Faith statement 3

Here is another Faith statement. It is from a Evangelical Free church. 

What We Believe:

  1. Article 1: Godhead
    1. We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (John 14:8-17,26; John 15:26; Isaiah 9:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Isaiah 42:8; Isaiah 45:15; Matt 28:19).
  2. Trinity – One God in Three Persons
    1. The word “trinity” is not found in the Bible, but the concept is there.  It is used to define the one true God revealed in the Bible as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  God is one in His divine being or constitutional nature, and He exists eternally (Deut. 6:4; James 2:19).  The divine essence is not equally divided; it is fully in each manifestation to maintain its unity, as in one in unity.  All three are persons, each with a purpose and a ministry.
  3. Trinity-Word Picture
    1. The Father is responsible for bringing men to salvation and for sending the Son and Holy Spirit. The Son is the mediator of salvation (Heb. 7:25; 8:6; 9:15-22) and the propitiation for our sins (1 John 1:7; 2:2; 4:9-10).  The Holy Spirit regenerates man’s heart for the purpose of eternal life (John 3:5-6).
  4. Article 2: Scripture
    1. We believe the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God, inerrant in the original writings, and the supreme and final authority of faith and life. (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet 1:21; 1 Cor. 2:13).
  5. Article 3: Jesus Christ
    1. We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man. (Matt 1:18-23; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1-3; John 1:14; Hebrews 1:1-3; Col. 1:15; 2:9; Phil 2:5-11).
  6. Born of the Holy Spirit Divine conception guarding His undiminished deity.
  7. Virgin Birth Providing His humanity, guaranteeing His sinless nature (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15-16)
  8. His Person “undiminished deity, perfect humanity, united in one person forever” (Ryrie, Charles C., Basic Theology, Wheaton, IL; Victor Books, 1986).
    1. Phillipians 2:6-9 – A view of both natures
    2. Incarnatio (Latin) – Being or taking flesh (John 1:14; Phil. 2:6-7; 1 John 3:5-8; Heb. 4:14-16; Rom. 6:7-12).
    3. Humanity – felt pain, suffered, got tired, wept (John 11:35; 19:1-6, 28-30)
    4. John 17 – Divine and human natures retained now in heaven (John 20:1-9; Acts 1:9-11)
    5. Prophet, Priest, and King – Acts 3:22-24; John 4:44, 8:26; Heb. 5:1-7; 7:1-3; Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:32-33; Matt. 2:2; 27:11
    6. Hypostatic Union – Term used to describe Christ’s two natures, which are separate and distinct.
  9. Article 4: Man and Sin
    1. We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned, incurring not only physical death but also spiritual death (which is separation from God); and that all are sinners in thought, word, and deed. (Gen. 1:27; Eph. 2:1,5; Romans 5:12; Romans 3:23).
    2. Created in the Image of God – Character, and Capacity
      1. Heart – Emotional
      2. Mind – Intellectual
      3. Will – Volitional
      4. Tselem and demuth (Hebrew, Gen. 1:26-27; 5:3) – Imply unique reflection of God, possessing life, morality, intelligence, will, holiness, and the character of God (communicable attributes).
      5. Eikon (Greek, 1 Cor. 11:7) and homoiosis (Greek, James 3:9) – reflection and likeness.
    3. Fell in Sin
      1. Transgression of the Law
      2. “Anything contrary to the character of God” (Ryrie) – this definition is all-inclusive.
    4. Sin Nature
      1. Personal capacity to do all things, good or bad, none of which commends us to God.
    5. Depravity
      1. The inability of man to act in such a way as to merit favor from God. (Ps. 103; Eph. 2:1; Rom. 3:23; Prov. 14:12)
  10. Article 5: Salvation: Justification
    1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice that we might be justified by His blood.”  (1 Cor 15:3; 1 Tim 1:15; 2 Cor 5:21; Romans 5:8,9).
    2. Definition
      1. The divine act in which God declares a believing sinner to be righteous because of the work of Christ at Calvary.
    3. Christ Died for Our Sins
