Rev. Arthur L. Lane
Senior Pastor
Sunday Service
10:45am
What We Believe
THE BIBLE
We
believe that the scriptures comprise the full, word for word,
inerrant Word of God which is the supreme and final authority in
doctrine and practice. (Isaiah 40:8; II Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews
4:12; I Peter 1:20-21).
THE
TRINITY
We
believe in one God eternally existing in three equal persons -
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who are equal in essences, attributes,
and power, but who are distinct in office and activity.
(Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 48:16; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 28:19; John
10:30; Acts 5:3-4; II Corinthians 13:14; Hebrew 1:8)
THE
FATHER
We
believe that as our eternal Father, He is the Father of all men in
the non-salvation, Creator-creature sense, the Father of the nation
Israel, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the spiritual
Father of all who believe in Christ. He is the author of salvation,
the One who sent the Son, and the disciplinarian of His children. (
exodus 4:22; Psalms 2:7-9; John 5:3-7; Acts 17:29; Galatians 3:26;
Ephesians 1:3-6; Hebrews 12:9; I Peter 1:3)
THE PERSON AND
WORK OF JESUS CHRIST
We
believe Jesus Christ is God incarnate, conceived by the Holy
Spirit, born of a virgin, completely God and completely man. We
believe in His pre-existence, His sinless life, His substitutionary
atonement, His bodily resurrection from the grave, His ascension
into heaven, and His bodily return from heaven. (John 1:14, 18;
Luke 1:35; Romans 3:24-26; 4:25; I Peter 1:3-5; Ephesians 4:11-16;
I Thess. 4:13-18; Hebrews 1:3, 7:23-25; I John 2:1-2)
THE HOLY
SPIRIT
We
believe that the Holy Spirit regenerates, indwells, baptizes,
seals, and bestows spiritual gifts upon all believers at the time
of their conversion. Experientially, He fills, teaches, leads,
assures and prays for believers. (John 14:26; 16:6-15; Acts 1:5;
2:1-4; 11-1:18; Romans 8:14-16; 26-27; I Corinthians 6:19; 12:7-11,
13; Ephesians 1:13-14; 5:18; II Thess. 2:1-12; Titus 3:5)
MAN AND
SIN
We
believe man was created in the image of God; that he sinned in Adam
and thereby incurred both physical and spiritual death (separation
from God); is now a sinner, by nature and by choice; and is in need
of salvation. (Genesis 1:1, 27; 2:17, 3:1-19; Isaiah 12:12-14; Luke
20:36; Hebrews 1:13-14; 2:5-8; I Peter 2:4; Jude 6; John 12:31;
Hebrews 2:14; Rev. 20:10; John 1:1-3; 8:44, Col. 1:16-17; Romans
5:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-3)
SALVATION
We
believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ's
substitutionary payment for our sins, not based upon human merit,
works or religious ceremony. We believe that anyone who has placed
their faith in Christ is and will always be eternally secure, has
eternal life, will not come into condemnation, and shall never
perish. We believe that assurance comes to the believer from three
primary sources: trusting the Word of God's promises, the witness
of the Holy Spirit and a preservering walk with the Lord. (John
1:12; 2:3, 16; II Cor. 5:17-21; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7;
Daniel 12:1-2; Matthew 25:31-46; John 3;16; 36; 5:24; 10:28-29;
11:25-26;Romans 8:28-39: I John 4:11-13; Jude 1; Rev.
20-12:15)
THE
CHURCH
We
believe in the church, both universal and locally, as the spiritual
body which Christ is Head, and in the practices of water baptisms
of believers and the Lord's Supper as the ordinances of the local
church. (Matthew 16:18; Acts 1:5; 11:15; I Corinthians 12:13;
Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:11-16; 5:22-33; Col. 1:18)
THE GREAT
COMMISSION
We
believe that those whom God has saved are sent into the world by
Christ as He was by the Father. Those so sent are ambassadors,
commissioned to go make disciples and make Christ known to the
whole world. We also believe that everyone should have an
opportunity to carefully examine the facts about Christ and have a
chance to male an intelligent personal decision about Him. (Matthew
28:18-20; John 15:17-18, 20-21; Acts 1; Romans 10:14-15; II
Corinthians 5:18-20; Col. 4:2-6; II Timothy 2:14-26)
ETERNITY
We
believe in the physical resurrection of the human body (at the
second coming of Christ): in the eternal conscious existence of all
individuals in either heaven or hell; and in the rewards of the
saved and the punishment of the lost for eternity. (I Cor. 15; Luke
16:19-31; II Cor. 5:8-10; I Cor. 3:11-15)
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