Foundation of Faith

Based on Hebrews 6:1-3, we believe:

I.   On the validity of the Scriptures as the written Word of God.
A.   The 66 books of the Bible are the authentic work of the Holy Spirit.
B.   This body of work was given through the Holy Spirit to reveal the testimony of God to mankind.
2nd Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

C.   We are committed to the value of Scripture as being the absolute Word of God, without error in its original form.
D.   We do not receive the interpretation of any dream, discernment, revelation, vision, or prophecy of any kind as from the Lord if it is not supported by the authority of the Word.
E.   We do not support any belief that contradicts the Scripture.
F.   No other writings have the same authority as this Canon of Scripture.

II. On the Eternal Existence of One God in Three Persons.
A.   God, Creator and Father of all mankind, The Word (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit were present together at creation.
Genesis 1:1-2: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

B.   These three are in complete unity as One.

1 John 5:7 (KJV): For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

III. On the person of Jesus
A. Jesus is the (Logos) Word of God
John 1:1-3: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.

Jesus Christ is the Word of God and was with God in the beginning as One with Him.

B. All things were created by and for Him.
Col. 1:17: For by Him all things were created; things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and FOR HIM. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

John 1:3: Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.

C.    Every purpose is found and fulfilled in and through Him.
Ephesians 2:10: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

D. He completely became a man, being born of a virgin by the seed of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:34-35: ‘How can this be’, Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’

1. This is a testimony that only Spirit can produce that which is Spirit so that those of the “new creation” are not just of human origin but are “born-again” by the Holy Spirit.
2. Pre-existing as One with God as the only Son of God, Jesus emptied Himself of all His Godly attributes to completely become a man

E. Jesus came to redeem mankind
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

- The purpose of Jesus stripping Himself of His place and position with the Father was to be born into this earth in the vulnerable form of a baby so that He might deliver us from the power of Satan and restore us to a relationship with the Father.
a. All who will believe in Him and what He accomplished have their sins completely washed away and are restored to a relationship with God that was lost through sin.
b. He became the firstborn of a new breed of creation called the “Sons of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-19: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Ephesians 2:14-18: For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

F.   The Physical Body of Jesus was raised from the Dead by the Power of the Holy Spirit
Matthew 16:21: From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Luke 24:39: Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.

Romans 8:11: And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.

G.   Jesus is the Only way to God, The Father
1 Timothy 2:5: There is One God, and One mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

1. All who look for and long for restoration of relationship with God as their Father must come through Jesus Christ. There is no other way to get near God than through Him.
2. No other person, spirit or doctrine can give us access to God. It is only through the blood sacrifice of Jesus that we are given the right to not only approach God but become the sons of God.

Gal. 3:26: You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

IV. On Man
A. Man was created by God in His image from the earth’s dust, without sin or the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 1:27, 2:7: So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them. The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

B. Through transgression of God’s command, the process of death entered the first man, Adam, and all of his descendants.
Romans 5:12: Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.

C. Because of sin, our relationship with the Father was broken. It is only through the blood sacrifice of Jesus that we can approach God, doing so with confidence of His desire for us, our acceptance not being in ourselves but in the atoning blood of Jesus.
Romans 3:23-24: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:19-20: For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.

D. Being reborn by the Spirit, we are given eternal purposes through Christ.
1. Our purpose is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love others as we love ourselves.
Mark 12:30-31 (amp. Version): And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (all your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment. The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

2. ...And to reflect the Lord’s glory through the transformation of our character into His image.
2 Corinthians 3:18: And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

3. ...Through obedience to the voice of the Lord, we will do the things he has purposed for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10: For we are God’s workman-ship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

V. On the Purpose of Faith
A. Salvation comes through faith
Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Romans 10:10: For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
B. Faith is not just a mental persuasion but a heart conviction brought about through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 2:8: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

C. Faith is the outward identifying reality of inward belief. It is necessary for a continual response of obedience to the work of the Holy Spirit being made complete in us.
James 1:3-4: Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:17: In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

D. Faith is necessarily to come to God.
Hebrews 11:6: Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

VI. On Water Baptism
A.   Water baptism is a token of being under the new covenant with God as circumcision signified being under the old covenant with Him.
Genesis 17:11: You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.

1 John 5:7-8: For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood, and the three are in agreement.
Colossians 2:11-12: In Him you were also circumcised in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God who raised Him for the dead.

B.   Water Baptism is an open declaration of repentance and work of cleansing.
1. In keeping with the Old Covenant, baptism was a part of the cleansing practices to signify preparation for the coming of Yahweh.
2. John’s baptism by immersion changed the expectation of cleansing from an outward symbolism to an inward repentance marking an end of the Old Covenant and coming of the New.
Matthew 3: 3: A voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.

C.   We believe water baptism to be by immersion.
John 3:23: Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized.

Matthew 3:16a: As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water…

D.   Repentance and faith in what Jesus accomplished through His death, burial and resurrection are necessary for Baptism to be more than simply a ritualistic act.
Col. 2:12: Having been buried with Him in Baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead.

