The restoration salvation brings begins with the complete salvation of our spirits. Though the fact of salvation is attributed to both He and Jesus as is written in Rev. We believe the tri-unity of God is addressed in scripture from the beginning in Genesis 1:26, And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.. 2 Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 3 the love of God, 4 and the communion of the Holy Spirit, 5 we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, 6 whom alone we worship and serve. 42 the God of Abraham and Sarah chose a covenant people. We believe that throughout the Old and New Testaments, Jesus (The Word), has been referred to by many names and that these names, as given by God, are functional in nature. As the one causing the wrong, we should seek to restore what was lost to the best of our ability. 4:16). Life is a gift of God and must be respected from conception until natural death. 19:18; Matt. On the other hand, for those who believe and are therefore saved, they will enjoy eternal union with God. It is suggested that each officer or officer-elect receive and read the materials in advance so that key ideas can be developed from the sections covered and time be available for the discussion questions. We believe that no man had the power to take His life, but that He offered it up freely by the aid of the Holy Spirit Jn. If the wife or children of an elder are given to disruptive behaviors, unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, petty bickering, back-biting, gossip, divulging of private or sensitive information concerning the church or any of the congregation or any other repetitive or ongoing sins, that elder will be required to step down until such situations are resolved in a way that can be. Statement of Faith - Living Grace Fellowship 2:1; Rom. 21:3 & 10]. The first is in reference to the entire family of God throughout time. Support the Pentecost Offering. We believe that the state is ordained of God to maintain order in society, and that Christians should honor rulers, be subject to authorities, witness to the state, and pray for governments. Ecclesia Reformata Salvation does not end at the initial belief and confession of Jesus as Lord, but only begins there. If all radioactive elements on earth were created in their initial stages of decay, the earth would not have been habitable both due to the intense heat these radioactive elements would have generated at the beginning of their decay and to a lesser extent, due to the higher levels of harmful radiation generated by radioactive elements in their initial stages of decay. Once God has spoken, we will fast and pray for and with them prior to appointing them into the ministry. 4:31-32). We are Their corporate desire and Their delight is in us! Elders We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of Gods wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his local church. We should also seek God for opportunities to go to the foreign nations and support in prayer, teaching and finances those who go. 7:17-28; Rom. 5. As to what we mean by the word inspiration. 72 In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, 73 we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks. and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. The one who is from God listens to Gods words. (Job 1:6-7; Isa. Holy Spirit Prophecy is to speak to edification, exhortation & comfort. The term inspired as is used in I Tim. This is clearly true even regarding things God Himself madesuch as alcohol or tobacco, but. The Resurrection of Jesus II The process of regular ordination is a man made process and is therefore not a doctrinally required or supported idea of Living Grace Fellowship Corp. We believe the key word in this verse is labor. Our policy is in accordance with the law regarding reporting known or suspected abuse. 1:10; 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25, 27; Rev. Statement of Faith Template 2. PDF A Synopsis of our faith from the PCUSA Book of Confessions: The Brief PDF Regarding Ruling Elders: A Monthly Series - Presbyterian Church We believe that His blood remained fully holy throughout His life in order to be a sacrifice without spot or wrinkle, and it is in this way that we believe in Penal Substitutionary Redemption. (7) And about the angels He says: He makes His angels winds, and His servants a fiery flame; (8) but about the Son: Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice. Hebrews 1:5-8. Paul said, both people are to be fully convinced in their own mind that they are personally right and that they are both charged with a responsibility before God to live in obedience to those restrictions. We believe in one God eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There may be MANY paths which lead to Jesus, Who is God, but Jesus is the only way to the Father and THAT is what salvation IS! Figuratively this word can mean one who by reproachful and upbraiding language wounds the conscience of his brethren, a contentious person, a quarreler. In fact all three members of the Godhead were directly involved in the process, but the following verse demonstrates the creative process between the Father and the Son. The only other point which is important in relation to our statement of faithconcerning the topic of faith is that faith is always personal. The Holy Scriptures - we believe the Bible comprises 66 books referred to as the Old and New Testaments. Woman was made FOR man and functions as his glory I Cor. 11. 