What we believe

[William]

1. We believe in God the Father almighty, in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, and in the Holy Spirit, as taught in God's word, the Holy Bible. We are happily and unapologetically Trintarian in our understanding of God: we believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are One, are totally equal, and all are uncreated Beings, one God in three Persons.

2. We believe that Jesus Christ is uncreated and eternal; that He had no beginning, and will have no end; that He was conceived as a Man by the Holy Spirit, but had existed as God for all eternity before that time. We believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all involved in the creation of the heavens and the earth. (Gen. 1:1,2; John 1:10; Col. 1:16, 17)

3. We believe that God's Name, rendered in English, is I AM THAT I AM; that His Name in Hebrew is JHWH, or Jehovah; that the Son's Name is Joshua in Hebrew, Jesus in English; and that the renditions "Yahweh" and "Yeshua," while well-intentioned, are imprecise and inaccurate. (Ex. 3:14; Luke 1:31; John 18:5, 8)

4. We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and was fully God and fully Man from the moment of His conception to the moment of His ascension into Heaven.

5. We believe in the atoning work of Jesus Christ at Calvary, and that His atonement for our sins was accomplished when He cried, "It is finished." We believe in His physical resurrection from the dead on the third day, in the flesh, with the scars showing; and we believe that if Christ is not risen from the dead, we have no hope, and are of all men most miserable. (John 19:30; 1 Cor. 15:13-19)

6. We believe that man is hopelessly and utterly lost, alienated from God by sin; that man is sinful both by nature, and by choice; that there is none righteous, no, not one; and that any and all of a man or woman's "righteous acts" are nothing but filthy rags in the sight of God. We believe that the most devout and "holy" men and women throughout history, and those that have "contributed the most to mankind," are, apart from a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, damned and bound for the same Hell as any murderer or prostitute. We do not believe that man, as he exists in his natural state today, is "made in the image of God," but only acquires God's image when he receives and believes on Jesus Christ. We do not believe that a man or woman has to commit a single sin to "deserve" Hell, but are destined for Hell from birth, apart from a saving experience of being born again by receiving Jesus Christ, by an act of the will. However, we specifically reject the teaching that man's will is so depraved that he cannot choose to receive Christ. (Gen. 1:26, 5:3, Romans 8:29; Romans 3:10-18, 23; Psalm 51:5; Isaiah 64:6; Mark 16:16.)

7. We believe that once a man or woman has been saved by Jesus Christ, there is no power on earth, including one's own sins, that can result in "losing one's salvation." It is not "ours" to lose: David said, Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation (Psalm 51:12). This doctrine is called "eternal security" or "perseverance of the saints," although it would be better termed "perseverance of the Saviour." It is absolutely scriptural and cannot be denied. (John 6:37; 10:28; 2 Tim. 2:13, etc.)

8. We believe in the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, the Judgment Seat of Christ, the coming of the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, the battle of Armageddon, and the Great White Throne Judgment. We are premillennial and believe that the Rapture of the church, although not a term found in scripture, is a real event, and will precede the Tribulation. We specifically reject the currently fashionable theory of "Preterism," and recognize it as a damnable heresy and doctrine of devils.

9. We believe in a literal Heaven, for those who have been saved, and a literal, burning Hell, for those who are lost.

10. We believe that Jesus Christ spoke the truth when He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." We believe that there is one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus; and that no other human being who ever lived is involved in that mediation, or in any intercession on our behalf. We believe that Mohammed; Gautama Siddartha, called the Buddha; Joseph Smith; Bahá'u'llÃh; Mary Baker Glover Patterson Eddy; the Pope of Rome; and all other so-called ""prophets" or "saviors" are imposters and liars; and that the only true prophets of God who ever lived are found in the pages of the Protestant Bible, and nowhere else. (John 14:6; 1 Tim. 2:5)

11. We believe that the body of Christ, called the church, began with the calling out of the original disciples, and their subsequent commissioning, in the Gospels; that the church became a living organism on the day of Pentecost, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; however, the church did not begin on the day of Pentecost, or at any subsequent point in the book of Acts. The creation of the Bride of Christ was made possible when Jesus' side was pierced at Calvary, and He died. As the first Adam's side was rent to create a bride, so the second Adam's side was also rent to create a Bride. The church began in the Gospels; became a living organism at Pentecost; and eventually, in its glorified state, will become the Bride of Christ. ( Matthew 10; Matthew 28; Acts 1 & 2; 1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 21).

