Bible Based Believers

What Does the Bible Say?

Statement of Faith

Introduction

faith_statement

Our Statement of Faith contains a very in-depth and biblically sound listing of our beliefs about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and Christianity as a whole. As attacks on the Christian Faith grow, as our beliefs are increasingly questioned and maligned, and because there are many various cults (those whom ignore the Bible, change it’s message, or add their own beliefs to the Bible’s message); we believe this Statement of Faith is an absolutely necessary and vital part of this ministry’s responsibility to its fellow Christians and the world to let them know Wherein we Stand and What we Believe.


We also believe the Holy Spirit will continuously open our eyes and teach us deeper and greater truths as we press forward in our research and prayer for deeper knowledge of His Word. Consequently, this Statement of Faith will evolve over time. This current version represents our knowledge of God’s Word as it is today. As we’re taught new things, we’ll make the necessary updates to this Statement of Faith to reflect those new truths. It is vitally important each of our readers remember this simple fact: We are mere humans, and our words here at Bible Based Believers.org are exactly that, human words and teachings. As children of God, it is the responsibility of each person to research God’s Word for ourselves, asking the Holy Spirit for guidance and understanding as we go. (2 Timothy 2:15 – KJV) and (1 John 2:27 – KJV

Holy Bible

We believe the Holy Bible is the true, living, and only Word of God. We stand firm in the belief the Bible is the one and only infallible, inerrant, authoritative, true Word of God. That is to say, it is: (never-failing, always effective and incapable of making mistakes), (incapable of being wrong), and (able to be trusted as being accurate or true; reliable).

We believe God, in His immeasurable wisdom and strength, has preserved His Holy Word throughout the ages of time, even to this present day. We also believe the King James Version of the Holy Bible to be the most accurate representation of the original manuscripts and we consider it our final and absolute authority above and beyond all other authorities here on this earth.

If your Bible is a King James Bible, it preserves God’s words because it was translated using formal equivalence. All other Bibles were translated using dynamic equivalence, in which the translator is free to change words as long as he conveys the “idea.”

Definition: Dynamic and Formal Equivalence – Wikipedia

The following scriptures from the Holy Bible are left for us as a reassurance of our beliefs about the Holy Bible:

  1. God promises to preserve His Word (Psalms 12:6-7 – KJV):
    1. “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever”.
  2. God’s Words will never pass away (Mark 13:31 – KJV):
    1. “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away”. – Jesus Christ, Son of God
  3. God cares about His Words (Proverbs 30:5-6 – KJV):
    1. “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Add though not unto his words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar”.
  4. God will curse those who change His Word (Revelation 22:18-19 – KJV):
    1. 18 For I testify unto every man who heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
    2. 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Do you believe the Apocrypha is the inspired Word of God?

I urge you, dear reader, to remember this very important fact: The writers, preachers, and teachers at Bible Based Believer(s).org are neither scholars, theologians, doctors of divinity, or highly educated in any manner. We are, however, followers of Jesus Christ, believers in the same, guided by and taught of His Holy Spirit.

During our course of reading and research, we have discovered many interesting facts concerning the Apocrypha, and have proposed the following questions:

  1. Why was the Apocrypha preserved for over 2,000 years, then simply removed within the last 200 years? Did it suddenly stop being the Word of God, or was it placed there by man when it never should have been there in the first place?
  2. Why do most Americans believe that the Apocrypha is Catholic in its origin, when clearly it was written before Catholicism was ever even thought or heard of? Hint: Do your research (through prayer) before simply repeating what others have been saying for the last 100 years, and claiming that as fact. 
  3. If we ARE truly Bible Believing Christians, we believe the Word of God is true and unfailing,  and we believe the Holy Spirit to be our comforter and guide in all things, why don’t we go to Him in prayer over this issue just like we do all other issues?
  4. Please let us not forget the following scriptures, and let us not forget to rely on the Word of God that we do have (E.g. The 66 books that make up the current version of the canon of scripture currently in print today.) God’s Word is packed full of words of wisdom and guidance for us.
  5. Contained within those books are the following scriptures:
    1. Proverbs 8:17 – 17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
    2. Jeremiah 29:13 – 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
    3. Matthew 7:7-8 – 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
  6. This is a very small sampling of His scriptures of promise for us. Our point is simply this: If you are wondering anything about the Apocrypha, or scripture, or life, or absolutely anything of significance to you, search the scriptures, and pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance! He WILL answer you! It is real, HE IS REAL, HE IS ALIVE, and HE LOVES YOU! He wants to help you, and He wants to guide you! Please let Him do that for you. You’ll never regret a decision such as this. Eternal Life is real my friend, and it is here, now! Not in some far off by and by.
  7. Please use the following list of scriptures from Knowing-Jesus.com as a reference for scriptures concerning seeking God.