11 In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not performed by hand, when you threw off your sinful nature in true Christian circumcision;12 having been buried with Him in your baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith produced within you by God who raised Him from among the dead. [Please see A. Salvation was necessary in order to restore mankind to that from which they fell. We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, effects the new birth, gives guidance in life, empowers for service, and enables perseverance in faith and holiness. 9. Such revelation stands in stark contrast the to the second type of faith we just mentioned in that it is the result of God speaking directly to you (rhema) rather than you simply reading, studying and convincing your own mind of the reliability of the words of scriptures on your own. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. A Brief Statement of Faith from The Book of Confessions, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) In life and in death we belong to God. Reading from the Gospels Matthew 3:13-17 Meals, in antiquity, were seen differently than today. 9:13,14. . However, if a woman goes ahead and separates (not divorces) from her husband she is still married to him and is not to attempt to marry another regardless of what the laws of the state allow. 14:13 & Acts 5:31-33, The earth has always had prophets Luke 1:70-72. God will not discover Himself to the proud and self-seeking. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use or placement of any money given once it is given to the church. The Brief Statement of Faith In life and in death we belong to God. A deep and meaningful proof of union with Him in His death and resurrection. God is NO respecter of persons meaning that He does not play favorites, but will freely disclose Himself to anyone who is truly seeking Him with a true heart. We believe that all ventures of God whether the creation, redemption or our future eternity with Them are an expression of the admiration, devotion and glory each Member of the Godhead shows to the other Members. 3 Are you so foolish? So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily. Acts 16:4-5. 26 From one man He has made every nation of men to live all over the earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live,27 so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. (Matt. 1. Now concerning Gods children, each member of the body of Christ (See Christian below) has the inward witness of the Holy Spirit and is able to be correctly guided into the true understanding and interpretation of all scripture with or without the aid of any man with a special grace or calling [I John 2:27; John 16:13]. We believe that in the beginning God created all things by His Son. Theology | Presbyterian Mission Agency We believe that on the 3rd day He literally, physically arose from the dead by the agency of the Fathers personal Glory and the Holy Spirit Rom. He lived a sinless life in complete surrender to and reliance upon His Father by the power and influence of the Holy Spirit within Him in life and upon Him in ministry. 18:1-30; Rom. Those who continue in self-reliance will spend an eternity separated from the knowledge of God and totally alone in their guilt and shame which will devour them from within, in hell and the lake of fire. If God had created plants as just seeds in the ground, man and animal alike would have starved before the first harvest. One person may feel it is Gods leading to, for example, take a vaccine, while another senses in their own heart that it would be wrong. Authority: Whos in charge in the congregation? 2:13-14). The responding (verb) faith is placed IN Christ AS provider of all that is needed and a vehicle in particular. The following verses define and illustrate what we hereafter refer to as inspired. We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. An idiom lifted from the words of Charles Caleb Colton which illustrate the truism of this is. These statements reflect our understanding of God and what God expects of us at different times in history, but all are faithful to the fundamental beliefs described above. That they are living in high rebellion against God which separates them from Him both now and forever, unless they change their minds and come to Christ Jesus in faith and submission. (. Communion We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by Gods power, We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of Gods Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. The Resurrection of Jesus I The place where God dwells outside of the universe. NO ONE is above anyone else in their ability to come to know God through scripture. As an example of this, the church has no authority to dictate ones governing of their home, so long as that governing is not in clear violation to Gods established Word. Angels 19:19. Appointing into the work will be signified by the laying on of hands of those who are locally called as gifts in the body. They must HAVE (not working on) the following characteristics according to I Tim 2:11-14; 3:2-7; I Cor. As such, the salvation of the soul is where we, through repeated exposure to God and His ways, faith in His inner working and submission to His Lordship take on the New Nature we have in Christ and begin the process of realizing