I. THE HOLY SCRIPTURE
We
believe the Holy Scripture to be the verbally inspired Word of God in its
entirety, sixty-six books composing the Old and New Testament, the final
authority for faith and life, without error in the original writings and
infallible (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 5:18; 2 Peter 1:20-21; John 16:12-13).
II. THE TRIUNE OF GOD
We
believe that there is but one true God, (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-7, 1
Corinthians 8:4), an infinite, all knowing Spirit (John 4:24), perfect in all
His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons -- Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14) - each equally
deserving worship and obedience.
A. GOD THE FATHER
We
believe that God the Father, the first person of the Trinity, orders and
disposes all things to His own purpose and grace (Psalm 145:8-9, 1 Corinthians
8:6). He is the creator of all things (Genesis 1:1-31; Ephesians 3:9). As the
only absolute and omnipotent ruler in the universe, He is sovereign in
creation, providence, and redemption (Psalm 103:19; Romans 11:36). His
fatherhood involves both His designation within the Trinity and His
relationship with mankind. As Creator He is Father to all men (Ephesians 4:6),
but He is Spiritual Father only to believers (Romans 8:14, 2 Corinthians 6:18).
He has decreed for His own glory all things that come to pass (Ephesians 1:11).
He continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events (1
Chronicles 29:11). In His sovereignty He is neither author nor approver of sin
(Habakkuk 1:13; John 8:38-47), nor does He abridge the accountability of moral,
intelligent creatures (1 Peter 1:17). He has graciously chosen from eternity
past those whom He would have as His own (Ephesians 1:4-6); He saves from sin
all those would come to Him; and He becomes, upon adoption, Father to His own
(John 1:12; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5; Hebrews 12:5-9).
B. GOD THE SON
We
believe that eternal Son of God became man, without ceasing to be God, having
been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that
He, the Lord Jesus Christ, might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John
1:1-2,14; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6-7)
We
believe that He accomplished our redemption through His Death on the Cross as a
representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our
justification is made sure by His literal physical resurrection from the dead
(Romans 3:24-25, 4:25; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 2:24, 1:3-5)
We
believe that he ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of
God, where as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative,
Intercessor and Advocate (Acts 1:9-11; Hebrews 7:25, 9:24; Romans 8:34; 1 John
2:1-20)
C. GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
We
believe the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity; though omnipresent
from all eternity, took up his abode in the world in a special sense on the day
of the Pentecost according to the divine promise, dwells in every believer, and
by His Baptism which occurs at conversion unites all believers to Christ in one
body, and that He, as the Indwelling One, is the source of all power and all
acceptable worship and service (John 14:16-17, 16:7-15; 1 Corinthians 6:19;
12:12-13).
III. MAN
We
believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in
Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from
God; and that man is totally depraved and thus of himself utterly unable to
remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 3:22-23,
5:12).
IV. SALVATION
We
believe that it is absolutely essential for man to be born again, regenerated
by the Holy Spirit, in which he is no longer conformed to the world system but
redirected to the things of the Spirit, in order to be saved and that the only
way is to turn in genuine faith from the heart to Jesus Christ as personal Lord
and Savior. Salvation is wholly by God’s grace on the basis of Christ’s
finished work on the cross, on His own merits not by human works (John 3:3-5;
Titus 3:5-7; Ephesians 2:8-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 1:23; John 14:6;
Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5; John 1:12-13; Romans 10:9-10).
We
believe that a genuine believer will exhibit in their lives the character of
Christlikeness, such as righteousness, holiness, and love (Titus 2:11-14;
Matthew 7:20-23; John 13:35; 1 John 2:5-6, 3:14; Ephesians 2:10; James 2:17,26;
Galatians 5:22-23).
V. THE CHURCH
We
believe that the Church is a living and dynamic spiritual organism made up of
all born again persons, which is the espoused bride and body of Christ who is
its head (Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians
11:2).
We
believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly
taught and defined in the New Testament (Acts 14:27, 20:17, 20:28-32; 1 Timothy
3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
We
believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has left two ordinances to be observed on
the Church in commemoration of His person and work. The one is baptism by
immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The other is the
partaking of the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41, 46; 16:33; 1
Corinthians 11:23-32).
We
believe the Scripture teaches that believers must commit to membership to a
local church for the purposes of glorifying God by worshipping Him,
fellowshipping with one another for mutual edification, growing together
through the preaching and teaching of the Word, and fulfilling the Great
Commission. (Ephesians 3:21; Acts 2:42, 46-47a; Ephesians 4:13-16; Matthew
28:18-20).
VI. LAST THINGS
We
believe in the literal, physical, and personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ
to establish the Messianic Kingdom on earth. (Isaiah 11:1-6, 32:1-20; 65:17-25;
Psalm 2:6-9; Psalm 72; Daniel 7:13-14; Zechariah 14:9-11; Matthew 19:28).
We
believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and
the unsaved to everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26;
Revelation 20:6,13). We believe believers will be rewarded according to their
works and enter into a state of eternal glory in the presence of God in heaven,
and He will reign with them forever (John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15;
Revelation 21,22). We believe that the unsaved will be judged (Romans
14:10-13), and will be committed to an eternal conscious punishment in the lake
of fire (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:11-15).
Check out the website of our church family: Guiding Light Christian Church
