The Bible
- The Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God preserved in 66 books.
- Biblical preservation is God preserving the books of Scripture.
- Biblical canonicity was determined by judging the writings of the Bible to be of apostolic origin, accepted as Scripture by the early church, and consistent with the Regula Fidei.
- All other books that claim to be from God are false.
- We disavow the apocrypha as being Scripture.
- Gnostic “gospels” are false.
- The Bauer-Erhman position on the Bible is heresy.
- We interpret the Bible literally, historically (in context), and grammatically.
- The Bible is authoritative.
God the Father
- God is the supreme Being.
- He exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Spirit.
- He does not have a body like man.
- He is eternal, supreme, omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient.
- God is love.
- God is holy.
- God is sovereign over all things.
- He is not the author of evil.
- Everything God does is for the highest possible good resulting in His own glory.
God the Son
- He is God incarnate.
- He is the eternal Son of God.
- He was involved in creation.
- He upholds all things by the word of His power.
- He was without sin.
- He died on the cross for the sins of mankind.
- He rose from the dead.
- He ascended into heaven.
- He is returning someday to establish an earthly kingdom.
- He will eternally dwell with His people in the New Jerusalem.
God the Holy Spirit
- He is fully God.
- He indwells and empowers every believer.
- He restrains sin.
- He participates in the prayers of God’s people.
- He will be removed from His present activity at the Rapture of the Church.
Man
- He was created innocent, without sin.
- He was created in the image of God (both male and female).
- Both man and woman were given dominion over the earth.
- In Adam, man fell from innocence into sin.
- The results of Adam’s sin are:
- Death (which is transcreational)
- Sin is past from father to children
- A curse upon the earth
- Difficulty in childbearing
Gospel
- It is the good news that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again.
- Salvation comes by grace through faith.
- It is evidenced by confession that “Jesus is Lord” and by belief that “God raised Him from the dead.”
- Salvation is a permanent state of being “in Christ.”
- The Holy Spirit is given immediately to those who trust in Jesus.
- Sin is eternally forgiven (past, present, and future) for those who are “in Christ.”
Church
- A church is a group of believers who gather together to worship God, follow Christ, and help each other in the process.
- A church must worship God.
- A church must emphasize the preaching and teaching of God’s Word.
- A church must love each other.
- A church must share the gospel with the unbelieving world.
Dispensationalism
- We believe that God has divided His plan into dispensations.
- The overall theme of the Bible is “the glory of God.”
- Biblical interpretation is literal, grammatical, and historical (contextual).
- Israel is distinct from the Church.
End Times
- The Church will be caught away to meet Jesus in the air—this can occur at any moment as the Rapture is signless.
- After the Rapture of the Church, God will bring judgment upon the earth in what is called the Tribulation.
- After the Tribulation Jesus will return to earth. This is the Second Coming.
- Those who have trusted in Jesus as Savior during this Tribulation and are still living will join Him in a thousand year reign upon the earth.
- Those who rejected the gospel will be damned in the Lake of Fire.
- During this thousand year earthly kingdom rule Satan will be bound.
- At the end of the thousand years Satan will be released and will cause a final rebellion. Jesus will destroy those who follow Satan and consign him to the Lake of Fire eternally.
- God will remake heaven and earth.
- A Great White Throne will appear and a final resurrection will occur where death and hell deliver up the unsaved dead. They will be judged according to their works and cast into the Lake of Fire.
- A new Jerusalem will come down out of heaven onto the earth.
- Another resurrection will occur where the Old Testament saints along with the Tribulation saints will be resurrected to enjoy eternity with Jesus on the earth.