TENETS OF FAITH
This church shall accept the Holy Scriptures as the revealed Will of God, the All-Sufficient Rule for faith and practice; and for the purpose of maintaining general unity, it shall adopt the statement of Tenets of Faith, namely:
The Scriptures as Inspired – The Bible, consisting of sixty-six books, is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to man, the infallible Rule of faith and conduct, and is superior to conscience and reason, but not contrary to reason (Hebrews 4:12; II Peter 1:20-21; II Timothy 3:15-17).
The One True God – The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent, self-revealed “I AM”, and has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association of the Trinity as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 43:10-11; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Mark 12:29; John 14:16-17).
Man, His Fall, and Redemption – Man was created good and upright, for God said, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.” But man fell by voluntary transgression and his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Genesis 1:27-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21).
The Salvation of Man (Conditions to Salvation) – The Grace of God, which bringeth salvation, has appeared to all men through the preaching of repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Man is saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, and being justified by grace through faith, he becomes an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life (Luke 24:47; Romans 10:13-15; Titus 2:11, 3:5-7).
The Salvation of Man (The Evidence of Salvation) – The inward evidence to the believer of his salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:1-8). The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness (Romans 6:22).
Baptism in Water – The ordinance of baptism by a burial with Christ should be observed as commanded in the Scriptures by all who have really repented and in their hearts have truly believed in Christ as Savior and Lord. In doing so, they declare to the world that they have died with Jesus and that they have also been raised with Him to walk in the newness of life (Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:47; Romans 6:4).
The Lord’s Supper – The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements bread and the fruit of the vine, is a memorial of His suffering and death and a prophecy of His Second Coming. It is enjoined on all believers “until He comes” (Luke 22:17- 20; I Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:23-32).
The Promise of the Father – All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, baptism in the Holy Spirit, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian church. With it comes the endowment of power for life and service and the bestowal of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-6; I Corinthians 12:1-31). This wonderful experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of rebirth (Acts 2:38, 10:44-46, 11:14-16, 15:7-9, 19:12).
The Evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost – The full consummation of the baptism of believers in the Holy Ghost is indicated by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and by the subsequent manifestation of spiritual power in public testimony and service (Acts 1:8, 2:4,42,43, 10:44-46)
Entire Sanctification – The Scriptures teach of a life of holiness without which no man shall see God. By the power of the Holy Ghost, we are able to obey the command, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” Entire sanctification is the Will of God for all believers and should be earnestly pursued by walking in obedience to the Word of God (Romans 8:4-5; I Thessalonians 5:23,24; I Peter 1:15,16; John 2:6; II Corinthians 7:1).
The Church – The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with Divine appointments for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Each believer born of the Spirit is an integral part of the General Church and Church of the firstborn which are written in Heaven (Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23).
The Ministry and Evangelism – A divinely-called and Scripturally-ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for a two-fold purpose: the evangelization of the world and the edification of the Body of Christ (Mark 16:15-20; Ephesians 4:11-13).
Divine Healing – Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement and is the privilege of all believers (Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 8:16,17; Mark 16:18-20; James 5:14-16).
The Blessed Hope – The pre-millennial Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their transformation, together with those who are alive and remain unto the Coming of the Lord, is imminent and is the blessed hope of the Church (Romans 8:23; I Corinthians 15:51,52; I Thessalonians 4:16-18; Titus 2:13).
The Millennial Reign of Jesus – The revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven, the salvation of all Israel, and the millennial reign of Christ on the earth is the Scriptural promise and the world’s hope (Romans 11:25-27; II Thessalonians 1:7; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-7).
The Lake of Fire – The Devil and his angels, the beast, the false prophet, and whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life shall be cast into everlasting punishment in the lake that is burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Revelation 19:20, 20:10-15).
The New Heaven and the New Earth – We, “according to His promise, look for the new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness” (II Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).