BIBLIOLOGY:
The Holy Scriptures - The Bible:
The sixty six books of the Bible contain the completed Holy Scriptures which have been given to man by God.
Rev. 22:18-19
The Bible is the God-breathed inspired Word of God; it is a product of God.
II Tim. 3:16-17 II Pet. 1:20-21
The Bible, in its original manuscripts, is inspired to the very word. (Verbal Inspiration)
Matt. 5:18 Lk. 24:44
The Bible, from Genesis through Revelation, is equally inspired and equally the Word of God. There is no part of the Bible that is more inspired than another. (Plenary Inspiration)
Prov. 30:5-6 Gal. 3:12 II Tim. 3:16
The Bible is authored by both God and man, but because it is a product of God, the infallible and inerrant nature of God supports the conclusion that the Bible is infallible and inerrant in its original manuscripts.
John 16:12-13 Deut. 32:24
The Bible is the final authority in all matters of life and doctrine.
I Tim. 4:13,16 Jn. 17:17 II Pet. 1:3
Interpretative Position
We hold to a dispensational, pre-tribulation, pre-millennial understanding of the Bible, derived from a literal, grammatical, historical, contextual, and cultural interpretation of Scripture.
THEOLOGY PROPER:
The Godhead
God is one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible attributes deity to each Person of the Godhead, distinguishing the Persons, while maintaining that God is one God. Father, Son, and Spirit are co-equal in power and glory, identical in nature, and worthy of the same honor, trust, obedience and love.
Deut. 6:4 II Cor. 13:14 Isa. 45:18 John 1:1 Acts 5:3-4
God is the one infinite, eternal, self-existent being, who is immutable, omnipresent, omnipotent, good, just, truthful, wise, Holy, the Creator, the Preserver, and the sovereign Ruler of the universe. God is Father, Son, and Spirit, who is also Love and Light, and in Whom all things have their source and end.
One (Duet. 6:4) Infinite (I Kings 8:27; Rom. 11:33), Eternal (Psalm 90:2; I Tim. 1:17), Self-existent (Ex. 3:14; John 5:26), Immutable (Ps. 102:27; James 1:17; Heb. 13:8), Omnipresent (Ps. 139:7-8; Matt. 28:20), Omnipotent (Jer. 32:17; Matt. 19:26), Good (Ps. 145:9), Just (Ps. 145:17; Acts 17:31), Truthful (Duet. 32:4; Jn. 1:14), Wise (Ps. 104:24; Rom. 11:33), Holy (Isa. 6:3; I Pet. 1:16), Creator (Gen. 1:1), Preserver (Col. 1:17), Sovereign Ruler (Psalm 103:19), Father (I Cor. 8:6), Son (Tit. 2:13), Spirit (John 4:24; Acts 5:3-4), Love (I John 4:16), Light (I John 1:5; Gen. 1:3; II Cor. 4:6), Source (Rom. 11:36; Acts 17:28), End (Rev. 1:8)
The Person and Work of God the Father
God the Father is the first Person of the Trinity, who by His nature is God Himself, co-equal with the Son and the Holy Spirit. Although equal between the three Persons, the Father holds the authoritative role within the Godhead by which the Son and the Holy Spirit submit to the Father’s authority without compromising their equality. He is the eternal Father of the eternal Son, Who has sovereignly decreed all things for His own purpose and glory.
Jn. 1:1-2; 10:30; 16:13 18 Isa. 46:10-11 Eph 1:3-11 Rom. 8:28 I Cor. 11:3
God the Father is not the author of sin, He does not approve of sin, and He must not be blamed for sin.
Hab. 1:13 James 1:13. Rom. 9:19-20
Within God the Father’s sovereignty, He allows for man to choose for himself to sin, to believe in Jesus, and to reject God’s offer of salvation. God will hold man accountable for his choice without contradicting the will of the individual or violating His sovereignty.
Acts 14:16; 16:14 John 1:12-13; 3:16 Gen. 4:7 1 Pet. 1:17 Rom. 10:10-13; 11:33 Rev. 17:17
God the Father is Father of all mankind in relation to creation, but He is Spiritual Father only to His adopted children who are believers in Jesus Christ. Only those who are God’s adopted spiritual children are free from the condemnatory effects of sin.
Acts 17:28 I Cor. 8:6 Eph. 1:4 Rom. 5:1; 8:14-17
CHRISTOLOGY:
The Person and Work of God the Son - Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, who by His nature, is God Himself, co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
John 1:1-2; 8:58; 20:38 Rev. 1:11 Isa. 9:6 Heb. 1:8 Tit. 2:13
Jesus of Nazareth was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, who was betrothed to be married to Joseph; He was born in Bethlehem. Jesus became a man perpetually without ceasing to be God. He is fully God and fully man. He is completely unique in His Person and work. No other being has been, is, or will be fully God and man.
