1. THE SCRIPTURES
The Bible is the inspired Word of God created as it was spoken and written down by men under the divine direction of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures are a divine revelation of God to man by God. As such, they are not only inspired, but also infallible and are to be used as the supreme authority in matters regarding faith and moral conduct. The Word of God is the direct revelation of the will of God to men for mankind and it stands without question for all time. The Scriptures are designed by the Lord to be presented at three levels of depth and only the most basic level can be seen using the human mind. Without the Holy Spirit breathing upon the inspired word to a believer whose heart is open to God, the deeper levels remain veiled to the reader so that they cannot see beyond that veil. In the writing of the Scriptures, God wanted the personality of the writer to be seen within the text while the Holy Spirit preserved and guarded the accuracy of each thought, phrase, and word from any error, omission, or inaccuracy.
2. THE ONE TRUE GOD
Our God is revealed in Scripture as the eternal Godhead, the Trinity, Who has revealed Himself as one God, existing in three distinct Persons – The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit. We do not have three Gods; we have one God presented in the Godhead as three parts that are distinguishable, but yet indivisible in essence, nature, attributes, power, and glory. The Godhead is pre-existent (He always has been without a beginning) and co-eternal (He always will be without an end). God is one undivided essence with three perfect distinctions – God The Father, Who presents the will of the Godhead; God The Son, Who presents the work of the Godhead; and God The Holy Spirit, Who presents the life of the Godhead.
3. THE DEITY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the second member of the Godhead, Who is pre-existent and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Through His Incarnation by virgin birth, Jesus willingly and freely took upon Himself the form of man, thus revealing Himself as the God-Man. Jesus Christ was sinless, perfect, crucified, buried, resurrected, ascended, and is now glorified as the One and only acceptable Savior of the world and Mediator between God and mankind. He is the only Savior by virtue of His sinless life and His sacrificial death, taking upon Himself the sins of the entire world. He is the only Mediator between God and man because His blood paid the price for mankind’s sins and, having been a man, He understands man’s sinful nature. He is fully human; yet, He is fully divine. There is no other Savior or Mediator possible by which man can be saved from eternal damnation.
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS BAPTISM
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead. He is co-equal, pre-existent, and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. His ministry upon the earth is to convict man of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Through this conviction, the Holy Spirit converts man by revealing Jesus Christ and His completed work of redemption. The Holy Spirit was sent to earth by the Lord Jesus at the will of the Father to be the great Paraclete to the church of Jesus Christ by being our Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, and Strengthener. The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire is a gift from God as promised by the Lord Jesus to all believers and is received subsequent to and in addition to the New Birth. The initial evidence of speaking with other tongues, as well as other manifestations described in Acts 2, accompanies this experience. Whereas there is one initial baptism, there are many subsequent infillings of the Spirit. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit releases an anointing that empowers the believer to be a witness.
5. THE REDEMPTION OF MAN
Man was created by God in the image of God for the purpose of having an intimate love relationship with God. Man was created in God’s image outwardly (in physical appearance), inwardly (as a three-part being containing spirit, soul and body), and positionally (as one that was given authority over the earth by God). Because of the transgression and subsequent fall of Adam, the first man, sin entered the world and then passed to all of mankind through sin. Because authority in the earth was given to man by God, Jesus Christ came into the earth in the form of man to take back from the devil that which Adam had lost for all of mankind. By living a sinless life and then giving that sinless life for the sinful lives of men, Jesus made peace with God through His blood shed upon a Roman cross. Today, salvation is a free gift from God to man separate from the works of man or obedience to the Law. Salvation is made possible by man’s faith receiving God’s grace. Nothing can be added to God’s grace or taken away from God’s grace since grace itself is the work that God alone has done without the help or cooperation of man. Grace was accomplished in spite of man simply because God so loved mankind. Man is redeemed when he confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion.
6. ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH
The Lord Jesus Christ, as Head of the Church, established two ordinances for the Church to follow: Water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Water Baptism is a direct commandment of the Lord and is accomplished by being totally immersed in water. Water Baptism is not just a symbolic action taken to identify one with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; but in fact, has to do with the death, burial, and resurrection of the believer himself when entered into by faith. Through Water Baptism, God by the Holy Spirit, releases an anointing to the receiver so that their “old man”, that fallen Adamic nature, is removed from them, forever cutting off their Adamic, worldly, lineage and fallen image. This ordinance, while it alone does not save us (allows us to go to heaven after physical death), it does deliver us from the powers of this world and is an outward work of faith releasing an inward change that is heavenly in its nature.
The Lord’s Supper, or Communion as some call it, is also a commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ. It must be received regularly until His return. Only believers can partake of its elements, which consists of the bread and the cup. The bread speaks to the body of our Lord Jesus which was broken for us. The cup speaks of His blood that was shed for us. Both elements bear witness of the New Covenant believers now enjoy because of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus. Furthermore, partaking of these elements declares His soon return as well as the fact that all believers make up one body in Christ Jesus. Communion signifies that we, the church, although many are, in fact, one.
7. SANCTIFICATION
The Bible teaches that without holiness no one will see God. The work of sanctification is a definite, yet progressive work of grace commencing at the time of regeneration and continuing until the consummation of our salvation at Christ’s return. This work is made possible because of the completed work of redemption through Jesus Christ and abides as a completed work within man. However, although it abides as a completed work within man, it is not manifested outwardly through man until a believer receives the truth, which sanctifies us all. Healing, deliverance, and restoration are part of the work of sanctification that is made possible by our redemption through faith in God’s grace. As one sees and knows and enters into the truth that is Jesus Christ, that Truth then sanctifies them by replacing the lies of the devil, who is the father of all lies, with the love of God found only in God’s Truth, Jesus Christ. God calls all believers to a life wholly sanctified in Christ Jesus. Christians can walk blameless and holy in this world as they receive the truth and walk therein it.
8. HEAVEN AND HELL
There is a heaven to be gained and a hell to be avoided. The Bible presents a two-fold picture of both. Regarding heaven, there is that third heaven which departed saints go to after physical death. However, there is also a reality of heaven that can be entered into while still living on the earth. This reality abides as a place of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). It more simply can be described as living daily in the presence of God to the extent that Who and What He is becomes more real than what is presented by the world around us.
Regarding hell, there is a place of torment that departed people go to now when they die apart from being saved through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not the eternal lake of fire that will come, but only a holding place of complete separation, darkness, and torment. The second reality of hell, and the most common one thought of, is the eternal lake of fire. The first beings cast into this lake of fire are the false prophet and the antichrist. Finally, Satan along with all those people that did not receive Christ as their personal Savior will also be put into this lake of fire from which there is no escape and no end to its tormenting flames forever and forever. Hell is not a place where God puts people. It is instead a place that people ultimately choose to go themselves by rejecting God’s offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, the One and only Hope of eternal life.