God

We believe God is the Great ‘I AM’ (Exodus 3:14 – KJV). God alone can make the statement “I AM”, because God alone is. Everything else, and everyone else, becomes. If I say ‘I AM’, I speak falsely of myself. When I refer to myself, I should state that I am something; “I am a man, I am a preacher, I am a teacher, etc.” There’s an excellent reference here from Charles Kingsley on the Great I AM.

We believe strongly, with Biblical proof, that God is neither contingent nor derived. He has the power of being within Himself. He is completely self-existent and depends on absolutely nothing else for His Holy existence or life. Rev 4:11 (KJV) says: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

Only one God

God is the only Supreme (Sovereign) Being and there have been no Gods created before or after Him in all of time. Deuteronomy 10:17 (KJV) – 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: (Psalms 99; Ephesians 1:22; 2 Chronicles 20:6; Psalms 115:3  – KJV).

God is to be worshiped (Gen 24:26; 2 Chron. 29:28; Rev. 7:11), He is to be served (Matt. 4:10; Heb. 9:14; 1 Cor. 6:19), and He is to be proclaimed (Matt. 28:19; Acts 1:8).

God created the World

We believe God created the World, it did not evolve. Genesis 1:1 ” 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” While many will tell you the Holy Trinity of God is not mentioned or taught in the Bible until the New Testament, we believe that scripture teaches us otherwise. Quite literally, even in the beginning – Genesis 1 (the divine creation of the world) we are shown the evidence of the Trinity of God: 

  1. Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Mentions God)
  2. Genesis 1:2 – “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (Mentions the Holy Spirit)
  3. Genesis 1:3 – “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” (Mentions the Son of God – Jesus) – John 1:3 “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” – Further reading of John 1:10 shows us that Jesus was The Light, and the world was made by Him. We also read in Colossians 1:15 He is: “15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature …”

God is a Holy Trinity

As we’ve just been discussing, God, the Holy Trinity, is mentioned all the way back in the beginning, in (Genesis 1:1-3 – KJV). We believe this is our (Christians) proof that not only is God a Holy Triune, He wanted us to know this Triune was involved in everything that God has done since the beginning of time. The Holy Trinity or Triune is defined as: “the Christian Godhead as one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” That is to say, God is one, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whom are infinite in their glory, power, love, holiness, wisdom, and justice for all.

God’s Will

We believe, without a shadow of doubt, God does have a ‘Will’. Daniel 4:35 “35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?”

Again in John 6:38-40, John lets us know what Jesus said His will was: “38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Recommended reading resource: Will of God – Pastor John Piper.

Jesus Christ – Son of God

We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He is the Word (God), and He became the one and only true God-man. Jesus, through His incarnation, was conceived of the Holy Spirit through the virgin Mary (Matt. 1:18-25 – KJV). Jesus Christ walked this earth as God, in a mans body, for a period of time after His earthly birth. However, He lived a sinless life (1 Peter 2:22; 2 Cor 5:21; Luke 1:35; 1 John 3:5), He performed miracles, and He taught the message of salvation to sinners everywhere He went (Mat 8:24-27; Luke 8:26-39; John 3:1-21).

