Statement of Beliefs
The Bible
The Holy Bible, in the original Hebrew and Greek text, is the inspired word of God. Proof of this can be seen in fulfilled prophecies, especially concerning the rise and fall of kingdoms and rulers. Archaeological digs also provide proofs of people and places mentioned in the Bible. The Old and New Testaments complement each other and combine to give us the complete word of God. Saints in the New Testament only had the Old Testament Scriptures to live by and numerous Old Testament scriptures appear in the New Testament. As the inspired word of God, the scriptures outline the only way to a joyous, fulfilling physical life and the only way to obtain everlasting spiritual life.
God the Father
God is the Supreme Being in the entire universe, the Lord over heaven and earth. He is the Father of all and greater than all, including Jesus, who became His Son. Through His Son, He created the heavens, earth, sea and everything that is in them. God the Father is the only true God, mightily powerful yet full of mercy and kindness. He is a God of righteous, true judgment; a God who does not show favoritism based on social status. He does, however, expect those who worship Him to do so in spirit and truth and to become perfect just as He is perfect. He is kind to all, but gives grace (His special favor) to those who seek Him. He forgives those who forgive others and He does not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to resist. He gives us hope. Without faith it is impossible to please Him, but He loves and honors those who love and honor His Son and those who keep His commandments. God is the God of the living and saves us from eternal death out of His abundant mercy. He cares for the needs of all His creation, being the giver of every good and every perfect gift and knowing what we need before we even ask. It is God who draws us to Jesus and God who is faithful to forgive our sins when we confess them to Him. God is love, desiring that none perish, but that all turn to Him in repentance. With God, all things are possible.
Jesus Christ
Jesus the Christ is the Savior of the world, the only begotten Son of God. He was born to a virgin, to whom God gave conception through the Holy Spirit. He came teaching repentance from sin and the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. To them that believe in Him He is Master, Judge, Lord, High Priest, Advocate, Shepherd, Head of the church and the Author and Finisher of [our] faith. He was with God and was God from the beginning, and all things were created through Him. He was the Rock that followed the children of Israel in the Old Testament and has now become the Lamb of God and the Light of the world. Jesus is the only way to the Father, being our Intercessor and Mediator as He is at the right hand of God. He has overcome the world, being crucified for mankind and resurrected by the Father to glory and honor, death no longer having dominion over Him. Because of His willingness to shed His blood to cover the sins of man and because of His obedience to His Father, He has been given all power in heaven and earth. Jesus the Christ came to show the world the Father and the truth, and He will return to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, and rule as King of kings and will rule with His Saints forever.
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the power of God, the spiritual extension of God through which He carries out His will. God puts His Holy Spirit into the minds of those seeking Him, which allows them to comprehend spiritual matters, leading them towards conversion and into all truth. Without this spirit, we are none of His. Through the Holy Spirit, God imparts faith, love, and the power to overcome sin, and other gifts essential to do His will. The Holy Spirit seals us and it is the down payment of our inheritance into the family of God.
Angels
Angels are spirit beings created by God. Because they are made of spirit and not flesh, they can see God face to face, they do not marry, they do not die and they can move between heaven and earth. Though they are spirit beings, they sometimes appear in the form of men to deliver messages from God. The millions of angels were created to serve God and also to serve mankind. They consider themselves our brethren, not our superiors, and we are not to worship them. Since they were created before mankind, we know they are not people who once lived and then became angels after death. There are 4 types of angels mentioned in the Bible: 1) archangels, 2) seraphim, 3) cherubim and 4) fallen angels or demons. Angels can sin, such as the angel Lucifer who became satan the devil and the angels that he drew away into disobedience. The angels that did not sin continue to serve in righteousness and rejoice over each human being that repents and turns to God. God the Father and Jesus His Son have given mankind many benefits in this life, angels being one of the most precious ones.
Satan and demons
Satan is a powerful spirit being also known as the devil, and symbolized by a dragon or a serpent. He has drawn one-third of the angels into rebellion against God and Christ, and has also led the whole world into deception. The devil and his angels (which are most often called devils or demons) are the cause of the misery of this world, satan being the originator of sin. Satan is the father of lies, but can appear to be an angel of light. He was created as Heylel (Hebrew name) a perfect, beautiful and wise cherub who dwelt on God’s holy mountain. However, he became corrupted by his own beauty and, in his pride, attempted to exalt his throne above the throne of God. Since there is no being more powerful than God, his coup failed and he and his “angels” were cast to the earth, becoming known as satan (“adversary” – Hebrew) and demons. Satan was the serpent in Eden who tempted Eve to sin, and also tried, yet failed miserably, to tempt Christ to sin. He seeks to hinder the actions of those who serve God, and also desires to corrupt the truth of God. Though he is the ruler of this present world, he was judged and condemned when Christ overcame him through a perfect life and an atoning death. The devil and his demons will be cast into the lake of fire, never to afflict the world again.
Mankind
Mankind was created by God from the dust of the ground, made in the image of God and given dominion over the earth, to dress and take care of it. God formed in man a spirit that sets him apart from the animals and allows him to make choices and have the opportunity to develop a relationship with God. When the first man and woman made the choice to disobey God, they denied that opportunity and brought death into the world. When a human dies they return to the dust from which they were formed, and there is no thought or action after death. There, they await resurrection. The main purpose of mankind is to overcome sin and the devil through faith, repentance, baptism, laying on of hands and the reception of the Holy Spirit. This allows mankind to become glorified sons in the family of God, ruling with Jesus the Son in the Kingdom of God the Father.
