The Holy Bible
The Bible is is the divinely inspired Word of God, it relays the infallible truth of the creation of heaven, earth, and the origins of mankind. The Bible prognosticates God's end time dealings with mankind, heaven, and earth. It is the infallible word of God, and outside of obedience of it's statues there lies no redemption for humanity.
God
We believe in accordance with the word of God that there is but one LORD God(Deuteronomy 6:4). He is the maker of the heavens, and the creator of the earth and all that dwells therein (Colossians 1:15-16). The Most High God has unveiled his identity to mankind as the Father (Creator), in the redeeming Son (Messiah/Redeemer), and the Holy Ghost (infilling Spirit).
Father
The Bible teaches us in John 4:24 that God is a Spirit. He is the everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6), the Creator of heaven and earth, and the Father of all existence. He has neither beginning or end, and outside of Him, there is no God (Isaiah 44:6). There was no God before Him, neither shall there be after Him, and beside Him, there is no Savior (Isaiah 43:11) God is a Spirit (John 4:24). He is the Eternal One, the Creator of all things, and the Father of all humanity by creation.
Son
Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh; He is termed, the Son of God (John 1:1, 14). In Spirit, Jesus is God Himself (John 10:30). Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, (Isaiah 7:14); the Father in the flesh (I Timothy 3:16); He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Jesus is the Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus proclaimed to his disciples, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father (John 14:7-11). According to the word of God, without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22)...Jesus was our propitiation; his sinless, spotless blood was the necessity of mankinds salvation. Jesus, the body of God, was the conduit through which sinless blood would be shed, for God had no other body of which to use; therefore, He made Himself a body for our redemption.
Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost is not a separate entity from the Godhead, but rather He is the manifested presence of God. He is God's Spirit sent forth throughout the world to draw men to Christ. He is the Spirit of resurrection. The Holy Ghost is given to all those that diligently call upon the name of the LORD (Romans 10:17), and is sent to empower the people of God against sin, and to draw us closer to God. He is the Consolater, Comforter, and Guide (John 14:16, 26, 15:26).
Sin
Sin is to miss the mark of the law, or statues of God (I John 3:4). The condemnation of sin has fallen upon the entire human race from Adam until now (Romans 3:23). The wages of sin is eternal ddamnation (Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:14) to all those who deny the Son of God's call to repentance and faith towards God.
Salvation
Salvation emobies deliverance from all sin and uncleanness through the blood of Jesus Christ. The experience of redemption consists of repentance from sin, water baptism in Jesus' name for the forgiveness of sins, and the in-filling of the Holy Ghost, after this the Christian is called to a life of godliness (Acts 2:36-41).
Water Baptism
Water baptism is an imperative to New Testament salvation. It is not merely a ritualistic tradition. It is part of becoming one with the kingdom of God (God's body), and therefore, it is not commitment to a local congregation, but committment to the living God and His people, globally (See John 3:5; Galatians 3:27).
Water baptism is to be conducted by immersion. The apostle Paul taught, we are buried with him [Jesus Christ] by baptism (Romans 6:4; see Colossians 2:12), Jesus came up "out of the water" (Mark 1:10), and Philip and the eunuch went down "into the water" and came up "out of the water" (Acts 8:38-39). Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection are administered in our lives when we experience New Testament salvation: "Repent [death to sin], be baptized [burial] every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost [resurrection]." (See Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-7; 8:2).
Sprinkling, pouring, or infant baptism of any kind cannot be authorized by the Word of God, but are only man-made traditions.
The name in which baptism is to be conducted is greatly important, and this name is Jesus. Jesus' last command to His apostles was, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19). We should notice that He said name (singular) not names. As previously explained, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not names of separate individuals, but titles of positions held by God. An angelic proclamation unveiled God's saving name in the New Testament: "She shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
The apostles comprehended that Jesus was the name to be used at baptism, and from the day that the church of God was established (the Day of Pentecost) until the consummation of their ministry, they immersed and baptized all nations (Jews--Acts 8:16; Gentiles--Acts 19:5) in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact, Jesus is the only name given for our salvation and redempttion. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Baptism of the Holy Ghost
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the birth of the Spirit (John 3:5). This spiritual rebirth is necessary to put someone into the kingdom of God (God's body of believers) and is solidified by speaking in other tongues (other languages) and prophecy as the Spirit of God gives the ability.
It was prophesied by Joel (Joel 2:28-29) and Isaiah (Isaiah 28:11), prognosticated by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:11), bought with the blood of Jesus, and promised by Him to His disciples (John 14:26; 15:16). The Holy Ghost was first poured out on the Day of Pentecost upon the Jews (Acts 2:1-4), then upon the Samaritans (Acts 8:17), and later upon the Gentiles (Acts 10:44-46; 19:6). "The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39).
Holiness
After we are saved from sin, we are warned, "Go, and sin no more" (John 8:11). We are commanded to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world (Titus 2:12) and exhorted that without holiness no one shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
We must present ourselves as holy unto the LORD (Romans 12:1), cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit (II Corinthians 7:1), and sanctify ourselves from all worldly living (James 4:4). If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (I Peter 4:18).
No one can live a holy life by his own ability or power, but only through the Holy Ghost. "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8).
Supernatural Healing
God has made Himself known through the generations by miraculous healings and dramatic demonstrations; He has made special provisions in the age of grace to heal all who will come to Him in faith and obedience. Supernatural healing was purchased for humanity by the blood of Jesus Christ, especially by His stripes (Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; I Peter 2:24).
Jesus went all places healing those who were afflicted (Matthew 4:23-24), and He taught His disciples to do the same (Matthew 10:8). In regards to believers, he stated, "They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:18). Mighty healings and miracles followed the disciples wherever the gospel was preached. There is no affliction or malignity too hard for God to heal. Any of us, our children, or our friends can be saved and delivered by the supernatural healing of God.
"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him , anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord shall raise him up: and if he have committed sins they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed" (James 5:14-16).
Second Coming
Jesus Christ is coming back to earth in physical form, just as He departed (Acts 1:11). He will rapture his holy people (His bride, His church) who have received redemption through His blood, by birth of water and Spirit, and who are found faithful in the eyes of God.
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)."
"One shall be taken and the other left" (Luke 17:36).
The signs of His coming are everywhere. The days of destruction and woe are here indeed, with forms of godliness empty of the power of God; society and politics contaminated; and people's hearts filled with haughtiness, blasphemies, pride, love of evil, and covetousness (II Timothy 3:1-13). These things, together with multitudes running to and fro, the increase of knowledge (Daniel 12:4), the persecution of the Jews and their return to Palestine (Luke 21:24), and scores of other things are starting signs that Jesus' coming is drawing near.
Wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, storms, floods, distress of nations, perplexity, and people's hearts failing them for fear are sounding the solemn alarm that Jesus' coming is at hand (Matthew 24:6; Luke 21:25-28).
"Prepare to meet thy God" (Amos 4:12).
Resurrection
There will be a resurrection of all the dead, both just and unjust.
"Marvel not this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28-29).
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God . . . and the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them" (Revelation 20:12-13)> (See also Daniel 12:2; I Corinthians 15:13-23.)
Eternal Judgment
"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). For this reason there will be a resurrection for everyone. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (II Corinthians 5:10).
The eternal destiny of every soul shall be determined by a just God who knows the secrets of everyone's heart. "And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. . . .Then shall he also say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal" (Matthew 25:32-34, 41, 46).
Note: Elements of this excerpt were taken from the UPCI
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