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Mt. Olivet Church Statement of Faith
We are an Elder/Deacon Governed Church
1. TRINITY OF GOD – We believe in one God, who is revealed in scriptures as subsisting in three equal persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16, 17; Matthew 28:19)
2. VERBAL INSPIRATION - We believe the Holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the verbally inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of God’s will for the salvation of man, and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith.(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21)
3. THE LOST CONDITION OF MAN – We believe that man was directly created by God in His own image and likeness, but he fell into sin. The entire human race became alienated from God and is therefore eternally lost. The natural man of himself is utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.(Romans 3:10, 23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1, 2)
4. SATAN – We believe in the personality of Satan; that he is the author of sin and the cause of man’s fall; that he is the avowed enemy of God and man; and that he is doomed and shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire.(Job 1:6, 7; Ephesians 6:11, 12; Revelation 20:10)
5. DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST – We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, manifested in the flesh, the express image of the Father, the one by whom and for whom all things were created and by whom all things consist.(John 1:1, 2; Colossians 1:15-17)
6. VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST – We believe in the supernatural birth of Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, the incarnate Son of God.(Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-25)
7. BLOOD ATONEMENT FOR SIN – We believe that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was made to be sin, and made a curse, for us, dying in our place on the cross.(Romans 5:9-11; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18, 19)
8. PHYSICAL, BODILY RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST - We believe in the physical resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and His glorified presence at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.(Mark 16:1-20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Hebrews 1:1-3) 9. PERSONAL AND BODILY RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST - We believe in the personal, pretribulational, premillenial, and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ for His bride, the Church which is made up of born-again believers. ThatChrist will subsequently return to the earth at the end of the Tribulation with His saints to establish His millennial kingdom.(Acts 1:10, 11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:14-17; Revelation 19:11-21)
10. PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He regenerates, baptizes, seals, indwells, fills, for godly living and service.(John 16:13, 14; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:9-12; 12:13; Ephesians 5:18)
11. GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT - We believe that God gives spiritual gifts to all believers. Some gifts of the Holy Spirit are permanent and are to be used throughout the Church Age. Other gifts were temporary and were given in the Apostolic Age for the purpose of founding the church. We believe the temporary gifts include the gifts of apostleship, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.(Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4, 7-14; 13:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:3, 4)
12. THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST - We believe the true church, the body of Christ, of which He is the Head, is composed of born-again believers.(Acts 2:47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-20; Ephesians 4:11-13; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 12:23)
13. THE CHURCH’S LEADERSHIP - We believe scripture to teach that each local assembly of believers are to be lead by elders and deacons. The word elder, bishop, and pastor in the New Testament refer to those men who have the spiritual oversight of the church (. . . which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with His blood. (Acts 20:28). The deacons are men who take care of the temporal and physical duties of the church (the word ‘deacon’ means servant. (Acts 6:1-7).The qualifications of both leaders can be seen in 1 Timothy 3:1-13.
14. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH - We believe that men are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and that only by regeneration of the Holy Spirit Can salvation and eternal life be obtained.(John 3:3-5; Acts 13:38, 39; Romans 3:24, 25; 5:1; Colossians 1:14)
15. SANCTIFICATION – We believe in the sanctification by the Spirit of God unto obedience and newness of life.(John 17:19; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Romans 15:16; 1 Peter 1:2)
16. TWO NATURES - We believe that all who are born-again possess two natures, with provision made for the new nature to be victorious over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-25; Colossians 3:1-17)
17. THE GREAT COMMISSION - We believe in the Lord’s command, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” being witnesses at home and to the uttermost part of the earth, teaching the Word of God, and baptizing converts in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.(Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15, 16; Acts 1:8, 18-20)
18. POLICY DEALING WITH HUMAN SEXUALITY - We believe that the Biblical model for marriage is a union between one single adult male and one single adult female and that this is the only Biblical and acceptable model for marriage. (Gen. 2:23; Matt. 19:4-6; Eph. 5:28-33; 1 Peter 3:7) We believe that sexuality and the expression of sexuality, is not a right nor an entitlement nor is the expression of sexuality required for a sense of wholeness but was instituted by God for two primary reasons: (1) for the purpose of the bearing of children (Gen. 1:28); and (2) for the purpose of developing union and enjoyment within the context of Biblical marriage (Gen. 2:24-25) and that a Biblical marriage relationship is the only acceptable place for the expression of sexual desire and relations.(Prov. 5:18-19; Matt. 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-8; Eph. 5:28-33) We believe that any deviation from the Biblical model for sexual relations solely within the context of a Biblical marriage, many of which are common or are accepted by society, are deviations from the clear teachings of the Scriptures and are to be rejected solely on the basis of the authority of the Scriptures . Some of these deviations are,but not limited to, premarital or extramarital sex or co-habitations, homosexuality, and incest. (Lev. 18:6-19, 22;19:29; 20:13; 2 Sam. 13:1-14; Prov. 6:26-29; Matt. 5:27-28; Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Corinth. 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:3-7; 1 Tim. 1:10;Heb. 13:4)
19. SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE - We believe from the Scriptures that this teaching is vital to a complete understanding of life and mortality within the community of believers called “The Church”. God is very clear about His intimate knowledge of and value of all human life (Psalm 139:13 here we read”…You (God) formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”) Then, in verse 16, we read “Your (God) eyes saw my unformed substance… when as yet there was none of them.”
If we read this whole chapter, we realize that God knows my beginning and He knows my end. He has numbered my days and He values my life (at the beginning, in conception) and at the moment I close my eyes in death (and everything between). He (God) is completely aware of all my days. Every baby is a gift from God and we should value them as God does.
