P. O. Box 1214 Bedford VA 24523 "HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE." PHIL 2:16
P. O. Box 1214 Bedford VA 24523 "HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE." PHIL 2:16
Belief Statement
1. We believe in one God, the Creator of all things and sovereign ruler of the universe, existing eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We believe Jesus became a man without ceasing to be God, as He was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We believe Jesus came to reveal God and bring salvation to humanity; that He was crucified, then raised from the dead, that He lives today and is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We believe Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, yet still works through His body, the church, by the Holy Spirit. We believe Jesus will one day come again to establish His kingdom on earth.
3. We believe in the Holy Spirit. We believe He came forth from the Father and Son, and that He recreates our spirits and then resides in our spirits when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior. We believe the Holy Spirit will lead us, empower us, convict us, and sanctify us as we obey Him and allow Him to do His work in us.
4. We believe that the gifts of God are irrevocable (as stated in Rom. 11:29), and therefore are still intended for believers today. These gifts include what Jesus referred to as being "baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5), and the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as those listed in I Cor. 12:7-11. The gifts of the Spirit must always be manifested in Scriptural order, and vocal gifts such as prophecy must always be tested and judged by Scripture. Yet we recognize that receiving these gifts is not a measure of spiritual maturity, and can never justify a prideful attitude. Spiritual maturity is evidenced by exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) and the characteristics of Jesus in daily living. We believe that God cares about all our needs, including even our physical needs, and that God still meets the needs of people today in miraculous ways, including divine healing.
5. We believe the Bible (both Old and New Testaments) is the infallible, inspired Word of God, and is the will of God for all Christian living and conduct. The Bible is the standard by which we measure all belief and doctrine. We believe God fulfills His Word in our lives as we act in obedience to His Word, and that God confirms His Word with signs and wonders (Mark 16:20).
6. We believe that humans are totally unable in any way to obtain right standing with God (righteousness) by their own efforts. We believe that salvation, the forgiveness of sins and recreation of our spirits (being born again), is provided by God as a free gift to all persons who will accept Jesus as Savior and commit their lives to Him, and that this salvation was paid for by Jesus when He shed His blood on the cross.
7. We believe once a person becomes a Christian. he or she must live a holy and godly life, serving as a loving and pure witness to the world, and glorifying God in all their conduct. Yet we recognize that Christians are not perfect, and believe forgiveness and cleansing are provided to us as Christians when we fail if we confess our sins to God.
Copyright (c) 1998 Word
of Life Evangelical Church. All rights reserved.
Last modified: September 29, 2006
