Doctrinal Statement
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The Bible, the Word of GodThe Bible, in its 66 canonical books in their original languages, is a divine revelation. It is the inspired, infallible Word of God PSALMS 119:89, PROV. 30:5-6, JOHN 10:35, 2TIM. 3:16, 2PET. 1:20-21. The Triune GodThere is one Triune God existing in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity is equal in essence and authority and each possesses all the same attributes and perfection DEUT. 6:4, 2COR. 13:14. The Depravity of ManMan is created in the image of God. Through Adam's original sin, the entire human race is born spiritually dead. At birth, every person receives a sin nature. The sin nature alienates mankind from God. Man is not qualified to redeem himself or restore his fallen condition GEN. 11:26-27, ROM. 3:22-23, ROM. 3:5-12, EPH. 2:12. The Person & Work of ChristThe Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man while maintaining His essential Deity. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary to reveal God, redeem man, and resolve the invisible struggle among the angels by the total defeat of Satan. We believe that Jesus Christ fully accomplished our redemption through His substitutionary sacrificial death on the Cross. The Father accepted totally the pouring out of His soul unto death ISA. 53:9-12 as the propitiation of sins. The Father's acceptance of His death is dramatized and realized by His literal physical resurrection from the dead LUKE 1:35, JOHN 1:1, ROM. 3:24-26, ROM. 4:24-25, 1COR. 15:1-4, 2COR. 5:21, HEB. 9:22, HEB. 13:20-21, 1PET. 1:3-5, 1PET. 1:18-20, 1PET. 2:24, 1PET. 3:18. We further believe that even now, the Lord Jesus Christ is in heaven having been supremely exalted by God the Father. He sits at the right hand of God where He fulfills the ministry of Great High Priest, intercessor, and advocate for believers. Jesus Christ is the irrefutably acknowledged Head of the Church, which is His body. He will return to crush all the enemies of God ROM. 8:34, EPH. 1:19-23, HEB. 7:25-27, 1JOHN 1:1-2. The Person & Work of the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is a person, and not merely a force. He convicts the world of the sin of unbelief, restrains evil from its ultimate manifestation, glorifies Christ and guides believers into all truth JOHN 16:7-14. We believe that at the point of personal faith in Christ the Spirit baptizes each individual into interminable union with Christ. He permanently indwells, seals, and regenerates each believer. It is the duty of each believer to walk by means of the Spirit and neither quench nor grieve Him ROM. 8:9, 1COR. 12:12-13, GAL. 3:26-29, GAL. 5:16, EPH. 1:12-14, EPH. 4:30, EPH. 5:18, TITUS 3:5-6. SalvationEternal salvation is the gift of God received upon the sinner's non-meritorious faith in Jesus Christ. Christ's accomplished redemption on the cross provided man's reconciliation to God. JOHN 3:15-16, JOHN 5:24, JOHN 6:40, JOHN 6:47 JOHN 20:31, ACTS 16:31, ROM. 3:24-25, ROM. 5:11, ROM. 5:16, 2COR. 5:18-21, EPH. 2:8-9. The Eternal Security of the BelieverAll believers are secure forever. All believers have the right to personal assurance of their eternal security JOHN 10:27-30, ROM. 8:1, ROM. 8:38-39, 1COR. 1:4-8, 1THESS. 5:23-24, HEB. 10:14. The ChurchThe church, which is Christ's body, is made up of all born-again persons of this present age. The Church is a spiritual organism, and all believers are in union with Christ, irrespective of secondary affiliation with Christian denominations or organizations 1COR. 12:12-14, EPH. 1:22. SatanThe Bible acknowledges the personal identity of Satan who is the openly declared adversary of God and man JOB. 1:6-7, ISA. 14:12-17, 1PET. 5:8. Satan is also the ruler of this present world EPH. 2:2, 2COR. 4:4, JOHN 12:31, JOH 14:30, JOHN 16:11. DispensationsA dispensation is a period of human history explained in terms of divine revelation. History is defined as a series of administrations or eras. Each dispensation reflects the unfolding of God's plan for mankind and constitutes divine viewpoint of history. Understanding dispensations is a means by which believers during a specific time can orient to God's will, plan, and purpose for their lives EPH. 1:7-11, EPH. 3:16, ROM. 16:25-26, COL. 1:26, JOHN 1:16-17. The Blessed HopeWe believe that the next great event in the fulfillment of prophecy will be the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the air. He will receive to Himself believers who have died and believers who are alive at His coming. Also known as the "Rapture" or "Translation of the Church" 1COR. 15:51-57, 1THESS. 4:13-18, TITUS 2:11-14. The TribulationThe rapture of the Church will be followed by the fulfillment of Israel's seventieth week. The latter half of this seven-year period is the time of Jacob's trouble, the Great Tribulation JERE. 30:7, DAN. 9:27, MAT 24:15-21, REV. 6:17. The Second Coming of ChristThe Great Tribulation will be climaxed by the (pre-millennial) return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth to set up His kingdom ZEC. 14:4-11, MATT. 24:15-25, 2THESS. 