THE BIBLE -The Bible is the word of God. Given by "inspiration
of God" it is not the product of human imagination or creativity. (II Timothy 3:16)
GOD - The
Godhead eternally exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ
is God manifest in the flesh; the image of the invisible God. (John 1:1-18; Colossians 1:9-17; Colossains 2:9)
SIN - All men are sinners by nature and are unable to save themselves from the debt and penalty of their
sins by anything they can do. (Romans 1:18-3:20)
SALVATION - God, out of His great love
for us, has provided complete redemption through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection in our place. He offers to
justify anyone freely by his grace through faith in Christ as one's all-sufficient Savior. (Romans 3:21-26) Faith
in Christ is the issue of trusting exclusively in His redemptive work on the cross for one's acceptance with God and not in
any of one's own works of any kind. This act of faith is the decision of one's own will in response to the gospel of
Christ. The purpose of God in election declares that it is the plan of God to provide salvation for all men, but in
accordance with mens' own free will, to save those that believe.
ETERNAL SECURITY - Eternally
secure salvation is the possession of all who trust the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. (Romans 5:1-21)
JUDGMENT
- Everlasting punishment is the lot of all those who know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(II Thessalonians 1:7-9)
THE UNIQUE APOSTLESHIP OF PAUL - The present dispensation of the grace
of God was a "mystery," not made known before, but God kept it hid in Himself until He raised up the apostle Paul.
To Paul God committed the revelation of "the mystery of Christ." Until God raised up Paul, His program and
dealing with Israel were in effect. (Romans 16:25-27; Ephesians 2:11-3:12; Colossians 1:24-27)
THE
CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST - The Church the body of Christ being formed in this dispensation of grace is distinct
from the nation of Israel and God's program with them. The church is not the subject of prophecy nor the fulfiller of
Israel's promises and covenants. (Romans 11:1-36)
THE RAPTURE - This dispensation of grace
will end with the rapture of the body of Christ. It will be followed by the resumption of God's program and dealing
with Israel, including the Lord's day of wrath and the kingdom reign of Christ on this earth. (I Thessalonians 4:13-5:10;
II Thessalonians 2:1-17; Titus 2:13)
SPIRITUAL GIFTS - In accordance with
Paul's teaching in I Corinthians 12-14, the temporary need for spiritual gifts that existed at the beginning of this dispensation
has been superseded by the completion of the written word of God. The "perfect" written word of God now having
come, spiritual gifts have been "done away."
BAPTISM - Of all the different kinds of
baptisms spoken about in the Bible, only one is of any importance to God, or has any application, in this present dispensation
of His grace. That baptism is the one God Himself performs when the Spirit of God baptizes the believer "into Jesus
Christ" at the moment of salvation, so identifying the believer with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
(I Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:4-6; Romans 6:3-5)
Water baptisms in particular are "rudiments of the world"
that functioned in accordance with the elementary purification, separation, and identification teachings of the Law Covenant,
and as such were a natural part of God's program and dealing with Israel. As described in I Corinthians 1, at the beginning
of this dispensation of grace in connection with testifying to Israel outside of their land, the Apostle Paul used water baptisms
on certain occasions as a sign to unbelieving Israel. With the exception of this limited use, water baptisms have no
role or function in this present dispensation of grace.
OUR COMMISSION - We are ambassadors for
the Lord Jesus Christ to preach reconciliation to the world by the "gospel of the grace of God." (II Corinthians
5:19-21)
"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my
course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God."
Acts 20:24
THE KING JAMES BIBLE - The preserved inerrant word of God has always existed,
still exists, and is identified today as the received text of the historic protestant reformation process. The translation
of the received text into the English language has produced the inerrant, infallible word of God in English. Though
a multitude of English Bible translations exist at the present time, only the King James Version is translated from the received
text. The King James Version is identified as the inerrant, infallible, word of God in English.