THE SCRIPTURE
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation as its purpose, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its content. It reveals the principles by which God judges us; and therefore is and will remain to the end of the world, the true
GOD
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. This eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
a. God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe. His creations and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His love and grace. He is all powerful, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become His children through faith in Jesus Christ.
b. God the Son
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and the necessities of human nature and identifying Himself completely with mankind, yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God where He is the one Mediator, partaking of the nature of God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemption mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
c. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God (and of Jesus Christ). He inspired men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination, He enables men to understand and to know the Truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He calls man to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the time a person trusts Christ as Savior and Lord, He receives (is filled, or is baptized with) the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12: 13) The Holy Spirit continues to dwell in the believer as he matures in his relationship with the Lord. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God in and through His Church. He seals the believer until the day of final redemption and is the assurance of God to bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship and equips them for evangelism and service.
MANKIND
Mankind was created by the special act of God in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. Mankind was endowed by His Creator with the freedom of choice, and by his choice, man rebelled against God and thereby brought sin and death into the human experience. Through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the command of God and fell from his innocence. Therefore all mankind inherits a nature and environment that is inclined toward, and devastated by sin. As soon as man is capable of moral decision, he begins to sin and thereby falls under the condemnation of God.
Only the grace of God is able to bring man back into fellowship with his Creator and into fulfillment of the creative purposes of God. The value of man is evident in that God originally created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for mankind. Therefore, every man and woman possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
SALVATION
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole
In its complete sense, salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.
Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance indicates a genuine turning from sin and toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire person to Him as sovereign Lord and Savior.
Justification (being “made right”) is God’s gracious and full acquittal, based upon His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Justification brings the believer into relationship of peace and intimacy with God.
Sanctification begins in regeneration. This means the believer is purified and set apart for God’s purposes and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in Him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the Christian life.
Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
GOD’S PURPOSE OF GRACE
Because salvation is God’s work and not man’s, all true believers endure to the end.
Those who has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from this state of Grace, but shall, by God’s continuous intervention, persevere to the end.
Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grief the Holy Spirit, bring upon themselves the farthest discipline, and humiliate the name of Christ yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
THE CHURCH
A church is a local group of baptized believers seeking to be the visible presence of Christ in their particular community. They are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing His two ordinances, committed to His teachings, biblically exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
The church is an autonomous body, operating under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and accepting the bible as its sole authority of faith and practice. In such a congregation members are equally responsible and have equal rights and privileges.
BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the two ordinances of the Church.
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is administered upon the authority of the Church. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believers’ faith in a crucified, buried and risen Savior, the believers’ death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in the newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of Church membership and to the Lord’s Supper. The
Lord’s Supper is a symbolic obedience and devotion whereby believers, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, remember and proclaim the death of the Redeemer (Jesus Christ) and anticipate His second coming.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The Kingdom of God includes both general sovereignty over the universe and in particular, His kingship over men who will fully acknowledge Him as King. The Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful child-like commitment to Jesus Christ.
Christians are to pray continually for the greater expansion of the Kingdom and that God’s will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.
LAST THINGS
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end.
According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly to the earth; the dead will be revealed, raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, to a place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their glorified bodies will receive their reward and will be with the Lord forever.
EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all people. When God places His Spirit within a new believer, the deep, abiding love that He has for others is also present therein. Therefore, missionary endeavor is a natural out-pouring of the regenerated life, and is expressly and repeatedly commended in the teachings of Christ. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal witness and by all other methods that are in harmony with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
EDUCATION
The Church itself is to be a community of learners. The first followers of Jesus were called “disciples” which means “students” or “learners”. Jesus told His followers to make disciples and to teach them all the things He had commanded them.
It is the responsibility of the church to provide systematic Christian education for all believers that will help them to grow in their knowledge of the Living Lord and will assist them in living exemplary Christian lives in the community. In addition, for a church to achieve its objective of reaching a world for Jesus Christ, it must continually provide training for recognized Christian leaders both independently and cooperatively.
STEWARDSHIP
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debt to the whole world, a sacred responsibility to spread the gospel and a binding stewardship in all areas of life. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means through tithes and offerings. This should be done cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally, for the advancement of the Redeemer’s cause on earth.