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1. GOD
God is the supreme creator and sustainer of the entire universe
who is eternal, all present, and all powerful. God is a single
spirit family presently consisting of God the Father and Jesus
Christ the Son. God is a loving, kind, and merciful being who is
sharing His magnificent and eternal existence by reproducing
Himself through mankind.
Psalm 19:1; 50:, 6-7; Isaiah 44:6; Nehemiah 9:6,16-17; John
1:12-13; 3:16; 4:8; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1-2;
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2. BIBLE
The entire Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God which
contains His plan of salvation, and the record of His
participation in history. The Bible is God's method of revealing
knowledge that man cannot discover for himself; the foundation
of knowledge and the guidebook of life. God's written Word, is
revealed in two parts, the Old and New Testaments. Together,
they form the basis of Christianity as taught by the church and
as practiced by the true Christian.
Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4; John 17:17; Romans 8:16;
I Corinthians 2:7-11; II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20
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3. JESUS CHRIST
Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God and the Son of
man. He is the Messiah who was prophesied in the Old Testament
and described in the New Testament as being fully human and
fully divine. He has existed throughout eternity as the "Word"
and is the second member of the God family. He divested Himself
of His power and His majesty, to become a human being in order
to live a perfect life, thereby re-qualifying for eternal life,
but then died anyway as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind
as our loving and merciful Savior. He was then resurrected and
ascended to heaven to become our Lord and High Priest. Jesus
Christ will return to earth to establish the Kingdom of God
where He will rule as King of kings with His saints as co-rulers
forever.
Deuteronomy 18:15; Matthew 16:15-17; John 1:1-14; 3:16; Acts
2:32-33; Romans 5:8; Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 4:14-15;
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4. THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the spiritual extension of God, containing
the essence, power and mind of God. God uses His Holy Spirit to
beget Christians as His sons and daughters. The Holy Spirit
spiritually strengthens Christians, converting their minds to be
more like God’s mind. The Holy Spirit also serves as an earnest
or guarantee of future eternal life.
Acts 1:8; 2:38; Romans 8:9, 14; I Corinthians 2:16; Ephesians
1:13-14
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5. MANKIND
Humans have no inherent immortality as flesh and blood physical
beings; however, they can receive eternal life as a free gift
from our loving and merciful creator God. Although mankind was
created by God as flesh and blood, He did so in His own image.
He added a spiritual component to mankind’s brain to create the
human mind.
Genesis 1:26-2;, Job 32:8; I Corinthians 2:11; I John 5:11-13
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6. ANGELIC REALM
The angels were created by God as powerful spirit beings then
used by God as His agents and messengers. These spirit beings
also function as ministering spirits, helping mankind attain
salvation and have done so since man's creation. Like mankind,
angels also have free moral agency. Although angels were created
to help God, some of them, led by Satan the devil, rebelled
against God and His government. Their rebellious acts caused
them to be transformed into demons.
Psalm 91:11-12; Ephesians 6:12; Hebrews 1:7
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7. SALVATION
The penalty for sin is death, but salvation is the means by
which God saves mankind from the penalty of sin so that he may
be given eternal life. Working through His Son, Jesus Christ,
the salvation process includes one's calling, repentance,
baptism, justification, receiving of the Holy Spirit, then
living a life of faith and obedience, and finally, birth into
God's Kingdom as a spirit being. Salvation is a gift freely
given through grace by God, with our ultimate reward given
according to our works.
Matthew 16:27; John 3:16-17; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9;
Hebrews 6:1-2
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8. FAITH
Faith is the absolute knowledge that God exists and that He can
and will fulfill His promises. Faith is necessary for salvation,
of which, the basic elements are courage, action, and risk.
Romans 1:17; 10:17; Ephesians 3:17; Hebrews 11:1-2; James
2:22-24
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9. REPENTANCE
Repentance is the act of acknowledging one's sins, and then
resolving to fully obey God and then is manifested by positive
change. It begins when God opens a person’s mind to see himself
in comparison with God and His law. True repentance is the first
step toward reconciliation with God, and therefore ultimate
salvation.