Jesus was crucified for our sins, but by the power of God was raised from the dead on the third day (John 19; John 20). Jesus tells us in John 3:15, that: “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life”. Jesus will return to judge all humanity. In Isaiah 66:15-24, the prophet tells us of Jesus return to rule and judge the earth. In John 5:22-23, Jesus tell us: “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement unto the Son”. Finally, Jesus IS the “I AM”, the messiah. Look at: John 20:31; John 4:25-29. The woman at the well perceived that she was speaking to the Messiah, to which Jesus instructed her saying: “… I that speak unto thee am he”.

Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and Son. 1 John 5:7 says: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” This verse is sufficient as the basis for the entire doctrine of the Trinity. We also see in multiple other scriptures there is but one God: (1 Corinthians 8:6; Isaiah 44:6-8; Deuteronomy 4:35-39), and one more scripture showing His Almighty greatness (Psalm 96:4-5): “For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols …”.

Before Jesus ascended back into heaven (John 3:13; Acts 1:2, 1:9-10) to sit on the right hand of the Father, He told His disciples He would send the Holy Ghost to them (Acts 1:8-9), and in (Acts 2:1-4), the Holy Spirit did indeed come upon them. We also believe the Holy Spirit lives in us (Ezekiel 36:27; 1 Cor 3:16; 1 Cor 6:19), guides us (1 Kings 18:12; Luke 4:1; Rom 8:14; John 16:13), teaches us (1 John 2:27), regenerates the sinner who believes (John 3:5; John 3:8), and convicts the world of sin (John 16:8). We encourage you to continue reading the book of John for a deeper explanation of the Holy Spirit. We know you will be truly blessed!

We believe those whom believe on Jesus Christ, will receive the Holy Spirit. In Ezekiel 36:27, God told His people: “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” In Acts 2:33, Peter says: “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” … and in Acts 2:38, Peter tells us how to receive the Holy Spirit: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Man

Man was created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27). However, all men have fallen into sin through the sins of Adam (Genesis 3; specifically Genesis 3:17-24). Paul tells us in Romans 5:12 that sin entered into the world by one man: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”. Because of this sin, a man can not see the kingdom of God unless he is born again of God (John 3:3). In (1 John 1:8-10), John tells us: “ 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” .

A man can not perform the work of righteousness in himself in order to clear himself from sin. The Holy Bible is very explicit in stating the fact that we can not and do not create our own righteousness. John 8:24 is a great example of this: “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

Salvation

We believe Jesus Christ was given to us as a gift from God (because God so loved the World), that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). We do believe that Jesus Christ gives us salvation, by grace, through faith (Christ), not of ourselves, lest any should boast (Eph 2:8), but we beg of you to not stop reading there…, ignoring (Eph 2:12-13). Let us not forget the Who (Jesus), by focusing too much on the What (salvation).

Jesus Christ, my friends, is our true gift!

Jesus is the greatest gift there is. That is a staple of Christian theology. Yet as soon as we hear this statement, we’re apt to collapse it into a statement about some other gift, like salvation. Being given Jesus, in our minds, quickly morphs into being given forgiveness, or rescue, or eternal life. Jesus himself, the gift who perfectly embodies God’s generosity and goodness, gets bumped to the third page.

The Gospels don’t do that. From his Incarnation to his Ascension, Jesus Christ puts the liberality and largeness of God on display. It is not just at the Cross, or even in the Resurrection, that Jesus represents the grace, the gift-giving-ness, of God to us. In every miracle, every parable—simply by being in the world at all—Jesus is proclaiming, “God is good, he loves giving, and I’m here, among other things, to prove it.”

Even Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, … to give His Life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45) – “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Gal 1:3-4) – “ 3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:” and (2 Cor 9:13-15)

We believe that whosoever believeth in Jesus Christ shall be saved (John 3:15-17). We also believe that man did not and can not create his own salvation. John 4:10 tells us: “… thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”; and John 4:14 tells us: “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”, quite simply, we did NOT and can NOT create our own salvation. Furthermore, no one can come to the Father unless the Father draw him (John 6:44).

