What We Believe

Those gathered in Fenton would present the following points as necesary for salvation and / or a godly life as a Christian.

The Bible

The Bible with each of its sixty-six individual books is the Word of God. God divinely inspired each word of the original writing, and in its original it is therefore without error, infallible, and is all equally God breathed. This book is the only book in the world that has this status, and no books or writings may ever be added to it or taken from it. As the Word of God, it stands as the judge of the thoughts and actions of people and as the sole source of truth, and we must submit to its statements as the Word of God.

God and the Trinity

There is one and only one God who is the supreme ruler and creator of heaven and earth. God is however three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are separate persons, yet compose but one God in the mystery called in Christianity: the Trinity. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each uncreated, immortal, eternal, holy, perfectly righteous and good, slow to anger and full of mercy. Nothing is impossible to God and He knows all things past, present, and future. God has never changed and will never change, is self-existent, and is the final judge of all persons in the world.

God the Son

God the Son became a man and was born into this world of the virgin Mary and was named Jesus. When God became a man, He remained God with all of God’s attributes such as omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, etc. When He became man, He took on a human body with human attributes such that these two natures existed then in this one person in such a way that they were “inseparably joined together in one person without conversion, composition, or confusion. Which person is very God, and very man, yet one Christ.” Jesus lived a sinless life, gave up His own spirit in death on the cross, rose again, ascended into heaven, is now seated at God’s right hand, and will return to earth in the future.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a member of the Trinity and is fully God. The Holy Spirit was sent down from heaven after the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven. The Holy Spirit works through believers and generally in the world to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement. He also restrains evil powers. He works specifically with persons who are not saved to bring them to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus. After a person believes in Christ, the Holy Spirit lives in that person and guides them in prayer, worship and ministry, teaches them the way of truth, empowers their words and their works, and in many other ways works in the believer’s life.

Creation & Miracles

The universe and everything in it were created from nothing by the power of the Word of God. This miracle recorded in the Bible along with many other miracles are to be taken literally as records of actual events brought about by the power of the Word of God. Events such as the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21), the Lord Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14:25), the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus (Luke 24:6), and many others are all to be taken literally.

Mankind and Sin

Mankind was created with a special relationship with God as God’s representatives on earth. Man was therefore required by God to be perfectly obedient, but the first man and woman both sinned by directly disobeying God. As a result, they were banished from the presence of God and condemned to die. Ever since then, all their descendants, having inherited their sinful nature, have found that there is no good within themselves – even their positive and useful qualities such as compassion and love have not been used for God but for themselves or those around them. In this way even the best man or woman is unable to please God in themselves or to rescue themselves from the sin that they serve. Man is therefore hopelessly lost by nature.

Salvation

God, in His love for humanity, determined to bring man back into His presence and therefore sent the Son of God to save mankind. Jesus lived a perfect human life never seeking His own will but only that of His Father. Then the Lord Jesus according to God’s plan was crucified and died in the place of mankind. Because of this, God is righteous to welcome sinners into His presence again. God has decreed that those who put their trust in the Lord Jesus receive the free gift of God’s forgiveness and are brought into His family with the Son of God. Where there is true faith there will be evidence of divine life from God in a person’s practical walk.

Eternal Security of the Believer

Once a person has put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ they are immediately indwelt by the Holy Spirit and it is not possible for that person to be lost. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ stands as a witness that they are now justified, and that God does not bring any charges against them because He Himself has declared them to be righteous. In addition, their faith can never be lost as it is maintained by the power of God.

Resurrection

The Lord Jesus Christ truly died as a man and was buried in a tomb, but He rose bodily on the third day. In a similar way, all mankind that has ever died will one day be raised by the power of God with changed bodies to be judged by their creator. Those who have never put their faith in God or trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ will be punished with eternal, living death in the lake of fire. All those who put their faith in God or trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ will dwell in heaven to live with God and to enjoy Him forever.