Source for Our Beliefs
1. The Bible, in its original documents, is the inspired Word of God, the written record of His supernatural revelation of Himself to man, absolute in its authority, complete in its revelation, final in its content, and without any errors in its contextual statements. II Timothy. 3:16; John 10:35; Psalm 8:3,4; Hebrews 6:18; II Peter 3:16.
God
2. There is one God, eternally existent, creator of the heaven and earth. He is manifested in three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; John 14:9; I Timothy. 3:16; I John 5:7; Genesis 1:2.
Mankind
3. All of the human race is fallen, sinful, and lacks eternal life. God has provided completely for the rescue of mankind from this condition. It is God’s will that all men be saved, but He has given mankind the free will to accept or reject his gracious provision for salvation. Romans 3:23; 6:23; I Timothy 2:4. Romans 6:23.
God’s Provision for the Salvation of Mankind
4. The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God (God the Son), who took on flesh and dwelt on earth. He was sinlessly perfect and voluntarily gave Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for every person by shedding His blood and dying on the cross. He was buried and then came back from the dead. This was to pay for all sin (past, present, and future) for everyone in the world. This is the heart of the gospel message. Such substitutionary payment becomes effective the moment one believes in Jesus Christ as his/her Savior. Acts 13:38-39; Romans 3:26; 4:23-25; I Corinthians 15:1-5; II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 2:9; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 10:10-14; Hebrews 9:12-28; I Peter 2:24; I John 2:2 and 3:5.
5. The Holy Spirit is active in convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. This is so that people will understand their lost condition, it’s consequences, and God’s provision for their salvation. John 16:8-11.
Eternal Life – Grace, Eternal Security, and Assurance
6. a. Man is saved by unmerited favor (Grace) through faith and nothing of man enters into his salvation; it is a free gift. Man’s efforts, regardless of how good or well intended, before or after salvation, have nothing to do with it. Salvation is accomplished by the finished work of Christ and nothing can be added to or taken away from it. John 5:24; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:22-26; Colossians 2:13; Titus 3:5.
b. Anyone who has believed in Jesus as Savior is a child of God. As such, he possesses eternal life from the first moment of belief, having been justified by God (declared not guilty), forgiven for all of his sins (past, present, and future), sanctified by God, baptized into the Universal Church by the Holy Spirit, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, and sealed with the Holy Spirit. His eternal life is safe and secure for all eternity (Eternal Security), and can never be lost or forfeited, even if his faith in Christ does not endure. John 5:24; 6:37-39; 10:28; Ephesians 1:13-14; II Timothy 2:13.
c. Any believer can be sure of eternal life based solely on God’s promise (Assurance). John 5:24; I John 5:13.
We reject any purported scriptural interpretation or other teaching that violates any of the following clear tenets of scripture:
- Eternal life is received by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone
- Eternal life can never be lost or forfeited
- Assurance of eternal life can only be based on God’s promise
Popular Teachings that Undermine the Gospel
7. Lordship Salvation (LS) is the unsupportable and unbiblical belief that the PERFORMANCE of good works, the PROMISE of good works, or the EVIDENCE of good works MUST accompany faith in Christ in order to establish, or provide evidence, that such faith has resulted in eternal life. We reject LS in all of its forms.
One of the common attributes of LS is a false concept of the meaning of repentance in the context of how a person receives eternal life.
Repent (metanoeo) means a change of mind. Repentance is absolutely essential in salvation and the word “repent” in the Greek means a change of mind. In the context of receiving eternal life, repentance means a change of mind — from any idea of religion that man may have, to an acceptance of God’s way of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. Repentance does not in any sense include a demand for a change of conduct or “turning from sin” to gain or keep eternal life, before or after salvation. To insist upon repentance that in any sense includes a demand for a change of conduct either toward God or man in order to receive, keep, or prove that one has received eternal life, is to create a false gospel that attempts to add an element of works to how one receives eternal life. Acts 20:21; Matthew 21:32.
Penance is payment for sin. Penitence is sorrow for sin. Works add something of self in turning from sin. But repent (metanoeo) means a change of mind. Nowhere does Scripture use the phrase “repent of sin” to be saved.
