We Believe ...
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The website owners, R.L. Dean and his wife, believe in the reality of one true God, eternal and infinite, existing as three persons— Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Man was made in the image of God. When the first man succumbed to the temptation of Satan and chose to disobey God, he brought sin and its curse upon the human race. Since the penalty of sin is death, as long as man lives in sin, he is dead spiritually and is facing physical death and eternal punishment in hell. This fall from grace put man in the position of needing forgiveness in order that his fellowship with God might be restored.
Because God had established that only the shedding of blood provides remission of sin, He sent His son, Jesus Christ, into the world to take man's sin upon Himself. Jesus was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man, the only sinless man who ever lived. As the lamb of God, He took man's sin upon Himself as He died on the cross, thus satisfying God's holy demands for all mankind. He was buried, and was resurrected on the third day following His crucifixion. After appearing to various people during a period of forty days, He ascended into heaven and is the only mediator between God and man. All who personally receive Him, through faith, are declared righteous on the basis of His shed blood and not of their works of righteousness.
When a person confesses the fact that he is a sinner and acknowledges Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, his spirit is reborn. He becomes a new creation, a member of the true Church, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This salvation is not the result of any human effort, but is the free gift of God's grace in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ will physically return to the earth one day as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Jesus destroyed all the works of Satan, who as god of this world, is allowed to continue, for now, to blind the eyes of those who do not believe. Satan leads a host of fallen beings who are his aids in warring against believers. Believers must be aware of the reality of spiritual warfare and know that victory is theirs through the application of scriptural truth and the presence and power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ.
God sent His Holy Spirit with gifts to the Church to empower believers for witnessing of Jesus, as well as to be comforter and teacher, until Jesus comes again. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit witnesses not unto Himself, but to the risen Christ. He regenerates, seals, anoints and sets apart the believer to a holy life.
Christ ordained the observance of water baptism and the Lord's supper until He returns.
The Bible was written by men who wrote under the direct control, inspiration, and anointing of God. The Bible does not contain the Word of God, it is the Word of God—the infallible, inerrant, only written revelation which God has given to man. It increases man's faith, as well as instructs and corrects him that he might become holy, separated from the world and unto God. The main theme of the Bible is God's plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. Everything in the life of every human being is directly or indirectly affected by his attitude about the Bible—whether or not he accepts it as the inspired Word of God. It is the supreme and final authority in all matters about which it speaks.
We wish to acknowledge the source of this very well written credo, the text can be found at http://www.tatepublishing.com.
Regarding Christianity and Government
We understand that in the general sense there are 'good' rulers and 'bad' rulers. Not all police and government administrators are evil to the people they rule over, and likewise, unfortunately, not all are good.
Proverbs 8:15, 16 of the Bible, the inspired Word of God, says that governments should use wisdom to rule and to make laws that are just. Proverbs 17:7 says rulers also should not lie. Proverbs 20:26 says wise rulers always try to punish the wicked. Proverbs 28:2-4 and 29:4 urges rulers to maintain order justly, to follow God’s moral code and to avoid oppressing the poor.
Furthermore, both Romans 13:3-6 and 1 Peter 2:13-15 say that government officials, whether elected or not, are ministers and servants of God who punish and restrain wrongdoers and who commend or praise those who do good works according to God’s transcendent moral code revealed in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. Government officials must do these things whether or not the people believe in God or the Bible.
Romans 13:1-6: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil."
The bulk of this most excellent summation was taken from http://tinyurl.com/l6aedt.