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Two views of salvation
All persons seek "salvation" — in some form or another — even if defined in purely secular terms. Salvation could be considered personal triumph over those things that vex us: our adversaries, detractors, obstacles, weaknesses, challenges, threats. To be "saved" is to be rescued from such things. For many people, this means "rescuing themselves" by their own wits.
To Christians, however, salvation means something quite different, something unattainable by human effort. It consists in overcoming human nature itself and becoming "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4) — through the atonement and grace of Jesus Christ, and not through "self-improvement" or self-reliant "works." It means surrendering our will to God, and receiving through Him a renewed heart and mind and the hope of eternal life — thus being rescued from our fallen condition and becoming "reconciled" to God, capable of doing those things that truly please, glorify, and exemplify Him. "Stephen Stone, Renew America President"
How to be Saved
Salvation is by God’s grace, not by an individual’s good works. Salvation must be received by faith. People must believe in their hearts that Jesus died for their sins and physically rose again, which is the assurance of forgiveness and resurrection of the body. This is God’s loving plan to forgive sinful people.
What Is True Repentance
Repentance from the beginning of time to the present hour has been, and remains, the most positive word from the heart of God!
As Defined In Webster's 1828 Dictionary
Repentance REPENT'ANCE, noun 1. Sorrow for any thing done or said; the pain or grief which a person experiences in consequence of the injury or inconvenience produced by his own conduct. 2. In theology, the pain, regret or affliction which a person feels on account of his past conduct, because it exposes him to punishment. This sorrow proceeding merely from the fear of punishment, is called legal repentance as being excited by the terrors of legal penalties, and it may exist without an amendment of life. 3. Real penitence; sorrow or deep contrition for sin, as an offense and dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude towards a Being of infinite benevolence. This is called evangelical repentance and is accompanied and followed by amendment of life. Repentance is a change of mind, or a conversion from sin to God. Godly sorrow works repentance to salvation. 2 Corinthians 7:9. Matthew 3:8. Repentance is the relinquishment of any practice, from conviction that it has offended God.
The New birth
John 3:1-7
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus *said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"
5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
Acts 5:29-32
But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.
30 "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross.
31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."
Roman 8:9
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
This is a work of grace through faith in Jesus Christ
John 3:16-19
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
The Apostle Paul explains it this way,
2Corinthians 5:17-21
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
What Happens after Death?
Hebrews 9:27
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
Believers go to be with Jesus. After death, all people await the final judgment. Both saved and lost people will be resurrected. Those who are saved will live with Jesus in heaven. Those who are lost will suffer the torment of eternal separation from God (hell). Jesus‘ bodily resurrection guarantees believers that they, too, will be resurrected and receive new immortal bodies.
Here is what the Scriptures teach:
The New Testament teaches the conscious existence of the person after death.
(1) Jesus said to the thief on the cross, ‘Today you will be with me in paradise’ (Luke 23:43).
(2) Paul: ‘I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far’(Philippians 1:23).
(3) Lazarus went immediately to Abraham’s side when he died (Luke 16:22).
(4) The rich man went to Hades where he was in conscious torment (Luke 16:23).
(5) The lost are sent to everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:15).
(6) According to Paul, the only possible state for the Christian when ‘away from the body was to be ‘at home with the Lord’(2 Corinthians 5:6).
What Is The Second Coming of Christ?
1. The personal return of Jesus (Acts 1:10–11).
2. The Final Resurrection of the Dead (1 Corinthians 15:51–55).
3. The Final Judgment (Revelation 20:11–15).
4. So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him (Hebrews 9:28).
5. The lost are sent to everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:15).
Note: ‘No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mark 13:32).
For Further In-depth Study
Those Who Have Died In Christ/Those Who Are Still Alive
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Eschatology
At the end of the age we expect the personal, bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the Scriptures. We find that the Amillennialism view has the most biblical evidence, and therefore, this is the view we affirm. Our prayer is that every person through encouragement and study of the Scriptures would come to their own conclusion. In preparation for His coming we are called to live holy lives. Through years of study we personally favor the amillennial understanding of the end times.
Full Statement of Faith
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Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Power for Holy Living and Christian Service A. Jesus is now enthroned at the right of God where he also intercedes for us.
B. The realization of what was going on in heaven came on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell on the early disciples. C. The coming of the Holy Spirit was the direct consequence of the intercession of Christ in heaven: ‘Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear’ (Acts 2:33). D. What happened on the Day of Pentecost is what we may safely call the ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’. 1. We know this because, in Jesus’ final past-resurrection appearance he said, ‘For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 1:5). 2. What happened at Pentecost was precisely what he had predicted; they were baptized not with water but with the Holy Spirit. 3. This was a baptism of power for Holy Living and Service: Acts 2:38-39 38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself."
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Baptism of the Holy Spirit
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