8. Calvinism, as defined below, undermines the integrity of the gospel. Each of the five tenets of Calvinism strikes at the core of the gospel message. The tenets of Calvinism are often remembered as an acronym “TULIP,” which represents Total Depravity (the false view that people are unable to believe without having been first gifted faith or regeneration); Unconditional Election (the false view that God chooses who will believe); Limited Atonement (the false view that Christ died only for the elect); Irresistible Grace (the false view that the elect are irresistibly drawn to faith in Christ); and Perseverance of the Saints (the false view that the elect persevere in some unquantified level of sinning less and doing good works). We reject each of the above tenets of Calvinism as a perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Christian Living, Testimony, and the Judgment Seat of Christ
9. A Christian has two births; one of the flesh, the other of the Spirit. The Spiritual Man does not commit any sin, but the flesh has not been reformed in any way. This results in a warfare between the Spirit and the flesh, which continues until physical death, or the return of the Lord. The flesh, which does not change in any way with the new birth, can be controlled and kept subdued by the new man as the believer is obedient to the Lord through His Word. Christians are exhorted to walk in the Spirit. John 3:3-7; Romans 7:15-25; Galatians 5:16-17; I John 3:9.
10. Christians are not under the Law but under grace: Saved by grace and disciplined by grace. Romans 6:14-15; Romans 11:6; II Corinthians 3:17.
11. Every Christian should be equipped to make clear God’s plan of salvation to others, perhaps including how they came to faith in Christ. Philippians 1:27; Colossians 4:5-6; I Thessalonians 2:4, . Please find below an excellent resource:
12. Each Christian will appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ. At that judgment, the work done by Christians during this lifetime will be evaluated as to what sort it is – of lasting value or not. Everyone who trusts Christ as Savior has eternal life that can never be lost or forfeited. Eternal reward, if any, is granted based on the extent to which a Christian serves God with the proper motive. I Corinthians 3:11-15; II Corinthians 5:10.
The Church (Body of Christ)
13. The Universal Church began with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and is composed of all believers in Christ during the Church Age. Everyone who comes to faith in Christ during this age is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Universal Church. Water baptism has no part in receiving, keeping, or proving that one has eternal life, but is a testimony to the world of one’s faith and identification with his Savior Jesus Christ. Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; 10:47; I Corinthians 6:19-20; 12:13; Ephesians 4:5; Acts 10:47.
14. The early church, under the leadership of the Apostles, was doctrinally sound. Conversely, many churches today are not doctrinally sound and actually undermine one or more of the essential tenets of eternal life received by grace through faith in Christ, eternal security, or the proper source of assurance. It is dangerous to participate in any such churches. While finding a good local church can be a blessing, that may not be a viable option. Meeting with small groups of other like-minded believers at homes, through media, or even online forums may be the best alternative.
15. Spiritual gifts such as prophecy, tongues (languages), and faith healings were manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s power solely for the demonstration of God’s wisdom, purpose and power in the establishment of the early church. We believe these gifts have ceased to exist, now that scripture is complete. 1 Corinthians 13:8.
God has the ability to heal any sickness, but we cannot determine whether He will choose to heal someone or allow their sickness to go unhealed. It is completely appropriate to pray for healing, but healing cannot be claimed through the guarantee of the atonement. God promises eternal life to anyone who believes in Jesus as Savior. But, our physical death is also assured, unless we are raptured while still living.
Final Things
16. We believe in the personal, pre-tribulation and pre-millennial return of our Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ. This return of Christ at the Rapture (taking away) for His Church (every believer in Jesus Christ) occurs just prior to the Tribulation Period on earth. I Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:9-11.
17. There will be a resurrection of the saved and the lost; of the saved unto eternal life, and of the lost unto eternal conscious punishment. The two resurrections are separated by at least 1,000 years. Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:5-15.
18. Satan is a person, the author of sin, and he and his angels shall be eternally punished. Ezekiel 28:15,17; Isaiah 14:12-15; Revelation 20:10.
Friend, if you are not sure of Heaven or Eternal Life, I urge you right now, just as you are; simply trust Jesus Christ for who He is – God, who came to earth, died on the cross for you – to pay for all your sins. He was buried, arose from the grave proving He is God.. and pleads with you to receive (believe on) Jesus Christ as your Savior. He paid the price for your eternity to be with Him in Heaven. Please trust Him alone as YOUR Savior..
Notes From A Retired Preacher 