WHAT
WE BELIEVE
STATEMENTS OF FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS
1. The Scriptures Inspired
The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are
verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God
to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith
and conduct.
2 Timothy 3:15-17 [KJV/NIV]
1 Thessalonians 2:13 [KJV/NIV]
2 Peter 1:21 [KJV/NIV]
2. The One True God
The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally
self-existent "I AM," the Creator of heaven
and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further
revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship
and association as Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Deuteronomy 6:4 [KJV/NIV]
Isaiah 43:10,11 [KJV/NIV]
Matthew 28:19 [KJV/NIV]
Luke 3:22 [KJV/NIV]
The Adorable Godhead
a. Terms Defined
The terms "Trinity" and "persons"
as related to the Godhead, while not found in the Scriptures,
are words in harmony with Scripture, whereby we may
convey to others our immediate understanding of the
doctrine of Christ respecting the Being of God, as distinguished
from "gods many and lords many." We therefore
may speak with propriety of the Lord our God who is
One Lord, as a trinity or as one Being of three persons,
and still be absolutely scriptural.
Matthew 28:19 [KJV/NIV]
2 Corinthians 13:14 [KJV/NIV]
John 14:16-17 [KJV/NIV]
b. Distinction and Relationship in the Godhead
Christ taught a distinction of Persons in the Godhead
which He expressed in specific terms of relationship,
as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but that this distinction
and relationship, as to its mode is inscrutable and
incomprehensible, because unexplained.
c. Unity of the One Being of Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Accordingly, therefore, there is that in the Father which
constitutes him the Father and not the Son; there is that
in the Son which constitutes Him the Son and not the Father;
and there is that in the Holy Ghost which constitutes
Him the Holy Ghost and not either the Father or the Son.
Wherefore the Father is the Begetter, the Son is the Begotten,
and the Holy Ghost is the one proceeding from the Father
and the Son. Therefore, because these three persons in
the Godhead are in a state of unity, there is but one
Lord God Almighty and His name one.
d. Identity and Cooperation in the Godhead
The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are never identical
as to Person; nor confused as to relation; nor divided
in respect to the Godhead; nor opposed as to cooperation.
The Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son
as to relationship. The Son is with the Father and the
Father is with the Son, as to fellowship. The Father is
not from the Son, but the Son is from the Father, as to
authority. The Holy Ghost is from the Father and the Son
proceeding, as to nature, relationship, cooperation and
authority. Hence, neither Person in the Godhead either
exists or works separately or independently of the others.
e. The Title, Lord Jesus Christ
The appellation, "Lord Jesus Christ," is a proper
name. It is never applied in the New Testament, either
to the Father or to the Holy Ghost. It therefore belongs
exclusively to the Son of God. Romans 1:1-3
[KJV/NIV]
2 John 1:3 [KJV/NIV]
f. The Lord Jesus Christ, God with Us
The Lord Jesus Christ, as to His divine and eternal
nature, is the proper and only Begotten of the Father,
but as to His human nature, He is the proper Son of
Man. He is therefore, acknowledged to be both God and
man; who because He is God and man is "Immanuel,"
God with us.
g. The Title, Son of God
Since the name "Immanuel" embraces both God
and man in the one Person, our Lord Jesus Christ, it follows
that the title, Son of God, describes His proper deity,
and the title, Son of Man, His proper humanity. Therefore,
the title Son of God, belongs to the order of eternity,
and the title, Son of Man, to the order of time.
- Matthew 1:21-23 [KJV/NIV] 2 John 1:3 [KJV/NIV] 1
John 3:8 [KJV/NIV]
- Hebrews 7:3 [KJV/NIV] Hebrews 1:1-13 [KJV/NIV]
h. Transgression of the Doctrine of Christ
Wherefore, it is a transgression of the Doctrine of
Christ to say that Jesus Christ derived the title, Son
of God, solely from the fact of the incarnation, or
because of His relation to the economy of redemption.