1:7-10, REV. 20:6. The Eternal StateThe soul and the human spirit of those who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation immediately pass into His presence at the moment of physical death. The soul and the human spirit remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming. At this time, soul, human spirit and body reunite, and shall forever be associated with His glory. The souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the final judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the millennium. At this time, the soul and body reunited shall be cast into the eternal Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to be salted with everlasting destruction and banished from the presence of the Lord forever (LUKE 16:19-26, LUKE 23:43, 2COR. 5:8, PHI. 1:23, 2THESS. 1:7-9, JUDE 1:6-7, REV 20:11-15. The Responsibility of the BelieverOnce born again, the believer is to desire the sincere milk of the Word. Continually nourished by it, he may grow spiritually in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is God's desire that first every man be saved, and secondly that every believer in Christ come to intimately know Him through the inculcation of the Word of God 1TIM. 2:4. The effectual work of God's Word brings the believer into adjustment with God's purpose, plan, and will. The internal execution of God's Word brings glory to the Lord ROM. 12:1-2, 2COR. 13:9, 1TIM. 4:6, 1PET. 2:2, 2PET. 3:18. Church OrdinanceThe Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Lord's Supper to be observed until His return 1COR. 11:23-36. SovereigntyGod, existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is sovereign. He exercises supreme and absolute rule over all creation as a part of, and consistent with, the essence and attributes of deity 1CHRON. 29:11-12, DAN. 4:35, PSA. 24:1, EPH. 1:11, 1TIM. 6:15. However, God in His sovereignty will not violate the free will of man. The free will of man and the sovereignty of God coexist by divine decree 1TIM. 2:4-6, ROM. 5:8-10, ROM 5:32-33, ROM. 16:24-25, JOHN 3:16, JOHN 3:36. SpiritualityThough salvation is the result of one decision to believe, spirituality is the result of continuous decisions to depend upon the Holy Spirit and to be filled with the Spirit. The believer is mandated not to quench nor to grieve the Spirit by personal sin and by rejection of His grace and power. In addition, the believer is to walk by means of the Spirit and be filled with the Spirit, and the Christian life can only be fulfilled by the power of the Spirit GAL. 5:16, EPH. 4:30, EPH. 5:18, 1THESS. 5:19. The believer's intimacy with the Holy Spirit, also known as fellowship, is suspended once he commits personal sins. This intimacy is restored when he names and cites his sin(s) to God 1JOHN 1:9. Spiritual GiftsGod the Holy Spirit, in grace and apart from human merits, administers a spiritual gift to believers in this dispensation. Permanent spiritual gifts in existence today include pastor/teachers, evangelists, administrators, and others. The temporary spiritual gifts ceased with the completion of the canon of scripture. These temporary gifts were apostleship, prophecy, speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues, healing, and working of miracles 1COR. 12:13, EPH. 4:7-12, ROM. 12:4-8. Though spiritual gifts of miracles and healing have ceased, God may, and does, heal and miraculously intervene by His direct action ISA. 46:10, MATT. 28:18. |
The Scroll of Church History
How to get to Heaven
If you haven't already read the Christianity section, we encourage you to do so now.
Doing good things
Being "religious"
Judaism
Islam
Buddhism
Hinduism
Scientology
Humanism
Mormonism
Jehovah's Witnesses
Christian Science
Doing good things
Many people think that by doing good things--especially doing more good things than bad things--pleases God and will result in heaven. It's common for some to compare themselves to other people, particularly the Adolf Hitlers and Charles Mansons of the world, and conclude that they themselves aren't so bad.
There's no question that doing such things as giving money to the poor, volunteering at hospitals and nursing homes, and teaching the illiterate to read are good things. They are very good things.
But in terms of earning a place in heaven, they are useless activities. From God's perspective, the sin of humans is offensive and must be dealt with. Justice must prevail, even against those who do so many good things and help others in need. In terms of heaven, only one thing matters to God: faith in His son Jesus Christ, who received the punishment that all sinful humans justly deserve.
For more information on how to get to heaven, go toChristianity.
Being "religious"
The world is full of people who believe they are going to heaven by being "religious" and doing "religious" things such as going to church, saying certain prayers, fasting or hanging a crucifix on the wall at home.
One of the most common themes in the Bible, however, is how useless human efforts are. We are only saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone.
Forgiveness of sin and the promise of heaven are free gifts that cannot be earned, no matter how hard we try. God is not impressed with "religious" activity if it is not accompanied by love that comes from the heart in the form of saving faith. Peace with God comes from a broken and contrite heart over sin, not from legalistic and external activity.
