BIBLICAL FAITH MINISTRIES
TENENTS OF FAITH
The Word of God
The Bible is the inspired word of God. All 66 books are the product of holy men of old who spoke and wrote as they were moved upon by the Holy Spirit. We accept the Bible as our infallible guide and inerrant in all matters pertaining to conduct and doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures.
II Timothy 3:16-17
I Thessalonians 2:13 II Peter 1:20-21
II Peter 3:14-16
God is One Eternal God
God is one eternal God in unity, existing in three external persons; being God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These persons we affirm to be different in the office and person, but the same in divine substance.
Genesis 1:26-28
Deuteronomy 6:4 and 5:7-11
Matthew 3:16-17
Matthew 28:18-20
II Corinthians 13:14
I John 5:7
Man, his Fall, and Redemption
Man is created in the image and likeness of God. Sin came into the world through Adam’s transgression and fall. The Bible declares, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Salvation is God’s gift to the fallen through Christ Jesus. We further believe, as it is written, that salvation is not received through works lest any man should boast.
Romans 3:10
Romans 3:23-26
Ephesians 2:8-10
Hebrews 9:26 and 10:5-10
Man's First Step Towards Salvation
Man’s first step towards salvation is Godly sorrow that worketh repentance. The new birth is necessary to all men, and when fulfilled, produces eternal life.
II Corinthians 7:10
John 3:35-36
Romans 10:9-11
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We affirm that upon the moment of true belief and confession of Christ, a person receives the Holy Spirit and is placed in the body of Christ.
I Corinthians 12:3
Romans 8:9-11
Galatians 6:7-9
We believe in a subsequent baptism and filling of the Holy Ghost. This we affirm that after a person is saved, they can be empowered by the Holy Spirit for Christian service. This empowerment can be evidenced by the gift of tongues as well as by other manifestations of the Holy Spirit to will of God.
Acts 1:8
John 20:21-22
Mark 24:46-49
Sanctification
The word of God proclaims without holiness no man can see the Lord Jesus Christ. The doctrine of sanctification is assured through Christ Jesus and is the progressive work of grace beginning at the time of regeneration.
I Thessalonians 5:23
Philippians 3:12-14
I Corinthians 1:30-31
Healings and Miracles
We believe that miracles are for today. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. God still heals and performs miracles according to His sovereign will as set forth in the Holy Scriptures.
Psalms 103:1-3
Hebrews 13:8
John 8:58
Resurrection of the Just and the Return of the LORD
We believe all those who have died in Christ will be resurrected: those who are alive and saved will be caught up with Christ before the start of the Great Tribulation. We also believe that at some predestined time Jesus Christ shall return physically and gloriously to this earth.
I Thessalonians 4:13-18
Revelation 1:7
John 14:1-4
I Corinthians 15:50-55
HELL AND ETERNAL RETRIBUTION
We affirm that the saints of God will dwell in a prepared place of eternity with God and Christ. We further believe that the unsaved, the unbelievers, shall reside in eternal torment.
Revelation 20:1-4
Revelation 20:10-15
Revelation 21:1-4
Faith and Works
We believe a person must trust Christ alone for his salvation. We believe we are saved by grace; that is by the kindness of God in having Jesus die for our sins. This grace is appropriated through faith; that is, man believes what God has done for him and relies upon Christ’s atonement to blot out our sins and bring us into a proper relationship with God. We believe that faith without work is dead.
James 2:14-18
Ephesians 2:8-10
The Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ expressed as the church individually, the church local and church universal and invisible (all saints of all places and all times united together under one Lord). We believe the church to be more than just a building or a gathering of people. It is a body, living in relationship and harmony under the direction of the head, Jesus Christ. The local church is an expression of the community and fellowship of God.
I Corinthians 1:2-3
II Corinthians 1:1-2
I Corinthians 12:27-28
I Peter 2:4-5, 9
Church Discipline
We believe in church discipline administered in the church in a spirit of meekness. The Bible sets forth three grounds for discipline: unscriptural conduct that obscures the truth of God by false teaching or doctrine: unscriptural conduct that mars the holy character of God and His church by unholy, immoral living, action or lifestyle: and unscriptural conduct that hinders the work of God by bringing confusion or division to the body.
II Timothy 1:18-19
The purpose of church discipline is the restoration of the one subject to the discipline and/or purification of the church. Church discipline is body ministry. The steps of discipline are one-on-one private confrontation, private confrontation with a witness and finally exposure to the church for judgment leading to restoration or separation.
Matthew 28:18-20
Matthew 5:17-20
Matthew 18:15-17
Luke 15:7
I Corinthians 5:7
Leadership of the Holy Spirit
We believe that in all matters concerning the body of Christ, in its direction, discipline, and ministry and functioning, that specific guidance, instruction, illumination, inspiration and discernment of truth from falsehood is available by the leading of the Holy Spirit who enables us to know spiritual things by the Spirit.
John 14:15-17, 25-26
John 15:16
John 16:5-7
John 7:37-38
Mediation
We believe, as members of the same body of Christ, baptized by the Holy Spirit into one body that we must endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and as such, we are precluded from bringing a lawsuit in a civil court against another person who professes to be a Christian or against a Christian ministry. We believe that all such disputes must be resolved within the body of Christ without taking them before unbelievers for judgment.
