1. GOD
God is the supreme creator and sustainer of the entire
universe who is eternal, all present, and all powerful. God
is a single spirit family presently consisting of God the
Father and Jesus Christ the Son. God is a loving, kind, and
merciful being who is sharing His magnificent and eternal
existence by reproducing Himself through mankind.
Psalm 19:1; 50:, 6-7; Isaiah 44:6; Nehemiah 9:6,16-17;
John 1:12-13; 3:16; 4:8; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16;
Hebrews 1:1-2; I John 3:1-2
2. BIBLE
The entire Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God
which contains His plan of salvation, and the record of His
participation in history. The Bible is God's method of
revealing knowledge that man cannot discover for himself;
the foundation of knowledge and the guidebook of life. God's
written Word, is revealed in two parts, the Old and New
Testaments. Together, they form the basis of Christianity as
taught by the church and as practiced by the true Christian.
Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4; John 17:17;
Romans 8:16; I Corinthians 2:7-11; II Timothy 3:16-17; II
Peter 1:20
3. JESUS CHRIST
Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God and the
Son of man. He is the Messiah who was prophesied in the Old
Testament and described in the New Testament as being fully
human and fully divine. He has existed throughout eternity
as the "Word" and is the second member of the God family. He
divested Himself of His power and His majesty, to become a
human being in order to live a perfect life, thereby
re-qualifying for eternal life, but then died anyway as a
sacrifice for the sins of all mankind as our loving and
merciful Savior. He was then resurrected and ascended to
heaven to become our Lord and High Priest. Jesus Christ will
return to earth to establish the Kingdom of God where He
will rule as King of kings with His saints as co-rulers
forever.
Deuteronomy 18:15; Matthew 17:15-17; John 1:1-14; 3:16;
Acts 2:32-33; Romans 5:8; Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 4:14-15;
Revelation 1:13-16
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the spiritual extension of God,
containing the essence, power and mind of God. God uses His
Holy Spirit to beget Christians as His sons and daughters.
The Holy Spirit spiritually strengthens Christians,
converting their minds to be more like God’s mind. The Holy
Spirit also serves as an earnest or guarantee of future
eternal life.
Acts 1:8; 2:38; Romans 8:9, 14; I Corinthians 2:16;
Ephesians 1:13-14
5. MANKIND
Humans have no inherent immortality as flesh and blood
physical beings; however, they can receive eternal life as a
free gift from our loving and merciful creator God. Although
mankind was created by God as flesh and blood, He did so in
His own image. He added a spiritual component to mankind’s
brain to create the human mind.
Genesis 1:26-2;, Job 32:8; I Corinthians 2:11; I John
5:11-13
6. ANGELIC REALM
The angels were created by God as powerful spirit beings
then used by God as His agents and messengers. These spirit
beings also function as ministering spirits, helping mankind
attain salvation and have done so since man's creation. Like
mankind, angels also have free moral agency. Although angels
were created to help God, some of them, led by Satan the
devil, rebelled against God and His government. Their
rebellious acts caused them to be transformed into demons.
Psalm 91:11-12; Ephesians 6:12; Hebrews 1:7
7. SALVATION
The penalty for sin is death, but salvation is the means
by which God saves mankind from the penalty of sin so that
he may be given eternal life. Working through His Son, Jesus
Christ, the salvation process includes one's calling,
repentance, baptism, justification, receiving of the Holy
Spirit, then living a life of faith and obedience, and
finally, birth into God's Kingdom as a spirit being.
Salvation is a gift freely given through grace by God, with
our ultimate reward given according to our works.
Matthew 16:27; John 3:16-17; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9;
Hebrews 6:1-2
8. FAITH
Faith is the absolute knowledge that God exists and that
He can and will fulfill His promises. Faith is necessary for
salvation, of which, the basic elements are courage, action,
and risk.
Romans 1:17; 10:17; Ephesians 3:17; Hebrews 11:1-2;
James 2:22-24
9. REPENTANCE
Repentance is the act of acknowledging one's sins, and
then resolving to fully obey God and then is manifested by
positive change. It begins when God opens a person’s mind to
see himself in comparison with God and His law. True
repentance is the first step toward reconciliation with God,
and therefore ultimate salvation.
