Tenants of Faith

TENANTS OF FAITH

The Ministry accepts the Holy Scriptures as the revealed will of God and adopts these statements as the Fundamental Truths and Doctrine.  

1.  SCRIPTURES:

The Old and New Testaments in the Holy Bible, in their original languages, are the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God. In the Word, we find the revelation of God’s eternal and unchanging will for mankind in and of all ages. It is the divine and final authority for the Christian life. (1Thess. 2:23; 2Tim 3:15-17; Heb 4:12; 1Peter 1:23-25; 2Peter 1:21)  

  2.  THE GODHEAD:

 There is only one God, the Creator of all things, who is infinitely perfect and eternally existant in three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; the three are co-equal and co-eternal; they are omnicient and omnipresent. God is Light and God is Love. (Phil. 2:5-8; 1John 1:5; 1John 4:8-16)                      

• a)   The Father is the Source of the Word (Logos), and is the Begetter. (John 1:4; John 16:28) 
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• b)  Jesus Christ, The Son is the Word, flesh covered, the Begotten One who has existed with the Father from the beginning. He is true God and true Man, conceived of the Holy spirit, born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life though He was sorely tempted, and He die on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. He was buried and on the third day he arose bodily from the dead, Ascended into heaven and is presently seated at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest and Advocate. Christ is the express image of the invisible God and has completely fulfilled all righteousness and the Law. (Matt. 1:18-23; Matt. 28:19; John 1:1; John 1:8; Rom. 8:29; Eph 1:20; Col. 1:15; Heb 4:14-15; 1John 2:1.) 
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• c)  The Holy Spirit preceeds from both the Father and the Son. (John 15:26)  

3.  MAN:

 Man is a created being, made and created in the image and likeness of God. Man was created to have dominion over the Earth, to multiply and replenish it, and to have fellowship with God. In his original created state, man was good. (Gen. 1:26-31)  

4.  MAN’S FALL:

 Man fell by the voluntary transgression of Adam, and by this transgression and fall sin came into the world, resulting in spiritual death, and separation from God. “As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one” and again, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. (Gen. 3:1-24; Rom. 3:10,23; Rom.5:12-21).  

5. MAN’S SALVATION:

 Salvation is a gift of God to man. It is separated from works and the law and is made operative by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, producing works acceptable to God. (Eph. 2:8; James 2:18). 

• a)    Man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ. On the cross, Jesus Christ became sin and sickness, poverty and cursed, providing salvation, healing and prosperity for all mankind. Only through regeneration by the Holy spirit can salvation and spritual life be obtained. This process, called “Born Again” in the Word, takes place through grace through a combination of faith and confession. A person makes a decision to believe in the death and ressurrection of Jesus Christ, then confesses with his mouth the Lordship of Jesus Christ in his new life, and a miracle of regeneration by the Holy spirit takes place. A new Christian is born into the Kingdom of God – for him, old things are passed away, and all things are new. (Rom. 3:24; Rom. 10:8-13; 2Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:8; 1John 3:8). 
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• b)   The Inward evidence to the believer is the direct witness of the Holy Spirit, and the outward evidence to all men is a life of true holiness and love. (John 13:35; Rom. 8:16; 1John 3:23).  
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• c)    Salvation is by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not by human works. However, our works are evidence of our faith, and will determine our eternal rewards. (Acts 16:3; Rom 10:9-10; Rom 14:10-12; 2Cor. 5:10; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5-7;James 2:18). 
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• d)   Man’s first step toward salvation is godly sorrow that works repentance. The new birth is necessary to all men, and when fulfilled, produces eternal life. (John 3:3-5; 2Cor. 7:10; 1John 5:12).  

6.  WATER BAPTISM and THE LORD’S SUPPER: (COMMUNION)

Water Baptism and the Lord’s supper (communion) are ordinances to be observed by the church during the present age. They are not to be confused with or regarded as a means of salvation. The shed Blood of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection provide the only grounds for justification and salvation.

• a)   Water Baptism is a declaration to the world that a believer has die with Christ, and has been raised with Him to walk in newness of life. It is a symbol of the Christian identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. (Matt. 28:19; Acts 8:36-39; Acts 10:47-48; Rom. 6:3-6; Col. 2:12; 1Peter 3:21). 
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• b) The Lord’s Supper (Communion) is the eating of bread and the drinking of the cup. The bread and the cup are symbolic of Christ Body and Blood. They are taken as a rememberance of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. During the outward observance , the heart, through faith, may experience a deeper communion with God. (Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19-20; 1Cor. 11:23-34).  