      1. Sinless for the sinful (2 Cor. 5:17)
      2. In our place (substitutionary)
      3. To satisfy God’s justice – satisfaction of the wrath of God through the atoning sacrifice and blood of Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 2:2; Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17; 1 Jn 4:10).
    4. Propitiation = Satisfaction of the wrath of God through the atoning sacrifice and blood of Jesus Christ. (1 Jn. 2:2; Rom. 3:25; Heb 2:17; 1 Jn. 4:10).  His death is the payment for our wrongdoing before God (Heb. 9:15-16).
    5. Reconciliation = The result of the work of Christ and His atoning sacrifice, by which our relationship with God is restored.  We no longer are separated from our Creator by sin and death (Rom 5:10; Matt. 5:44; 2 Cor. 5:17-20), when we place our trust in Christ.
    6. Calvary’s Cross: The Only Effective Means of Payment
  11. Article 6: Salvation: Regeneration (New Birth)
    1. We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit, and thereby become the children of God. (John 1:12,13; 1 Pet. 1:23; Romans 8:14).
    2. Definition
      1. The change of our moral and spiritual nature by the work of the Holy Spirit.  The divine work through the Holy Spirit that brings new life to the sinner.
    3. By Faith – Romans 10:9-10; Titus 3:5; 1 Cor. 6:11
      1. Believe
      2. Receive
    4. Through the Spirit – John 3:3-7
    5. Adoption into the Family – New name, new family, new life, new nature, new home, new responsibilities (2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Jn 2:29; Eph. 1:1-14; John 1:12).
  12. Article 7: Salvation: Sanctification
    1. We believe that salvation is entirely and only by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that no works of any description can in any degree contribute to our salvation; but, on the other hand, that good works are expected of those who have been born again. (Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3: 5-8.)
    2. Definition – That process by which we are set apart to God and made Christlike through our continuous pursuit of holiness and purity. (1 Thess. 3:12-13; 4: 3-5; 5:23-24; 2 Cor. 3:18; 2 Cor. 7:1).
    3. Grace – the application of the work of Calvary to the believing sinner.
    4. Works – the response of gratitude from the life of the redeemed. (Eph. 2:10; Jas 2:14-18)
    5. Sanctification
      1. Positional – where we are in Christ (Saints)
      2. Progressive – How it happens (continued obedience to Christ)
      3. Ultimate – The final result (glorification with Christ)
    6. Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:1,16)
    7. “The whole of life beyond surrender is an aspiration to unbroken communion with God” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1935, p. 257).
    8. “Holiness…consists of that internal change or renovation of our souls whereby our minds, affections, and wills are brought into harmony with God”, (A.W. Pink, The Doctrine of Salvation, Swengel, Pennsylvania; Bible Truth Depot, 1955, p. 25).
    9. Added comment: you cannot effectively live the Christian life without the counsel, teaching, guidance, conviction, and help of the Holy Spirit. (John 14:26; John 16:13; Matt 3:11; Acts 8:15; 9:17; 1 Cor. 12:13; Luke11:13)
  13. Article 8: Assurance
    1. We believe that all who have been saved are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever.  We further believe it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (John 6:37-40; John 10:27-30; Romans 8:1,38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-9; Heb. 6:17-20; 1 Pet. 1:5; Romans 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
    2. Salvation a Certainty
      1. Phil 1:6 – He who began a good work
      2. John 10:27-30
      3. “It is finished” – John 19:30
      4. “Once for all” – Romans 6:10; Heb. 7:27; 9:12, 26; 10:2,10; 1 Pet 3:18
    3. Security
      1. Not based on anything (Eph. 2:8-9)
      2. Phil. 2:13 – “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
      3. Titus 3:5 – not my works, but His mercy.
    4. Liberty, Not License –  1 Cor. 3:1-4; Eph. 4:24-5:1; Gal. 5:18; Phil. 2:12-13

