Acts Eighteen - Statement of Faith


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Statement of Faith

God

There is only one God and he is a living, intelligent, interactive and personal Being. His wisdom, knowledge, holiness and power are infinite and indivisible. He is the Creator, Ruler and Redeemer of the Universe. God has complete and total sovereignty over all things. He has revealed himself to humanity as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal attributes but without any division in being.

The Father

God as Father reigns with righteous providential care over his universe. He is eternal, omnipotent and omnipresent. He is the Father of all and is full of wisdom, righteousness and love. He is fatherly in all his attributes towards humanity.

The Son

Christ is the only begotten Son of God. In God’s incarnation as Jesus Christ, he was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary and was fully God and fully man. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of the Father, taking upon himself the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying himself completely with mankind but without sin. In his death on the cross, he made provision for the redemption of mankind. He was raised from the dead on the third day with a glorified body and appeared to his disciples. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where he is one mediator reconciling God to man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate his redemptive mission. He now dwells in all Christians as the living and ever present Lord.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God. He enables persons to understand truth. He draws sinners to God and convicts them of sin, righteousness and judgment. He calls persons to Jesus Christ, effects the new birth and indwells all born again believers. He bestows the spiritual gifts by which persons serve God through his church, cultivates Christian character, and comforts believers. His presence in the Christian serves to bring the believer into the fullness and the stature of Christ and assures us of our salvation. He enlightens our minds and empowers the believer in worship, evangelism and service.

The Word of God

The Bible is the word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

Regeneration

Man was created by God in his own image; man sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God; as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. Those who repent and forsake sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation and receive eternal life.

The Church

The universal church is the living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. The local church consists of a company of believers associated together for worship, work, and fellowship. God has laid upon the members of the local church the tasks of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

The Ordinances

The Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord's Supper. The ideal form of baptism is the immersion of the believer in water. The Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of his death. These two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Last Things

There will be personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of his kingdom. There will be a resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked.

Christian Conduct

The Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men; his conduct should be blameless before the world; he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.