Therefore, to deny that the Father is a real and eternal
Father, and that the Son is a real and eternal Son,
is a denial of the distinction and relationship in the
Being of God; a denial of the Father, and the Son; and
a displacement of the truth that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh.
- 2 John 1:9 [KJV/NIV] John 1:1 [KJV/NIV] John 1:2
[KJV/NIV] John 1:14 [KJV/NIV]
- John 1:18 [KJV/NIV] John 1:29 [KJV/NIV] John 1:49
[KJV/NIV] 1 John 2:22,23 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 John 4:1-5 [KJV/NIV] Hebrews 12:2 [KJV/NIV]
i. Exaltation of Jesus Christ as Lord
The Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, having by Himself
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty
on high; angels and principalities and powers having
been made subject unto Him. And having been made both
Lord and Christ, He sent the Holy Ghost that we, in
the name of Jesus, might bow our knees and confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father
until the end, when the Son shall become subject to
the Father that God may be all in all.
- Hebrews 1:3 [KJV/NIV] 1 Peter 3:22 [KJV/NIV] Acts
2:32-36 [KJV/NIV]
- Romans 14:11 [KJV/NIV] 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 [KJV/NIV]
j. Equal Honor to the Father and to the Son
Wherefore, since the Father has delivered all judgment
unto the Son, it is not only the express duty of all
in heaven and on earth to bow the knee, but it is an
unspeakable joy in the Holy Ghost to ascribe unto the
Son all the attributes of Deity, and to give Him all
honor and the glory contained in all the names and titles
of the Godhead except those which express relationship
(see Distinction and Relationship in the Godhead, Unity
of the One Being of Father, Son and Holy Ghost , and
Identity and Cooperation in the Godhead) and thus honor
the Son even as we honor the Father.
- John 5:22,23 [KJV/NIV] 1 Peter 1:8 [KJV/NIV] Revelation
5:6-14 [KJV/NIV]
- Philippians 2:8,9 [KJV/NIV] Revelation 7:9-10 [KJV/NIV]
Revelation 4:8-11 [KJV/NIV]
3. The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. The
Scriptures declare:
His virgin birth,
- Matthew 1:23 [KJV/NIV] Luke 1:31 [KJV/NIV] Luke
1:35 [KJV/NIV]
His sinless life,
- Hebrews 7:26 [KJV/NIV] 1 Peter 2:22 [KJV/NIV]
His miracles,
- Acts 2:22 [KJV/NIV] Acts 10:38 [KJV/NIV]
His substitutionary work on the cross,
- 1 Corinthians 15:3 [KJV/NIV] 2 Corinthians 5:21
[KJV/NIV]
His bodily resurrection from the dead,
- Matthew 28:6 [KJV/NIV]
- Luke 24:39 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 Corinthians 15:4 [KJV/NIV]
His exaltation to the right hand of God.
- Acts 1:9 [KJV/NIV]
- Acts 1:11 [KJV/NIV]
- Acts 2:33 [KJV/NIV]
- Philippians 2:9-11 [KJV/NIV]
- Hebrews 1:3 [KJV/NIV]
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4. The Fall of Man
Man was created good and upright; for God said, "Let
us make man in our own image, after our likeness."
However, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby
incurred not only physical death but also spiritual
death, which is separation from God.
- Genesis 1:26,27 [KJV/NIV] Genesis 2:17 [KJV/NIV]
- Genesis 3:6 [KJV/NIV] Romans 5:12-19 [KJV/NIV]
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5. The Salvation of Man
Man's only hope of redemption is through the shed blood
of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Conditions to Salvation
Salvation is received through repentance toward God
and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing
of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, being
justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir
of God, according to the hope of eternal life.
