Theological Statement Of Faith

Theological Statement of Faith And Ministry Philosophy God I believe in the one God (Deut. 6:4) who is seen in three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person of the trinity has a specific role, and yet they remain completely unified. Although the term trinity does not occur in the Bible, it is a biblical doctrine. Each person of the trinity is identified as God within the Bible (Father-Exodus 20:2; SonJohn 20:28; Holy Spirit- Acts 5:3-4). God is the creator of the world. Before the world began, God existed. After the world passes away, He will continue to exist. He is self sufficient, meaning He does not need anything or anyone to continue to exist. God is personal and God is actively involved with His creation. He desires to have a relationship with man as evidenced throughout scripture. The attributes of God are, but are not limited to, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, Holy, just, loving, sovereign, good, immutable, faithful, merciful, and true.

Bible I believe the Bible is the word of God and is completely inerrant in the original manuscripts. The Bibles we have today are reliable translations, which were taken from the original languages of Hebrew (the Old Testament) and Greek (the New Testament). The Bible is inspired and contains the very words of God (2 Timothy 3:16), written by human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21). The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself given to man that we may know Him and learn how to live for Him. It is the final authority for the believer in all matters of life and spirituality (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Jesus Christ Jesus is the second person of the trinity and is fully God and fully man (John 1:1, 14; Philippians 2). He existed before His physical form and was in the beginning with God the Father (John 1:1). When it was the desired time for Christ to come in the form of a man, he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and birthed by a virgin mother as predicted by the prophet Isaiah and Micah (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2). Christ performed 7 main signs (John 1-11) to indicate that He was the One who would set His people free. He performed various miracles to authenticate that He was the Chosen Messiah. He lived a sinless life and was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. He died on a cross, was buried, and was raised three days later. His overcoming of death once again proved that God accepted His sacrifice. He was witnessed by many thousands of people before ascending once again to the right hand of the Father, where He currently resides making intercession on behalf of all believers. He will one day return for His church before the great tribulation begins, and then will return again (known as the second coming of Christ) to judge the living and the dead and to establish His millennial kingdom.

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity. The Holy Spirit is fully God and is completely equal with the Father and the Son. I believe that the Holy Spirit indwells the believer at the moment of Salvation and at that time imparts their spiritual gifts to them. Because the Holy Spirit indwells each believer, I believe that He will never depart from

the believer and has sealed us in Christ until the day of His coming. I believe the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to live the Christian life. I believe the Holy Spirit will teach us all things concerning the Father. I believe the Holy Spirit’s ministry to this world is to convict men of their sin and to open their eyes to the saving work of Christ. Every Christian should seek to live under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Man and Sin I believe man was created in the image of God. Yet, because of Adam’s sin, man lost his spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses and sin. Because of Adam, sin has been transmitted to every single person. Thus, every human being from the time of Adam to the present is born into sin, with the exception of Christ Jesus. Because of this sinful nature, man is unable to have fellowship with the Father. (Gen. 1:26; 2:17; 6:5; Psalms 14:1–3; 51:5; Jer. 17:9; John 3:6; 5:40; 6:35; Rom. 3:10–19; 8:6–7; Eph. 2:1–3; 1 Tim. 5:6; 1 John 3:8)

Salvation I believe salvation is only obtained through Jesus Christ and His perfect sacrifice that was accepted by the Father for the sins of the whole world, not just the elect. I believe that Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for every single person in the world, but only efficient for those who receive the free gift of life that was provided by Christ alone. There is no other way to receive eternal life, except through Christ. I believe the moment a person places his or her trust in Christ, they receive eternal life and are eternally secure in Christ (John 5:24; 17:23; Acts 13:39; Rom. 5:1; 1 Cor. 3:21–23; Eph. 1:3; Col. 2:10; 1 John 4:17; 5:11–12).