For more information on how to get to heaven, go toChristianity.
Judaism
Judaism and Christianity are often spoken of in the same breath. After all, the Christian's Old Testament is identical to the Jewish scriptures. There are critical differences between the two religions, however, primarily in the area of salvation.
Orthodox Judaism teaches that salvation is obtained by praying, repenting, and doing good things. Keeping the Law of Moses and adhering closely to the Jewish religion also is important. Reform Judaism teaches that salvation is earned by improving one's self and society. Personal salvation like that found in the Christian Bible is very different from their belief system. Conservative Judaism falls somewhere in between the Orthodox and Reform branches of Judaism.
Meanwhile, Christians acknowledge their helplessness as sinners before a holy and just God, and receive His forgiveness by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They understand that salvation cannot be earned or achieved by human effort, but that a right relationship with God only comes through recognizing Jesus as the messiah. The Hebrew Old Testament has numerous messianic prophecies, all of which were fulfilled by Jesus.
While the Jews were--and still are--God's special people, the Bible is clear that everyone, including Jews, must make peace with God through faith in His one and only son, Jesus Christ.
For more information on how to get to heaven, go toChristianity.
Islam
The Muslim's god is Allah from whom both good and evil emanate, and to them Jesus was a prophet, although not as great as Muhammad. Muslims are expected to believe in the Articles of Faith and observe the Pillars of Faith. Those who follow and obey Allah and the prophet Muhammad will eventually be rewarded by going to Paradise, a place of pleasure.
There are many differences between Islam and Christianity. Their teachings are in conflict. For the Christian, God is holy and cannot do anything sinful or evil. As for Jesus Christ, He was and still is God and faith in Him is the only way to heaven, not externally obeying a list of dos and don'ts. Unlike the muslim's view of life after death, the Christian's idea of heaven is eternity with a holy God, not a place where inhabitants enjoy the sinful pleasures they denied as human beings.
Because Islam is in the news so much due to terrorism, let's spend a little more time discussing this religion.
Do Muslims worship the same God as Christians?
In order to find the answer, let's begin by asking ourselves a few very important introductory questions.
Is Jesus God? If the answer is yes, then we need to ask, Is the Muslim God Jesus? If Jesus is not the God of the Islam religion, then are Muslims worshipping the same God that we, as Christians, are?
In a sense, everyone who believes that there is a God begins by believing in the one true God. Unfortunately, these initial concepts of God have grown into religious systems and beliefs that have inaccurate and inadequate concepts of who He really is, what He's like and what He expects from us. People in these religious systems, including Islam, either ignore or deny what God has universally revealed about Himself to mankind (i.e., creation/Romans 1:19-20, law in our hearts/Romans 2:12-15, and the prophets/Hebrews 1:1-2). Here is a classic passage that refers to one God but many "images" (in other words, idols or false gods).
Romans 1:18-25
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful eesires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.
Do Muslims and those in other religious systems believe that Jesus is God? Do they believe in the one true God as He has revealed Himself in creation, our hearts and the prophets? The answer is no.
One can certainly argue that we all started at the same place, with a belief that there is a God. But when we evaluate whether Islam and other non-Christian religions have an accurate understanding of who He really is and what He is really like, we must conclude that their concepts of God are dramatically different than the God that is described in the Christian Bible. Because of that, it is valid to argue that the "god" of Islam is not the same as the Christian's God. And why? Because Muslims have an inadequate and inaccurate concept of who God really is.
At the very least, we must conclude that Muslims are not worshipping in spirit and truth (John 4:24), because they don't really know God. And why don't they know God? Because they don't recognize Him for who He really is. In essence, they have created a false, man-made "god." Tragically, man-made "gods" cannot save their followers from sin and eternal condemnation.
For more information on how to get to heaven, go toChristianity.
Buddhism
For Buddhists, there is no creator or supreme being--the world evolved and operates by natural law. There is no such thing as sin, and humans are generally considered worthless and temporary. Many followers worship the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, as well as relics of him. The ultimate goal for Buddhists is Nirvana, a state of being where desire and suffering ceases.
During life here on earth Buddhists strive, among other things, to deny worldly pleasures, not harm anyone or anything, suppress evil tendencies, and meditate.
Christianity is in stark contrast to Buddhism. They cannot both be true. The Bible tells about a personal, all-powerful God who created and controls everyone and everything. The Bible also reveals the presence of sin in humans, and the fruitlessness of their trying to earn God's favor or forgiveness. Heaven is only available to those who acknowledge God and trust Jesus Christ for their souls and their destinies.
For more information on how to get to heaven, go toChristianity.
