Saturday, April 2, 2011

Statement of Faith

I 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.

There is but one true God in all existence, in all places, and in all time, who is the Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons. God is a Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ is presently 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.

Jesus will return bodily to this world to fulfill His ministry and calling as God and Lord.

The Holy Spirit, like the Father and the Son, has a will, can grieve, love, hate, and is worthy of all worship and honor.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and to convict men, regenerate the sinner, indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service.

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.

The shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only grounds for justification and salvation for all people. This justification and salvation is obtained by grace through faith alone for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ, by faith, are born of the Holy Spirit and, thus become children of God.

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 or necessary for salvation.

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.

There will be a 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 which will not end.

The Lord and God possess an exhaustive foreknowledge of all things potential as well as actual and that there is nothing God does not know.