7.    DIVINE HEALING:

Divine Healing is for the complete human condition including the physical ills of the human body, and is wrought by the Spirit of God, through the cross of Christ, the prayer of faith, and by the laying on of hands. It is provided for in the atonement purchased of Jesus Christ, and is the priviledge of every member of the Body of Christ (the Church) today. (Isa. 53:4-5; Matt. 8:17; Mark 16:18; James 5:14-15; 1Peter 2:24). 

8.  BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT:

 The present day ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict of Sin and Righteousness, and to comfort, empower, and guide the believer, with the final purpose of glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ in the Earth. (John 14:26; John 16:7-14).

• a)    All believers are entitled to, should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, according to the Command of Jesus Christ. (Acts1:4-5; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 19:1-6).
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• b)   With the Baptism of the Holy Spirit comes the endowment of power for life and service, the bestowment of gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. (Acts 1:8; 1Cor. 12:1-31). 
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• c)   The evidence and first initial physical sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. (Acts 2:4; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 19:1-6).   

9.  PRAYER and THE BODY OF CHRIST:

 Every born again, Spirit-filled believer, should maintain a consistent prayer life, in both praying with the understanding and praying in the Spirit. (1Cor. 14:15; Eph. 6:18; Jude vs 20). The Church is the Body of Christ, and each believer is an integral part of it. (1Cor. 12:12-31; Eph. 1:22; Eph. 2:19-22; Heb. 12:23). 

10. TOTAL PROSPERITY:

 Without faith it is impossible to please God. The Word tells us that the just (those who have been justified by the Blood of Jesus) shall live by faith. (Heb 11:6; Rom. 1:17). The redemptive work of Jesus not only provided for the salvation of man, but for healing and prosperity as well, for the whole man: spirit, soul and body. Our lives can be prosperous and healthy in every realm as we walk in the light of His redemption by faith in God’s Word. (Gal. 3:13-14; 3John 1:2)

The order of God’s working is as follows:

• a)  Spirit – John 3:3, 11; Rom. 10:9-10; 2Cor. 5:17-21.
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• b)  Soul  - Isa. 26:3; Rom. 12:2; 2Tim. 1:7.
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• c)  Physical – Isa.53:4-5; Matt. 8:17; 1Peter 2:24.
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• d)  Social – Prov. 3:4
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• e)  Financial – Duet. 28: 1-4; Mal. 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; 2Cor. 9:6-10. 

11. HELL and ETERNAL RETRIBUTION:

Though it is a man’s individual and personal choice, the one who physically dies in his sin, without Christ, is hopelessly and eternally separated from the Godhead, and shall be lost in the Lake of Fire, and therefore has no further opportunity of hearing the Gospel or repenting. The Lake of Fire is literal, and the Terms “eternal” and “everlasting” used in describing the duration of the punishment of the damned in the Lake of Fire, carry the same thought and meaning of endless existence as when used in denoting the duration of  joy and ecstacy of the saints in the presence of God. The Devil is without repentance, and is unable to do so. He is totally deceived and has no way to salvation. He is already judged, and so are all the rebellious angels with him, and is condemned  to eternity in the Lake of Fire. His final and eternal incarceration is to take place following the millenial reign of Christ, after the Devil’s short season. (Luke 16:19-31; John 16:11; Heb. 9:27; Rev. 19:20; Rev. 20:3, 10-15).  

12.       RESURRECTION OF THE JUST and THE RETURN OF OUR LORD:

The angels said, “This same Jesus shall so come again in like manner”. His coming is imminent. The pre-millenial second coming of Jesus Christ is two part in nature: He shall come in the air, “the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…”; He will then come to the earth with all His saints, to establish His physical kingdom and rule and reign for one thousand years on the earth. After the millenial reign, there will be a New Heaven and a New Earth. (Matt. 24;27; Acts 1:11; Rom. 11:25-27; 1Cor. 15:51-52; 1Thess. 4:16-17; 2Thess. 2:1; Rev. 19:11-16; Rev. 20:1-7; Rev. 21).  

13.    SANCTIFICATION:

 Repentance from dead works is a necessary foundation, for the Bible teaches that without holiness, no man can see the Lord. We believe in sanctification as a definite yet progressive work of grace, through faith toward God. It commences at the time of regeneration, and continues until the consummation of salvation. (1Cor. 1:30; 2Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:12-14; 1Thess. 5:23; Heb. 6:1; Heb. 12:14; 2Peter 3:18).