Hinduism
Hinduism is one of the oldest and most complex religions. The Hindu's supreme being is Brahman, who is generally impersonal and hard to define due to the many forms of Hinduism and changes in the religion over the years. Even though Hindus don't believe that humans sin against a holy God, they still believe in the need of salvation. The Hindu has three ways of salvation: the way of works, the way of knowledge, or the way of devotion.
The Christian Bible contradicts these and other important doctrines of the Hindu faith. The Bible describes a personal and loving God who reached out to his sinful creation--humans--in the form of Jesus Christ. This free gift of salvation and the promise of heaven is available to those through faith in Jesus, not through doing good things, human wisdom or worshiping other people or objects here on earth.
For more information on how to get to heaven, go toChristianity
.Scientology
Many professing Christians are familiar with Scientology: almost 70 percent of those involved in the religion come from a Christian background. But are Christianity and Scientology compatible?
Created in the 1950s, Scientology is a mixture of eastern religions, science fiction, psychology and science. The movement teaches that all humans are "thetans," which are described as immortal spirits. Humans, though, have forgotten they are thetans, which, when combined with other forms of life, comprise the Scientologists' supreme being. Scientology helps humans to realize their true identities and to achieve a higher state, that of "operating thetans."
Upon examination, Christianity and Scientology are quite different and not compatible. The latter denies some of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. Scientologists do not accept Biblical teaching about a single all-powerful holy God, and sinful humans in desperate need of forgiveness from their creator. Apart from a right relationship with God through faith in His son Jesus Christ, heaven is not attainable.
For more information on how to get to heaven, go toChristianity
.Humanism
In general, humanists believe that everything revolves around humans. That is, man is the ultimate standard by which all life is measured and judged. For the humanist, there is no place for God or the Bible.
Christianity, however, teaches that while humans are made in the image of God and are of great worth in His eyes, man is a created being and not comparable to his creator. For Christians, God is holy and perfect, yet humans are sinful and make mistakes. In contrast to humanism, the Bible says that God has always existed, yet man had to be born into the world. It also says that God is infinitely wise and all powerful, yet man is only wise and powerful when compared to other creatures on earth.
The Bible teaches that man's whole duty on earth is to obey God and give him glory. Glorifying God is perhaps no more evident than when a sinful human humbles himself and is saved through faith in God's one and only son, Jesus Christ.
In contrast, humanists seek to glorify themselves and the human race, thereby ignoring God's free gift of eternal life. In fact, for many humanists heaven is a totally foreign concept.
For more information on how to get to heaven, go toChristianity
.Mormonism
Many regard Mormons, also known as Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as Christians. After all, they use many of the same terms as Christians. In reality, Mormons consider their movement as the only true church and try to distance themselves from historic Christianity.
There are other differences between Christianity and Latter-Day Saints as well. To Mormons, while the Bible is a source of truth, it contains errors and its teachings about salvation are wrong. In contrast to clear Christian teaching of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, Mormons believe they can earn their own salvation and become gods themselves. Unlike Christianity, Latter-Day Saints also believe that God was once a man who progressed to become a God, and that Jesus--like all humans--pre-existed as a spirit. As for salvation, Mormonism teaches that eternal life is earned by obeying laws and ordinances and that all humans will eventually enjoy eternal life.
The Bible contradicts these and other doctrines of the Mormon church. The Bible's central teachings are clear: it is God's Word and without errors; there is one God but three persons, one of whom is Jesus; humans will never become gods; and heaven is a free gift which cannot be earned, available only to those who place their faith in the Jesus as taught in the Bible.
For more information on how to get to heaven, go toChristianity
.Jehovah's Witnesses
To many people, Jehovah's Witnesses appear to believe the same thing as Christians. In reality, their theology is quite different. For instance, while the Christian Bible says that Jesus was and always will be God, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that he was a created being.
Jehovah's Witnesses also deny other important Christian teachings such as Jesus' resurrection, the trinity, and salvation by grace through faith.
If these doctrinal differences were minor they could be overlooked, but the two's belief systems are in conflict. Both of them cannot be true at the same time. The Christian Bible is very clear on the importance of these differences. Eternal life and salvation are only available to those who place their faith in the sinless God-man of Scripture, the second member of the trinity, who was crucified, died and resurrected.
For more information on how to get to heaven, go toChristianity
. Christian Science
Despite its name, Christian Scientists are neither Christians nor scientists.
Christian Scientists' concept of God is pantheistic. That is, they believe that God and nature are one in the same. The Bible, however, says that God is the creator and not the creation. He is far above what He made.
As for Jesus Christ, Christian Scientists believe He was merely an idea of the Christ, or the messiah. In other words, in contrast to the Bible, Christian Scientists don't believe Jesus was God. They also deny the existence of sin.
The deity of Jesus Christ and the existence of sin are critical to the Christian faith as taught in the Bible. Only those who admit they are sinners before a holy God and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will enjoy His free gift of heaven.
For more information on how to get to heaven, go toChristianity
