| The Tenants of Faith of
this church shall be those given in the constitution of the General Council
of the Assemblies of God. A concise statement of these Tenants of Faith
is given as follows: |
The
Bible is our all-sufficient rule for faith and practice. This
Statement of Fundamental Truths is intended simply as a basis
of fellowship among us (i.e., that we all speak the same thing,
1 Cor. 1:10; Acts 2:42). The phraseology employed in this Statement
is not inspired nor contended for, but the truth set forth is
held to be essential to a full-gospel ministry. No claim is made
that it covers all Biblical truth, only that it covers our need
as to these fundamental doctrines. |
|
| The Scriptures Inspired |
| The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments,
are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the
infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct (2 Tim. 3:15-17;
1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:21). |
| The One True God |
| The one true God has revealed Himself as
the eternally self-existent "I AM," the Creator of heaven and earth and
the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the
principles of relationship and association as Father, Son and Holy Spirit
(Deut. 6:4; Isa. 43:10, 11; Matt. 28:19; Luke 3:22). |
| The Deity of the Lord Jesus
Christ |
| The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal
Son of God. The Scriptures declare: |
- His virgin birth (Matt.
1:23; Luke 1:31, 35).
- His sinless life (Heb.
7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22).
- His miracles (Acts 2:22;
Acts 10:38).
- His
substitutionary work on the cross (1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:21).
- His bodily resurrection from
the dead (Matt. 28:6; Luke 24:39; 1 Cor. 15:4).
- His exaltation to the right
hand of God (Acts 1:9; Acts 1:11; Acts 2:33; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb.
1:3).
|
| The Fall of Man |
| Man was created good and upright;
for God said, "Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness." However,
man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical
death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God (Gen. 1:26,
27; Gen. 2:17; Gen. 3:6; Rom. 5:12-19). |
| The Salvation of Man |
| Man's only hope of redemption is
through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God |
- Conditions
to Salvation
Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward
the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing
of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes
an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life (Luke 24:47;
John 3:3; Rom. 10:13-15; Eph. 2:8; Titus 2:11; Titus 3:5)
- The Evidence of Salvation
The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit
(Rom. 8:16).
The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true
holiness.
(Eph. 4:24; Titus 2:12).
|
| The Ordinances of the Church |
- Baptism
in Water
The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded by the Scriptures.
All who repent and believe on Christ as Saviour and Lord are to be baptized.
Thus they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that
they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life (Matt.
28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47, 48; Rom. 6:4).
- Holy Communion
The Lord's Supper, consisting of the elements--bread and the fruit
of the vine--is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature
of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:4), a memorial of His suffering and
death (1 Cor. 11:26), and a prophecy of His Second Coming (1 Cor. 11:26),
and is enjoined on all believers "till He come!"
|
| The Baptism in the Holy Spirit |
| All believers are entitled to and
should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the
baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord
Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian
Church. With it comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment
of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry (Luke 24:49; Acts
1:4; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 12:1-31). This experience is distinct from and subsequent
to the experience of the new birth (Acts 8:12-17; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 11:14-16;
Acts 15:7-9). With the baptism in the Holy Spirit come such experiences
as: an overflowing fullness of the Spirit (John 7:37-39, Acts 4:8), a deepened
reverence for God (Acts 2:43, Heb. 12:28), an intensified consecration to
God and dedication to His work (Acts 2:42), and a more active love for Christ,
for His Word and for the lost (Mark 16:20). |
| The Initial Physical Evidence
of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit |
| The baptism of believers in the Holy
Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other
tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance (Acts 2:4). The speaking
in tongues in this instance is the same in essence as the gift of tongues
(1 Cor. 12:4-10, 18; 1 Cor. 12:28), but is different in purpose and use. |
| Sanctification |
| Sanctification is an act of separation
from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God (Rom. 12:1,2; 1 Thess.
5:23; Heb. 13:12). The Scriptures teach a life of "holiness without
which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). By the power of
the Holy Spirit we are able to obey the command: "Be ye holy, for
I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:15, 16). Sanctification is realized in the believer
by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection,
and by the faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, and by
offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit
(Rom. 6:1-11, 13; 8:1, 2, 13; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 2:12, 13; 1 Pet. 1:5). |
| The Church and its Mission |
| The Church is the Body of Christ,
the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for
the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the
Spirit, is an integral part of the General Assembly and Church of the
Firstborn, which are written in heaven (Eph. 1:22, 23; Eph. 2:22; Heb.
12:23). |
| The Ministry |
| A divinely called and scripturally
ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the threefold purpose
of leading the Church in: (1) Evangelization of the world (Mark 16:15-20),
(2) worship of God (John 4:23, 24), (3) building a body of saints being
perfected in the image of His Son (Eph. 4:11-16). |
| Divine Healing |
| Divine healing is an integral part
of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement,
and is the privilege of all believers (Isa. 53:4, 5; Matt. 8:16, 17; James
5:14-16). |
| The Blessed Hope |
| The resurrection of those who have
fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed
hope of the church (1 Thess. 4:16, 17; Rom. 8:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Cor. 15:51,
52). |
| The Millennial Reign of Christ |
| The second coming of Christ includes
the rapture of the saints, which is our blessed hope, followed by the visible
return of Christ with His saints to reign on earth for one thousand years
(Zechariah 14:5; Matt. 24:27; Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7; Rev. 19:11-14; Rev.
20:1-6). This millennial reign will bring the salvation of national Israel
(Eze. 37:21, 22; Zeph. 3:19,20; Rom. 11:26, 27) and the establishment of
universal peace (Isa. 11:6-9; Psalms 72:3-8; Micah 4:3, 4). |
| The Final Judgment |
| There will be a final judgment in
which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works.
Whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil
and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to the
everlasting punishment in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death (Matt. 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 19:20; Rev. 20:11-15;
21:8). |
| The New Heavens and the New
Earth |
| We, according to His promise, look
for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Pet.
3:13; Rev. 21; Rev. 22). |
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