The Scriptures
The Holy Bible was written by men who were divinely influenced. The Holy Bible is God explaining Himself to man, and it is a perfect treasure of divine teaching. God is the author, salvation is its purpose, and inerrant truth (truth without any mistakes) is its substance. For these reasons, all Scripture is completely true and accurate. It tells the main beliefs and principles by which God judges humanity. It is the true center of Christianity, and it will remain as such until the end of the world.
God
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being. He is the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is eternally pure and perfect, and He is all powerful and all knowing. He knows about all things past, present, and future, including all of the future decisions that His free, created beings will make. We owe the highest love, respect, and obedience to Him. The never-ending God shows Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three have separate personal characteristics, but there is no difference in their nature, essence, or being.
Man
Man is the special creation of God and is made in God’s likeness. God created them as male and female, and they are the greatest work of His creation. Being made male or female by God is part of the goodness of God’s creation. In the beginning, man was innocent of sin. He was given the gift of freedom of choice by his Creator. By his free choice, man sinned against God and consequently brought sin into the lives of all people in the entire world. Through Satan’s temptation, man disobeyed the command of God and lost his original innocence. Now all men inherit a tarnished legacy and a heart willing and ready to sin. As a result, as soon as they are able to make the right decisions and actions, they become sinners guilty of sin. Only the kindness and compassion of God can bring man into His holy fellowship. Only the grace of God can let man complete the creative purpose of God. The godliness of all people is obvious, because God made man in His own likeness. The godliness of all people is obvious, because Christ died for all men. Now every person of every race should receive respect and Christian love.
Salvation
Salvation includes the whole man. Salvation is given to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Jesus Christ by His own blood brought never-ending salvation to the believer. Salvation includes being accepted just as you are when you turn from your sin. Salvation includes being set apart for His work. Salvation includes being made to worship God. There is no salvation without personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
The Church
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an independent local congregation of baptized believers. These believers are joined by shared agreement. These believers share in the same faith and fellowship of the gospel. This group of baptized believers observes the two ordinances of Christ. They are guided by His laws. They use the gifts, rights, and privileges given to them by His Word. They are trying to present the gospel to all people on the earth. Each congregation works under the Lordship of Christ by self-governing methods. In this kind of congregation, each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. The church’s scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. Both men and women are given gifts by the Holy Spirit for service in the church. The office of pastor is limited to men that meet the qualifications found in Scripture.
The New Testament describes the church as the Body of Christ. This church includes all of the believers from throughout history. These believers come from every people group. They come from every language group. They come from all people from every country.
Baptism and The Lord’s Supper
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience. Baptism is the picture of the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour. Baptism is a picture of the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in a new life in Christ Jesus. Baptism shows the believer’s faith in the final resurrection of the dead. The Lord’s Supper is a picture of obedience. Church members eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine. They remember the death of the Redeemer. They look forward to His second coming.
The Family
God has planned the family as the first institution of the world. It is made up of persons joined to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.
Marriage is the joining of one man and one woman with the promise of being faithful to one another for a lifetime. Marriage is God’s special gift. Marriage shows the union between Christ and His church. Marriage gives the man and the woman the way for intimate friendship. Marriage is the way of sexual expression according to the main beliefs in the Bible. Marriage is the way for increasing of the human race.
The husband and wife are of the same worth before God. Both are created in God’s likeness. The marriage relationship shows the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given duty to provide for, to protect, and to guide his family. A wife is to submit herself with kindness to the servant leadership of her husband. A wife submits just as the church willingly submits to the leadership of Christ. She is made in the likeness of God. Her husband is also made in the likeness of God. This makes the wife and husband equals. She has the God-given duty to respect her husband. She is to serve as his helper in running the household and supporting the next generation.
Children, from the moment of creation, are a blessing and inheritance from the Lord. Parents are to show to their children God’s example for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and right values. Parents are to guide their children to make choices based on truths in the Bible. Parents are to guide their children by living a life faithful to God. Parents are to guide their children with loving discipline. Children are to respect and obey their parents.
