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The following “Doctrinal Statement” is taken from the Smith’s
application to become missionaries with Gospel Fellowship Association for the
field of |
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Gospel Fellowship Association Doctrinal Creed
The candidate must give whole-hearted
assent, without reservation, to the following creed:
We believe that whatever the Bible says is
true-which means that we believe in the inspiration of both the Old and New
Testaments. We believe that man was
created by the direct act of God and in the image of God. We believe that Adam and Eve in yielding to
the temptation of Satan became fallen creatures. We believe that all men are born in sin. We believe in the Incarnation, the Virgin
Birth, and the Deity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We believe in His vicarious and
substitutional Atonement for the sins of mankind by the shedding of His blood
on the Cross. We believe in the
resurrection of His body from the tomb, His ascension to Heaven, and that He is
now our Advocate. We believe that He is
personally coming again. We believe in
His power to save men from sin. We
believe in the necessity of the New Birth, and that this New Birth is through
the regeneration by the Holy Spirit. We
believe that salvation is by grace through faith in the atoning blood of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The Bible, consisting of
sixty-six books (thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New
Testament), in its original autographs, is the inspired Word of God. God inspired many men to write His words in
the various books of the Bible. The
Bible is infallible and verbally inspired.
The Bible does not simply contain the Word of God, it is the complete
Word of God. (Acts 3:21;
(Give a separate statement about
each Person)
Trinity: There is one
living, personal, triune God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. Each person of the
Trinity has the attributes of God and demands the love, obedience and worship
of man. Each is equal to the others in
power and glory, but there is a distinct subordination of the Son to the
Father, and of the Holy Spirit to the Father and the Son. (Gen 1:26; 3:22;
God the
Father: He exists eternally in the first person of the
Trinity. In essence, He is the head of
the Trinity, as the Son and Holy Spirit are subordinate to Him. He is the originator of all things. He is absolutely holy and demands judgment
for the sins of the world. His love is
shown by His sending His Son to die on the cross as the payment for man's sin.
(Gen 1:1; Exod 15:11;
God the
Son: He exists eternally as the second person of the Trinity. He had an active part in creation. Jesus Christ became incarnate at the virgin
birth, through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit. He exists as the incarnate deity as one
hundred percent God and one hundred percent man. He was sent to earth as the propitiation for
the sins of mankind. This is manifest in
His virgin birth, ministry of miracles on earth, voluntary death on the cross,
burial for three days and resurrection from the dead. He is now with the Father in heaven as the
mediator for all saints. He will return
to gather His saints at the rapture, then come to earth and destroy Satan and
his forces at the end of the tribulation.
After reigning during the millennium, He will judge all, and be the
subject of our worship forever. (Isa 7:14;
God the
Holy Spirit: He exists eternally as the third person of the
Trinity. The Holy Spirit performs
numerous ministries. In the past: The Holy Spirit was present and took part in
creation; He was the author of all Scripture; He gave spiritual gifts to men (of
which some have ceased.) In the
present: He convicts men of sin; He
regenerates the believer; He permanently indwells the believer; He controls the
believer, and continues to give some spiritual gifts to men. Upon the believer's yielding, the Holy Spirit
fills, illuminates, as well as guides and leads the believer to be conformed to
Christ's image. (Gen 1:2;
God created all things
and all that He made was good. He
created heaven and earth and all that is in them in six literal days by his
spoken word. He created man after His image
from the dust of the ground and His own breath.
His creation includes the vast regions of the entire universe both
physical and spiritual. (Gen 1; 2:7; Psalm 148:2-5;
Sin is any defection from
God's standards set forth in His Word.
Sin originated with Satan, Lucifer - the fallen angel of God, by the sin
of pride. Lucifer led a rebellion
against God. He and his followers were
cast out of heaven because sin is intolerable in the presence of God. Satan tempted Eve and Adam and they followed
in his sin of pride. The sin of Adam
caused all mankind to be depraved and fallen in nature, thus deserving death. All men since Adam are sinful and will remain
sinful unless they willingly change by choosing Christ as Saviour from
sin. Men can only be released from sin's
power by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. (Gen 3:1-10; Psalm 51:5;
a.
Atonement is the payment for sin. Christ's giving of Himself to die on the
cross fulfilled the payment owed by man for his sin. Christ's one-time death is the only payment
sufficient for the sins of mankind. (Acts
20:28; II Cor 5:21;
b.
Repentance is a
change of mind. For salvation, it is
man's turning from his sin and choosing God - thus trusting Christ as his
Savior. (Acts 2:38; 17:30; 20:21; II Pet
3:9)
c.
Faith is to have confidence or trust that something is true. Faith unto salvation is believing as true
that Christ is able to save us from our sin and give us eternal life. Only through faith in Christ can one be
saved. Salvation is by grace through faith,
not by works. (John 3:16; 5:24; Acts 16:31; Rom 10:9-10; Eph 2:8-9; Heb 11:1-3)
d.
Justification is a declaration of righteousness. God declares guilty men as righteous as a
result of salvation. (Rom 3:21-26; 5:1, 17-21; II Cor 5:19-21; Titus 3:7)
e. Regeneration is to make anew. Biblical regeneration is to be born again. God gives new life to any man who believes. (II Cor 5:17; Titus 3:5)
f. Adoption is placement into a family. A believer is placed into God's family as an adult son. This blessed inheritance will be fulfilled by the glorified body believers receive at the resurrection of the saints. (Rom 8:15, 23; 9:4; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5)
g.
