What We Believe

What We Believe

The human phraseology employed in this statement is not inspired nor contended for, but the truth set forth is held to be essential to a full Gospel ministry. No claim is made that it contains all the truth in the Bible, only that it covers orthodox fundamental matters.

God

There is one, and only one, living and actual, true and existing God who is the infinite and eternal creator, preserver, maintainer, savior, redeemer, provider, king, lord, and ruler of the universe.  Every natural, material, spiritual, and heavenly thing is within His jurisdiction, realm, and control.  God is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, all wise, and beyond the full comprehension of any finite being.  God’s perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free will creations.  God is the definition, origin, soul, and provider of all goodness and truth and the essential and archetypal founder of humanity.  God is perfect, complete, integral, whole, and without flaw.  God’s resources are infinite without limit and God loves and desires to bless everything and everyone that He creates perfectly, completely, intimately, wholly, and without limit or exception.  As a result, all people are blessed who respond to God’s love with the highest love, dedication, cooperation, alignment, acceptance, reciprocation, peace, generosity, and joy.

The one and only infinite and eternal God – the self-existent and self-revealed “I AM” – has chosen to reveal Himself to the human race as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct characteristics and attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 42:8; 43:10, 11; Matthew 28:19; Mark 12:29-32; John 8:58; Romans 3:30; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 1:17; 2:5; Jude 1:25; Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13;

The Father

God infinite and eternal.  The soul, identity, and essence of God.  God’s perfect provision for, love for, and guidance of the universe, every living thing, and the stream of history according to the purposes of His Grace reveal His character and identity as the parental caregiver and wise counselor for all of life known and unknown.  God is truly the father of those who become His children through faith, but to every extent possible and to the degree to which He is received and accepted He provides for the entire human race with intention and purpose.

Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.

Jesus Christ

God incarnate.  The body, person, and personality of God.  Conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, the Son of God, the Word made flesh perfectly revealing the nature, personality, identity, and will of God.  Jesus Christ is God with us – intimately, immediately, intrinsically, and forever available, accessible, knowable, and relatable.  In Jesus, God took upon Himself a finite human nature with its demands and necessities, challenges and temptations, heredity and environment, and identified completely with the human race in every respect because He loved us so much that He would stop at nothing to reach us and to save us.  His life was a continual process of combat and victory over the enemy, hell, and the accuser culminating in His final battle on the cross for the redemption of all people for all time.  By submitting to death, He conquered death and arose the third day fully God and fully human, visibly and permanently opening the path to salvation for all who believe in and follow Him as their only God and Savior.  His work of redemption was once and forever accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection and is now available for the salvation of all people for all time who accept His grace and become members in His body by choosing a relationship with Him as their own identity, salvation as their ultimate purpose, and eternal life with Him as their final destiny.  Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and it is through Him that all have an approach, a connection, and a relationship with God.

Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.

The Holy Spirit

God’s Spirit.  The fully divine and universal specific influence, action, power, and presence of God.  From inspiring those who wrote the Scriptures, to opening the minds of people to understand truth, to convicting people of sin, righteousness, and judgment, the Spirit of God is His holy presence across all of space and time. Enlightening and empowering believers with skills and abilities, gifts and talents, strength and health, joy and peace, fulfillment and accomplishment, resources and opportunities the Holy Spirit is the living and active presence of God within all of creation.  To come into God’s presence is to be baptized, submersed in His Spirit, and born again by the creative power of His life overcoming the imperfections, mistakes, sins, dysfunctions, sicknesses, and errors of choices and flaws then freely left behind.  The Holy Spirit provides the opportunity for renewal, revelation, redemption, and regeneration through the general influence of grace and the opportunity for salvation, healing, and restoration through the specific introduction of people into the Body of Christ.  The Holy Spirit builds character, matures believers, and sustains, comforts, leads, strengthens, supports, heals, restores, enlightens, and inspires them to walk with integrity along the path of life both now and forever.

Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 53:4, 5; 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 8:16, 17; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; 16:18; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 5:14; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:4-8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44-46; 11:14-16; 13:2; 15:7-9,28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:1-31; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17.

The Human Race

God created people in His image, according to His likeness, following His blueprint, without blemish or flaw, free and autonomous, ready and capable of entering into loving and lasting relationships with each other and with Him.  God created people male and female as the crowning achievement of His creation and so the gift of gender is at the heart of the human identity and essential to the experience of the human race in relationship with God and each other.