Church I believe all who are united in the Risen Lord are members of the body of Christ. I believe every believer whether a member or a non-member of a church organization, are a part of the body of Christ. I believe the function of the local church is to bind believers together for the purpose of: being equipped for every good work, so that each believer can perform their works of ministry, so that the gospel can be spread throughout the world. I believe the church is to be a place where the unity and love of the brethren are evident and thus provides a witness to those inside and outside of the church (Matt. 16:16–18; Acts 2:42–47; Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:12–27; Eph. 1:20–23; 4:3–10; Col. 3:14– 15).

Ordinances I believe that water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the only two ordinances commanded by the Lord for the church to observe. I do not believe in infant baptism. I believe that baptism is an outward confession of what Christ has done inwardly in a believer’s life. (Matt. 28:19; Luke 22:19–20; Acts 10:47–48; 16:32–33; 18:7–8; 1 Cor. 11:26)

Eschatology I believe that every person will live forever, either in Heaven with the Lord, or in Hell with the devil and his angels. I believe that Heaven and Hell are real places. I believe that those in Heaven will know that they are in Heaven, just as those in Hell will know that they are in Hell. Just as Heaven will never cease to be, I believe that Hell will never cease to be and that it is a place of eternal punishment. I believe in a pre-tribulation rapture of the church in which Christ will rapture the church before the great tribulation begins. I also believe in the pre-millennial return of Christ, meaning that Christ will return before the millennium begins (Luke 16:19–26; 23:42; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 2 Thess. 1:7–9; Jude 6–7; Rev. 20:11–15).

Ministry Philosophy “A pastor is to lead the body of Christ through a clear and systematic teaching of God's word. The purpose of teaching God's word is to build up believers in the love of Christ and equip them for every good work. As the body of Christ is built up and equipped for works of ministry, the good news of Christ will spread through evangelism and missions.” Colby R. Torres’ Resume, 2007 My ministry philosophy can be broken into four major parts: the teaching of God’s Word, the building up and equipping of believers, believers becoming functioning members within the church, and lastly, the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ through evangelism and missions. My philosophy of ministry is built upon Ephesians 4:11-16, which states: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held

together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

The main function of the pastor/teacher is to teach the word of God and to shepherd the flock of God faithfully (Ephesians 4:12; 2 Timothy 2:15, 4:2). The pastor is responsible to preach the Word of God with accuracy and boldness. The Word of God is the only source of authority for the church concerning everything that pertains to life and godliness, and it is therefore the responsibility of the pastor to teach and preach from the whole counsel of God’s Word. The psalmist states in Psalm 138, God esteems His Word above His own name. If God places that great of an emphasis on His Word, the pastor is responsible to do the same. The Word of God is the foundation on which the church is built. If we forsake the Word of God, we are building the church on a broken and unstable foundation. As the pastor teaches the Word of God and proclaims its truths, the body of Christ will be built-up and equipped for every good work. The Bible tells us that God’s Word will not return void. And thus, the Word of God will bring about change in the believer’s life. This process is the way in which we grow in our faith and in our understanding of God. Through the Word of God, we learn about our spiritual gifts and how these gifts are to function within the church. The way in which the believer is built-up and equipped happens not only through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word from the pulpit, but also through Sunday school classes, discipleship classes, and small groups. Through Sunday morning worship services and through these various group settings, the believer will learn how to use their gifts for the work of the ministry. It is my hope then, that every believer will become a functioning member in the body of Christ and will use their gifts for the furtherance of the gospel. It has been my experience that when the pastor teaches the Word of God, believers are built-up and equipped, and thus become functioning members in the body of Christ. The final aspect of my philosophy of ministry is the evangelizing of the lost, both locally and abroad (missions). There is an old saying that states, “Sheep beget sheep.” As people are taught the Word of God and are equipped to do the work of the ministry, they will begin to share their faith with others. I have witnessed this happen time and time again. As people are taught the Word of God, they become excited about the Word and have a great desire to share it others. This philosophy of ministry understands that God is the one who will bring both spiritual and physical growth to the local church. We only need to be willing and obedient vessels to be used by God, to proclaim His truth to a dying world. We leave the results to God.