Acts 2:38; 3:19-21; 8:22; I John 3:4
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10. BAPTISM
Baptism is a ceremony, symbolizing the renunciation of the past
sinful way of life, the burial of the old man in a watery grave,
and the emergence of a new, Spirit-led person living with
Christ's mind and following in His footsteps. The ceremony can
only take place after true repentance and acceptance of Christ's
sacrifice, then by full immersion in the symbolic watery grave.
After this ceremony, and as a result of all these actions, one
receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of
hands.
Matthew 3:13-16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-8; Colossians 2:12
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11. LAYING ON OF HANDS
The laying on of hands is an act performed for the receiving of
God's Holy Spirit after baptism, at ordinations, anointing of
the sick, or for other special purposes.
Matthew 19:13-15; Acts,6.5-6, 8:17-18; 13:3; I Timothy 4:I 4;
Hebrews 6:2
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12. KINGDOM OF GOD
The Kingdom of God is the government of God ruled by the family
of God. It will be the world ruling government set up by Jesus
Christ upon His return. Jesus Christ will be the King of Kings
and will rule for all eternity with the resurrected
spirit-composed saints ruling with Him. In the New Testament,
the Kingdom of God is referred to as a "mystery". It was first
preached and explained by Christ, then by His church. The
Kingdom of God will be established on earth for a thousand years
following Christ's return. It shall be complete when New
Jerusalem and God the Father come down out of heaven to dwell on
the New Earth.
Mark 4:11; Revelation 5:10; 20:4; 21:1-3, 7, 10
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13. GOSPEL
The gospel is the message preached by Jesus Christ and His
church about the history of Jesus Christ and the future coming
Kingdom of God to be established by Jesus Christ, the
restoration of God’s government on earth, and how mankind can
enter that Kingdom and government. It includes the message of
what Jesus Christ has done in the past, is doing now, and shall
do. Ultimately, it is the message of the entire Old and New
Testaments. The primary purpose and commission of God’s church
is to "Go ye therefore, and teach [make disciples of] all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. "
Matthew 3:2; 24:14; 28:19-20; Mark 1:15; Luke 24:47
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14. RESURRECTIONS
The hope of all mankind and the promise to the Christian is that
they will be resurrected from the dead. The Bible refers to four
resurrections. (1) the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the
firstborn of God and man from the dead to become the pioneer of
our salvation; (2) the resurrection of the saints at the return
of Jesus Christ when the true believers shall become
spirit-composed members of God's family. This is called the
"first resurrection" (3) the resurrection of all who have ever
died without having understood God's way, back to physical life
for their first opportunity for salvation; (4) the resurrection
of those who have refused to repent and have rejected God's way
and are called the incorrigibly wicked, to be consumed in the
lake of fire. This is called the "second death".
John 5:28-29; Acts 2:32; Romans 8:11; I Corinthians 15:20; I
Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation 20:4-6, 13-14
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15. JUDGMENT
The time of a person’s judgment is the time of his opportunity
for salvation. That begins from when a person is called by God
until his death changed into spirits upon Jesus Christ's return.
The overwhelming majority shall qualify for God's Kingdom and
will inherit eternal life, but and those who deliberately reject
God's way shall suffer the second death and be consumed in the
lake of fire.
Matthew 13:49-50; 25:34; I Peter 4:17; Revelation 20:15; 21:8
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16. LAW OF GOD
The law of God is a perfect expression of God’s love toward man.
It is a good, right, and perfect system of eternal directives
and principles that reflects God's character and love. God’s law
teaches mankind how to properly worship God, how to love his
fellowman, how to live an abundant life, and how to prepare for
an eternal spiritual life as a full member of the family of God.
The law of God is taught in both the Old and the New Testaments.
It requires both physical actions and spiritual convictions.