Micah 5:2 Isa. 7:14 Lk. 1:26-35 Jn. 1:14 Phil. 2:5-8
Jesus became a man to reveal God to mankind, to testify to the truth, to present Himself to Israel as God’s Messiah and be rejected, to provide redemption for sinful humanity by the sacrifice of Himself, and to obediently submit Himself to God the Father in order to fulfill God’s decreed purpose that brings Him all glory.
Jn. 1:18, 29; 3:16-17; 18:37 Rom. 15:8 Acts 2:36 Phil. 2:5-11
God provided the only way for sinful humanity to become righteous through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. This is the central event of the Bible and all of human history. Jesus died to redeem mankind, to reconcile the world to God, to be the propitiation for sinful humanity, and to be the only remedy for sin. He died a literal physical substitutionary death for all mankind, was buried, physically rose again, ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God the Father, presently building His Church and working as the Bestower of gifts, Intercessor, and Advocate.
Jn 14:6 John 3:16 Gen. 3:15 Rev. 1:18 Matt. 20:28 I Pet. 1:18 Rom. 5:10 Col. 1:20 I Jn. 2:1 Gal. 2:21 II Cor. 5:2 1I Pet. 2:24
Rom. 3:25 I Cor. 15:3-5 Acts 2:22-24 Acts 1:9-10 Rom. 8:34 Matt. 16:18 Eph. 4:8-11 Heb. 7:25 I Jn. 2:1
Jesus will come again in two phases: The Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ to the earth. This will further be discussed under Eschatology.
PNEUMATOLOGY:
The Person and Work of God the Spirit - The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, who by His nature is God Himself, co-equal with the Father and the Son.
II Cor. 13:14 Acts 5:3-4
The Holy Spirit moved upon human authors to accurately record the Inspired Scriptures.
II Pet. 1:20-21
The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement.
John 16:7-13
In the current dispensation of The Church, upon faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit regenerates, indwells, baptizes, seals, and provides spiritual gifting to a believer.
Acts 1:8; 2:4 John 3:6-7; 14:16-17 Titus 2:13 Rom. 8:9I Cor. 12:7, 11, 12-13 Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30
The Holy Spirit’s ministry throughout the life of a believer involves intercessory prayer, teaching, guiding, empowering, enlightening, and filling. God holds the believer responsible to submit himself to the ministerial work of the Spirit.
Rom. 8:26I Cor. 2:10-12Jn. 16:13 Acts 1:8II Cor. 4:6Eph. 5:18 I Thess. 5:19 Eph. 4:30 Gal. 5:16
The Holy Spirit does not seek to bring glory to Himself but testifies of Jesus, directing a person to glorify and worship Christ.
Jn. 16:12-13
ANTHROPOLOGY:
Man
Man was created in the image and likeness of God precisely as described in Genesis 1 and 2. God has distinguished man from the animals. Like God, man is a person with intellect, emotion, and volition. Man originally was created with an upright, holy nature. Man’s holy nature was unconfirmed at creation, and after being tested, man fell into sin and lost his holy nature. In contrast to fallen man, Jesus, the God-Man, confirmed His deity and holy nature when He did not sin in the face of testing.
Gen. 1:26-28,31; 2:19-20; 3:6-7; 4:5 Matt. 4:1-11
Man’s Condition
When Adam fell into sin, the entire human race fell into a sinful standing before God. This sinful nature is inherited from parents to children through transmissions of the sin nature in natural regeneration. Man is a sinner by testimony of the Word of God, by an inherited sin nature, and by his own choice. The penalty of sin is death, which is a three-fold separation. (#1) Physical death - separation of the soul and spirit from the body. (#2) Spiritual death - separation of the individual from God. (#3) Eternal death - spiritual death continued eternally in torment. Eternal death begins when a spiritually dead person dies a physical death. Man is born spiritually dead and has no ability to remedy his condition by his own merit. Man is totally depraved, in need of salvation. Man must be born again, making him spiritually alive in order for him to have eternal life. Apart from Jesus Christ, man is spiritually dead and eternally lost.
