God has revealed Himself and related truth about Himself to man through revelation. General revelation consists of creation, the laws of nature, and the human conscience (Ps. 19:1, 2; Rom. 1: 18-20; 2:14-15). Special revelation consists of God appearing in human and other forms (Gen. 31:11; 32:24-30; Ex. 3:2; 33:9; I Kings 19:12-15); direct communication (Gen. 3:8-9; I Sam. 3:1-14; Heb. 1:1-3; II Pet. 1:21); and miracles (Ex. 7:1-5; Acts 2:22; Heb. 2:3-4).

Inspiration is the process by which the Holy Spirit moved writers to record God-breathed special revelation in the language of men. These writings are inscripturated in the Bible (II Pet. 1:20-21; II Tim. 3:16; Lk. 24:27, 44-45; Matt. 5:18-19). At times God told man exactly what to write but He also used what they saw, what they were writing to others, and what they spoke (Rev. 19:9; 21:5; 1:10, 11; I Thess. 2:13; I Cor. 14:37; Jer. 36:1-4).

The Bible is verbally inspired, that is, the words are the very words of God (II Sam. 23:1-2; Jer. 1:9; Ezek. 1:3; 3:10-11; I Cor. 2:12-13; I Thess. 2:13; II Tim. 3:16-17). The inspiration of the Bible is plenary, that is, the entire Bible is the Word of God, not just portions of it (II Tim. 3:16; Matt. 5:18-19). The Bible is inerrant, that is, it is without error in the original manuscripts (Ps. 19:7; 119:89, 160; Jn. 17:17; I Pet. 1:23-25). The Bible is infallible, unbreakable, irrevocable, indestructible and destined to come totally to pass as inscribed therein (Matt. 5:18-19; Lk. 24:44; Jn. 10:35). The Bible is complete and is limited to the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments which comprise what is called the Canon of Scripture. No new revelation or inspiration has been given or will be given since the completion of this Canon (Isa. 8:20; I Cor. 13:8-12; Rev. 22:18-19). The authority of the Bible is final and universal, and it rules in all matters of which it speaks.

Archeological discoveries and textual studies have thus far demonstrated that God in His providence has preserved the original manuscripts throughout the transmission process at least to the extent that modern critical editions of the original language texts of the Bible contain less than one-half of one percent of material still left in any doubt and none of this affects any basic truth. For all practical purposes these copies represent exactly what the originals contained – line for line, word for word, and even letter for letter.

Due to the holy nature of the Bible, translations must be selected with great care based upon their own individual merits as they are faithful to accepted original language texts and have been prepared with a reasonable system of checks and balances to avoid error. Only these translations are to be used in the preaching ministry of the church. Translations which are not faithful to accepted original language texts generally must be avoided. Translations prepared without the employment of a system of checks and balances, and paraphrased editions should be used only as running commentaries on the Scriptures.

Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity and is fully God in every sense, being an equal part of the Godhead (Jn. 1:1, 18; 20:28; Heb. 1:8; Col. 2:9). He possesses the attributes of God (Matt. 11:27 - omniscience; Jn. 1:1; Heb. 1:11-12 - eternality; Jn. 3:13 - omnipresence; Jn. 5:26 - self-existence; Heb. 13:8 - unchangeableness; Heb. 1:3; Rev. 1:8 - omnipotence). He exercises the prerogatives of God (Matt. 9:2, 6 - forgiveness of sin; Jn. 5:22 - judgement of sin; Jn. 20:28 - acceptance of worship). He was recognized as God (Matt. 3:17 - God the Father; Mk. 1:24 - demons; Jn. 6:68-69 - Peter; Jn. 20:28 - Thomas; Col. 1:13-19 - Paul; Jam. 2:1 – James; Jude 25 - Jude.)

