What I Believe In:
Holy Bible: The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God.
It alone is the final authority for determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, the Bible is inspired, infallible
and inerrant (see Prov. 30:5; Rom. 16:25,26; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20,21).
Trinity: There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus)
and Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and co-eternal (see Gen. 1:26; Isa. 9:6; Matt. 3:16,17; 28:19; Luke 1:35; Heb. 3:7-11;
1 John 5:7).
Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth,
Jesus was 100 percent God and 100 percent man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin,
lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for humankind and, thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding
of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father,
and will return again in power and glory (see Isa. 9:6; John 1:1,14; 20:28; Phil. 2:5,6; 1 Tim. 2:5; 3:16).
Virgin Birth: Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit
(the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary’s womb; therefore, He is the Son of God (see Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18,23-25;
Luke 1:27-35).
Redemption: Humanity was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression,
it fell. Humanity’s only hope for redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (see Gen. 1:26-31; 3:1-7; Rom. 5:12-21).
Regeneration: For anyone to know God, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely
essential (see John 6:44,65).
Salvation: We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ: His death, burial
and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human effort (see Rom. 10:9,10; Acts
16:31; Gal. 2:16; 3:8; Eph. 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; Heb. 9:22).
Repentance: Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our
lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through
repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation (see Acts 2:21; 3:19; 1 John 1:9).
Sanctification:
Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development
of Christ’s character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian
is enabled to live a godly life (see Rom. 8:29; 12:1,2; 2 Cor. 3:18; 6:14-18; 1 Thess. 4:3; 5:23; 2 Thess. 2:1-3; Heb. 2:11).
Jesus’ Blood: The blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary was sinless
and is 100 percent sufficient to cleanse humankind from all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness
and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death (see John 1:29; Rom. 3:10-12,23;
5:9; Col. 1:20; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5; 5:9).
Jesus Christ Indwells All Believers: Christians are people who have invited the Lord
Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to Him, thus
making Jesus the Lord of their lives as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died,
was buried and rose again from the dead (see John 1:12; 14:17,23; 15:4; Rom. 8:11; Rev. 3:20).
Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Given at Pentecost, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is
the promise of the Father. It was sent by Jesus after His Ascension to empower the Church to preach the gospel throughout
the whole earth (see Joel 2:28,29; Matt. 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4,17,38,39; 8:14-17; 10:38,44-47; 11:15-17; 19:1-6).
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual
gifts to build and sanctify the Church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection and confirm the power of the gospel.
The lists of these gifts in the Bible are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All
believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony
with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of biblical parameters (see Rom. 1:11; 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:1-31; 14:1-40;
Eph. 4:16; 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:5-16; Heb. 2:4; 1 Pet. 4:10).
The Church: The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit,
with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus’ Great Commission. Every person born of the Spirit is an integral
part of the Church as a member of the Body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ
(see John 17:11,20-23; Eph. 1:22; 2:19-22; Heb. 12:23).