Isa. 64:6 Gen. 2:16-17 Jer. 17:9 Eph, 2:1-2,5; 3:1-3 Ps. 14:1-3; 51:5 Ecc. 7:20; 12:7 Rev. 20:14 Jn. 3:4 Rom. 2:5; 3:10-19, 23;
5:12; 6:23
HAMARTIOLOGY:
Sin
We believe sin can be defined as the transgression of, or lack of conformity to, the holy character of God. Sin began in heaven with Satan and entered the human race through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Sin has affected the heavens and the earth. God has judged sin and provided the remedy for the sins of man through the death of Jesus Christ. The affects that sin has on man remain upon him until his sin is imputed to Jesus upon personal faith in Jesus. To physically die before placing personal faith in Jesus, a person will suffer the wrath of God stored up for him because of his sins, ultimately being cast into the lake of fire.
I Jn. 3:4; 5:17 Rom. 2:5; 5:12; 14:23 Prov. 21:4 James 4:17 Ezek 28:14-17 Rev. 12:7-9; 21:8 Gen. 3:17-18 I Pet. 3:18 II Cor.
5:21 Jn. 3:36
Eternal Punishment
The Bible teaches the doctrine of eternal punishment of sinners. Eternal death and destruction are terms that do not mean annihilation but to be ruined for its original purpose. God’s Holy and just character demands the penalty of eternal judgment. This doctrine shows man and angels the extent of God’s attitude toward sin and shows man that God will see to it that His justice is revealed in the end.
Jn. 5:28-29 Acts 17:31 II Thess. 1:8-9 Matt. 9:17; 26:8 Rev. 17:11; 19:20; 20:14; 21:8
SOTERIOLOGY:
Salvation - To be saved/delivered by God from spiritual and eternal death unto spiritual and eternal life.
Eternal life is a gift of God, offered to man by grace and accepted through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. To add any work of man as a condition for salvation is a perversion of the gospel of grace and is condemned by God in the Holy Scriptures.
John 3:16; 3:36; 6:47; 20:31 Eph. 2:8-10 Gal. 1:6-9 Tit. 3:5 Rom. 4:3-5; 9:30-10:4 Gen. 15:6
Definitions of four important Biblical terms:
Believe = To rely on, trust in, or place faith in or upon.
Grace = Unmerited/unearned favor.
Repent = A change of mind.
Confess = To say the same thing about; to agree with God.
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
All individuals who receive the gift of eternal life offered by grace and accepted through faith are eternally secure in Christ. The Bible does not teach a person can lose his salvation. Believers are assured of their eternal security through testimony of the Word of God.
Jn. 10:28-30 Eph. 1:13-14 I Cor. 1:4-8 1 Jn. 5:1-5, 11-13 Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21
Separation
Salvation involves a call upon one’s life to be a child of God through faith in Jesus. This is a high calling to a holy life. Believers are separated by God and for God, and they are called to live a life of separation unto God and from worldly sinful practices and false teachings. This is accomplished through dependence on the Holy Spirit in order to live in a manner worthy of this high calling.
Eph. 4:1; 5:1,18 Rom. 12:1-2 I Pet. 1:14-16 I Jn. 2:15-17 II Jn. 9-11 Gal. 5:16-25 Acts 15:14
ECCLESIOLOGY:
The Church
The Church is the called out assembly of believers, universally composed of all Church Age saints - the born again people who believe in Jesus Christ for salvation during the Church Age. The Church is currently being built by Jesus Himself. It began on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, and it will continue to be built by Jesus until the Rapture. The Church is not Israel and has not replaced Israel.
Matt. 16:18 Acts 1:1-4, 47; 11:15-16; 15:14 I Cor. 2:12:13 I Thess. 4:13-18 I Cor. 15:51-52 Jn. 14:1-4 I Cor. 10:32
Rom. 11:1-2
The mission of The Church is to glorify God by witnessing of Christ and His saving power to all men everywhere, establishing and continuing self-governing local churches under the headship of Christ as He brings people to salvation.
Matt. 28:19-20 Acts 1:8; 14:27; 20:7 Tit. 1:5-11 1 Tim. 3:1-13 Eph. 3:21; 4:3-16 Col. 1:28
The Ordinances of the Church
The Church is to observe two ordinances: the Lord’s supper (communion) and baptism. These two ordinances are external rituals that symbolize a spiritual reality; they are commanded by Christ, promoted by the Apostles, and practiced by the New Testament Church.
Lk. 22:14-23 I Cor. 11:23-32 Acts 2:46-47; 20:7 Matt. 28:19-20 I Cor. 1:14-17 Acts 2:41; 10:44-47
The Lord’s supper, or communion, is a memorial to and proclamation of what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross, as well as a proclamation of the hope believers have in Jesus’ promised return. The elements are symbols that remind the believer of Jesus’ broken body and shed blood. The Lord’s supper does not save an individual, and it is not a requirement or step of salvation. The Lord’s supper is a reminder for The Church of what Christ accomplished on the cross.