our great hope which is Christ in us. Prophecy DOES NOT always have to do with foretelling future events, but is more commonly expressed by inspired extemporaneous preaching and teaching. ~ Gen. 2:24 & Matt. It is not abundantly clear if heaven itself will be the final dwelling place for the children of God or if it will be the new earth, but in any case, we will be with the Lord and we will be His dwelling place forever. Knowing this, we do not believe doctrinally that a marriage ceremony is even necessary and in some cases is probably detrimental. In keeping with this only God could separate. See Acts 17:22-31 below, 22 Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: Men of Athens! If the elder in question will not willingly step down with dignity, he will be summarily removed from that office with little prospect of return. As such, if the physical brain is damaged in some way, our ability to percieve the world around us and interact with it is impaired, but we see it as more of an input/output error rather than an actual problem with their immortal mind. In that day, men were the sole owners of property in a marriage, so if a man was to separate from his wife it would be by sending her away from HIS house. We live godly lives NOT by self-effort, but by total reliance upon the work of Christ as His lives His life in and through us by the influence (grace) of the Holy Spirit. Unless God says, Trust me that I am providing you a Lamborghini you have no leg to stand on to believe such a thing. The Atonement If you were on vacation and arrived in a town on a Tuesday night and were asked later on what day you arrived, you would say Tuesday. This is the fathers responsibility. Whenever the scriptures use the phrase the faith it is in reference to the doctrines we are convinced are true. We enter into justification and life by forsaking self-effort birthed from pride and embrace whole heartedly our oneness with the Father through total reliance (faith) upon Him and Jesus finished work. Are there errors in the Bible text? Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, We believe that ALL elders are required to teach. Thus book of Enoch further discredits itself in that though it patently condemns the writing down of beliefs, the book of Enoch itself IS a book of beliefs which are of course, written down. 2:5-8). Other times I did so in order to illustrate a falsehood. 2. We believe in one God eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 80 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. University Formal Statement of Faith 3. (PDF) A Tabular Comparison of the United Church of Christ Statement of 2:4. As such even is a Christian were to partake of it while living in known sin is a monsterous defilement of the act and in many cases results in the judgement of God on that believer. It would be arrogance to assume we understand completely why God created mankind, though a few of His reasons are stated in scripture. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. In the modern church, ones confession of Jesus as Lord has been allowed to become a rather private affair but this is NOT supported in scripture. Though the example here is regarding sexual purity, the greater context is how we regulate our lives by the Gospel. (Lev. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. 1:1-2, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. to do ANYTHING you cannot do in absolute faith. Brief Statement of Faith - Christ Presbyterian Church 12; I Cor. 15:22. The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture, engages us through the Word proclaimed, The Holy Spirit seems to be the facilitator of the Godhead. Priesthood of All Believers Meaning that much like the word team is a singular noun representing several people all working in unity towards one goal, so the word God is a singular noun which represents 3 distinct personalities Who work collectively in perfect union. be in accordance with His Word and secondly with our own personal conscience before God. 3:24-25; Eph. We believe that local churches are established by Apostles or those doing an apostolic work. 2. I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. [ Statement of Faith.pdf ] The following enumerated list is a brief summary of the core and basic beliefs this church and its attendees hold to as having been taught in scripture. Man was made for God and exists for His glory I Cor. These definitions and requirements therefore will serve as the definitions and requirements which need to be met by any individual in order for Living Grace Fellowship Corp to consider them for conveying the status of Regular Ordination. 5:19-21; Gal. 20:11-15), We believe that Satan is a person, in that he is a literal being. Creation We believe in the Creation of the world in BOTH exactly and literally the way it is written in the book of Genesis. 60 rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture. 55 sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, 56 and binds us together with all believers. We believe that Jesus Christ was subjected to every temptation which is common to mankind yet NEVER having swerved in His entire allegiance to God. As stated above, Living Grace Fellowship Corp intends to only ordain those whom the Lord directs us to ordain (appoint) to being gifts in the body for its development and growth. Grace If taken very literally then the revealing of Himself will be by way of a vision and furthermore God will speak to him in a dream. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.. (Matt. Connectional Church: Networking As regarding dispensational truths, we believe that, with very few exceptions, all of the Scriptures are applicable to all people at all times. Life as defined by Jesus is to know God, in a deep, relational & unifying way. Decently and In Order We believe absolutely that the Bible puts forth God as the Originator, Creator and Source of everything INCLUDING information. I Cor. You may or may not parse it out as to the hour but no one expects that it doesnt count as Tuesday just because you werent here for a full 24 hours. In such cases we believe that so long as it is necessary for the health and life of the child, such surgery is an acceptable solution, but that the choice should not be random. Rather, He as God, became a man. 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 64 and calls women and men to all ministries of the Church. We believe that against Him the beast, the false prophet and the anti-christ will make war Rev. It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 57 in the one body of Christ, the Church. Eternity We believe that all humans will exist for eternity and that eternity will be restricted to two experiences. When we rise out of the water, we are symbolically raised to new life in righteousness, in relationship with and to the Father God through Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Holman Christian Standard (Emphasis added). That holy Scripture is the triune God's revealed Word, the Church's only infallible rule of faith and life. In fact, it clearly acknowledges that while human He still had His Divine nature and all of its ensuing properties. Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Finally, it was this same God Who breathed into the clay nostrils of man and made him a living soul. Prior to the resurrection of Christ there were Jewish observances which symbolized the person of Christ Who was to come and/or the state of forgiveness in salvation He would make available. In virtually every case, when a Christian seeks their rights whether civil or moral, they loose innocents. This includes our very personhood spirit, soul and body. Ultimately we stand before God both today and on the day we are judged for how we conducted ourselves in regard to the stewardship and maintenance of our bodies. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is and has always been an eternal part of the Godhead. It was through one man that sin entered the bloodline of the family of mankind. Bring us in faith together, and thy pastures now prepare. Worked real miracles, including healing, water walking & raising the dead. We use the passages below to precisely demonstrate what is the net result of His breath or inspiration, which is life as define by Christ Himself. One of the ways this is almost certainly true is in the names and thus the types of relationships He reveals Himself to uslike that of Father. (Ps. 2:14. As such, we believe that salvation is not just FROM sin and separation from God, but that we are saved TO righteousness, true holiness and eternal union with God forever. 13:1-7; Eph. (6) In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, (7) that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, (8) whom having not seen you love. God, Who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the worlds; ~ Heb. It is a testifying to Jesus sacrifice and our uniting with Him IN His death and resurrection until He returns. So in this case it would mean that those who appoint others into Gods service. The Brief Statement of Faith emphasizes gender-inclusiveness. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. Must not be a new convert or young in the faith. We believe that sexual intercourse was Gods design and gift to mankind and that its purpose is for pro-creation, enjoyment and intimacy between a husband and wife who love each other and willingly participate. The Trinity That the method of revelation is not set in stones seems evident though, in that God dealt with Moses differently. Silent Prayers of Confession Kyrie Eleison 551 "Lord, Have Mercy" Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy upon us. We believe that out of all of their Divine perfections, Agape love is the very center or core of Their nature and is defined not by their expressions of love towards mankind, but from Their eternal co-deference and unbridled dedications towards Each Other in Their spending Themselves on One another from eternity past. (6) When He again brings His firstborn into the world, He says, And all Gods angels must worship Him. Presiding over his own household in a beautiful manner, holding children within the sphere of obedience, doing so with the strictest regard to propriety. They gave Him the power to take up His life again! We believe that at this point, Jesus will renovate the entire world by fire and make all things new. Evangelism The Holy Scriptures below for more on this.]. As such, beliefs regarding the maintenance and upkeep of our bodies are a very complicated issue in which it would be impossible to address all contingencies, so we will restrict ourselves to just the basics. Sacraments We believe that Jesus blood had to be without sin or any defilement of any kind in order for its shedding to fully pay the purchase price of redemption for humanity and all of creation (Rom.