Our Doctrine

We believe that the Bible – the 66 books of Genesis through Revelations – is the unabridged, unadulterated, and inspired Word of God.

 

While the ceremonious laws and blood sacrifices of the Old Testament were done away with by His cross, we understand that the examples and principles of the law still remain. Paul says that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16). In the previous verse, Paul tells Timothy that he had known from a child the Holy Scriptures, which ARE able to make him wise unto salvation. This shows that the Old Testament is the scriptures that Paul is referring to, and that they are presently valuable for the teaching and enhancement of salvation today. Acts 2:42 states that "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine..."

 

To obey this scripture, one must know and understand what it was that the apostles preached. Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 16:19), which he used on the day of Pentecost when he told them to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, and that they would receive the Holy Ghost. These keys were used again in Samaria (Acts 8:15-17), at the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:44-48), and by Paul in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-6).

 

Peter referred to this teaching as, speaking to Jews who questioned Peter's association with Gentiles, "...words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved." This was the foundation teaching of the apostles (Eph. 2:20, Acts 16:5) and was never meant to be changed (I Cor. 3:11). The letters (epistles) of the apostles were written to churches established upon this born-again experience taught by the apostles and Jesus Himself (John 3:5). Paul taught Timothy to continue in the things which he had learned (II Tim. 3:14-15) as he did the Thessalonian church (II Thess. 2:15), the Corinthian church (I Cor. 11:1), and all of the churches (I Cor. 7:17).

 

The Law of Moses did not change for over four thousand years. Not until the coming of Christ and the establishment of the New Covenant was there any alteration to the ways of God. And yet, Jesus said that He did not come to destroy the Law, but fulfill it. The epistles, written a mere 30 years after the formation of the church, were not meant to change the foundation, but were given as the building materials to further the progress and growth of the church. REMEMBER: "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4:5), and "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, let us "...earnestly contend for the faith which was one delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3).