However, we are instructed to believe (John 3:15-17; John 3:36), we are instructed to obey and follow His Words and Sayings (John 14:23-24), and we are instructed to watch and be vigilant for ye know neither the day nor the hour… (Mat 25:13). This is a great teaching of Jesus, bearing great importance in our relationship and walk with Christ (in all of Mat 25). Also we should not neglect (Rev 3:20), which again teaches us of the importance of our relationship with Christ and His desire to have a relationship with us.

For more in-depth reading and teaching regarding the subject of Salvation, please continue your research by clicking here.

Jesus’ Return or Second Coming

We believe Jesus Christ will return again to this earth to rule and reign. Our belief in the second coming of Christ is yet another example of our belief in the Holy Scripture – our belief God is in control of all things and will remain faithful and true to all promises and prophecies in His Word. In prophecies concerning Jesus, he is said to be both a Suffering Servant and a Conquering King, but the Old Testament prophecies don’t make a clear distinction between the two comings of Christ (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7 and Zechariah 14:4). This has led some, especially Jews, to believe there are two separate Messiah (persons).

We believe this to be inaccurate. There is only one God (Isaiah 44:6; 1 Tim 2:5; Rev 1:8), not two. Consequently, there is only one Messiah. We believe Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Servant from (Isaiah 53) in His first coming, and He will fulfill the prophecy of King over the world in His second coming (Zechariah 12:10 and Revelation 1:7).

There is even more proof of His return as we look further into the scriptures. (Acts 1:11) says: ” this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”, and (Zechariah 14:4) tells us the location of His return would be the Mount of Olives. Our Lord’s second coming is once again talked about in great detail in (Revelation 19:11-16).

The Rapture & Great Tribulation

Is the Rapture Scriptural?

We believe God’s children will be resurrected from the dead, and they, along with the believers whom are still living will be given glorified bodies and carried away with the Lord on a cloud. After this carrying away of the saints, we will be with the Lord forever. We believe (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50–54) to be our scriptural proof of the saints being carried away (caught up) to be with the Lord. However, even though the meaning it carries is a Biblically sound doctrine, the term Rapture is not used in the Bible.

A Partial Rapture?

Many Christians today believe in a theory referred to as the Partial Rapture, which states: “Not all Christians will be carried away (caught up) with the Lord. Only the faithful will be raptured, while the unfaithful are required to stay here on earth”. We believe the Partial Rapture Theory goes directly against the Word of God in (1 Thessalonians 4:17). We can’t find any scriptural proof which supports the theory. However, some will say (Matthew 25:1-13) is their “proof” of faithful vs. unfaithful believers, but we believe this scripture to describe believers vs. unbelievers, confirmed by (Matthew 25:11-12) in which Jesus states: “…Verily I say unto you, I know you not”. Clearly this means, He didn’t know them, “…and the door was shut” (Matthew 25:10).

The Tribulation Period

We believe upon completion of the rapture, the fulfillment of the prophecy of The Tribulation Period will commence, making us believers in the pre-tribulational position. Based on scriptural proof, we believe the Tribulation Period, is a period of time spoken about in the prophecy of (Daniel 9:20-27) concerning the nation of Israel. It’s a period of time when God focuses special attention on the children of Israel, noting the following Words in (Daniel 9:24): “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy”.

Secondly, based on (Revelation 6 – 18), God will use the Tribulation Period to judge the remaining, Godless people on this earth. Jesus Christ also refers to the Great Tribulation himself in (Matthew 24:21), and He appears to be quoting prophetic scripture from the prophet (Daniel 12:1) who says: “…and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book”.

Resurrection & Eternal Damnation

Resurrection

As we mentioned earlier, under ‘Is the Rapture Scriptural’, we believe God’s children will be resurrected from the dead. Scriptures such as (1 Cor 15:50-54 and 1 Thess 4:13-17), provide us with the scriptural proof God’s children will be resurrected: “…shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess 4:17b).

Answering for Our Sins

We believe all people will be required to answer for their sins. Paul tells us in (2 Cor 5:10) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad”. Also, in (Matthew 12:36-37), Jesus tells us: “36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

Eternity in Hell?

