No other writing is of such divine origin. It is necessary for Christian faith and practice. God the Father is the Almighty Creator and Loving Provider, Eternal King and Judge of the universe. Jesus Christ, the pre-existent Son of God, is the Savior, Lord, and Eternal Redeemer of all who truly believe. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God in believers – convicting, converting, teaching truth, pr
ompting obedience, bearing fruit, distributing gifts, and empowering witnesses. The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the promised Divine Helper who proceeds from the Father and Son. The Spirit is God’s personal presence in believers. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God inspired and illuminates the Scriptures; convicts and regenerates sinners; sanctifies, teaches, comforts, guides, and preserves believers; and empowers them for service. Evidences of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life are faith in Christ, obedience to God, and the spiritual fruit of love. Christ pre-existed as the Son from eternity. Mankind is mortal, and the soul is unconscious in death. The Devil was created by God in Eden. Satan is not an angel. Man, Salvation, and Life
Humans are sinners by birth and by choice. Because our first parents disobeyed, sin and death follow on us all. We also have sinned in thought, word, deed and omission. Salvation is the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. It originates in God’s grace, is achieved by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and is personally received by faith. We believe that sinful humanity may be saved from the penalty of eternal death and receive eternal life instead, solely by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, apart from human merit, works, or ceremonies. Atonement for sins, with its attendant promise of eternal life, comes through Christ’s death on our behalf, His resurrection, and is received in human experience by faith and repentance. The Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments were known and obeyed by faithful people before the law was given at Sinai. Later incorporated into the new covenant, they constitute the basic moral code for humanity (as further explained by Jesus) and are obeyed to demonstrate the believer’s love for God and his fellow man. Saving faith includes repentance, which activates obedience and good works through love – all produced the Holy Spirit within. The regenerate Christian is obedient to the terms of the gospel, to the words of Christ, and to the enduring law of God summarized in the Ten Commandments. All the commandments remain as standards of holiness, including observance of the Seventh-Day Sabbath. The Sabbath
The Seventh-Day Sabbath is God’s gift to humanity from creation, was written into the Ten Commandments by His finger, was kept and taught by Jesus, and was observed by the Apostolic Church. A memorial of both creation and redemption, it should be faithfully celebrated by believers now as a day of rest, worship, and well-doing. All people who have trusted Christ unto obedience are members of the spiritual body. The mission of the church is to proclaim the gospel, introduce others to the Lord, teach them to obey His Word, and nurture spiritual growth in all believers. Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances that the church observes. The church observes two ordinances- baptism by immersion and an annual Lord’s supper (which is accompanied by feet washing), observed annually on Passover, the day of Jesus’ death. The eating of unclean meats such as pork and shellfish is prohibited. The church also opposes the observance of traditional holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Good Friday because of their pagan roots. Conscientious objection is the official position of this group. Jesus Christ shall return from heaven at the end of this age. The dead shall be raised from their sleep in the grave, and all humans shall be judged according to their works. The righteous shall be changed to immortality to live forever with the Lord; the wicked shall be completely consumed in the lake of fire. There shall be a new heaven and a new earth as the home of the redeemed for all eternity.