Lk. 22:14-23 I Cor. 1:23-32 Acts 2:46-47; 20:7
Water baptism, by immersion, is only for believers and is a picture of the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism by water does not save an individual, and it is not a requirement or step of salvation. Baptism is an outward and public declaration of the already inward reality of salvation that occurred the moment the believer trusted in Christ.
Matt. 28:19-20 I Cor. 1:14-17 Acts 2:41; 10:44-47
The Ministry and Use of Spiritual Gifts
Every person who is in the Church has been given a spiritual gift to be used for service to God and for the edification of The Church. The Holy Spirit provides the spiritual gift for the individual. Jesus Christ places the gifted individual in each local church assembly to use his gift that was given to him by the Holy Spirit.
I Cor. 12:4-11 Eph. 4:7-12
The use of the revelatory sign gifts, which are speaking in tongues, healing, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, and knowledge, were for the foundational period of the Church Age and gradually ceased as the New Testament was being completed. Upon completion of the writing of the New Testament Scripture, the sign gifts and the apostleship office had ceased.
I Cor. 13:8-13; 14:22 II Cor. 12:12 Eph. 2:20 Jn. 16:13 Heb. 2:3-4
ANGELOLOGY:
Angels
Angels are limited heavenly beings, created by and accountable to God, referred to in the masculine gender, not reproducing, without number in Scripture, existing with different ranks and responsibilities, and currently classified into two categories: un-fallen and fallen. Un-fallen angels are the holy angels who worship, serve, and obey Almighty God, while fallen angels submit to the rule of Satan and will be judged eternally with Satan.
Col. 1:16 Heb. 1:14 Job 1:6 Rev. 5:11; 12:4,17 Matt. 22:30; 25:41 Jude 9 Mk. 8:38
Satan
Satan is a fallen angel. He is a person, created by and accountable to God, who once held the highest rank among created things but fell through pride into sin, becoming the author of sin. He was declared by God to be judged, was judged through Jesus’ death on the cross, and will ultimately be eternally cast into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever. Operating under the permissive will of God, he is evil, in opposition to God, seeking to displace God, promoting sin of unbelievers, and seeking the destruction of believers, but in the end, he will not prevail.
Job. 1:6-12; 2:1-7 Rev. 20:1-3, 7-10 I Pet. 5:8 Ezek. 28:11-19 Isa. 14:12-14 Gen. 3:15 Heb. 2:14. Jn. 8:44 Matt. 4:8-9
Eph. 2:2
ESCHATOLOGY:
Order of Future Events
#1 The Rapture
The Church Age will end with the Rapture of the Church at the imminent return of Jesus Christ. He will appear in the air to resurrect and bring with Him to heaven those of the Church Age who are asleep in Christ. He will also transform the bodies and bring with Him to heaven those who are alive in Christ at that time.
I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:1-2 I Cor. 15:22-23, 52-53 Rev. 3:3 Jn. 14:1-4
The Judgment seat of Christ will occur following the Rapture. This judgment is for believers only, not to determine salvation, but to examine faithfulness and give reward.
I Cor. 3:11-15II Cor. 5:10Rev. 22:12
#2 The Tribulation
The Tribulation period of about seven years will begin after the Rapture. This will be a time of judgment upon the unbelieving world, as well as a time of judgment, persecution, purging, and preparation of Israel for the coming millennial reign of Israel’s Messiah - Jesus Christ.
II Thess. 2:1-12 Matt. 24:3-28 Dan. 9:27. Rev. 6-9; 11:2-3; 12:17; 16, 19
#3 The Millennium
The Second Coming of Christ with His Church to the earth to set up His one-thousand year (millennium) Kingdom Reign will be the end of the Tribulation. At this time, the Old Testament and Tribulation saints will be raised. During the one-thousand year reign, Satan will be bound, but loosed for a short season near the end the the thousand years. Christ will fully and finally defeat Satan and cast him into the lake of fire.
Zech 14:1-7 Rev. 19:11-21 Dan. 12:1-2 Rev. 20:1-10
The Great White Throne Judgment will follow the defeat of Satan, where all the unsaved from all ages will be resurrected bodily, judged according to their works, and cast into the lake of fire to be in conscious torment forever.
Rev. 20:11-25 Matt. 25:30, 41, 46
#4 The Eternal State
The present heavens and earth will pass away and God will make the New Heavens and New Earth for the saved from all ages to eternally be with God. Jesus will physically reign over and commune in unbroken fellowship with His redeemed people for all eternity on the new earth.
II Pet. 3:10-13 Rev. 21:1-7; 22:1-5