12. We believe that the "sign gifts" of the Holy Spirit (tongues, interpretation of tongues, healing, miracles) ceased to be given with the death of the Apostles in the New Testament. We believe that the "service gifts" (teaching, helps, ministry, exhortation, etc.) are given to each Christian, according to God's pleasure, in this age. We believe that God heals and performs miracles today, but that the gifts of healing, etc., are no longer given. (Romans 12; 1 Cor. 12; 2 Cor. 12:12).

13. We believe that a man in this age is saved by grace through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast. We believe that conviction of sin precedes salvation, and that true repentance is a process which begins with a changed mind, at the moment of salvation. We specifically and emphatically deny and repudiate the doctrine of "Lordship Salvation," which makes "repentance" a work necessary for salvation. We believe that a man or woman is saved by receiving Christ, according to John 1:12. (Romans 3; Gal. 2:16, Eph. 2:8, 9)

14. We specifically and emphatically disavow the man-made "theologies" of Roman Catholicism, Five-Point Calvinism, Preterism, Mormonism, Pentecostalism, Hyper-Dispensationalism, extreme Arminianism, and any other human scheme of interpretation which varies from the teachings of the Bible. We specifically disavow the teaching that, in this dispensation, only the Pauline Epistles are binding on a Christian. Although we disavow these doctrines, we have no contempt for, or hostility toward, those who sincerely believe them. We will, of course, seek to persuade them, in charity, following God's invitation to "come, and let us reason together."

15. We are dispensationalists and believe in "rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15)

16. We enthusiastically and uncompromisingly believe that the State of Israel is God's nation on earth, given to the Jews in His promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:18 and elsewhere, and that God's original land grant was described in that verse. We believe that Israel belongs to the Jewish people, and that not one acre of its soil belongs to Christians, Muslims, "Palestinians," or any other group. We disavow "Replacement Theology," which claims that God's promises to the Jews have been superceded by the Christian church. We believe that those who bless Israel will be blessed, and that those who curse Israel will be cursed. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem, as we are instructed to do, realizing that this peace will not fully come until Jesus Christ sits on the Throne of David in Jerusalem. Until that time, we count Israel's enemies as God's enemies, and pray that we not be found among them. (Genesis 12:2, 3; Psalm 122:6)

17. We believe that believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances, not sacraments, and that they are the only ordinances binding on the church. We believe that the proper mode of water baptism is immersion. We believe that public baptism is God's will for every believer; that it is not to be discouraged; but that it has no effect whatsoever on one's salvation. (Romans 6:4, Col. 2:12)

18. We believe that the Authorized Version of the Bible, commonly called the King James Bible of 1611, as edited and standardized in 1769, is God's perfect and unique word, and His final propositional revelation to man in the English language; that it supercedes the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts from which it was translated; that all English versions of the Bible since 1769 are counterfeits and frauds; and that the Authorized King James Bible is God's perfect word, and the only rule of faith and practice. We believe that there are reliable versions and unreliable versions in other languages; but that where any of these conflict with, or contradict, the King James Bible, the King James Bible is the standard against which all others must be measured. We specifically disavow allegiance to "the original autographs," because God, in His wisdom, did not choose to preserve them. The Authorized Version, called the King James Bible, is God's unique, preserved, and perfect propositional revelation, for which we thank Him, and which we strive to study, learn, and obey.

19. Although this forum represents no denomination or group of churches, we specifically state that we are not a part of the "Independent Fundamental Baptist movement," although some of our members attend churches associated with that group. This is not an "IFB" site, and we do not wish to be regarded as such.

20. We believe in holy living, unapologetic evangelism and soul-winning, missions, diligent study of the Bible, and service to our fellow believers. But we regard the chief and first priority of every Christian to be his or her personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not necessary for every member of this forum to subscribe to every one of these beliefs in all its particulars. Discussion of these matters is welcome. But any attempt to ridicule, aggressively dispute, or disprove any of these beliefs will not be permitted in this forum.