Law of God
The laws of God, the Ten Commandments, have been in effect from the beginning of the Creation, starting with the creation of the angels. Had the law not been in effect at this time, satan could not have sinned, for sin is the transgression of the law. It was still in effect when Cain murdered Abel, when the mob murdered Stephen, and continues to be binding on all people to this present time. Christ said He did not come to destroy the law but to magnify it and make it spiritually and physically binding. Paul was inspired to write that the law is established by faith in God and that love is the fulfillment of the law. John, also inspired, wrote that those who love God keep His commandments and those who claim to know Him without doing so are liars. James calls it a perfect law of liberty. David also describes it as perfect, righteousness and truth. The Ten Commandments will be kept in God’s Kingdom, for the law will go out of Zion and anyone who does not keep it will be cast out of the Kingdom. God’s law is not grievous, but liberating, because by keeping it we can be freed from the deception of the devil, and become an overcomer with Christ.
Sin
Scripture states very plainly that sin is the transgression (or violation) of the law and that all unrighteousness is sin. It is sin to know what is good and not do it, just as it is sin to know what is bad and do it. Those who commit sin on a regular basis are servants to those sins, and are like the devil because sin originated with satan. Any person that willfully and knowingly commits sin after understanding the truth of God cannot have those sins forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ. We cannot hide our sins from God, but when a person acknowledges his/her sins and repents He is quick to forgive. All people have sinned, excluding Jesus Christ, and come under the penalty of sin, which is death. But Jesus Christ came to be the propitiation for sin so that all who repent and believe may have eternal life in the Father’s kingdom.
Grace
The biblical, and therefore true, meaning of the word “grace” is simply “favor”. It is not a time period to overcome sin, neither is it unmerited pardon, because the grace of God was upon Jesus Christ and He needed neither of these things. It is the favor that the Father and the Son bestow on all those who obey the commandments; people like Noah, Moses, the apostles, and the believers at Antioch to name just a few. It is given to those who serve God with humility and is made apparent by our actions. Through righteous actions our grace can actually increase and be a great help in time of need. We also receive the grace of God because we have faith in His Son, and this faith is how we obtain the grace (favor) that leads us to salvation.
Faith
Faith is essential for those who want to properly serve God, for without faith it is impossible to please Him. It is a gift from God through the Holy Spirit but we must grow in faith by studying and hearing the word of God. Righteousness is attained through faith, as is salvation, sanctification and healing. Those who have faith in Jesus Christ are justified (rendered innocent) by the Father, but faith and works go hand-in-hand for all will be judged and rewarded according to works. Any who want to inherit the promises of God and receive a good report like those saints of the Old Testament, must walk by faith and not by sight. It is this faith that gives us the strength to overcome the world and become like Jesus Christ.
Salvation
Salvation is a blessing by which God delivers His people. God alone judges those worthy of His salvation. Salvation is either physical or spiritual. Some examples of physical salvation are the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians at the shore of the Red Sea, of the 3 men from the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar and of Paul several times during his life. There are countless other examples of God saving His people from physical death. Spiritual salvation is the giving of eternal life at the return of Jesus Christ and is available through His name only. Salvation is given by grace but depends on faith and obedience to God the Father and Jesus the Son. A person must love the truth to be saved. Salvation is a process and no one is saved until they endure to the end of a physical life or until Christ returns, whichever comes first. Salvation (eternal life) is the reward that Jesus Christ is bringing with Him.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God
“The gospel” literally means “the good news”. The good news is that the Kingdom of God the Father will be set up on this earth at the return of Jesus Christ. This is the message that Jesus Christ preached during his physical life. This gospel was known to the faithful servants of God, including those of the Old Testament such as Abraham. It is the focus of the commission that He gave to the disciples before ascending into heaven, and will be preached until the end of the age. It is a message of hope for all mankind, of a time of everlasting peace and prosperity under the rulership of Christ and the Father. The Kingdom of God is everlasting and will be brought to this earth when Jesus Christ returns to take over all kingdoms and nations, establishing the rulership of He and His Father forever. Those who overcome in this physical life will inherit the Kingdom along with Christ and rule with Him over the nations. God will create a new heaven and new earth, and reside at the world capitol in the new city of Jerusalem. The people of the nations will come to give glory to Him and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles there each year. It will change the world into a place of peace and prosperity for all, where no one will fight or learn war and even the predatory animals will be changed. The Kingdom is the ultimate gift of God and one He desires all people to receive.
The Sabbath
The seventh day Sabbath was set aside as a Holy time, by God, at creation. It is a reminder to mankind that God is Creator and that He alone is to be worshipped and obeyed. As it was established before men were divided into nationalities, it is a blessing that was given to all people, not just the Israelites or the Jews. Jesus Christ kept the Sabbath and His disciples continued to keep it after His death and resurrection. There is no Biblical proof that the seventh day Sabbath was conferred to the first day of the week. Sunday, as a day of worship, is a totally Catholic creation and those who desire to follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ must keep the seventh day just as He did.