Statement of Foundational Beliefs
God is one
God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing.
Jesus Christ
is God Incarnate, the Son of God, born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit, lived a
sinless life, died for all humankind according to the scriptures, was raised
bodily from the dead, and is ascended into heaven as Lord of all. Jesus
Christ is 100% God and 100% man for all eternity.
The present
work of the Spirit of God is to take all that is of Jesus Christ and make Him
real to us, in us, and through us. The Holy Spirit glorifies the Lord
Jesus Christ, convicts men of sin, regenerates the believing sinner, and
indwells, guides, instructs, and empowers the believer for godly living and
service.
Man was
created in the image of God but fell into sin and death and is therefore lost.
Only through personal faith in Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Spirit of
God can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
Jesus Christ
is the only name under heaven by which we might be saved.
Jesus Christ
bore all the sin of all humankind on the Cross. The Redemptive work of
Jesus Christ is finished -- but only those who believe are saved.
The Bible is
the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings.
It is the complete written revelation of His will for the salvation of
men, and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life.
Anything that God reveals to our heart by His Spirit will always agree
completely with what is revealed in scripture.
The Body of
Christ consists of all who are in Christ Jesus.
Jesus Christ
is the one and only Mediator between God and humankind.
Jesus Christ
is coming again -- the second coming is a literal event yet to take place.
All
humankind will be bodily raised from the dead and judged by God by Jesus Christ.
Some of the
finer points:
Christianity
is, "Christ in us, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27), meaning, "Christ is our life,
(Col. 3:4), and resulting in God's progressive work of, "forming Christ in us."
(Gal. 4:19)
It is
impossible to LOSE your salvation -- once saved, you are forever saved.
But it is nevertheless possible to REFUSE salvation -- to reject Christ and
never be saved to begin with. It is also possible to lose the fullness of
God's purpose for you as a saved person.
All of the
spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit are POSSIBLE for today -- but some are not
prominent. There are also
counterfeit gifts and manifestations possible.
The baptism
of the Holy Spirit is NOT a second blessing. Rather, the baptism of the
Holy Spirit is salvation received in Christ.
We are complete in Him and once we receive Him -- we possess all that is
of God. We need nothing in addition
to Christ within, but only to grow IN HIM.
Homosexuality is sin. But there is redemption through Jesus Christ for all
sinners.
Abortion is
sin. But there is forgiveness in
Christ.
Marriage
that is ordained by God is only possible between one man and one woman, and is
intended by God for life. Divorce is permissible where the marriage has
already been severed in cases of adultery and desertion.
Evolution
and Christianity are incompatible.
Rejected as
Error
Five Point
Calvinism -- it errs on almost every point of the foundation of the Redemption.
It distorts the nature and character of God Himself and His plan through Jesus
Christ.
Roman
Catholicism
That all
Christians need a spiritual human, "covering." No. Jesus is our
covering.
That we must
tithe or be financially cursed of God.
God's will: You have freely
received, so freely give.
The
Emergent church movement (Brian McLaren, etc.) is heresy.
Contemplative Prayer -- finding God within, etc.
The Holy
Laughter Movement
Rick Warren, and the Purpose Driven Movement.
The Word of
Faith movement (TBN, Kenneth Copeland, etc.) is heresy; the Prosperity Gospel
(Mike Murdock, Todd Kootz, etc.)
Self-improvement as the key to Christianity:
Joyce Meyer, Beth Moore, and Paula White.
Bill Gothard
and his destructive legalistic heresy.
The
Shepherding Movement or any version thereof is heresy.
The
Apostolic / Prophetic movement (C. Peter Wagner) is heresy.
The Latter
Rain (William Branham, etc.) movement is heresy.
The Gospel
of self-esteem, as taught by Robert Schuller and Joel Osteen, is heresy.
The Potters
House Christian Fellowship -- founded by Wayman Mitchell
I can
recommend the following:
(endorsement does not necessarily imply agreement with every word)
T.
Austin-Sparks
John Wright
Follette
Oswald
Chambers
The Berean
Call (Dave Hunt)
The Bible