On This We Stand

On This We Stand

We do not believe any man-made creed, statement, or tradition has any intrinsic authority. Only the Bible, and the Bible alone, is our foundation in all matters regarding faith and religion. However, for the benefit of the reader, we have listed below several doctrines we hold are taught in God’s Word. Since the following convictions are based on our understanding of God’s Word, we affirm these beliefs without apology.

God1

God is one. He is Spirit, self-existent, eternal, infinite, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and unchangeable. He is infinitely good, holy, just, wise, true, and loving. There is nothing God cannot do if it is not contradictory to His nature. Therefore, God is sovereign to the utmost degree.

The Trinity2

Though God is one (in essence), He is three in person. He is Father, Son, and Spirit. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father, and the Spirit is neither the Son nor the Father. By the word “person” we mean a distinct center of consciousness. Though equally God, both the Son and the Spirit choose to be functionally subordinate to the Father.

Jesus Christ3

Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, having both natures inseparably connected without defilement or contamination. Both His divine nature and His human nature fully retain its own attributes perfectly. Jesus was born to the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, was crucified by sinful men, died, was buried, rose from the dead on the third day, and ascended to heaven. He is presently seated at the right hand of God⎯mediating between God and man⎯and will be the Judge of all of mankind.

The Holy Spirit4

The Spirit is God. He has always been at work in the world, sharing in the creation of the world, imparting faith to honest hearts, empowering the preaching of prophets and the inspired writers of Scripture. Though He indwells Christians today (in much the same manner as the Father and the Son), He does not give men miraculous abilities like He once did, nor does He operate independently of the Word of God to bring about conversion or conviction.

The Bible5

Scripture, in its entirety, is the infallible, inerrant Word of God. The Bible is the product of the verbal, plenary revelation of God, and thus carries the full weight of God’s authority. The Bible is God’s final and only revelation for mankind today. Those who want to know God’s Will for their lives must consult Scripture, as it is the only means by which God communicates with man today. While both the Old and New Testament are inspired by God, today the New Testament of Jesus contains our authority and pattern of faith.

Creation6

In His sovereign power, God spoke the universe into existence in six days. By His providential power He continues to hold the cosmos together. The creation account in Genesis is the record of the origin of all that we see today. Creation is an apologetic tool as the design seen in creation testifies to God as the designer of our world. Creation offers a glimpse into the power that God wields, demonstrating His unique ability to create something from nothing.

Man7

God created human beings in His image. Men and women are equally made in His image and thus have equal access to God. We are the crown of God’s creation and God evidenced His love for us by sending His Son to die for our sins. God saw fit to make human beings as free moral agents. This means that man can live his life to honor and glorify God, or to rebel and disobey. God desires all men to enter into a saving relationship with Him but He will not violate our free-will by coercing us into obedience. A loving relationship cannot be forced; it must be reciprocated.

Sin8

Sin is a necessary consequence of God endowing man with free will. To sin, fundamentally, is to offend God. Each individual is responsible for his or her own sins; we do not inherit sin from Adam or anyone else. We will stand before the throne of Christ and be judged by God for the sins that we have committed and the lives we have lived.

Marriage9

God intended for marriage to be a permanent arrangement between a man and a woman for as long as they both live. Marriage is sacred in God’s eyes and is meant to resemble the precious relationship that Jesus has with His church. When each spouse is fulfilling his or her God-given role in marriage, it is a blessing from God and a foretaste of heaven. Jesus taught that divorce can only legitimately occur in the case of adultery, where the innocent spouse is permitted by God to put away his or her guilty spouse and remarry.

Worship10

The only way to worship God in a way that pleases Him is to worship in spirit and in truth. When engaging in worship we must do things with God and his exaltation in mind. Worship in truth means to worship God according to the directives we find in His word (the New Testament). As with every area of the Christian life, worship must be offered in a way that God authorizes. Worship that is unauthorized by God is unacceptable to Him.

The Church11

The church is God’s saving institution for all humanity today. God had the church in mind before the creation of the world, as He knew what it would take to save man once man rebelled against Him. During His earthly ministry, Jesus promised to build His church, and those who obeyed the gospel in the first century became members of His church. The church as described in the New Testament is pre-denominational; that is, there were no denominations in existence. Jesus hates religious division. There is one church or one body that belongs to God. We believe that denominationalism dishonors God and disrespects Jesus’ prayer for unity. The church is described in singular terms throughout the Bible, and though there are thousands of differing religious bodies today, God still has only one church. Our task today is to identify that church, being separate from the other religious groups. The church is made up of those who have obeyed the gospel and those who submit to His will as outlined in the New Testament.

Salvation12

If man is to be saved from sin, he can only be saved by God’s grace. But God will not save us against our will. Every accountable human being has chosen sin, and God has now invited every accountable human being to choose salvation. Therefore, the fact that salvation is even an option for us is grace. Grace is the basis of our salvation, obedient faith is the means by which we accept salvation, and baptism is the occasion at which we realize salvation. There is only one baptism applicable today, and it involves immersion in water for the forgiveness of sin and entrance to the kingdom.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 136:1; Isaiah 43:10-11, 46:9; Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18
  2. Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 2 Corinthians 13:14
  3. John 1:1-3,14, 5:22-29, 12:48; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Colossians 2:9; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:1-3
  4. Genesis 1:2; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 13:8-13;2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 3:3-6; Hebrews 9:14; 2 Peter 1:20-21
  5. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Jude 1:3; Hebrews 8:13, 9:15-18
  6. Genesis 1:1-31; Psalm 19:1-4; Acts 17:24-26; Hebrews 3:4
  7. Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7; Psalm 8:4-6, Ecclesiastes 7:29; Ezekiel 18:20-21; Romans 14:12; 1 Timothy 2:4
  8. 1 John 5:17; James 4:17; Hebrews 10:26; Matthew 7:21-23; 1 John 3:4; Romans 4:8
  9. Genesis 2:18-24, Matthew 5:31-32, 19:4-9; Romans 7:2-3
  10. John 4:23-24; Acts 2:42, 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-27; Colossians 3:16-17; Ephesians 5:19; 2 Timothy 4:2
  11. Matthew 16:18-19, John 17:20-21; Acts 2:47, 20:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:4,20-23, 4:4-6; Hebrews 5:8-9
  12. Ephesians 2:8-10; John 3:16; Acts 2:38; 2 Peter 3:9; 2 Timothy 2:25; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 3:21; Hebrews 5:9; James 2:26; Colossians 2:12