- Luke 24:47 [KJV/NIV]
- John 3:3 [KJV/NIV]
- Romans 10:13-15 [KJV/NIV]
- Ephesians 2:8 [KJV/NIV]
- Titus 2:11 [KJV/NIV]
- Titus 3:5-7 [KJV/NIV]
The Evidence of Salvation
The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness
of the Spirit.
The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness
and true holiness.
- Ephesians 4:24 [KJV/NIV]
- Titus 2:12 [KJV/NIV]
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6. The Ordinances of the Church
Baptism in Water
The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded by
the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ
as Saviour and Lord are to be baptized. Thus they declare
to the world that they have died with Christ and that
they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness
of life.
- Matthew 28:19 [KJV/NIV]
- Mark 16:16 [KJV/NIV]
- Acts 10:47,48 [KJV/NIV]
- Romans 6:4 [KJV/NIV]
Holy Communion
The Lord's Supper, consisting of the elements --bread
and the fruit of the vine-- is the symbol expressing
our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ
(2 Peter 1:4 [KJV/NIV]), a memorial of his suffering
and death (1 Corinthians 11:26 [KJV/NIV]), and a prophecy
of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26 [KJV/NIV]),
and is enjoined on all believers "till He come!"
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7. The Baptism in the Holy Ghost
All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect
and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism
in the Holy Ghost and fire, according to the command
of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience
of all in the early Christian Church. With it comes
the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment
of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry.
- Luke 24:49 [KJV/NIV]
- Acts 1:4 [KJV/NIV]
- Acts 1:8 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 [KJV/NIV]
This experience is distinct from and subsequent to
the experience of the new birth.
- Acts 8:12-17 [KJV/NIV]
- Acts 10:44-46 [KJV/NIV]
- Acts 11:14-16 [KJV/NIV]
- Acts 15:7-9 [KJV/NIV]
With the baptism in the Holy Ghost come such experiences
as:
- an overflowing fullness of the Spirit, John 7:37-39
[KJV/NIV], Acts 4:8 [KJV/NIV]
- a deepened reverence for God, Acts 2:43 [KJV/NIV],
Hebrews 12:28 [KJV/NIV]
- an intensified consecration to God and dedication
to His work, Acts 2:42 [KJV/NIV]
- and a more active love for Christ, for His Word
and for the lost, Mark 16:20 [KJV/NIV]
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8. The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism
in the Holy Ghost
The baptism of believers in the Holy Ghost is witnessed
by the initial physical sign of speaking with other
tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance.
The speaking in tongues in this instance is the same
in essence as the gift of tongues, but is different
in purpose and use.
- 1 Corinthians 12:4-10 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 Corinthians 12:28 [KJV/NIV]
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9.
Sanctification
Sanctification is an act of separation from that which
is evil, and of dedication unto God.
- Romans 12:1,2 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23 [KJV/NIV]
- Hebrews 13:12 [KJV/NIV]
The Scriptures teach a life of "holiness without
which no man shall see the Lord."
By the power of the Holy Ghost we are able to obey
the command: "Be ye holy, for I am holy."
- 1 Peter 1:15,16 [KJV/NIV]
Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing
his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection,
and by the faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that
union, and by offering every faculty continually to
the dominion of the Holy Spirit.
- Romans 6:1-11 [KJV/NIV]
- Romans 6:13 [KJV/NIV]
- Romans 8:1,2 [KJV/NIV]
- Romans 8:13 [KJV/NIV]
- Galatians 2:20 [KJV/NIV]
- Philippians 2:12,13 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 Peter 1:5 [KJV/NIV]
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10. The Church and its Mission
The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of
God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for
the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer,
born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the General
Assembly and Church of the Firstborn, which are written
in heaven.
- Ephesians 1:22,23 [KJV/NIV]
- Ephesians 2:22 [KJV/NIV]
- Hebrews 12:23 [KJV/NIV]
Since God's purpose concerning man is to seek and
to save that which is lost, to be worshipped by man,
and to build a body of believers in the image of His
Son, the priority reason for being of the Assemblies
of God as part of the Church is:
1. To be an agency of God for evangelizing
the world.
