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Statement of Doctrine

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“Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His Who sent Me. If anyone desires to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is of God, or I speak from Myself” (John 7:16-17).

Skip to Our Statement of Doctrine

About “Statements of Faith”

Until now, we have not posted a “statement of faith” for several reasons:

One, “statements of faith” are misnamed; they have nothing whatsoever to do with faith. They are rather statements of doctrine (usually of religious affiliation) that often smack of partisanship. “We believe such and such, so we are so and so…” or, “We are Baptists, so we believe….”

Two, few if any ”statements of faith” say it all, and those that say much, doctrinally, say nothing about the faith of those who post them, except about their want of it. One does not state the true faith of Christ, he lives it. The reason there are so-called statements of faith is because those who publish them don’t have true faith, therefore not knowing the difference between doctrine and faith.

Three, we suspect there will be those who prejudge us by a doctrinal statement and thus do themselves injustice, robbing themselves of substance we offer, because they focus on the doctrinal titles or statements.

Four, many place their faith, not in Jesus Christ, but in presumed Biblical or religious doctrine, some about Him, some not – indeed much quite contrary to Him. There are many who believe that if they believe certain doctrines, they have favor with God. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The Pharisees had many accurate Biblical doctrines according to the letter. They believed in one God, the Messiah to come, the authority of the Scriptures, the Law of Moses, the resurrection and afterlife, and the existence of angels; they gathered together for instruction and fellowship, studied the Scriptures, tithed, fasted, gave alms, prayed, bore witness to others, distinguished between clean and unclean meats, and kept the Sabbath and the Sabbath feasts.

The blaring lack of faith declared by their lives, however, altogether drowned out any claim of truth, no matter how accurate or perfect the doctrines. Their fruits said it all. And when the Messiah came, not only did they not recognize or receive Him, they killed Him as a blasphemer and heretic. To add insult to injury, they insisted the Romans clear away their Messiah’s corpse, lest they should defile the Passover they were rightly preparing to keep according to the Law, in the Name of God. So what good did their “statement of faith” do them or anyone else?

Five, our entire website declares what we believe; our doctrine is everywhere in our site, fully available for sincere investigators. While there are many who would want it spelled out to them, we recognize that if they were seeking truth, they would receive a spiritual witness as to whether our doctrine is of men or of God. Those who demand a doctrinal statement are faultfinders, at worst, or only seeking agreement on their own doctrines and perhaps some association with like-minded people. In such cases, they serve themselves, wittingly or otherwise; they are not after truth and do not love the Lord Jesus Christ as professed.

On the other hand, a statement of doctrinal beliefs can do much good, whatever the intent of the reader. It can provide a resource for sound doctrine, a handy way to discover and access that which one may be interested in learning about.

Those whose motives are impure also need to hear the truth. How else will they be judged? We now see this as a good thing either way. Let those who stumble on the Stone fall, and let those upon whom the Stone falls be ground to powder. If any should judge us according to appearance, they do so to their own detriment, but those who go by the eye of faith, with an earnest heart for truth, and persevere beyond the appearance, will be greatly blessed.

There! We have already begun our “statement of faith” and statement of doctrine. Continuing now:

Our Statement of Doctrine
(Links available for more information)

We believe:

