STATEMENT
OF THE ESSENTIALS WE BELIEVE
1.
About God
God
is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He
exists in three persons: God
the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These
three are co-equal and
are one God.
Gen.
1:1,26,27, 3:22; Ps. 90:2; Matt. 28:19; 1 Pet. 1:2; 2 Cor. 13:14
2.
About Jesus Christ
Jesus
Christ is not only God, but also God the Son, and is co-equal with
God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He was
born of a virgin, lived a sinless human life and offered Himself
as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a
cross, vicariously suffering the punishment of sin in place of all
men. He arose from the dead to demonstrate His
power over sin and death. He ascended to
Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to earth to reign
as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Isa.
7:14, 9:6; Matt. 1:22,23; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1-5; Acts 1:9-11;
Rom 1:3-4; 1 Tim. 3: 14-16, 6:14-15; Tit. 2:13; Heb. 4:14,15
3.
3. About the Holy Spirit
The
Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son of
God. From the moment of salvation he lives in
every Christian, and provides them with power for living,
understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is
right. He gives believers spiritual gifts when
they are saved. As Christians we seek to live
under his control daily. Upon receiving Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit baptizes every believer
into the Body of Christ. As believers we need
to seek a continual filling of power by the Holy Spirit.
The gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit serve as evidence of
God’s presence in a believers’ life.
John
14:16-17, 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 2:12, 3:16, 12:1-31; 2 Cor.
3:17; Gal. 5:22-25; Eph. 1:13, 5:18
4.
4.
About the Bible
The
bible is God’s Word to us. Human authors
under the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit wrote it.
It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and
living. Because it is inspired by God, it is
the truth without any mixture of error.
Ps.
12:6, 119:105, 160; Prov. 30:5; 2 Tim 1:13, 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet.
1:20-21
5.
About Mankind
Mankind
was created in the image of God, to be like him in character.
Therefore, mankind is the supreme object of God’s love.
Even though every person has tremendous potential for good,
they are fallen in nature because of “sin.” Sin
separates mankind from God and continues to be the source of the
problems in people, nations, and the world.
Gen.
1:27; Ps. 8:3-6, 51:5; Is. 53:6; Rom. 3:23; 5:12-2
6.
About Salvation
Salvation
is God’s free gift to us, but we must accept it. We
can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works.
Only by trusting in Jesus Christ and His redemptive work
can anyone be saved from the penalty of sin. We
are saved when we turn from our self-ruled life and unto Jesus
Christ in faith. Eternal life begins the moment
a person receives Jesus Christ by faith. A
believer in Jesus Christ should be water baptized, by full
immersion, as means of identifying with Jesus’ death, burial,
and resurrection and for power to leave behind the old way of
life.
John
3:16, 14:6; Rom. 5:1, 6:1-14, 23; Gal. 3:26; Eph. 2:8-9
7.
About Eternity
People
were created to exist forever. We will
eternally exist, either separate from God because of sin and its
punishment, or in fellowship and union with God eternally through
forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally
separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in
union with God is eternal life. Heaven and Hell
are real places of eternal existence.
Matt.
1:8, 2:44-46; John 2:25, 3:16, 5:11-13; 10:10; Rom. 6:23; Rev.
20:15