We believe anyone who remains an unbeliever to their death will face an eternity in Hell. Scriptural proof of this can be found in (Revelation 21:7-8): “7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Satan, the Devil, and Hell (Hades)

We believe the Devil (Satan or Lucifer as he’s sometimes referred to), is a real, spiritual being. The Devil is not a symbol of evil, as so many Americans would have you to believe, he is a living being. In (Job 1:6), we see that Satan presented himself to God right along side the other Angels, just as if that was customary for him, also proving he is indeed a real being. Notice, God didn’t rebuke him for being there either, which seems to imply his meeting with them was normal. We also see in (Job 1:7) Satan had been walking around in the earth: “…From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”

(Revelation 12:9) tells us how the Devil was cast out of Heaven: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Notice this verse also tells us about how he’s been deceiving us. Later in (Revelation 12:10), the Bible tells us the Devil has been accusing us before God day and night: “the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night”. The Devil is certainly real, a living being. He is not, merely a symbol of evil! We also can’t find any reference of the Devil’s earthly presence changing until (Revelation 20:10) “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever”.

Hell

We believe Hell is a very real place. The word “hell” appears 54 times in the Holy Bible. Hell is clearly defined in your Bible (KJV) as a place of torment and burning. One would have to be completely ignorant of the Truth, and would need to be one who rejected he reads in the Word of God in order to say hell is ‘the grave’ or ‘separation from God’. (Deuteronomy 32:22) is the first reference we find of Hell: “For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains”. (Isaiah 14:15) says: “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit”. We find it is of grave importance to make note of the fact many modern translations of the Bible omit mentioning the existence of Hell upwards of forty (40) times! Please take a look at the AV 1611.org website for a list of omissions and deletions of words and phrases from the various versions.

Marriage & Morality

We believe marriage is between one man and one woman. We strongly disagree with the new norm, or the new standards of living that most Americans believe in and follow these days. Cohabitation, pre-marital sex, gay or same-sex marriage, and the LGBTQ rights movement, are not Biblically supported in any form or fashion, therefore neither can we support them. The Bible tells us in (Genesis 2:24): “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh”, not his or her life partner! Jesus instructs us in (Matthew 19:4-6): “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder”.

The Church & Baptism

Baptism

We believe Baptism is an act of obedience to the Lord after salvation; although baptism is closely associated with salvation (occurring after the sinner has been saved), it is not a requirement to be saved. See (Mark 16:16) and notice it is the believing that determines the salvation, not the baptism: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned”. More correctly, it is an outward representation of the inward conversion which has taken place due to one’s belief in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:12): “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead”. The Word of God teaches us the natural order is: A) a person believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, B) he is baptized. Look at Peter in (Acts 2:38): “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”. Peter instructs them to repent, then be baptized. Also, in (Acts 2:41), it is confirmed they believed (received his word) first: “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls”. Lastly we’d like to point out when Jesus was baptized by John in (Matthew 3:16), we see that Jesus came out of the water: “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him…”. This scripture confirms the doctrine of immersion to us.

The Church

We believe the church is actually the body of Christ. The word church is derived from the Greek word #1577 “κκλησία”, translated to English as: “ekklēsia” (This word is translated 80 times in the singular as “church”; and 34 times in the plural as “churches” in the KJV of the Holy Bible).

One of Thayer’s’ Greek-English Dictionary definitions of the word church is: “A gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly”. In today’s society, the most common usage of the term church refers to a building where we worship the Lord, but this is an incorrect usage of the word according to the scriptures. The following scriptures are examples the church is the body of Christ: (Mat 16:18, Acts 2:47, Mat 18:17). The church can meet anywhere, even in people’s houses (Romans 16:5, Acts 2:42-47). Even though the word church may not be used correctly in today’s society doesn’t take away from or diminish the importance of the body of Christ or the church. We believe the day of our Lord Jesus Christ’s return is quickly approaching, and we should remember the following scripture from (Heb 10:25) “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”.

Essentials of the Faith

We believe the following six main points to be the Essentials of the Christian Faith.