Jesus Christ is also fully man in every sense except that He was virgin born and did not partake of the human sin nature (Acts 2:22-31; Lk. 1:31-35; II Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26; Jam. 1:13; I Pet. 1:19; 2:21-22; I Jn. 3:5). He is called a man (Jn. 8:40); had a material body (Matt. 26:26); a rational soul (Matt. 26:38; Jn. 11:33); was subject to the ordinary laws of human development (Lk. 2:16, 21, 40, 42, 52); experienced human needs (Matt. 4:2; 8:24; Jn. 4:6; 19:28); and emotions (Matt. 4:1; 9:36; Mk. 3:5; Jn. 11:35; 13:23; 15:11). He death and suffering were as real as any other persons (Jn. 19:31-33).

Being fully God and fully man, Jesus Christ had two natures in one personality. He voluntarily laid aside the display of his divine nature and subjected Himself to the will of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit. He remained in this subjection every second of His early life, always conducting Himself in the perfect will of God (Phil. 2:6-11; Jn. 8:29).

In being thus subjected, Christ as man’s representative accomplished the Atonement by living a sinless life and voluntarily shedding His blood on the Cross, dying as our substitute. He thus made a full and vicarious restitution for our sins (Rom. 4:25; 5:6-21; I Cor. 15.3; II Cor. 5:14, 21; Gal. 2:20; I Pet. 2:24), satisfying the justice of God (Rom. 3:26) and appeasing Him for the sin committed against His Holy Person (I Jn. 2:2; 4:10; Rom. 3:25-26). The death of Christ redeemed man from the debt of sin and judgment owed to God and made possible reconciliation to Him thus taking away the necessity for and inevitability of eternal death and punishment (Rom. 3:24; 5:10; I Cor. 1:30; 15:54-57; II Cor. 5:18-19; Eph. 1:7; 2:16).

That God accepted the atoning work of Christ is evident from His complete victory over sin and death in His resurrection (I Cor. 15:1-8; Acts 2:22-27; I Pet. 1:18-21; Lk. 24:1-8) and His ascension into glory (Acts 1:9-11) where He is actively at the right hand of the Father (Eph. 1:20; I Pet. 3:22; Acts 7:56) as the divine-human mediator (I Tim. 2:5); the sympathetic High-priest (Heb. 4:14; 6:20; 8:1; 9:11-12; 10:12); and the Advocate who makes intercession for the believer and keeps the way open to God through restoration and daily cleansing (I Jn. 1:5-2:1).

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is fully God in every sense, being an equal part of the Godhead (Isa. 11:2; Matt. 28:19-20; Jn. 14:16-18; I Cor. 3:16; II Cor. 3:3; 13:14), and possessing divine attributes (Lk. 1:35; Jn. 14:17; Rom. 8:2; I Cor. 2:10; Eph. 1:13; Heb. 9:14; Ps. 139:7, 8). He has full, distinct personality (Jn. 14:16, 17; Acts 13:2, 4; I Cor. 2:10-13; 12:11; Eph. 4:30; I Thess. 5:19; Heb. 10:29).

The Holy Spirit has a work in creation (Gen. 1:1, 2); in Christ (Matt. 4:1-11; Lk. 1:35; 2:40; 3:21, 22; Acts 1:2; Rom. 8:11; Rev. 22:17); in the Scriptures (II Sam. 23:1, 2; I Cor. 2:10-12; II Pet. 1:22; Rev. 1:10); in the world (Jn. 16:8-11; II Thess. 2:6-8); in the believer (I Cor. 12:4, 7, 13; 6:19; Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 5:18; Tit. 3:5-6); and in the church (Jn. 16:13; Acts 2:1-4; 15:28; Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 3:16; 6:11; 12:4-31; Eph. 2:21-22; I Jn. 2:27).