John 14:15, 21; Romans 7:12; I John 5:2-3
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17. BIBLICAL COVENANTS
Both the Old and New Testaments record that God made certain
specific "contracts" or promises called "covenants" with
mankind. These covenants define the terms of God's relationship
with individuals and groups in various circumstances and eras
throughout mankind’s history. The best known covenants were made
with the physical nation of Israel. That covenant was
re-established as the New Covenant with "better promises" and
will be fully confirmed with spiritual Israel after the return
of Jesus Christ. The New Covenant makes God's law even more
relevant by expanding it to include one's mental attitude and
spiritual intent. It also applies to the New Testament church
from the time of the original apostles.
Matthew 5:21-22; II Timothy 3:15-16; Hebrews 8:6-13
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18. TEN COMMANDMENTS
The Ten Commandments were revealed by God to Moses who then
codified them. They were then ratified and magnified by Christ,
are the perfect expression of God's love. They are the
foundation of all biblical teaching and much of man’s law. They
show mankind how to express love toward God and his fellowman,
and are consequently the focal point of Christian life.
Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5; Matthew 5:17-19; Romans 13:10; I
Corinthians 7:19; Revelation 12:17; 22:14
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19. SABBATH
The seventh-day Sabbath was instituted at creation. It is to be
taught and kept holy in accordance with the biblical
instruction. The Sabbath was reaffirmed to Israel as a part of
the covenant at Sinai, and taught by Jesus Christ, who is the
Messenger of the New Covenant. The keeping of the Sabbath is
fundamental to a Christian's relationship with God.
Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 16; 20:8-11; 31:12-17; Mark 2:27-28; Luke
4:16
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20. ANNUAL HOLY DAYS
The seven annual holy days or "appointed feasts" depict God's
plan of salvation for mankind. They are ordained by God and were
kept by the ancient Israelites. Keeping the holy days have been
continued by the early New Testament Christians and are still
kept today by modern day Christians.
Leviticus 23; Zechariah 14:16; John 7;8-10; Acts 2:1; 12:3;
20:6, 16; 27:9; 1 Corinthians 5:8; 16.8
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21. TITHING
Tithing is a private matter between the individual and God
because it is an act of worship. It is not the job of the church
to "enforce" or "police" tithing, but simply teaches the
responsibility to tithe. Each individual has the responsibility
to "honor the Lord with his substance and with the firstfruits
of all his increase." Tithing and free will offerings are the
method by which the gospel is proclaimed to the world.
Malachi 3:8-10; Matthew 6:21; 23:23; II Corinthians 9:7
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22. SIN
Sin is the transgression of God's law. It is failing to meet the
standards set by the character of Jesus Christ. The penalty for
sin is death in the lake of fire, but all sin can be completely
forgiven by God, who desires that all men be saved. God forgives
sin upon the repentance of the sinner. God therefore accepts the
shed blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ as payment in full for
the penalty of a person’s repented of sins.
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 1:14; I John 3:4
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23. THE CHRISTIAN
A true Christian is one who has repented of past sins, was
baptized and in whom the Holy Spirit now dwells.
Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:13
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24. THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY
The core of a stable society is the family and the marriage
relationship is the basis of the family. Although men and
women’s roles are clearly defined in the Bible, both have equal
spiritual potential before God. The husband, wife and children
form the family that is the primary physical analogy of God's
plan for mankind. Therefore, marriage, child rearing and the
family are given a preeminent place in the teachings of the
Bible and the church.
Exodus 20:12; Malachi 4:5-6, Ephesians 5:22-29; 6:1-3; I Peter
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25. HEALING
Divine healing is a miracle and gift of God. He may bestow it in
His mercy and love upon those who call upon Him in time of need,
but often, according to their faith. The healings of Jesus
Christ described in the Bible depict and represent His power to
express compassion, to forgive sin, and ultimately, to resurrect
the dead and eventually to establish the Kingdom of God here on
earth.
Matthew 9:1-7; James 5:14-15
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26. THE CHURCH OF GOD
The church is the spiritual body of Christ. Physically, it is
group of persons called out by God and impregnated with His Holy
Spirit. As a spiritual body, the church is made up of baptized,
Spirit-led people scattered all over the world.
I Corinthians 12:12-14, 27; Colossians 3:15
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