By D&G Pep on 1/1/90
1. THE SCRIPTURES:
The Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word, the final authority for faith and practice. It is God's revelation of Himself to man.
Gal. 1:11-12; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21.
2. GOD:
There are three persons in the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) who are co-equal and co-eternal, yet one in nature and essence. God is the eternal self-existent "I AM," Creator of the heavens and the earth.God reigns over His universe, His creatures, and the course of human history according to His purposes in Grace. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, took upon Himself a true human nature. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived among us, died for our sins, and rose on the third day. The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the life of every believer, and He alone can give guidance and power for Christian living.
Col. 2:9; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; Ex. 3:14; Acts 17:26-28; 1 Tim. 6:15; Heb. 12:4-14; Matt. 1:20-21; 1 Pet. 2:21-25; 1 Cor. 15:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 1:13-14; Gal. 5:16, 22-25.
3. ANGELS:
Angels are created beings, spiritual beings, immortal, powerful, and innumerable. Angels are concerned with human affairs. Jesus Christ, being God, is superior to the angels. Holy angels are obedient to God, and they are servants of Christ. Fallen angels (demons) are no longer perfect. Fallen angels have orders of rank with Satan as their leader. Satan and his fallen angels continuously try to deceive the world through temptation and false teachings. Believers can be victorious over Satan and his demons through a moment by moment dependence upon the Holy Spirit and claiming God's promises.
Eph. 6:12; Col. 1:16; Ps. 148:2, 5; Heb. 1:14; Heb. 12:22; Ps. 103:20; 1 Pet. 1:12; Heb. 1:4; Matt. 25:31; Matt. 26:53; Job 4:18; 2 Pet. 2:4; Rev. 12:9; rev. 20:2; rev. 20:10; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 Cor. 11:13-15; Gal. 5:16-17; Luke 20:36; Heb. 1:14.
4. MAN:
God created man in His own image. By free choice, Adam sinned against God and brought sin into the human race so that all men are born with a sin nature.
Gen. 1:26; Gen. 3:6; Rom. 5:12.
5. SALVATION:
Forgiveness and an eternal relationship with God is offered freely to all who accept by faith Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Men choose to enter into this relationship by their own free will. Once we are born again, we are brought into a living organic union with Christ by being baptized by the Holy Spirit, thus making us flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. The believer's relationship with Christ cannot be severed, according to God's promise. The believer can, however, use his free will to fall out of fellowship and, in doing so, suffer God's discipline.
John 3:16; John 7:17; John 11:25-26; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 2:8-9; Eph. 5:31-32 (KJV); Heb. 12:4-12; 1 John 5:16-17; John 10:25-30; 1 John 2:25.
6. PREDESTINATION:
From the moment a person accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, they are then predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.
Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1:5-11; 2 Thess. 2:13-14.
7. WATER BAPTISM:
The Scriptural principle of water baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. It is an act of obedience to the Word of God symbolizing that the believer has died to himself and his sinful nature and has risen in a newness of life that wants to follow after God.
Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 8:35-38.
8. THE LORD'S SUPPER:
The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby believers memorialize the Lord's death until he comes. The bread and wine represent the Lord Jesus' body and blood that was shed for mankind to bring salvation for all who would believe.
Matt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 11:23-26.
9. MARRIAGE:
Scripture teaches that a believer is only permitted to marry another believer. Marriage between two believers is a God-ordained, permanent covenant relationship that cannot be severed for any reason other than the covenant being broken by death. The believer is then free to remarry. If the marriage covenant is broken for any other reason than death, the believers must remain unmarried or else be reconciled with their mate.
(NOTE: In Matt. 5:31-32 and Matt. 19:3-9, Jesus was addressing those under the Mosaic Law.)
Marriage between a believer and an unbeliever can only be broken by the unbeliever choosing to leave. In this case, the believer is free to remarry, but only in the Lord. An unmarried person is not to engage in sexual affairs.
1 Cor. 7:10-15, 39, 40; 2 Cor. 6:14-15, 18-20; Heb. 13:4; Acts 15:29; Gal. 5:19; Rom. 1:27; (I.e.)
Lev. 18.