Acts 1:8 [KJV/NIV]
Matthew 28:19,20 [KJV/NIV]
Mark 16:15,16 [KJV/NIV]
2. To be a corporate body in which
man may worship God.
1 Corinthians 12:13 [KJV/NIV]
3. To be a channel of God's purpose
to build a body of saints being perfected in the image
of His Son.
Ephesians 4:11-16 [KJV/NIV]
1 Corinthians 12:28 [KJV/NIV]
1 Corinthians 14:12 [KJV/NIV]
The Assemblies of God exists expressly to give continuing
emphasis to this reason for being in the New Testament
apostolic pattern by teaching and encouraging believers
to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. This experience:
1. Enables them to evangelize in the power of the
Spirit with accompanying supernatural signs.
Mark 16:15-20 [KJV/NIV]
Acts 4:29-31 [KJV/NIV]
Hebrews 2:3,4 [KJV/NIV]
2. Adds a necessary dimension to worshipful relationship
with God.
1 Corinthians 2:10-16 [KJV/NIV]
1 Corinthians 12 [KJV/NIV]
1 Corinthians 13 [KJV/NIV]
1 Corinthians 14 [KJV/NIV]
3. Enables them to respond to the full working of
the Holy Spirit in expression of fruit and gifts and
ministries as in New Testament times for the edifying
of the body of Christ.
Galatians 5:22-26 [KJV/NIV]
1 Corinthians 14:12 [KJV/NIV]
Ephesians 4:11,12 [KJV/NIV]
1 Corinthians 12:28 [KJV/NIV]
Colossians 1:29 [KJV/NIV]
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11. The Ministry
A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry
has been provided by our Lord for the threefold purpose
of leading the Church in:
Evangelization of the world.
Worship of God.
Building a body of saints being perfected in the image
of His Son.
- Ephesians 4:11-16 [KJV/NIV]
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12. Divine Healing
Divine healing is an integral part of the gospel. Deliverance
from sickness is provided for in the atonement, and
is the privilege of all believers.
- Isaiah 53:4,5 [KJV/NIV]
- Matthew 8:16,17 [KJV/NIV]
- James 5:14-16 [KJV/NIV]
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13. The Blessed Hope
The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in
Christ and their translation together with those who
are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is
the imminent and blessed hope of the church.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 [KJV/NIV]
- Romans 8:23 [KJV/NIV]
- Titus 2:13 [KJV/NIV]
- 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 [KJV/NIV]
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14. The Millennial Reign of Christ
The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of
the saints, which is our blessed hope, followed by the
visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on
earth for one thousand years.
- Zechariah 14:5 [KJV/NIV]
- Matthew 24:27 [KJV/NIV]
- Matthew 24:30 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 1:7 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 19:11-14 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 20:1-6 [KJV/NIV]
This millennial reign will bring the salvation of national
Israel,
- Ezekiel 37:21,22 [KJV/NIV]
- Zephaniah 3:19,20 [KJV/NIV]
- Romans 11:26,27 [KJV/NIV]
and the establishment of universal peace.
- Isaiah 11:6-9 [KJV/NIV]
- Psalms 72:3-8 [KJV/NIV]
- Micah 4:3,4 [KJV/NIV]
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15. The Final Judgment
There will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead
will be raised and judged according to their works.
Whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life,
together with the devil and his angels, the beast and
the false prophet, will be consigned to the everlasting
punishment in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death.
- Matthew 25:46 [KJV/NIV]
- Mark 9:43-48 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 19:20 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 20:11-15 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 21:8 [KJV/NIV]
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16. The New Heavens and the New Earth
"We, according to His promise, look for new heavens
and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness."
- 2 Peter 3:13 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 21 [KJV/NIV]
- Revelation 22 [KJV/NIV]
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