We adopted the following Doctrinal Statements based on the personal salvation experience and on the word of God “The Bible”.
A. THE SCRIPTURES:
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the complete recorded revelation of God to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, therefore it is infallible. It contains the message of salvation, principles by which God judges us and has the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.Ref: Exodus 24:4; Psalms 19: 7-10; Isaiah 34:16; Luke 24: 44-46; John 5:39, Acts 2:16; Romans 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
B. GOD:
There is only one living and true God. He is an omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence and obedience. The eternal God reveals himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence or being.i. GOD THE FATHER:
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creation, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.Ref: Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:14; Psalms 19:1-3; Jeremiah 10:10-14; Matthew 6:9; John 4:24; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6.
ii. GOD THE SON:
Christ is the eternal son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God. He took upon the nature of man, identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored and fulfilled the divine law by taking upon Himself the sins of the world, died on the cross, through His precious sinless blood, made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead on the third day according to the scriptures. He resurrected with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God. He is the one mediator, partaking of the nature of God and of man, and in whose person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever-present Lord.Ref: Psalms 2:7; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; John 10:25-30; Acts 2:22-24; Romans 1:3-6; I Corinthians 15:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Philippians 2:5-11; Revelation 5:9-14, 19:16
iii. GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT:
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old to write the scriptures, through illumination. He enables men to understand the truth; He exalts Jesus Christ and convicts men of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He calls men to the cross and effects regeneration through Jesus Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer, enlightens and empowers in worship, evangelism and service.Ref: Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Isaiah 61:1-3; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; Luke 1:35; John 4:24; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9-14; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 1 John 4:13.
C. MAN:
Man was created by the special act of God, In His own image, and is the crown of creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed with freedom of choice. By His free will man sinned against God and brought sin into human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, fell from, original innocence and fell short of the glory of God, whereby man came under divine condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man, therefore, every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.Ref: Genesis 1:26-30; 2: 7-33; Romans 3:10-12, 3:23, 5:12; I Corinthians 15:19, 21:24; Ephesians 2:1-7; Psalms 51:5
D. SALVATION:
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes: (a) Regeneration – the new birth experience of God’s grace; whereby the sinner responds in repentance after being convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit and has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. (b) Sanctification – the believer is set apart to God’s purposes, and is able to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in Him. (c) Glorification – is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.Ref: Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:21; John 1:11-14, 3:16; Acts 2:21, 4:10-12; Romans 1:16-17, 3:24-28, 5:8-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:4-7, 2:8-22; Colossians 3:1-3; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 1:2-23; Romans 10:9
E. THE CHURCH:
A new testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel, committed to the Lord’s teachings, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in there by His word and seeking to fulfill the great commission of the Lord to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. The New Testament speaks also of the Church as the body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all ages.Ref: Matthew 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42, 47: 14:23; Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:19-22, 3:8-11, 5:23-32; Colossians 1:18.
F. ORDINANCES AND OBSERVANCES:
i. Baptism:
It is a Christian rite of admission and adoption with use of water in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit according to the preference of the individual’s Christian faith and belief. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried and risen savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. And it is a testimony to ones faith in the final resurrection of the dead.Ref: Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:41; Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:12
ii. The Lord’s Day:
The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion on the both public and private.Ref: Matthew 28:1-10; Acts 20: 7, 1 Corinth 16: 1-2
iii. The Lord’s Supper:
It is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the Church, through partaking of the bread and wine, in remembrance of His suffering, death, redemption of our sins and in anticipation of His second coming.Ref: Luke 22:19-20; I Corinthians 11:23-29
G. LAST THINGS:
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return in His glory to earth; the dead in Christ will be raised and the rapture of Church; then the period of tribulation. Finally, Christ will return visibly and personally in glory to judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be cast into hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.Ref: Matthew 16:27, 19:28, 24:27; Luke 17:22-37; John 14: 1-3; Acts 1:10-11, 17:31; Romans 14:10; I Corinthians 15:20-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Peter 2:4
H. DUTY, PRIVILEGE AND RESPONSIBILITY:
i. Mission and Evangelism:
It is imperative that every church and every believer endeavor to make disciples of all nations. It is a spiritual necessity of the regenerated life, and is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ.ii. Stewardship:
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have are all that we owe to Him. Believers have a Holy trusteeship and binding stewardship in Gospel and possession. Therefore, we are under obligation to serve Him with our time, talents, and material possessions.Ref: Matthew 9:37-38; John 20:21; Romans 10:14-17; Malachi 3:8-12; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 8-9
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