By design people are capable of communicating, transferring, encouraging, and inspiring their traits, ideas, and character into others through language, the five senses, service, provision, genetic heredity, environmental influence, shared experience, and other connections and interactions whether spiritual or natural.  As a result of this freedom and interconnectedness, the human race exercised its ability to choose and caused a fall from its initial state of integrity to the more complex story of sin and grace leading to life, liberty, hope, and salvation.  For the present population of people this means that we experience both the immediate power, love, and grace of God and other believers, drawing on the original intent of our creation to bless us and grant us a joyful and eternal life, and we experience the flawed, corrupted, unhealthy, lost, fallen, sinful, and broken influence of our own choices past and present and the choices of those who have opposed God and are connected with us and surrounding us both in the natural world and in the spiritual realm.  Within this context God persistently and passionately pursues the opportunity to save, to bless, to provide for, and to connect with every single person created.

Genesis 1:26-31; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12-21; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11.

The Word of God

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  Jesus Christ was the Word of God made flesh to dwell among us.  He is the true God and everlasting life and has chosen to introduce Himself to all people for all time through the written Word, which reveals His nature, His character, His purpose, His wisdom, His life, His love, His mission, and His answers for all people.  All Scripture is a testimony to Jesus Christ, who is Himself the focus, subject, soul, and essence of all divine revelation.

The Holy Bible was written by people divinely inspired and is God’s chosen revelation of Himself to the world.  It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction and the trustworthy source of insight and understanding.  It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, for its contents.  Therefore, all Scripture is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, traditions, judgments, insights, laws, and religious opinions should be tried.

God’s ways are higher than our ways and God’s thoughts higher than our thoughts, and so in-depth and broad reaching study and prayerful consideration must be given to the interpretation and understanding of Scripture in full awareness that while God’s message is contained within Scripture, Scripture apart from God is dead.

Under the guidance and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, it is therefore the right and responsibility of every believer to both read and to interpret Scripture with the understanding that the insights so derived are unique and specific gifts of the Holy Spirit for their individual lives without broader application unless they are accepted and recognized by others within the body of believers as true according to the Scriptures and so provided as gifts of inspiration for the general edification and strengthening of the Body of Christ, which is the Kingdom of God on earth.

Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

Salvation

Salvation is the accomplishment of the will of God and the fulfillment of the desires of His heart.  Salvation is God’s sole intent in creating every human being and His persistent and passionate purpose throughout all of creation as He seeks to save all who become lost. It is God’s mission to save and to provide for every human life and so He freely offers salvation to all who will accept it.  Simply put, Salvation is the life, the outcome, and the result that God intends for all people.  It is His plan and His design for all of humanity individually and collectively both now and forever.  And the realization of this goal is what is called the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven.

Salvation is accomplished by acceptance of and relationship with Jesus Christ, the one and only God.  Salvation results in being spiritually born again as the direct result of an experience of God’s grace.  It is a genuine change of heart, releasing the believer from the bondage of sin, and opening the path to a new life through the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit within them as they accept Jesus Christ as their God and so commit their entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior.

Salvation is God’s continual pursuit and purpose for every human life and can be accepted or rejected more than once throughout the life of any individual.  In the event that salvation is rejected, the result will be a life in need of salvation.  This is the definition of the lost, and so restoring those lost to a state of salvation is one of God’s highest priorities.   If salvation is rejected to the point that an individual has gone so far as to wholly reject their baptism and membership in the body of Christ, it would then be necessary to re-enter the body of Christ and re-commit themselves to Jesus through the act of baptism and the sincere desire to once again receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Being born again through salvation is a permanent state of being unless intentionally rejected by the individual.  It cannot be compromised or removed by anyone or anything outside of the one who was saved or apart from the willful choice of the one who was saved.  And, although a willful rejection of salvation is also a permanent state of being unless intentionally changed by the individual, it does not prevent the opportunity for salvation from being once again offered and accepted.

Salvation is effective in every aspect of a believer’s life.  From inmost peace and joy, clarity and enlightenment, purpose and mission, and judgment and love, to finances, health, and relationships – Salvation is universal in effect because it is specific in provision for all of the individual needs of the believer.  There is not any aspect of a believer’s life beyond the reach of God’s grace and salvation.

Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5; Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 8:4-7,19-22; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31ff.; Matthew 16:18-19; 21:28-45; 24:22,31; 25:34; Luke 1:68-79; 2:29-32; 19:41-44; 24:44-48; John 1:12-14; 3:16; 5:24; 6:44-45,65; 10:27-29; 15:16; 17:6,12,17-18; Acts 20:32; Romans 5:9-10; 8:28-39; 10:12-15; 11:5-7,26-36; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 15:24-28; Ephesians 1:4-23; 2:1-10; 3:1-11; Colossians 1:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10,19; Hebrews 11:39–12:2; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:2-5,13; 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2.

