12; Colossians 1:13-14;
Ephesians 2:14-22)
Practically speaking, the kingdom is
double-edged and is connected to two
frames of time. First, God through
Jesus Christ is currently
recovering man from a double
loss – relationship with God
and rulership under
God. It is being realized
presently, in personal ways by
the power of Holy Spirit in the
church. Currently, we define the
Kingdom as God’s rule of grace in
the world and involves the ministry
of blessedness.
Secondly, the kingdom will be
realized finally in
comprehensive ways at the return of
Jesus Christ where His triumph is
fully manifested.
CHRIST’S CHURCH AND HER
ORDINANCES
The catholic or universal Church,
which is invisible, consists of the
whole number of the elect, that have
been, are, or shall be gathered into
one, under Christ the head thereof;
and is the spouse, the body, the
fullness of Him that filleth all in
all.
The visible Church, which is also
catholic or universal under the
gospel (not confined to one nation
as before under the law), consists
of all those throughout the world
that profess the true religion,
together with their children; and is
the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus
Christ; the house and family of God,
through which men are ordinarily
saved and union with which is
essential to their best growth and
service.
Unto this
catholic and visible Church, Christ
hath given the ministry, oracles,
and ordinances of God, for the
gathering and perfecting of the
saints, in this life, to the end of
the world; and doth by his own
presence and Spirit, according to
his promise, make them effectual
thereunto.
We believe in the one universal
Church, composed of all those, in
every time and place, who are chosen
in Christ and united to Him through
faith by the Spirit in one Body,
with Christ Himself as the
all-supplying, all-sustaining,
all-supreme, and all-authoritative
Head. We believe that the ultimate
purpose of the Church is to glorify
God in the everlasting and
ever-increasing gladness of worship.
We believe it is God’s will that the
universal Church find expression in
local churches in which believers
agree together to hear the Word of
God proclaimed, to engage in
corporate worship, to
practice the ordinances of baptism
and the Lord’s Supper, to build each
other’s faith through the manifold
ministries of love, to hold each
other accountable in the obedience
of faith through Biblical
discipline, and to engage in local
and world evangelization. The Church
is a body in which each member
should find a suitable ministry for
His gifts; it is the household of
God in which the Spirit dwells; it
is the pillar and bulwark of God’s
truth in a truth-denying world; and
it is a city set on a hill so that
men may see the light of its good
deeds – especially to the poor – and
give glory to the Father in heaven.
We believe that baptism is an
ordinance of the Lord by which those
who have repented and come to faith
express their union with
Christ in His death and
resurrection, by being immersed in
water in the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is a
sign of belonging to the new people
of God, the true Israel, and an
emblem of burial and cleansing,
signifying death to the old life of
unbelief, and purification from the
pollution of sin.
We believe
that the Lord’s Supper is an
ordinance of the Lord in which
gathered believers
eat bread, signifying Christ’s body
given for His people, and drink the
cup of the Lord, signifying the New
Covenant in Christ’s blood. We do
this in remembrance of the Lord, and
thus proclaim His death until He
comes. Those who eat and drink in a
worthy manner partake of Christ’s
body and blood, not physically, but
spiritually, in that, by faith, they
are nourished with the benefits He
obtained through His death, and thus
grow in grace.
We believe
that each local church should
recognize and affirm the divine
calling of spiritually qualified men
to give leadership to the church
through the role of pastor-elder in
the ministry of the Word and prayer.
Women are not to fill the role of
pastor-elder in the local church,
but are encouraged to use their
gifts in appropriate roles that
edify the body of Christ and spread
the gospel (Ephesians 4:11-12; 1
Timothy 5:17; Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5;
Acts 6:4; 1 Timothy 2:12).
CHRIST’S COMMISSION TO MAKE
DISCIPLES
We believe that the commission given
by the Lord Jesus to make disciples
of all nations is binding on His
Church to the end of the age. This
task is to proclaim the Gospel to
every tribe and tongue and people
and nation, baptizing them, teaching
them the words and ways of the Lord,
and gathering them into churches
able to fulfill their Christian
calling among their own people. The
ultimate aim of world missions is
that God would create, by His Word,
worshippers who glorify His name
through glad-hearted faith and
obedience. Missions exists because
worship doesn’t. When the time of
ingathering is over,
and the
countless
millions
of the redeemed fall on their
faces before the throne of God,
missions will be no more. It is
a temporary necessity. But
worship abides forever. Worship,
therefore, is the fuel and the
goal of missions. (Matthew
28:18-20; Revelation 5:9; Romans
1:5; John 4:23; Romans 15:8-11)
SANCTIFICATION
They
who are effectually called and
regenerated, having a new heart
and a new spirit created in
them, are further sanctified,
really and personally, through
the virtue of Christ’s death and
resurrection, by his Word and
Spirit dwelling in them; the
dominion of the whole body of
sin is destroyed, and the
several lusts thereof are more
and more weakened and mortified,
and they more and more quickened
and strengthened, in all saving
graces, to the practice of true
holiness, without which no man
shall see the Lord.