Financial Support
We believe that scripture requires all member of the congregation to support the church through tithes and offerings in proportion as the Lord shall prosper them, thereby acknowledging that any institution can stand or be full of service only in proportion as all of the members of the congregation accept their responsibility of maintaining it.
II Corinthians 9:6-8
Galatians 6:7-9
Ordinances
(a) We believe in two primary New Testament ordinances: baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper. However, we do not believe that the administration of such ordinances is limited to ordained or licensed ministers. We believe in the priesthood of all believers.
(b) Ordination and licensing in this church is a separation and recognition of a specific gifting of God. We believe that God calls men and women into specific ministries as prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. God calls. Man can only recognize the call and acknowledge it.
Ordination is on the basis of that recognition of God’s gifting. Men called to a specific office by God and ordained or licensed by this church will have the right to participate in the traditional sacramental and ordinal functions of the church such as marriages, funerals, baptisms, and the like. They shall also be expected to function in the spiritual giftings of their office and to demonstrate the reality of their calling.
As such, we recognize that those called to those offices will function in a manner to lead by example in prayer, worship, teaching, and prophesying and that such action on the part of those ordained and licensed by this.
Benevolence
We believe that the scriptures are clear concerning helping those in need. We are commanded to do good to all people as we have the opportunity, with a special emphasis upon caring for those who profess to be fellow Christians, especially those of non-fellowship of believers. We are commanded to be generous and willing to share, laying up treasure ourselves in the coming age by our kindness and generosity in this life.
This is true for the church as an organization as well as for the individual members of the church. Therefore, in accordance with the biblical commands, as a fundamental aspect of the practice of our faith, we will share of our material goods with those in need and will minister to them to the best of our abilities, whatever the need.
Proverbs 25:21-22
Isaiah 58:10
Galatians 6:1-2
I Timothy 6:18-19
Hebrew 13:16
Relations of the Church and State
God has entrusted the church with the solemn biblical responsibility of being the conscience of society, culture and government. As such, the church has a duty before God to speak to the issues that arise from and relate to society, culture and government. Specifically, the church in the tradition of the prophets is requested to call government to account before God for the actions taken by the government with the view toward keeping the government in its proper role and relationship as a steward under God of the resources of the nation.
II Chronicles 15:1-4
Matthew 5:13-14
I Samuel 15:14-35
When earthly governments leave their God-ordained sphere of responsibility and seek to restrain, hamper or limit the church’s obedience to Christ in all areas of life, then the church must and will obey rather than man and must confront the government with its error and call it back to its proper place under God.
Daniel 3:6
Acts 4:19 and 5:29
Homosexuality
We affirm that the scriptures clearly denounce and condemn homosexuality as an abomination.
Leviticus 20:13
Leviticus 18:22-30 and 20:13
Romans 1:24-27
I Corinthians 6:9
I Timothy 1:10
We believe according to the Old Testament’s account of creation; it was God himself who made people sexual beings. Being male or female is part of what it means to be created in the image of God.
Genesis 1:26-28
Above everything else therefore, sexuality is a precious aspect of what a person is, not merely a description of what he or she does. We affirm that homosexuality is seen as a violation of the natural created order and thereby is an offense to God the Creator who created men and women, male and female for procreation.
Persons embracing, indulging or participating in the sin of homosexuality shall not be permitted to be in any leadership position of the church. If discerned that anyone involved in this lifestyle are already in a leadership position, they shall be removed immediately.
Personal Ministry
We believe that the scriptures clearly define that members of a congregation can seek out personal ministry, spiritual advice, consultation, direction, purpose, resolution and guidance from amongst the shepherds, elders, spiritually mature men and women within the Body of Christ.
We further believe that consultation and instruction is applicable by the scriptures through sessions, a company of persons in close deliberation set together to lay a foundation set in place and give wise spiritual counsel. This also provides safety, defense, rescue and freedom from trouble.
The personal care of the saints is the sanctification of the whole person, body, soul and spirit through the love that flows from faith, patience and hope and the redemptive power of the cross of Christ and the atoning blood of Jesus.
The transformation of the soul through the Word of God, the denying of the old nature and the promise of the resurrection are the effective working mechanisms that characterize pastoral core ministry. Such ministry is foundational to the practice of our biblical faith.
Membership
Membership in the local body of Christ we affirm is theocratic- that is, God alone has the highest political authority. We further affirm that God raises up pastors to become the under-shepherds over the church, which is the local body of Christ.
Revelation 2:1
Jeremiah 3:15
I Corinthians 12:12-31
Romans 12:4-5
Ephesians 4:4-6
We affirm that active and concurrent membership in a local body of Christ is one of the keys to spiritual growth when Christians share their work with God in an atmosphere of love and respect. Membership and fellowship go hand in hand and occurs when saints in the body of Christ communicate in love with other believers and the whole assembly becomes strengthened as a result.
Sometimes fellowship requires confessing our faults, as we strive to develop a unity of spirit and mind.
James 5:16
We affirm those who hinder the fellowship of the brethren practice a sin that is hated by God.
Proverbs 6:18-19
Membership in a local body of Christ is so vital that we cannot live for God by ourselves. As we develop deeper relationships with others we come to resemble those with whom we have membership or fellowship with.
Matthew 18:18-20
Philippians 1:27
Romans 6:4-14
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