    • God created all things as they are, as reported in the Book of Genesis, without the help of a mythical, and totally ridiculous, “evolution.” (Evolution)
    • God created man in His image, but man has come under evil by choosing what he wanted and what he thought was best. This is sin. (Iniquity)
    • God had created evil as a necessary experience for man’s spiritual education and perfection. (The Purpose of Evil)
    • Mankind is held captive by his chosen independence and interpretation of right and wrong. He cannot change his internal state or its consequences and needs to be delivered by a Power greater than himself. (How One Is Saved)
    • No one comes to God unless God draws that person and establishes a relationship by His gift of faith, and His grace (power) enables the putting away of sin and keeping of His Law. (Grace – The Reality & Law and Grace)
    • To perfectly save (complete) mankind, God, at the appointed time in man’s history, took on human form, through a virgin birth, in the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is God, Who came into this world and lived as a human being, except He was divine and sinless, the unique Son of God Who alone was able to atone for our sins and connect us to God, redeeming us from our state of enmity with Him. (Jesus Christ Is God & How Jesus Christ Connects Us to God)
    • Not having the sin nature of fallen man, Jesus Christ learned perfect obedience to God in the days of His flesh, paving the way for those who believe on Him to obtain like power of grace. In the state of Adam before the fall, He resisted temptation and overcame for us all. (Could Jesus Christ Have Sinned? & Grace – The Reality)
    • One does not need to be clean to come to God; he must come to God to be made clean. To do this, one must be prepared to receive a man of God, confess his sins, and obey whatever is required. (Holy Waters)
    • God is over both good and evil, using the evil to judge mankind. His judgment serves for correction, and when completed, all will have learned that walking in independence of God and disobedience to Him (evil) does not pay; indeed, it is death and hell. (The Purpose of Evil, The Sons of Correction, Iniquity, & Obedience)
    • The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the one true, authoritative book, written and compiled by God, that foretells and describes the events that show us Who God is, what He is like, and His dealings with men to judge and liberate them. (Will the Real Bible Please Stand Up? & God and Violence)
    • “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). Therefore, the Bible is not the only means for instruction in righteousness. Over the millennia, many men of God have spoken and written as inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit. (See correspondences in Blog Wars & The Issues of Life for examples of this today.)
    • God is nowhere to be found in any formal religious group or organization, and never was. Their very formality and structure tells they have ostracized Him a long time ago or have never known Him. (The Church & Counterfeit Christianity)
    • The Sabbath (Fourth Commandment), which God sanctified and made for man as the day of rest, is the seventh day, beginning Friday evening and ending Saturday evening. It is God’s gift to mankind, and every bit as relevant today as the other nine Commandments. The Sabbath is also a representation of the spiritual rest that God gives to all those who overcome through Him. (The Sabbath)
    • The three annual Feasts – Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles – formerly kept in the physical Temple of God made with hands, are now kept in Christ, the eternal Temple of God made without hands, by His Spirit. God confirmed He fulfilled the Feasts by doing away with the physical Temple and all outward observance. (The Three Degrees, Victor Hafichuk’s Testimony, & The Feast-Keeping that Is Sin)
    • Passover – Repentance; turning to God and receiving the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ and trusting in His righteousness. (Repentance)
    • Tabernacles – The purpose of God’s judgment and work through His Spirit, which is Christ formed in you, God come in the flesh to dwell with mankind. This is also called the “rest of God” (Hebrews 4). (Poem – The Rest of God & Victor Hafichuk’s Testimony)
    • God’s ministers have taken up and preach the cross, which represents the personal requirements of God for each individual, above, beyond, and sometimes even apparently contrary to, the Commandments. The cross addresses the idols of the heart that separate a person from God and is essential for salvation. (Obedience & Only the Death Sentence Will Avail)
    • God is always acting in the present. The works of men try to duplicate what God did in the past (if even that), but He is living and working anew in those who believe, building on the Foundation He has laid. As a tree is living and growing, so is the House and work of God. (Here Is the Way It Is)
    • Water baptism is a thing of the past. Now that Christ is risen and ascended on high, He baptizes in His Spirit, giving to those whom He chooses the substance of what water baptism symbolized. Believers who are identified with His death also experience the power of His resurrection, and there is no more need of this shadow ceremony. (Water Baptism & The Baptism in the Holy Spirit)
    • God heals today, His way. There is divine healing today, as always (praise God!), but those who do not learn to live by God’s commandments and ways cannot expect to flourish according to His will. (God Heals Today, His Way)
    • False love presents a false “Jesus,” a sappy version of God, to replace the “vengeful tyrant” of the Old Testament. These are equally perverse and unreal notions. God has not changed, but He was never as men think of Him. “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God!” (The Wrath of God, God and Violence, & Does God Speak Only Gentle Words?)
    • Israel was cast off for rejecting their God, not forever, but in order to bring the Good News to the rest of the world. (Israel, Is Your God Unjust?)
    • Reconciliation for Israel and the Jews will take place when they recognize their sin in killing their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10). (The Key for Israel and the Jew)
  • The Lord has come to restore that which has been stolen, denigrated, abused, and destroyed, and He will be 100% successful; who can stop Him? (Taking the Land)
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