Acts 2:38; 3:19-21; 8:22; I John 3:4
10. BAPTISM
Baptism is a ceremony, symbolizing the renunciation of
the past sinful way of life, the burial of the old
man in a watery grave, and the emergence of a new,
Spirit-led person living with Christ's mind and following in
His footsteps. The ceremony can only take place after true
repentance and acceptance of Christ's sacrifice, then by
full immersion in the symbolic watery grave. After this
ceremony, and as a result of all these actions, one receives
the baptism of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of
hands.
Matthew 3:13-16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-8; Colossians 2:12
11. LAYING ON OF HANDS
The laying on of hands is an act performed for the
receiving of God's Holy Spirit after baptism, at
ordinations, anointing of the sick, or for other special
purposes.
Matthew 19:13-15; Acts,6.5-6, 8:17-18; 13:3; I Timothy
4:I 4; Hebrews 6:2
12. KINGDOM OF GOD
The Kingdom of God is the government of God ruled by the
family of God. It will be the world ruling government set up
by Jesus Christ upon His return. Jesus Christ will be the
King of Kings and will rule for all eternity with the
resurrected spirit-composed saints ruling with Him. In the
New Testament, the Kingdom of God is referred to as a
"mystery". It was first preached and explained by Christ,
then by His church. The Kingdom of God will be established
on earth for a thousand years following Christ's return. It
shall be complete when New Jerusalem and God the Father come
down out of heaven to dwell on the New Earth.
Mark 4:11; Revelation 5:10; 20:4; 21:1-3, 7, 10
13. GOSPEL
The gospel is the message preached by Jesus Christ and
His church about the history of Jesus Christ and the future
coming Kingdom of God to be established by Jesus Christ, the
restoration of God’s government on earth, and how mankind
can enter that Kingdom and government. It includes the
message of what Jesus Christ has done in the past, is doing
now, and shall do. Ultimately, it is the message of the
entire Old and New Testaments. The primary purpose and
commission of God’s church is to "Go ye therefore, and teach
[make disciples of] all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. "
Matthew 3:2; 24:14; 28:19-20; Mark 1:15; Luke 24:47
14. RESURRECTIONS
The hope of all mankind and the promise to the Christian
is that they will be resurrected from the dead. The Bible
refers to four resurrections. (1) the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, the firstborn of God and man from the dead to become
the pioneer of our salvation; (2) the resurrection of the
saints at the return of Jesus Christ when the true believers
shall become spirit-composed members of God's family. This
is called the "first resurrection" (3) the resurrection of
all who have ever died without having understood God's way,
back to physical life for their first opportunity for
salvation; (4) the resurrection of those who have refused to
repent and have rejected God's way and are called the
incorrigibly wicked, to be consumed in the lake of fire.
This is called the "second death".
John 5:28-29; Acts 2:32; Romans 8:11; I Corinthians
15:20; I Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation 20:4-6, 13-14
15. JUDGMENT
The time of a person’s judgment is the time of his
opportunity for salvation. That begins from when a person is
called by God until his death changed into spirits upon
Jesus Christ's return. The overwhelming majority shall
qualify for God's Kingdom and will inherit eternal life, but
and those who deliberately reject God's way shall suffer the
second death and be consumed in the lake of fire.
Matthew 13:49-50; 25:34; I Peter 4:17; Revelation 20:15;
21:8
16. LAW OF GOD
The law of God is a perfect expression of God’s love
toward man. It is a good, right, and perfect system of
eternal directives and principles that reflects God's
character and love. God’s law teaches mankind how to
properly worship God, how to love his fellowman, how to live
an abundant life, and how to prepare for an eternal
spiritual life as a full member of the family of God. The
law of God is taught in both the Old and the New Testaments.
It requires both physical actions and spiritual convictions.