  1. The Trinity
  2. The Deity of Christ
  3. Jesus’ Physical Resurrection
  4. Virgin Birth
  5. Salvation by Grace, through Faith Alone
  6. Gospel of Jesus Christ

General Terminology Explained

This list of general terms that are used in Christian theology and day-to-day conversations are some of the most common ones we use or hear others using. Even though many of these terms are commonly used today, many of us don’t know their definitions. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and if you’d like to see more terms added to this list, please let us know.

Sanctification

Sanctification is defined by dictionary.com as:

  1. to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate.
  2. to purify or free from sin: Sanctify your hearts.
  3. to impart religious sanction to; render legitimate or binding: to sanctify a vow.
  4. to entitle to reverence or respect.
  5. to make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessing.

As children of God, we are sanctified by Jesus Christ (Heb 10:10, John 17:14-19).

Christian Church

We believe the Christian church is the Body of Christ. (Acts 11:26) tells us: “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch”.

Church Membership

We believe church membership to be biblically sound, and confirmed in the scriptures. Church membership, in the sense of “being on the church role” for positional gain or personal recognition, is merely prideful and self-serving, not honoring to God in any form. However, church membership, as it pertains to belonging to a particular body of Christ, is honoring to God’s ways. Look at (Heb 13:17) “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you”.

If there is no need for church membership, then which leaders should we submit to? Furthermore, as a Pastor, which believers would I be responsible for, other than the members of my local church? (Acts 20:28) says: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood”.

Church Officers

We believe the Bible gives us direction and guidance in electing certain Godly men to look after His people, to assist them, teach them, and guide them. While there are many various scriptures dealing with these elections and how they are to be handled, we would like to focus on (Acts 6:1-7) “3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:”.

Spiritual Realm

There is evidence of a Spiritual Realm all around us. You can perform any amount of research in book form or via the internet, and you will find a great number of people who have experienced things in the spiritual realm. Amongst the many scriptures that confirm the existence of a Spiritual Realm, Perhaps two of the strongest Biblical scriptures proving it’s existence are (Col 1:16) “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” and (Eph 6:12) “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]”.

Evangelism

Evangelism is defined as: “the spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness”. Evangelism comes from the Greek word euaggelion. Translated in the noun form, euaggelion means: “gospel” or “good news.” In the verb form (euaggelizesthai), the meaning of the word changes slightly to “announce” or “bring good news”. (Mark 16:15) says: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”, and (Mat 28:19-20) says: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: …”

Kingdom Work

We believe that Kingdom Work is scripturally defined in many various forms, but we find the following scriptures to be some of the most informative. We ask, as always, to be in prayer with God, asking the Holy Spirit for His guidance in your life as He will teach you what Kingdom Work He has laid out as a task specifically for you. (1 Cor 3:9) says “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, [ye are] God’s building”, (1 Cor 15:58) “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”, and (2 Tim 2:15) “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.

Heresy

Heresy is defined as: “Belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious (especially Christian) doctrine”. (2 Peter 2:1) “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction”.

Living Standards

When we talk about living standards today, we are most often talking about our standards concerning marriage, sex before marriage, same-sex marriage, etc. In reference to the Bible, there are standards of living guidelines for absolutely every situation in life you may encounter! (Proverbs 14:12) tells us: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”, and (Mat 7:24-26) “24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:”.

Today, the world has no Biblical standard, or standard at all. Every man and woman does that which is right in his own eyes. Israel did this same thing in the day of the judges (Judges 17:6). There are a multitude of standards in our time, ranging from the many false religious standards to our current cultural “standards”, none of which are Biblically founded in any form. The reason why everything seems to be in disarray today, the reason why we can get along with each other, the reason behind so many of our economic problems is actually quite simple: “We have all abandoned the Truths taught in the Bible”. The Word of God is the final authority on all things. Consequently, the world’s standards all are doomed.

In order for us to be sure our living standards are on par with the Word of God, we need to be followers of Christ. (Mat 7:24-26, John 8:31-32, John 14:21,22,23).

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