"Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because
you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." (James 3:1,
NIV)
It is our desire to have those presenting the Word of God to
be in agreement with the church's position on essential beliefs. The
following represents those beliefs.
About God: God is the Creator and Ruler of the
universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the
Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
(Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; 3:22; 1 Peter 1:2)
About the Father: He is all powerful, all knowing,
all loving, and all wise. He reigns with providential care over the
universe and the flow of human history goes according to His purposes
and plan. (Psalm 19:1-3; 1 Timothy 1:17)
About Jesus: Jesus Christ is the Son
of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus has eternally existed and
be-came man at His incarnation. He lived a sinless human life and
offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by
dying on the cross. He bodily arose from the dead after three days to
demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory
and will return someday to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of
Lords. (Romans 1:3,4)
About the Holy Spirit: He is the
third person of the Trinity. He guides men into all truth; exalts
Christ; convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment; cultivates
Christian character; comforts believers; bestows spiritual gifts by
which believers serve God; and seals the believer unto the day of final
redemption. His presence in the lives of believers is the assurance of
God to bring us into the fullness of the stature of Christ. (John
14:16-27; John 16:7-13)
About Scriptures: The Bible is God's
Word to us. It is written by human authors, under the supernatural
guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for
Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it has
salvation for its end and is truth without any mixture of error. (Psalm
19:7-10; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
About Human Beings: People are made
in the image of God and are the supreme object of God's creation. All
of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin.
Sin separates people from God and causes many problems in life.
(Ephesians 2:1-22)
About Salvation: Salvation is God's
free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our
sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting Jesus Christ as
God's offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. When
we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith, we are
saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into
his/her life by faith. (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5)
About Eternal Security: Because God
gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure
in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you
cannot "lose" your salvation. Salvation is maintained by the grace and
power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace
and keeping power of God that gives us this security. (John 10:29;
Ephesians 2:1-10; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
About Eternity: People were created
to exit forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by
sin or eternally with God through forgiveness salvation. To be
eternally separate from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him
is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
(John 3:16; Revelation 20:15)
About Baptism by Immersion: We
believe that scriptural baptism must be: (a) by being completely
immersed under the water, and (b) after salvation. Jesus was immersed,
and all baptisms in the New Testament were by immersion. These two
facts set the standard for baptism today. Baptism has no saving power
but is the first act of obedience symbolizing (a) the believer's faith
in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; (b) the believer's
death of sin and resurrection to walk a new in Christ; and (c) the
Christians belief that he will die, be buried, and that Jesus will
resurrect him from the dead. (Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 28:18-20)
About the Lord's Supper: The Lord's
Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby believers remember the
death of the Lord Jesus and anticipate His second coming. The bread is
symbolic of His body and the juice represents His blood. (1 Corinthians
11:23-29)
About Tithing: We believe in giving
of the tithe–ten percent of our gross income–as the biblical standard
of giving. The tithe is to be given as an undesignated offering to the
"storehouse" ministry of the local church. According to Scriptures, we
are to give cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and
liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause. (Malachi 3:8-12;
2 Corinthians 9:6-11)
About Evangelism: It is the duty of
every born-again follower of Jesus Christ and of every church to
endeavor to make disciples of all men everywhere. It is the command of
Christ for every believer to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ
by personal effort and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of
Jesus Christ. (Matthew 9:37, 38; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:13-15)
About the Church: A New Testament
church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers
who are associated by their common faith and fellowship with Jesus. A
local church is to observe to ordinances: (1) baptism, and (2) the
Lord's Supper. The church should exercise their God-given gifts and
extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. The church is an autonomous
body serving under the Lordship of Christ. All members are equally
responsible as they serve with the scriptural officers of the church,
the pastors, and deacons. (Acts 2:41, 42; Acts 15:1-30)
About Christian Unity: To live in harmony with other believers
is clearly the teaching of the New Testament. It is the responsibility
of each believer to endeavor to live in fellowship with
each member of the congregation. It is further the responsibility of
each member to bring all gossiping and backbiting
to an end. (Ephesians 4:3-6)
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