1. TRINITY OF GOD – We believe in one God, who is revealed in scriptures as subsisting in three equal persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16, 17; Matthew 28:19)
2. VERBAL INSPIRATION - We believe the Holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the verbally inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of God’s will for the salvation of man, and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith.(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21)
3. THE LOST CONDITION OF MAN – We believe that man was directly created by God in His own image and likeness, but he fell into sin. The entire human race became alienated from God and is therefore eternally lost. The natural man of himself is utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.(Romans 3:10, 23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1, 2)
4. SATAN – We believe in the personality of Satan; that he is the author of sin and the cause of man’s fall; that he is the avowed enemy of God and man; and that he is doomed and shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire.(Job 1:6, 7; Ephesians 6:11, 12; Revelation 20:10)
5. DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST – We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, manifested in the flesh, the express image of the Father, the one by whom and for whom all things were created and by whom all things consist.(John 1:1, 2; Colossians 1:15-17)
6. VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST – We believe in the supernatural birth of Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, the incarnate Son of God.(Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-25)
7. BLOOD ATONEMENT FOR SIN – We believe that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was made to be sin, and made a curse, for us, dying in our place on the cross.(Romans 5:9-11; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18, 19)
8. PHYSICAL, BODILY RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST - We believe in the physical resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and His glorified presence at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.(Mark 16:1-20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Hebrews 1:1-3) 9. PERSONAL AND BODILY RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST - We believe in the personal, pretribulational, premillenial, and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ for His bride, the Church which is made up of born-again believers. ThatChrist will subsequently return to the earth at the end of the Tribulation with His saints to establish His millennial kingdom.(Acts 1:10, 11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:14-17; Revelation 19:11-21)
10. PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He regenerates, baptizes, seals, indwells, fills, for godly living and service.(John 16:13, 14; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:9-12; 12:13; Ephesians 5:18)
11. GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT - We believe that God gives spiritual gifts to all believers. Some gifts of the Holy Spirit are permanent and are to be used throughout the Church Age. Other gifts were temporary and were given in the Apostolic Age for the purpose of founding the church. We believe the temporary gifts include the gifts of apostleship, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.(Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4, 7-14; 13:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:3, 4)
12. THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST - We believe the true church, the body of Christ, of which He is the Head, is composed of born-again believers.(Acts 2:47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-20; Ephesians 4:11-13; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 12:23)
13. THE CHURCH’S LEADERSHIP - We believe scripture to teach that each local assembly of believers are to be lead by elders and deacons. The word elder, bishop, and pastor in the New Testament refer to those men who have the spiritual oversight of the church (. . . which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with His blood. (Acts 20:28). The deacons are men who take care of the temporal and physical duties of the church (the word ‘deacon’ means servant. (Acts 6:1-7).The qualifications of both leaders can be seen in 1 Timothy 3:1-13.
14. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH - We believe that men are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and that only by regeneration of the Holy Spirit Can salvation and eternal life be obtained.(John 3:3-5; Acts 13:38, 39; Romans 3:24, 25; 5:1; Colossians 1:14)
15. SANCTIFICATION – We believe in the sanctification by the Spirit of God unto obedience and newness of life.(John 17:19; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Romans 15:16; 1 Peter 1:2)
16. TWO NATURES - We believe that all who are born-again possess two natures, with provision made for the new nature to be victorious over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-25; Colossians 3:1-17)
17. THE GREAT COMMISSION - We believe in the Lord’s command, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” being witnesses at home and to the uttermost part of the earth, teaching the Word of God, and baptizing converts in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.(Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15, 16; Acts 1:8, 18-20)
18. POLICY DEALING WITH HUMAN SEXUALITY - We believe that the Biblical model for marriage is a union between one single adult male and one single adult female and that this is the only Biblical and acceptable model for marriage. (Gen. 2:23; Matt. 19:4-6; Eph. 5:28-33; 1 Peter 3:7) We believe that sexuality and the expression of sexuality, is not a right nor an entitlement nor is the expression of sexuality required for a sense of wholeness but was instituted by God for two primary reasons: (1) for the purpose of the bearing of children (Gen. 1:28); and (2) for the purpose of developing union and enjoyment within the context of Biblical marriage (Gen. 2:24-25) and that a Biblical marriage relationship is the only acceptable place for the expression of sexual desire and relations.(Prov. 5:18-19; Matt. 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-8; Eph. 5:28-33) We believe that any deviation from the Biblical model for sexual relations solely within the context of a Biblical marriage, many of which are common or are accepted by society, are deviations from the clear teachings of the Scriptures and are to be rejected solely on the basis of the authority of the Scriptures . Some of these deviations are,but not limited to, premarital or extramarital sex or co-habitations, homosexuality, and incest. (Lev. 18:6-19, 22;19:29; 20:13; 2 Sam. 13:1-14; Prov. 6:26-29; Matt. 5:27-28; Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Corinth. 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:3-7; 1 Tim. 1:10;Heb. 13:4)
19. SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE - We believe from the Scriptures that this teaching is vital to a complete understanding of life and mortality within the community of believers called “The Church”. God is very clear about His intimate knowledge of and value of all human life (Psalm 139:13 here we read”…You (God) formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”) Then, in verse 16, we read “Your (God) eyes saw my unformed substance… when as yet there was none of them.”
If we read this whole chapter, we realize that God knows my beginning and He knows my end. He has numbered my days and He values my life (at the beginning, in conception) and at the moment I close my eyes in death (and everything between). He (God) is completely aware of all my days. Every baby is a gift from God and we should value them as God does.