In the early church the Holy Spirit gave to believers the ability to perform public demonstrations of His power (I Cor. 12:7-11). These exhibitions of power were available to all believers and were given how, when, in any quantity, and to whomever the Spirit deemed it necessary and profitable (Acts 2:1-4; 3:1-9; 5:13-16; 6:8; 8:5-7; 9:32-41; 10:44-46; 13:8-12; 14:3-10; 19:1-6; 28:1-9). They were usually of a miraculous nature and were given for the purpose of establishing the authority and authenticity of those who were either giving forth or seeking to apply new revelation from God before the completion of the written New Testament (Mk. 16:17-18; Jn. 20:30-31; I Cor. 12:8-10; II Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3, 4). With the completion and delivery of the total Canon of Scripture, the need for and, as church history documents, the general use of these miraculous manifestations of the Spirit’s power passed away in accordance with the prediction of Scripture (I Cor. 13:8-12). These miraculous exhibitions are not to be sought, practiced, or promoted by or in the local church.

A second kind of bestowments of the Holy Spirit are not miraculous in nature and must be discovered and then developed through use. These are "gifts of grace" which are neither temporary nor transitional in nature but are permanent and are in operation today. They are given for the purpose of enabling the believer to function in various ministries as an integral part of the local church. As every believer assumes the responsibility of developing and using what the Holy Spirit has given him in a local church it enables churches to function smoothly, efficiently, and completely and to have all of their ministry needs well served (Acts 1:8; 6:1-5; 13:1-4; 21:10-11; Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 12:28-30; Eph. 4:8-11).

Angels were individually created by God as finite, celestial, spirit beings (Ps. 148:2, 5; Matt. 22:30; Heb. 1:14). They are above the known laws of matter and are superior to man in power and in intelligence (Acts 12:7-10; II Pet. 2:11; II Sam. 14:20). Angels are subject to God and to Jesus Christ (I Pet. 3:22) and will be subject to believers during the Millennium (I Cor. 6:3).

There are good angels who have not sinned (Mark 8:38; I Tim. 5:21). Their ministry is to stand in the presence of God and to worship Him (Rev. 5:11-14), rejoice in the works of God (Lk. 15:10), execute God’s will (Ps. 103:20), watch over the affairs of the church (I Cor. 11:10), assist and protect individual believers (Lk. 16:22; Heb. 1:14), and punish God’s enemies (Acts 12:23).

There are evil angels who are wicked, unclean, vicious, and sinful (Matt. 12:45; 10:1; Acts 19:13). They are presented in the Bible by such terms as angels, spirits, devils, and demons. They follow Satan (Matt. 25:41) in opposing God and striving to defeat His will. They seek bodies to possess (Matt. 8:28-34), cause various human illnesses (Matt. 9:33). They know Christ and recognize His authority. They also know true believers and obey the authority of the name of Christ (Acts 19:15; Lk. 10:17-20).

Satan is an angelic being who was created with a complete personality, was sinless, of great beauty and intelligence, and was exalted and honored by God. Due to pride, he attempted to direct to himself worship due to God alone and fell into judgment (Ezek. 28:11-19; Isa. 14:12-17). It was also Satan who tempted Adam through Eve to commit the first human sin (Gen. 3:1-6). Judgment awaits Satan and his angels (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10; Jude 6).

Satan binds the hearts of unbelievers (II Cor. 4:4), takes away the good seed of the Word (Mark 4:15), sows tares among the wheat (Matt. 13:25), and transforms his ministers into angels of light as he attempts to undermine and compromise the ministry of the local church (II Cor. 11:14, 15). He is the "god of this world" (II Cor. 4:4) who directs and controls the course of the world as he works in those who are disobedient to the salvation of Christ (Eph. 2:1-2). Satan attacks God’s servants through buffeting (II Cor. 12:7), hindering (I Thess. 2:18; Dan. 10:13), sifting (Lk. 22:31), accusing (Rev. 12:9,10), tempting (Acts 5:3; I Cor. 7:5), deceiving (II Cor. 11:1-4, 13-15) and reproach (I Pet. 3:16-17; 4:14-16).

Gen. 1:26-31 clearly states that man was created personally by God in His own image as the highest and ruling order of His creation. The image of God in man is seen in his intelligence (Gen. 2:19-20), emotions (Gen. 2:24), and will (Gen. 3:6), which are similar to the personality attributes of God (Gen. 1:26-28). This image is also seen in he moral nature of man which works through the conscience (Rom. 2:13-15) to bring him to an examination of himself (I Cor. 11:28-30).

