FAITH

We identify with the Twenty-Five Articles of Religion that were drawn up by John Wesley in 1784. We also believe in the Pentecostal developments that have happened within the Wesleyan tradition in the past century; and so we also affirm the Statement of Fundamental Truths by Assemblies of God. Although we’re continuationists that believe in experiencing the gifts of the Spirit: we do not identify with the teachings of the New Apostolic Reformation. We also agree with the Nicene Creed: which is held in common by all Catholics and Protestants. Below is a brief summary.

1. Scripture. The sixty-six books of the Bible are inspired by the Holy Spirit and contain all things necessary for salvation; they contain the eternal and perfect law of the Lord that converts the soul, makes men wise, and trains them in righteousness (Matthew 5:17-18; Psalm 19:7; 2 Timothy 3:15-16; John 17:17).

2. God. There is only one eternal God: consisting of three separate and distinct persons but connected within one spiritual substance, yet equal in glory: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17; 17:5; 28:19; John 1:1, 14; 1 John 5:7).

3. Jesus. There is only one mediator between God and man: the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of the virgin Mary, fully God and fully man, who atoned for the sins of the world on the cross by taking the punishment for our sins as a Substitute, rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven. He will return to earth one day to judge the living and the dead (Colossians 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Hebrews 9:27-28; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18; John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:5; 2 Timothy 4:1; 1 John 2:2; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

4. Salvation. By turning away from sin and trusting in the cross, anyone may be saved from eternal conscious punishment in Hell, having their sins punished and forgiven by God. The wrath of God at our sins is done away with through our act of trusting faith in the blood of Jesus, that “he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities,” and “the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” The Holy Spirit impresses on the hearts of Christians that they are saved from wrath, adopted as children of God, inclines them to love Jesus and obey the Bible, convicts them of sin, lives within them, and brings forth the fruit of the Spirit in their attitudes. Those who persevere in faith and holiness to the end of their lives will enjoy eternal blessedness in Heaven; but the enemies of God will suffer an eternal capital punishment of conscious torment in a literal burning lake of fire, deep within the heart of the earth. A truly born again experience of salvation involves a real relationship with the Holy Spirit as a person; and a spiritual burden for the salvation of other lost souls, driving true converts into a life of holy living and aggressive evangelism (Isaiah 53:4-8; Romans 4:7; 5:1; 8:16; 1 John 1:9; John 3:18, 36; 14:6, 21; Matthew 5:22; 12:40; 24:13; 25:41, 46; Revelation 20:10; Hebrews 12:14; Galatians 5:22-23; Acts 1:8).

5. Believer’s Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The Lord Jesus instituted the sacraments of believer’s baptism by water immersion and the Lord’s Supper. These outward actions confirm and give evidence of our faith in Christ. Both are meant to be spiritual symbols of our born again experience and identification with the atonement, death, and resurrection of Christ (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32).