John 14:15, 21; Romans 7:12; I John 5:2-3
17. BIBLICAL COVENANTS
Both the Old and New Testaments record that God made
certain specific "contracts" or promises called "covenants"
with mankind. These covenants define the terms of God's
relationship with individuals and groups in various
circumstances and eras throughout mankind’s history. The
best known covenants were made with the physical nation of
Israel. That covenant was re-established as the New Covenant
with "better promises" and will be fully confirmed with
spiritual Israel after the return of Jesus Christ. The New
Covenant makes God's law even more relevant by expanding it
to include one's mental attitude and spiritual intent. It
also applies to the New Testament church from the time of
the original apostles.
Matthew 5:21-22; II Timothy 3:15-16; Hebrews 8:6-13
18. TEN COMMANDMENTS
The Ten Commandments were revealed by God to Moses who
then codified them. They were then ratified and magnified by
Christ, are the perfect expression of God's love. They are
the foundation of all biblical teaching and much of man’s
law. They show mankind how to express love toward God and
his fellowman, and are consequently the focal point of
Christian life.
Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5; Matthew 5:17-19; Romans 13:10;
I Corinthians 7:19; Revelation 12:17; 22:14
19. SABBATH
The seventh-day Sabbath was instituted at creation. It is to
be taught and kept holy in accordance with the biblical
instruction. The Sabbath was reaffirmed to Israel as a part
of the covenant at Sinai, and taught by Jesus Christ, who is
the Messenger of the New Covenant. The keeping of the
Sabbath is fundamental to a Christian's relationship with
God.
Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 16; 20:8-11; 31:12-17; Mark
2:27-28; Luke 4:16
20. ANNUAL HOLY DAYS
The seven annual holy days or "appointed feasts" depict
God's plan of salvation for mankind. They are ordained by
God and were kept by the ancient Israelites. Keeping the
holy days have been continued by the early New Testament
Christians and are still kept today by modern day
Christians.
Leviticus 23; Zechariah 14:16; John 7;8-10; Acts 2:1;
12:3; 20:6, 16; 27:9; 1 Corinthians 5:8; 16.8
21. TITHING
Tithing is a private matter between the individual and
God because it is an act of worship. It is not the job of
the church to "enforce" or "police" tithing, but simply
teaches the responsibility to tithe. Each individual has the
responsibility to "honor the Lord with his substance and
with the firstfruits of all his increase." Tithing and free
will offerings are the method by which the gospel is
proclaimed to the world.
Malachi 3:8-10; Matthew 6:21; 23:23; II
Corinthians 9:7
22. SIN
Sin is the transgression of God's law. It is failing to meet
the standards set by the character of Jesus Christ. The
penalty for sin is death in the lake of fire, but all sin
can be completely forgiven by God, who desires that all men
be saved. (The unpardonable sin is the sin for which the
sinner does not repent and asks no pardon from God.) God
forgives sin upon the repentance of the sinner. God
therefore accepts the shed blood and sacrifice of Jesus
Christ as payment in full for the penalty of a person’s
repented of sins.
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 1:14; I John 3:4
23. THE CHRISTIAN
A true Christian is one who has repented of past sins, was
baptized and in whom the Holy Spirit now dwells.
Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:13
24. THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY
The core of a stable society is the family and the marriage
relationship is the basis of the family. Although men and
women’s roles are clearly defined in the Bible, both have
equal spiritual potential before God. The husband, wife and
children form the family that is the primary physical
analogy of God's plan for mankind. Therefore, marriage,
child rearing and the family are given a preeminent place in
the teachings of the Bible and the church.
Exodus 20:12; Malachi 4:5-6, Ephesians 5:22-29; 6:1-3; I
Peter 3:7
25. HEALING
Divine healing is a miracle and gift of God. He may
bestow it in His mercy and love upon those who call upon Him
in time of need, but often, according to their faith. The
healings of Jesus Christ described in the Bible depict and
represent His power to express compassion, to forgive sin,
and ultimately, to resurrect the dead and eventually to
establish the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Matthew 9:1-7; James 5:14-15
26. THE
CHURCH OF GOD
The church is the spiritual body of Christ. Physically,
it is group of persons called out by God and impregnated
with His Holy Spirit. As a spiritual body, the church is
made up of baptized, Spirit-led people scattered all over
the world.
I Corinthians 12:12-14, 27; Colossians 3:15
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