In His Word, God reveals the sanctity of all human life from the time of conception until death (Gen. 25:21-23; Judg. 13:2-5; Job 31:15; Ps. 22:9-10; 51:5; 71:6; 139:13-16; Eccl. 11:5; Isa. 44:2, 24; 46:3-4; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:4-5; Lk. 1:13-15, 39, 45; 2:21). He has decreed that no human life ever be taken by any act not revealed in Scripture as part of His sovereign providence (Gen. 4:9-11; 9:5-6; Ex 20:13; 21:12-14, 22-25, 28-29; Lev. 24:17; Num. 35:11-32; Deut. 5:17; 27:24-25; Prov. 6:16, 17; 28:17; Ezek. 35:6; Gal. 5:19-21; I Jn. 3:15; Rev. 21:8).

Man has two basic components, the material part and the immaterial part. The body is the material part of man (Gen. 2:7; Rom. 12:1), through which he encounters the physical world around himself. The immaterial part of man consists of two parts, the soul and the spirit. The spirit is that part of man which encounters the invisible things of the spiritual realm and which enables him to commune with God (Gen. 2:7; 1:26; Eccl. 3:21; Lk. 1:46-47; I Thess. 5:23; Heb. 4:12). The soul is that part of man consisting of the will and intelligence with which he receives data from the body and spirit and uses that data to make decisions regarding his own actions (Gen. 1:21; 2:7; Eccl. 3:21; Lk. 1:46-47; I Thess. 5:23; Heb. 4:12).

Man was created innocent, placed into the garden which God supplied (Gen. 2:8, 9), and given a relationship of fellowship with God (Gen. 3:8), all designed to help him succeed in the test which would come to him. God expressed His will in clear, certain terms (Gen. 2:16-17) which man was not to violate. But when the test came, Eve succumbed through deception (Gen. 3:1-6) and Adam succumbed through deliberate choice (I Tim. 2:14). When Adam, who was man’s representative, fell into sin, the entire human race came into sin (Rom. 5:12, 18). As Adam’s sin was imputed to all human beings, they became totally corrupt, defiled, and depraved in God’s sight as proven by their own actions (Isa. 64:6; Rom. 1:28-32; Eph. 2:1-3, 12; I Pet. 4:3; Jn. 3:18). Man was separated from God (Gen. 3:22-24) resulting in physical, spiritual, and eternal death (I Cor. 15:20-22; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:1; Rev. 20:10-15).

Sin is a violation of those righteous precepts and principles God has given in His Word by which man in faith is ordained to govern his life. These include both the injunctions and prohibitions of Scripture (I Jn. 3:4; Jam. 4:17; Rom. 14:23). Because all men are under sin, every person is rendered guilty before God, incapable of pleasing Him and in desperate need of forgiveness (Rom. 3:9-18). Man cannot repair this broken relationship upon his own initiative (Isa. 64:6; Eph. 2:8-9; Heb. 11:6), but the initiative has been taken by God through Jesus Christ who makes salvation available to all men (Rom. 6:23). Failure to receive Christ as Savior is the sin which ultimately will result in eternal judgement in the Lake of Fire (Jn. 16:8-9; 3:16-18, 35-36; 5:24; 12:46-50; Matt. 10:28, 32-33; Lk. 3:15-17; II Thess. 1:6-10).

Salvation is the application of the atoning work of Christ to the heart of the sinner. The work of Salvation is all of God, He being the One who both takes the initiative and also brings it to fulfillment.