E.   Baptism is an act of obedience in response to the Word of God.
1. Scripture makes it clear that Baptism is a public statement and a commitment to lay down our identity and become one with Him. Therefore, it can not be of any value to baptize a child who does not yet have understanding of the relevance of such an action.
Acts. 2:41: Then they that gladly received his word were baptized.

2. Jesus was baptized as an act of obedience to fulfill the righteous requirement of the law so that he could become the atonement for our sins. His baptism was a prophetic declaration of the His death, burial, and resurrection.
Hebrews 2:17: For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.

Matthew 3:13-15: Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so for now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented.

VII. On the Lord’s Supper   (Observance of Communion)
A. We acknowledge and practice corporate and individual remembrance of the Lord’s Supper.
- The Passover Meal was first instigated by God through Moses. It is an act commemorating the covenant of God with all those who will receive the sacrificial blood of the Lamb of God.

Exodus 12:26-27: And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ Then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ Then the people bowed and worshipped there.
B. The continual observance of communion as a memorial meal is an act of obedience to the Lord’s command.

Luke 22:19: And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’

VIII. On the Resurrection of the Dead
A. Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, becoming the firstborn of a new creation of people.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15: For Christ’s love compels us because we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died, and He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

Romans 8:29: For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.
B. There will be a resurrection from the dead of both the just and unjust on the Day of Judgment

Romans 14:9-10: For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living… For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat…
C. Belief in the resurrection of the dead is necessary for salvation

Romans 10:9: If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.
D. Death is the result of the curse of sin. We are born under this curse as the offspring of Adam. Death’s curse is broken for all who are born again through Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 25, 56-57: For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
E.   The purpose of the resurrection is not only for redemption but also so that we could rule and reign in the ages to come with Him.

Ephesians 2:6-7: And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 6:2a, 3a: Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? Do you not know that we will judge angels?

IX. On the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and His Present Ministry in the Church
A.   We believe that the “baptism in the Holy Spirit is available to all who believe but is not essential for salvation or regeneration.

Acts 2:38-39: Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.
B.   This baptism is to be distinguished from being filled with the Spirit which can be a repeated empowerment for specific purposes.
C.   We also believe that Christians who have been baptized with the Holy Spirit will begin to take on His Nature and fruit leading others into truth and testifying of Jesus.
D.   We acknowledge, encourage and seek all of the biblical gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit as present and vital for the church to accomplish her full purpose today.
E.   We encourage the operation of the spiritual gifts in conjunction with the covering and protection of the local church leadership.

1 Corinthians 14:1: Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.

X. On the Laying on of Hands
A.   The practice of laying on of hands is a foundational principle

Hebrews 6:2 (referring to the foundational principles) …instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands…
B.   The laying on of hands was a common practice in the Old Testament signifying the transference of guilt from the people to the sacrifice, foreshadowing the atonement of Christ.

Leviticus 16:20-21: When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the Altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites-all their sins-and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task.
C.   Scripture confirms the importance of impartations through the physical act of laying on of hands in obedience to the direction of the Holy Spirit.
1. For healing the sick

Mark 16:18b: …they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.

Acts 28:8: …Paul went in to see him and after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.
2. For performing of various miracles

Acts 14:3 (amp.): So Paul and Barnabas stayed on there for a long time, speaking freely and fearlessly and boldly in the Lord who continued to bear testimony to the Word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be performed by their hands.
3. For raising the dead

Matthew 9:18, 25: While He was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before Him and said, ‘My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand n her and she will live.’ After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand and she got up.
4. To impart a blessing

Genesis. 48:14-15a: But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn. Then he blessed Joseph…

Mark 10:16: And he took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.
5. For deliverance from demons

Luke 4:40-41a: When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying His hands on each one, He healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people…
6. For an impartation of the Holy Spirit

Acts 8:17: Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
7. For an impartation of the gifts of the Spirit

1 Timothy 4:14: Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
8. For separation into ministry

Acts 13:2-3: While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
9. For an impartation of spiritual authority for leadership

Numbers 8:10: You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 34:9a: Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him…
10. For an impartation of strength

Daniel 10:18 : Again the One who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength.

XI. On the Second Coming of Christ
A.   We believe in the literal, physical return of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the literal, physical resurrection of both the just and unjust for the Day of Judgment.

Acts 1:11: Men of Galilee, they said, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.

Acts 24:15: ...and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

Revelations 1:7: Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him…

XII. On Eternal Judgment
A.   We believe that after the resurrection and of both the living and the dead will come the Day of Judgment.
1. This day will be one of separation according to the state of our spiritual being.

Matthew 25:32: All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
2. On the Day of Judgment, each person will receive a reward according to what he has done.

Matthew 16:27: For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what He has done.

1 Corinthians 4:5: Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive His praise from God.

Jude 14-15: Enoch, the 7th from Adam, prophesied about these men; “See the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.

1st Peter 5:4: And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

2nd Thessalonians 1:7-8: …This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.