The Church

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, responsibilities, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.  In such a congregation each member individually and severally are responsible and accountable to Jesus Christ as their Lord and God.  Its scriptural officers are drawn from the priesthood of all believers and include pastors and gifted and capable believers, both men and women, as they are called by God and followed by other believers in accordance with Scripture.

The church is the body of Christ, including all of the redeemed of all ages, both in heaven and on earth, from every tribe, and race, and tongue, and people, and nation – that collectively make up the Kingdom of God within all of humankind.

Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Communion)

Christian baptism is the full immersion of a believer in water in the name of Jesus Christ.  It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus, born again not of the will of the flesh, but of the spirit.  It is a testimony to their faith in the eternal life that Jesus Christ offers all believers and although water baptism does not convey salvation, it is an action taken by a believer as a direct result of being born again following salvation because of their intentional desire to walk in the footsteps of Christ, discover a personal relationship with Christ, and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit in Christ.

The ordinance of baptism by burial with Christ should be observed (as commanded in the Scriptures) by all that have repented of their sins and in their hearts have believed on Christ as their Savior and Lord. In doing so, they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they have also been released to walk with Him in newness of life.

Being that baptism was instituted by Christ as an ordinance of the Church, it is a prerequisite to the privileges of membership in the local church and to the Lord’s Supper.

The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, remember and memorialize the body and the blood, the life and work, the victory and accomplishments of Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose again so that all people for all time could accept His redemption from all sins, diseases, dysfunctions, and brokenness of whatever kind.

Being that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ as an ordinance of the Church, it is a calling to all members of His Body to pursue and receive repentance, redemption, and salvation as they accept His life, His answers, His example, His leadership, and His freedom as their own.

Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; 6:48,51,53-57; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12; 2 Peter 1:4.

Sunday

The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day.  It is a Christian institution for regular observance.  It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship, service, and spiritual devotion, whether public or private.  Activities on the Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s conscience according to their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians 2:16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10.

Making Disciples

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.  It is the right and the responsibility of every believer and every church to pursue making disciples of all people in any and every context.  Being born again as a result of the influence of God’s Holy Spirit causes and necessitates a birth of love for others within the redeemed.  Missionary effort is expressly and repeatedly commanded by Christ in the Scriptures, in particular in regards to sharing the gospel to every tribe, people, nation, and tongue.  It is, therefore, the calling and the responsibility of every child of God to seek every opportunity to win the lost to Christ by the witness of their lives, the testimony of their words, and whatever other means or methods are available and in harmony with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 9:37-38; 10:5-15; 13:18-30, 37-43; 16:19; 22:9-10; 24:14; 28:18-20; Luke 10:1-18; 24:46-53; John 14:11-12; 15:7-8,16; 17:15; 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2; 8:26-40; 10:42-48; 13:2-3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 3:1-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:5; Hebrews 2:1-3; 11:39-12:2; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 22:17.

Education

Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence.  In Jesus Christ dwell all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  All sound learning is, therefore, a part of our Christian mission and heritage and a key foundation for the developing maturity of members within the body of Christ.  Salvation opens all human faculties and creates a thirst for knowledge and so education in accordance with and founded on the gospel empowers the believer to grow in their relationship with Christ and all people and enriches them with skills and abilities for a joyful, healthy, and successful life.  As education is central to the mission and purpose of a thriving and successful church it should receive the liberal support of its members.

In Christian education there should be a proper balance between academic freedom and academic responsibility.  Freedom in any orderly relationship of human life is always limited and never absolute.  The freedom of a teacher in a Christian school, college, seminary, university, church, congregation, society, organization, or any other group or association is limited by the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ, by the authoritative nature of the Scriptures, and by the distinct mission and purpose for which the school or other context for learning exists.

Deuteronomy 4:1,5,9,14; 6:1-10; 31:12-13; Nehemiah 8:1-8; Job 28:28; Psalms 19:7ff.; 119:11; Proverbs 3:13ff.; 4:1-10; 8:1-7,11; 15:14; Ecclesiastes 7:19; Matthew 5:2; 7:24ff.; 28:19-20; Luke 2:40; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 2:3,8-9; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17; Hebrews 5:12-6:3; James 1:5; 3:17.