Salvation begins with the election, which is the eternal act of God by which for His own sovereign purpose and because of no foreseen merit on the part of the recipient, He chooses out of sinful mankind certain ones to receive salvation in Christ (Jn. 15:16; Acts 9:15; 13:48; Eph. 1:4; II Thess. 2:13; Rom. 9:15-16). Foreknowledge is the act of God’s divine care, love, and goodness toward the elect (Ps. 1:6; Acts 26:5; Rom. 8:29; 11:2; I Pet. 1:20; II Pet. 3:17). When God elected (chose) people, He recognized and loved them (foreknew them), and then determined beforehand (predestinated) their lives to cause them to believe, receive His blessings in this life, and to eventually enjoy heaven in His presence (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:5-14).

On the human side of salvation, we find conversion which is the turning of the sinner from sin to God. Turning from sin is repentance (Lk. 13:3; Ps. 51:1, 2, 10, 14). Turning to God is faith (Acts 16:31; Jn. 1:12; 6:35). Conversion is a determinate choice of the free will of man to receive Jesus Christ as Lord (Jn. 3:16; 6:40; 11:25-26; Rom. 10:9-13). Conversion brings about the application of the atoning work of Christ to the life of the sinner.

The relationship between election and free will cannot be fully understood. Both facts are in the Scriptures and both must be followed. It can be said that the atoning work of Christ is sufficient or all mankind, but it is efficient (applied to) for just the elect (II Pet. 3:9; I Jn. 2:2; Jn. 6:37, 44; Jn. 17:9, 24; Acts 13:48; I Tim. 4:10). These are the ones who will choose to be converted.

With salvation, comes regeneration. This is being given a new heart and a new spirit (Ezek. 36:27). It is being born again (Jn. 3:3), and passing from death into life (Jn. 5:24; Eph. 2:1,5). It is being made a new creation (II Cor. 5:17) and partaking of the divine nature (II Pet. 1:4) through the giving of the Holy Spirit (Tit. 3:5; I Cor. 12:13).

Also with salvation, comes justification, which is the imputing of the righteousness of Christ to the sinner through a legal act of God whereby He declares the sinner to be righteous (Rom. 3:24-25; 4:5; 5:1, 9, 16).

Once the sinner has been saved, he is eternally secure in his salvation (Jn. 10:28, 29; Rom. 8:38-39). The believer has been brought into a complete and everlasting union with Christ from which he can never be separated.

Sanctification is the continuing work of the Holy Spirit to keep the believer pure and to bring him to be a mature, spiritual disciple of Christ. It begins at the moment of salvation (I Cor. 1:30; Heb. 10:14), continues during this present life (Eph. 4:11-16, 21-24; Rom. 8:29) and will culminate when the believer receives his glorified body (I Cor. 15:42-44).

There are two usages of the word "church" in the New Testament. The first refers to the Universal Church, a spiritual body composed of all believers who have been born of the Spirit of God and baptized into the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:19-22). This church has no buildings, does not perform the ordinances, does no preaching or soul winning, and sends out no missionaries. The Universal Church is not an earthly organization, but a spiritual organism.

The second usage of the word "church" is by far the most prominent and is used to designate the Local Church. This church is a group of believers in any one locality who are organized together into a visible manifestation of the universal church (Acts 8:1; 13:1; 20:17). Christ promised the Universal Church in Matt. 16:18 and He demonstrates the working of the organized Local Church in Matt. 18:15-17. The local church was born at the coming of the Holy Spirit in the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

In Acts 2, the local church was immediately established and organized into a working unit. They baptized believers (vs. 41), and added them to the membership (vs. 41), had a doctrinal standard (vs. 42), fellowshipped together (vs. 42), observed the Lord’s supper (vs. 42), met for public worship (vs. 46), and contributed to the support of the needy (vs. 44, 45).

In its spiritual organization, the local church is to have two elected offices, in which there may be more than one person. The first is the office of Pastor/Elder/Bishop, the three terms referring to different aspects of the same office (Acts 20:17, 28; I Tim. 3:1-2; Tit. 1:5-7; I Pet. 5:1-4). The second office is that of Deacon (Acts 6:1-3; I Tim. 3:8-13). For efficient administration, more offices may be necessary.