      1. All to His glory

      2. Accountable to His review – 2 Cor. 5:10; Romans 13:13-14; 1 Cor. 10:30-31; 11:1

  14. Article 9: Resurrection of Christ
    1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead in the body in which He was crucified, that He ascended into heaven, and that He lives in heaven today in the same body in which He rose from the grave.” (1 Cor. 15:1-8; 12:20; 30-32; 54-58; Luke 24:30-46; John 11:25-26; 20:19,20; Acts 1:9).
    2. Acts 1:3a says, “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive” (NIV).  The Greek word translated “convincing proofs” is used in logic to mean “demonstrative proof” and in medical language to mean “demonstrative evidence”.  It means “to prove by sure signs”.  (See Phil. 3:10-11)
    3. Physical Reality, Not Mystical Event – Bodily; same body now glorified  (John 20:19-20)
    4. Eternal in the Heavens – at God’s right hand (Heb. 10:12; 12:2b
    5. Fulfilled Old Testament prophecy (Psalm 16:8-11)
    6. Predicted by Jesus (Mark 8:31; 9:9,31)
    7. Destroyed the hold that Satan had over sin and death (1 Cor. 15:12-24; Col. 2:15)
    8. Confirms Jesus as Lord and Savior (John 4:25-26; 10:36)
    9. Allowed the Holy Spirit to be sent (Acts 2:32-33; Rom. 8:9-11)
    10. Proof of the coming judgment (Acts 17:31; 10:40-42)
  15. Article 10: His Return
    1. We believe in the personal, imminent, pre-millennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ; first, at the rapture, to catch up unto Himself all believers, both resurrected and those who are alive at His coming, to Heaven; and then, with His saints to establish His millennial kingdom.  We further believe that the Scriptures strongly imply that the rapture will precede the Great Tribulation.  (John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; 1 Thes. 3:13; 1 Thes. 1:10; 1 Thes. 5:9; Jude 14; Rev. 3:10; Titus 2:11-14; Zech. 14:4-11; Daniel 12:1; Matt. 24:21,29-30)
    2. Personal – He will physically come back (Acts 1:11)
    3. Imminent – At any moment (1 Thes. 5).  Not dependent on the fulfillment of any event.
    4. Pre-Millennial – Before the millennial rule of Jesus Christ (Rev. 20:1-6)
    5. Pre-Tribulational
    6. Before the Tribulation
    7. Revelation 3:10 – Keep from
    8. 1 Thess. 5:9-11 – encourage one another
  16. Article 11: Rewards and Judgment
    1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the saved to be raised at the first resurrection to receive their glorified bodies and to be forever with the Lord; the lost to be raised at least 1,000 years later only to face the judgment of the Great White Throne and to be cast into the lake of fire forever. (1 Cor. 15:51-59; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; John 5:28-29; Rev. 20: 5,6, 11-15).
    2. Judgment (Bema) Seat of Christ – 2 Cor. 5:10; Romans 14:10
    3. Bema = A tribunal or judgment seat where a judge (Christ) dispenses his decisions.  This judgment is for believers only.
    4. Not for sin – the Cross took care of that!
    5. Regarding service, gain or loss
    6. Great White Throne – Rev. 20:11-15; John 5:22, 26-29
    7. Book of Life
    8. Book of Deeds
    9. Lake of Fire (Second Death)
    10. The books are evidence against unbelievers, revealing their deeds of unrighteousness as well as proof of their unbelief.
  17. Article 12: Ordinances
    1. We believe that the Lord has ordained for this period of grace the ordinances of Believer’s Baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper.” (Matt. 28:19; Acts 8: 36-38; Acts. 18:8; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).
    2. Definition –  “An outward rite prescribed by Christ to be performed by the church” (Ryrie).
    3. Baptism – Matt. 3:15-17; 28:18-20; Romans 6:1-6
    4. External declaration of an internal decision
    5. Identification or association with a message; ie., the Gospel (Matt. 28:19)
    6. Public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ
    7. It has nothing to do with salvation.  You are only regenerated through Faith in Jesus’ blood; not by baptism.
    8. Lord’s Supper – a memorial of what Christ did to redeem us (1 Cor. 11:23-26; Acts 4:42-47; Heb. 9:28, 10:14
  18. Article 13: Body of Christ
    1. We believe in the One True Church composed of all who have been born again through faith in Christ Jesus, and only of such; that the church is the body of Christ, all members being united by the Holy Spirit to Him who is the Head, and to each other.”  (1 Cor. 12:12-13; Matt. 16:18; Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-23; Eph. 4:15,16,25)
    2. Universal
    3. Basis: Faith in Christ alone (John 14:6; Eph. 4:4-6)
    4. Energizer: The Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13)
    5. Unified: Fit together (Eph. 4:15-16)
    6. Local: Its Purpose
    7. To glorify God
    8. To evangelize
    9. To produce holy Christians
    10. To care for its own
    11. To do good in the world
    12. Word Pictures of the Church
    13. Bride of Christ (Eph. 5:22ff)
    14. Body of Christ (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12-30; Col. 1:18)
    15. Ecclesia (assemble or called together) (Eph. 1:22-23; Matt. 16:18

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