Salvation

 

A. The Savior

We believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the mediatory office of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus Christ, by the appointment of the Father, voluntarily took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, and honored the divine law by His personal obedience, thus qualifying Himself to be our Savior; that by the shedding of His blood in His death He fully satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God regarding sin; that His sacrifice consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that having risen from the dead He is now enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the most tender sympathies with divine perfection, He is in every way the only One qualified to be a suitable, compassionate and an all- sufficient Savior.
 

We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation. Repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit and is an integral part of saving faith.

Jonah 2:9; Luke 13:3–5; Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24–25; John 3:16; Matthew 18:11; Philippians 2:7–8; He- brews 2:14–17; Isaiah 53:4–7; 1 John 4:10; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Corinthians 7:8–10;1 Peter 2:24

 

B. Grace and the New Birth

We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about by our sovereign God in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance, faith and newness of life.

John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 5:1; Acts 16:20–33; 2 Peter 1:4; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1–5; Colossians 2:13; John 3:8
 

C. Justification

We believe justification is that judicial act of God whereby He declares the believer to be righteous upon the basis of the imputed righteousness of Christ; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any work of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s shed blood.

Romans 3:24; 4:5; 5:1, 9; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9
 

D. Sanctification

We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God accomplished in a threefold manner: first, an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Savior; second, a continuing process in the believer as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the life; third, the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord’s return.
 
Hebrews 10:10–14; 3:1; John 17:17; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 5:25–27;
1 Thessalonians 4:3–4; 5:23– 24; 1 John 3:2; Jude 24, 25; Revelation 22:11
 

E. The Security of the Saints

We believe that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ for eternity.

Philippians 1:6; John 10:28–29; Romans 8:35–39; Jude 1.
 

F. Spiritual Gifts

We believe that every believer is given at least one spiritual gift from God at salvation. This gift(s) is a supernatural ability to serve Christ’s Body, the church.

1. Permanent Gifts
The gifts still being given to Christians today include: administration, encouragement, evangelism, faith, giving, hospitality, pastor-teacher, serving, mercy, and teaching. These gifts are given for the building up of the Body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:7–11; 1 Timothy 3; Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12, 14.

2. Temporary Gifts
We believe that in the apostolic age, God gave some gifts to the church which were only for that age. We call those gifts the ‘sign’ gifts of tongues, interpretation of tongues, healing, apostleship, prophecy, miracles, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits. These gifts were temporary because their purpose was to initiate the Church Age and provide revelation until the Bible could be fully written.

1 Corinthians 12–14; Romans 12; Ephesians 4:7–11; 1 Peter 4:9–12; Ephesians 2:20; Hebrews 2:3–4; Romans 15:18–20