The government of the local church is to be a self-governing, congregational form of government. It is to discipline its own members (I Cor. 5:15; II Cor. 2:6-11; Gal. 6:1; II Thess. 3:2-15; I Tim. 6:3-5; Matt. 18:15-17); elect its own officers (Acts 6:1-6); administer its own affairs (I Tim. 5:1-25; Tit. 2:1-6; Acts 6:1-6); send out its own missionaries (Acts 13:1-4); render its own decisions (Acts 15:22); and manage its own finances (I Cor. 16:1-4; II Cor. 8:16-24).

The local church has been given two ordinances to perform. The first is baptism by immersion of all true believers as a picture of what has happened spiritually in their lives and as a public identification of themselves as the lifelong servants of the Triune God (Matt. 3:16; 28:19-20; Acts 8:36-38; 16:30-33; Rom. 6:3, 4). The second is the Lord’s Supper, which was instituted by Christ the night before He died (Matt. 26:26-30). It is a memorial service commemorating the death and return of Christ (I Cor. 11:25-26). It has a threefold aspect: worship (I Cor. 11:23-27), fellowship (I Cor. 10:16, 17), and self-examination (I Cor. 11:28-32).

The financial support of the local church is to be only by tithes and offerings given as free-will gifts to God (I Cor. 16:1-2; II Cor. 9:6-11; Heb. 13:15-16; Phil. 4:18-19). It is the responsibility of every believer partaking of the ministry, fellowship, and blessing of the local church to share in its financial support. Proportionate giving, expressed by the tithe, should be the minimum goal (II Cor. 8:1-4, 9-15; 9:6; I Cor. 16:2). For partaking of his grace, God promises to richly bless the believer (Mal. 3:10-12; II Cor. 9:7-11; Phil. 4:10-19).

The mission of the church given in Matt. 28:19-20 is twofold. First, the church is to evangelize the world in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). Those who are won to Christ are to be baptized and brought into the fellowship of the local church (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41). The second mission is to bring believers to maturity in Christ. After a person has become a believer in Christ, he must become a doer of the Word of God (James 1:22-25; Col. 3:16) as he yields control of his life to the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18) to live out the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-25) and to develop his spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:6-8). This brings the believer to "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:12-13). This mature individual contributes to the maturity of the entire local church (Eph. 4:16; I Cor. 12:12-27), helping it to become a "chaste virgin" which will wed to Christ (Eph. 5:27; Rev. 21:9) and will rule and reign with Him, spending eternity in His presence (Rev. 20:6; 21:22-27).

The next event on God’s calendar is the snatching away of the church at the Rapture (I Thess. 4:16-17; I Cor. 15:42-57). This is followed in heaven by the Judgment Seat of Christ where the works of the saints are judged (I Cor. 3:11-15; II Cor. 5:9-10) and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:6-9). The Rapture is followed on earth by the Tribulation Period which is seven years in length and commences with the signing of the covenant between the Anti-christ and Israel (Dan. 9:27). This period is one of terrible judgment upon the earth and upon sinners, while it serves to purify the Jews (Rev. 6-18). At the end of the Tribulation Period, Christ will return to the earth in power and great glory (Rev. 19:11-21) to judge the nations (Matt. 25:31-46), bind Satan (Rev. 20:1-3), and set up His kingdom (Rev. 20: 4-6).

Christ will rule for 1,000 years from Jerusalem (Zech. 8:21-22; Rev. 20:4-6) with a rod of iron (Ps. 2:9) over the entire world (Zech. 14:9). The saved will rule with Him (Rev. 20:4-6). It will be a time of peace (Isa. 2:4), prosperity (Isa. 30:23-25; 35:1, 2; Ps. 72:16), and good health and long life (Isa. 35:5-6; 65:25).

The 1,000 years will close with the release of Satan, the deception of the nations, the final rebellion, and the Great White Throne judgement (Rev. 20:7-15). The eternal state will then be ushered in by the destruction of the heavens and earth and their recreation (II Pet. 3:7-13; Rev. 21-22).