Altus Christian Fellowship
Statement of Faith
Altus Christian Fellowship Statement of Faith |
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The scriptures,
both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are
the revelation of God to man. The Scriptures are the infallible, authoritative
rule of faith and conduct accepted by this Fellowship as the revealed
will of God and all all-sufficient rule of faith and practice. (2 Peter
1:21; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 1 Thess. 2:13) What the Bible says God says. We believe there is
one and only one living and true God, infinite and eternal, maker of heaven
and earth, holy, loving, just, and righteous. In the unity of the Godhead
there are three separate persons: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each
are equal in divine perfection and execute distinct but harmonious offices
in the great work of redemption (Ex 20:2-5; 1 Cor. 8:6; 1 Jn 5:7; Rev
4:11) We believe, as provided
and purposed by God and as pre-announced in the prophecies of the Scriptures,
that the eternal Son of God came into this world that He might manifest
God to mankind, fulfill prophecy, and become the redeemer of a lost world.
To this He was born of a virgin; receiving a human body and a sinless
human nature. (Lk 1:30-35; Jn. 1:18; 3:16; He. 4:15) Man is a created being
made in the image of God, but through Adam's trangression and fall, sin
came into the world. As a result, all men are now sinners in need of a
Savior (Ge. 3; Ro. 5:14; Ro. 3:23; Ro. 3:10). By nature all men are totally
depraved before God; however they are capable of doing good because they
posess the ability to reason and they possess a conscience. Nevertheless
man is in need of a Savior and is totally incapable of saving himself. We believe that God
has provided salvation from sin and eternal death and has given us righteousness
and eternal life in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. By the redemptive
work of Jesus' death on the cross, God has provided salvation to all who
believe and receive Him as their Savior (Jn. 3:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-14; 1 Jn.
4:10-11) All
believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek
the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This was the normal experience for all
converts in the early Christian Church for the purpose of moving in greater
intensity in the supernatural power of God (Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:4, 5, 8;
Acts 2:4) This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the
new birth. (Jn. 20:22; Acts 2:4; Acts 8:12-17) The Baptism in the
Holy Spirit is released by the initial, unique evidence of speaking in
tongues as the Spirit gives utterance (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 10:6) This
new language is the same (in essence) as the gift of tongues but different
in purpose and use (Acts 2:4-11; 1 Cor. 14:2a) The
Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe
in the doctrine of sanctification as a definite, yet progressive work
of grace, beginning at the time of regeneration and continuing until the
consummation of salvation at Christ's return. (He. 12:14; 1 Thess. 5:23;
2 Pe. 3:18; 2 Cor. 8:18; Phil. 3:12-14) |
We believe that God's
primary objective in sanctification is to make us more like Jesus Christ,
His Son. In order for this to happen, our character must be changed continually,
and by this, believers produce fruit that consistently testifies of His
work of grace. The battle within each of us is between the principle of
sin that still works in our members (or flesh) and the born-again new
nature. The solution to this battle is to die to the flesh and live unto
God on a daily basis. (Gal. 5:12-25; Ro. 6) We also believe that God also
equips believers with the power of the Spirit in order for us to do the
works of Jesus. These works involve the manifestations of the Spirit,
which are diverse in nature and manifested by the power and presence of
God. These works are also distinct from the various ministries of believers,
which flow from believers in a more consistent manner (Jn. 14:12; 1 Cor.
12:4-11) Healing is for the
physical ills of the human body and is accomplished by the power of God
through praying by faith and by the laying on of hands. It is also provided
for in the atonement of Christ and is the privilege of every member of
the Church today (Mk. 16:18; Ja. 5:14-16; 1 Pe. 2:24; Mt. 8:17; Is. 53:4-5)
We also believe in the healing process that God has provided through wise
medical practices, procedures through competent and qualified physicians,
medicines and sound dietary practices. God, through the redemptive
work of Christ on Calvary, has provided prosperity for all of man's life.
We deny that this prosperity means that all Christians should be financially
rich; the prosperity of God is to further advance His purposes in the
earth. We, as a people, will personally be benefited, but its' purpose
is not to further the materialistic spirit that pervades this present
society. This prosperity is for us to steward under scriptural guidelines
and the direction of God's Holy Spirit. His will and desire should be
our first thoughts in regards to materialistic prosperity. The work of
God in redemption was not limited in scope, but it was comprehensive in
nature. Therefore, God is involved in every aspect of mankind's redemption
and existence. God has provided total prosperity for mankind in things
pertaining to the spiritual, (Jn. 3:11; 2 Cor. 5:17-21; Ro. 10:9-10) mental,
(2 Tim. 1:7; Ro. 12:2; Is. 26:3) physical, (Is. 53:4-5; Mt. 8:17; 1 Pe.
2:24) financial, (3 Jn. 2; Mal. 3:10-11; Lk. 6:38; 2 Cor. 9:6-10; Dt.
28:1-14) social, (Pr. 3:4) and all other areas of life. The resurrection of
those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together
with those who remain alive unto the literal coming of the Lord is the
imminent and blessed hope of the Church (1 Thess. 4:16-17; Ro. 8:23; Titus
2:13; 1 Cor. 15:51-55) The time of the Lord's return is known to no man.
However, because of the differing views of that coming and when it will
transpire, we emphasize the following when dealing with the Second Coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus will
literally and personally return. We believe that only God the Father knows
when the time will come when the completion of all promises have transpired;
therefore date naming and categorizing is invalid and counterproductive.
We believe that believers need to occupy until Jesus comes, thereby focusing
on our responsibilities rather than endeavoring to tell people when He
will come again. We believe that we are all to be about the task of getting
God's will done on earth as it is done in heaven, and we believe this
should be accomplished to whatever geographical and cultural extent the
mobilized Church is able to between now and the time Christ returns. The
one who physically dies in his sins without accepting the work of Christ's
sacrificial substitution is hopelessly and eternally lost in the Lake
of Fire and therefore has no further opportunity to hear the Gospel or
repent from their sins. The terms "eternal" and "everlasting",
used in describing the duration of the punishment of the damned in the
Lake of Fire, carry the same thought and meaning pertaining to the endless
existence as they do in denoting the duration of joy and ecstasy of the
saints in the presence of God. (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 19:20)
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