10. GIFTS & EQUALITY OF BELIEVERS:
The Holy Spirit bestows all the gifts listed in the Bible, and each believer receives at least one gift irrespective of racial background, economic status, or gender. (1 Cor. 12:11). All the gifts are given for the common good to build up the Body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:7; Eph. 4:12). The Bible never distinguishes between male and female gifts nor does it suggest differences in the way they should be exercised. (1 Cor. 12:12-28). The New testament teaches that no function or activity, including leadership, is barred to women in the Church for we are all one in Christ Jesus. (2 John 1, 13; Gal. 3:26-29; Rom. 16:1, 3-7, 12; Col. 4:15; Judges 4:4). Jesus' approach to women was not one of a secondary class. (Luke 10:41-42; John 4:7-54; Luke 13:16; Luke 11:27-28). The Bible teaches that men and women are made in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 5:1-2), equally responsible before God (Gen. 3:9, 13), made sons of God (Gal. 3:29), equally responsible to willingly submit to one another (Eph. 5:21), equally responsible in parenting (Eph. 6:1; Col. 3:20), both are heirs (Gal. 3:29), both are priests (Rev. 1:6; 1 Pet. 2:9), and both will rule and reign with Christ in God's kingdom.
(Rev. 1:6; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 20:4; Rev. 22:5; Heb. 1 & 2; Dan. 7:27).
11. THE CHRISTIAN AND SOCIAL ORDER:
Each believer should seek to live in a way that will cause others to desire a relationship with Christ.
1 Tim. 6:11; Titus 2:11-12; 1 Pet. 2:11-12).
12. DISCIPLINE:
Church leaders have the Biblical authority to correct, rebuke, and administer discipline according to the principles of the New Testament. Believer(s) or unbeliever(s) in sin, who refuse to repent after being rebuked and corrected privately, will come under church discipline. Church discipline of believer(s) or unbeliever(s) will be performed publicly in front of the church body by naming the person and the sin. If there is still no true repentance, it will result in the expulsion of the believer(s) or unbeliever(s) in question. All divisive disagreements within the church are to be settled within the confines of the church by arbitrators who are believers.
1 Tim. 1:3-4; 1 Cor. 5:12-13; 1 Cor. 6:1-8; Gal. 6:1; 2 Thess. 3:14-15; 1 Tim. 5:20; 2 Tim. 3:16; Titus 3:10-11; 2 John 10.
13. RESURRECTION:
The first resurrection takes place in four stages and corresponds to Lev. 23:10-21. The resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15:20), is the first fruits (Lev. 23:10-11). The resurrection of a few saints just after Christ's resurrection (Matt. 27:52-53), is the wave offering (Lev. 23:10-11). The resurrection of the Church (1 Thess. 4:16-18), is the harvest (Lev. 23:15,22). The resurrection of the Old Testament and Tribulation saints (Rev. 20:4), is the gleaning (Lev. 23:22). The second resurrection only includes unbelievers. They are judged according to what they have done. Anyone who is not found written in the Book of Life is thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second death. (Rev. 20:5, 11-15).
14. LAST THINGS:
At the Rapture, which is imminent, the dead in Christ will be resurrected and be translated together with those saints still alive to heaven, where they will remain until the Second Coming of Christ. After the Rapture of the Church, there will be a time of Apostasy and a 3 Ω year period of false peace. This will bring the rise of the man of lawlessness (Antichrist) and the false prophet. Following this, there will be a time of Great Tribulation lasting for 3 Ω years in which the Time of the Gentiles will come to its end by the divine judgments of God. The nations of the earth will engage in one last battle (Armageddon). Christ will return with the raptured saints and the holy angels to stop the war and set up His earthly kingdom. At this time, the Old Testament saints and the Tribulation saints will be resurrected. The covenants given to the Israelites are literal and will be fulfilled both physically and spiritually upon the Second Coming of Christ and the establishing of the literal millennial rule of Christ on earth. We, as the Church, receive the spiritual inheritance, along with Israel, through our union with Christ. There will be a final Judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Whoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with Satan, his demons, the beast, and the false prophet will be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake of fire. God will establish a new heavens and a new earth where all believers will be with the Lord forever.
Gen. 12:2-3, 15:5, 18-21; Jer. 31:31-37; Ez. 38 & 39; Dan. 9:24-27, 11:40-45, 12; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; Rev. 21:1; 1 Thess. 4:13-18, 5:1-9; 2 Thess. 2:1-12; Rev. 6: 1-4; Rev. 9:14; Rev. 13; Rev. 16:12, 16; Rev. 20:1-15; 2 Pet. 3:13