Giving of Ourselves

God is the source of all blessings, natural, material, spiritual, and heavenly; all that we have and all that we are came from Him and so as Christians we should acknowledge all that God has done, is doing, and will do by serving Him with our time, talents, and material possessions in full recognition that all of these are entrusted to us for use to the glory of God and the helping of others.  It is for this reason that the Scriptures command that Christians contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Kingdom of God and His mission and purpose in accomplishing His will on earth.  As stewards of His creation and caretakers of His people it is therefore the right and the responsibility of every believer to make the world into a better place because they were there and so walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ as just and capable managers of all of the blessings that He provides.

Genesis 14:20; Leviticus 27:30-32; Deuteronomy 8:18; Malachi 3:8-12; Matthew 6:1-4,19-21; 19:21; 23:23; 25:14-29; Luke 12:16-21,42; 16:1-13; Acts 2:44-47; 5:1-11; 17:24-25; 20:35; Romans 6:6-22; 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2; 6:19-20; 12; 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8-9; 12:15; Philippians 4:10-19; 1 Peter 1:18-19.

Collaboration

Members in the body of Christ may, as the occasion presents, organize associations and conventions for the purpose of furthering the work of the Kingdom of God on earth.  Such organizations are solely under the authority of the Holy Spirit and have no authority over one another or over the churches involved.  They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of Christian people in the most effective manner to the glory of God and the building of His Kingdom.  Therefore, Christians should encourage one another and collaborate together in carrying forward missions, education, and service ministries as members in Christ’s body and for the expansion of His influence around the world.  Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends by various groups of Christ’s people.  Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations, institutions, and organizations, when the purpose to be accomplished is itself righteous, and when such cooperation involves no violation of conscience or compromise of loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Testament.

Exodus 17:12; 18:17ff.; Judges 7:21; Ezra 1:3-4; 2:68-69; 5:14-15; Nehemiah 4; 8:1-5; Matthew 10:5-15; 20:1-16; 22:1-10; 28:19-20; Mark 2:3; Luke 10:1ff.; Acts 1:13-14; 2:1ff.; 4:31-37; 13:2-3; 15:1-35; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17; 3:5-15; 12; 2 Corinthians 8-9; Galatians 1:6-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Philippians 1:15-18.

The Social Gospel

All Christians are committed to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society.  Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among all people can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the spiritual rebirth of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ.  It is a founding principle of Christianity that God loves all people and seeks to save and to bless all people regardless of their origin, race, culture, religion, politics, beliefs, background, or any other identifiable difference and so where there are matters of disagreement Christians must love the people involved as God loves them with a view to their forgiveness, redemption, and salvation no matter what the disagreement regards.  Within the context of this core principle and in the spirit of Christ, and following His example, Christians should oppose racism, sexism, every form of greed, theft, selfishness, hatred, slavery, abuse, vice, and all forms of sexual immorality as defined by any sexual contact or relationship outside of that properly expressed as love within a committed, wholly monogamous, heterosexual relationship, including but not limited to adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, rape, incest, infidelity, polygamy, polyandry, and the buying and selling of sex as a trade in whatever medium, remembering that although God condemns pimping and other forms of whore mongering, He is the friend of prostitutes and intent on saving both them and all those involved in these trades.

All Christians should work to provide for and speak for those who cannot provide for and/or speak for themselves, including children, the orphaned, the needy, the hungry, the abused, the aged, the imprisoned, the previously imprisoned, the oppressed, the enslaved, the helpless, the unborn, and the sick.  We should contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.

Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and Christian love as children of God.  In order to promote these ends, Christians should be ready to work with all people of good will in any good cause, always acting in the spirit of love and encouragement without compromising their loyalty to Jesus Christ and His truth.

Exodus 20:3-17; Leviticus 6:2-5; Deuteronomy 10:12; 27:17; Psalm 101:5; Micah 6:8; Zechariah 8:16; Matthew 5:13-16,43-48; 22:36-40; 25:35; Mark 1:29-34; 2:3ff.; 10:21; Luke 4:18-21; 10:27-37; 20:25; John 15:12; 17:15; Romans 12–14; 1Corinthians 5:9-10; 6:1-7; 7:20-24; 10:23-11:1; Galatians 3:26-28; Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; Philemon; James 1:27; 2:8.

Peace, War, and the Kingdom of God

It is the will of God that Christians seek peace and pursue it with all people on the principles of righteousness and the coming of the Kingdom of God, which is not of this world, but is a spiritual Kingdom comprised of all people who accept salvation and are born again.

Christians should, therefore, do all in their power to put an end to war through the means of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The supreme need of the world in this regard will only be served when His teachings are accepted as the guiding principles in the affairs of people and nations, in particular through the practical application of the love of God and the calling of all to salvation and membership in the Kingdom of God.  Christian people throughout the world should pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God and the accomplishment of His will on earth as it is in heaven that we all may come into the reign of the Prince of Peace as defined by His general sovereignty over the entire universe and more specifically the affinity of His followers throughout the world.

Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Matthew 3:2; 4:8-10,23; 12:25-28; 13:1-52; 25:31-46; 26:29; Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:2; 12:31-32; 17:20-21; 23:42; John 3:3; 18:36; Acts 1:6-7; 17:22-31; Romans 5:17; 8:19; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 11:10,16; 12:28; 1 Peter 2:4-10; 4:13; Revelation 1:6,9; 5:10; 11:15; 21-22; Isaiah 2:4; Matthew 5:9,38-48; 6:33; 26:52; Luke 22:36,38; Romans 12:18-19; 13:1-7; 14:19; Hebrews 12:14; James 4:1-2.

Religious Liberty

God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines, traditions, dogmas, and commandments of people which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it.  As Christ taught that what belongs to Caesar should be given to Caesar and what belongs to God should be given to God, Church and state should be separate.  The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends.  In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group, sect, organization, or denomination should be favored by the state more than others.  Civil government being ordained by God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God.  The church should not resort to the civil power of the state to carry on its work.  The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends.  The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind.  The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion.  A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all people, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion and spiritual matters without interference by the civil power.  Christians therefore should support the freedom of speech, the freedom of assembly, the freedom of religion and religious practice, and the freedom of expression in whatever medium that communicates.

Genesis 1:27; 2:7; Matthew 6:6-7,24; 16:26; 22:21; John 8:36; Acts 4:19-20; Romans 6:1-2; 13:1-7; Galatians 5:1,13; Philippians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; James 4:12; 1 Peter 2:12-17; 3:11-17; 4:12-19.

Marriage and Family

God’s decision to create the human race both male and female and His very first command to the human race to be fruitful and multiply established the family as the foundational institution of human society.  It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.

Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a lasting covenant commitment according to the purpose of their creation and permanent and exclusive in the eyes of God.  It is God’s unique gift to reveal His relationship with the human race and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, provision, protection, stability, love, sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.  Marriage is God’s buddy system for life.

The husband, a male, and the wife, a female, are of equal worth and character before God and are created complementary in purpose and form according to God’s design to look like and receive life and all blessings and promises from Him.  Each spouse receives unique gifts, abilities, insights, talents, and responsibilities from God according to their identity inclusive of their gender and so it is the calling of every Christian to pursue and express the will of God in their marriages through loving care, discipleship, action, and provision for their spouse and their family.

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.  Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s love and care and exemplify God’s pattern for marriage in their own lives.  Parents are to introduce their children to Jesus Christ and teach them spiritual and moral values and so lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving guidance and correction, to make choices based on the revealed word of God.  Children are to care for their parents and love them as God loves them and provide for them in old age or disability as they would do the same for them.

Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 127; 128; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15,17; 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 18:2-5; 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8,14; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7.

Ordained Ministry

Divinely called and ordained ministry has been provided by Jesus Christ for two main reasons: (1) The evangelization of the world, and (2) The edification of the Body of Christ

Mark 16:15, 20; Ephesians 4:11-13.

Heaven and Hell

The resurrection of all who have died either to heaven or to hell is the eternal destination of all after the death of the body.  Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their one and only God joyfully join Him in heaven and those who actively and with intention oppose Jesus Christ and His mission choose to remain separated from Him forever in Hell, which is the second death.

Genesis 1:1; 14:19; 22:11,15; 28:12; Exodus 20:22; Deuteronomy 4:39; 26:15; 1 Kings 22:19; 2 Kings 2:11; Jeremiah 51:48; Daniel 2:44; 4:26, 35; Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 5:3-45; 6:9-10,19-20; 7:21; 8:11; 10:32-33; 16:19; 18:1-4, 10; 19:21; 28:18; Mark 16:19; Luke 2:15; 3:21; 9:51; 10:20; 12:33; 15:7; 22:43; John 6:33; 14:2-3; Acts 1:11; 7:55-56; 9:3; 10:11; 1 Thessalonians. 4:16; Romans 6:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:47-52; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Ephesians 3:15; Philippians 3:20; Colossians 1:5, 16; Hebrews 9:24; 1 Peter 3:22; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 19:20; 20:10-15; 21: 1.

Ordinances

Water Baptism

The ordinance of water baptism (Matthew 28:19) shall be administered by all established places of worship to all those who have repented of their sins and who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ to the saving of their souls (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12).

The Lord’s Supper

The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper shall be observed regularly by all established places of worship, as enjoined in the Scriptures (Luke 22:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 11:23‐26).