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. Though indwelling sin
remains a reality, 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. All
believers are exhorted to
persevere in the faith knowing
they will have to give an
account to God for their every
thought, word and deed. The
spiritual disciplines,
especially Bible study, prayer,
worship and confession, are a
vital means of grace in this
regard. Nevertheless, the
believer's ultimate confidence
to persevere is based in the
sure promise of God to preserve
His people until the end, which
is most certain. (2
Thessalonians 2:13; Galatians
5:22; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians
3:18; Romans 7:18-20;Romans 8:4;
Matthew 5:16; 2 Corinthians
5:10; 1 Timothy 4:7-8; Phil.
1:6)
LIVING BY GOD’S
WORD BY MEDITATION
AND PRAYER
We believe that faith is
awakened and sustained by God’s
Spirit through His Word and
prayer.
The good fight of faith is
fought mainly by meditating on
the Scripture and
praying
that God would apply them to our
souls. (Acts 16:14;
Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 10:17;
Ephesians 1:18-19; 2
Thessalonians 3:1; 2
Thessalonians 1:11; Eph 6:17-18;
Heb. 4:12; Psalm 1:1-3; 119:18,
36; Ps. 86:11)
Therefore, reading,
understanding pondering,
memorizing and savoring
the promises of all that
God will be for us in Jesus are
primary means of the Holy Spirit
to break the power of sin’s
deceitful promises in our lives.
Therefore it is needful that we
give ourselves to such
meditation day and night(1 Peter
1:3-4; Hebrews 10:34; 11:24-26;
13:13-14; Ephesians 3:4; 5:17; 2
Tim. 5:17; Ps. 119:11; 37:4;
34:8; Ps. 1:2)
We believe that God has ordained
to bless and use
His people for His glory through
the means of prayer, offered in
Jesus name by faith.
All prayer should seek
ultimately that God’s name be
hallowed, and that His kingdom
come, and that His will be done
on earth as it is done in
heaven. God’s
sovereignty over all things is
not a hindrance to prayer, but a
reason for hope that our prayers
will succeed.
(Philippians 4:6-7; Matthew
7:7-11; Ephesians 6:19; Matthew
9:38; John 14:13; James 1:5-8;
Matthew 6:9-10; Ezekiel
36:37-38)
We believe
that prayer is the indispensable
handmaid of meditation, as we
cry out to God for the
inclination to turn from the
world to the Word,
and for the spiritual ability to
see the glory of God in His
testimonies, and for
a soul-satisfying sight of the
love of God, and for
strength in the inner man to do
the will of God. By prayer God
sanctifies His people, sends
gospel laborers into the world,
and causes the Word of God
to spread and triumph over Satan
and unbelief.(Psalm 119:36;
Psalm 119:18; Ephesians 1:18;
Psalm 90:14; Ephesians 3:14-16;
Colossians 1:9-11; 1
Thessalonians 3:12-13; Matthew
9:38; 2 Thess. 3:1)
PERSEVERANCE
Although hypocrites, and other
unregenerate men, may vainly
deceive themselves with false
hopes and carnal presumptions:
of being in the favor of God and
estate of salvation; which hope
of theirs shall perish: yet such
as truly believe in the Lord
Jesus, and love him in
sincerity, endeavoring to walk
in all good conscience before
him, may in this life be
certainly assured that they are
in a state of grace, and may
rejoice in the hope of the glory
of God: which hope shall never
make them ashamed.
We teach
that all those who believe are
justified and are sealed with
the Holy Spirit of promise unto
the ultimate day of redemption.
Therefore, if a person has been
effectually called and drawn to
Christ, he will never lose that
salvation since it was based
wholly on the finished work of
Christ and God's election, not
on the strength of the believers
commitment or obedience.
(Jn.10:27-30; Rom.8:28-30). The
person whose affections and
dispositions have been changed
by the Holy Spirit in
regeneration will not reject
eternal life once they are saved
because they do not want to
reject eternal life. God causes
His people to continue wanting
to believe in Him once we are
saved (Jeremiah 32:40; Ezekiel
36:27). This is not based on how
perfect we are, but solely on
the promise and finished work of
Christ (John 3:16; John 10:29).
THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS
We believe
in the personal, glorious, and
bodily return of our Lord Jesus
Christ with his holy angels,
when he will exercise his role
as final Judge, and his kingdom
will be consummated. We believe
in the bodily resurrection of
both the just and the unjust—the
unjust to judgment and eternal
conscious punishment in hell, as
our Lord himself taught, and the
just to eternal blessedness in
the presence of him who sits on
the throne and of the Lamb, in
the new heaven and the new
earth, the home of
righteousness. On that day the
church will be presented
faultless before God by the
obedience, suffering and triumph
of Christ, all sin purged and
its wretched effects forever
banished. God will be all in all
and his people will be
enthralled by the immediacy of
his ineffable holiness, and
everything will be to the praise
of his glorious grace.
(Philippians 3:20; Acts 1:11; 1
Thessalonians 4:15-17;
Revelation 19:11-16; 1
Corinthians 15:23-28; 2
Thessalonians 1:6-10; Matthew
13:49-50; 1 Corinthians
15:50-54; Revelation 21:5; 2
Peter 3:10-13; Ephesians 5:27;
Revelation 22:1-5)
Adapted – Dr. Walter Martin http://www.waltermartin.com/index.html
Adapted - Statement of Faith, The Village Church
The Bethlehem Baptist Church Elder Affirmation of Faith
The Bethlehem Baptist Church Elder Affirmation of Faith
Confessional Statement - The Gospel Coalition
 
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