Sanctification is the process of becoming holy. A Christian is to be striving in his daily
walk to become more Christ-like by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a process of separating from sin and
the world to be set apart for God, following Christ's example. The believer's sanctification will be
complete when he receives his glorified body and is truly like Christ. (II Cor
3:18; Eph 4:21-24; 5:26-27;
h.
Security of Believer is the guarantee that the gift of salvation is
eternal and cannot be lost. (John 3:16, 36; 6:39-40; 10:28; Eph 4:30)
a. Nature
God
established His church after Jesus returned to heaven. The church "universal" is the
complete family of believers both dead and alive. It is made up of all the saints of God and will
be the bride of Christ after the rapture.
The church "temporal" is that portion of the universal church
currently here on earth. It is not a
single congregation or denomination, but consists of all living believers. The local church, which is part of the
temporal church, is a group of believers who fellowship together in order to
worship God, edify each other, and to reach unsaved with the Gospel, fulfilling
Christ's command of the Great Commission.
The local assembly of believers is made up of individual members, each
should be saved. They should elect a
pastor as their overseer and as membership grows, they should appoint other men
as leaders, according to the qualifications stated in Scripture. (Matt 16:18;
18:20; 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; 2:41; 20:28; Rom 12:5; I Cor 12:12-14, 27; Eph
4:11-12; Col 1:18; I Tim 3:1-13)
b. Ordinances
There
are two ordinances given to the church - baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is not required for salvation, but it
is a way for believers to outwardly display their salvation. Baptism by
immersion is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The Lord's Supper is the communion of saints
by breaking of bread and partaking of the cup (usually grape juice) as a
remembrance of Christ's work on the cross.
The bread and drink are only symbolic of the body of Christ and the
blood He shed for our salvation. There
is no special power or extra reward involved in communion other than the
blessing one receives in remembering our Savior's work on our behalf. (Baptism
- Matt 28:19; John 4:1-2; Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12-13, 38-39; 10:47-48. Lord's supper - Luke 22:19-20; I Cor
11:23-32)
Angels are spirit beings created by God in the beginning for the purpose of serving, praising and worshipping their Creator. They are innumerable, immortal, and were created morally sinless. The angels that remain loyal to God fulfill His will, minister to His believers, and will return with Jesus Christ at the Second Coming. (Psalm 148:2-5; Matt 22:30; Luke 20:35-36; Heb 12:22)
Satan was once an angel
named Lucifer. He had been one of the
highest archangels of God. Because of
his sin of pride, he led a revolt against God.
For this, he and the angels who followed him, now demons, were cast out
of heaven. Satan is the enemy of God and
Christians. He strives to cause
Christians to stumble and prevent others from following Christ. Although Satan and his demons are free to
roam the earth hindering the spiritual affairs of mankind and to war against
God, he is still subject to the laws of God.
In the future, Satan and his followers will be defeated and will be cast
into the lake of fire for all eternity. (Isa 14:12-15; Ezek 28:11-19; Matt
25:41; John 12:31; Eph 6:11-12; I Tim 4:1; II Tim 2:26; Jude 6; Rev 20)
Heaven is a literal place
where God lives. It is the place from which
Christ came to earth and to where he returned at His ascension. It is the location where Jesus is preparing a
dwelling place for Christians. There is
no sorrow or pain in heaven. It is a
perfect setting where all saints and angels will worship God throughout
eternity. (Exod 20:22; Psalm 139:7-10; John 14:2; 20:17; Acts 1:9-10; Phil
2:10; II Thess 1:7; Heb 9:24; I Pet 1:3-4; Rev 21)
Hell is a literal place of
torment specifically created for Satan and his demons. It is a place of extreme, eternal
punishment. Hell is a bottomless pit
burning with fire and brimstone and full of terrible noises. Satan and his followers will be cast into
hell after the final judgment, separated from God eternally. All who are in hell will be conscious of
their torment, continually feeling the agony, not only of their physical pain,
but also of their spiritual separation from God. Anyone in hell is there of their own choosing
- by rejecting God and His redemption. (Psalm 9:17; Ezek 31:16-17; Matt 10:28;
13:40-42; 22:13; 23:33; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-31; Rom 6:23; James 1:15; II
Pet 2:4, 9; Rev 20:12-15; 21:8)
11. Eschatology: (Give order of events)
The next major event will be the rapture, when all saints both living and dead will meet with Christ in the air. After the rapture comes the tribulation. At which time the people left on earth will endure much suffering. The Antichrist will come to power and lead the world against God. The tribulation will last seven years. During these seven years many will come to believe in Christ, both Jew and Gentiles. At the end of the seven years of tribulation, Christ will return to earth with his saints and defeat the forces of Satan in the battle of Armageddon. Satan will be bound in Hell for a thousand years. During the millennium, Christ will reign over earth and heaven. During the millennium, those who have lived through the tribulation will continue as men on earth and procreate, producing many generations of men who’s nature will still be sinful. After the thousand years, Satan will be loosed from hell and cause many to follow him in another battle against Christ. God will totally destroy Satan’s army with fire from heaven. This will bring the Great White Throne Judgment, when the unsaved are separated out and cast into hell along with Satan forever to be tormented. Christ will then reign for eternity with his saints. (2 Sam 7:12-16; Isa 65:17-20; Dan 9:24-27; Zech 14:2; Matt 24:15, 40-41; 25:31-46; Luke 21:20-28; John 14:1-3; Rom 14:10-12; I Cor 3:9-15; 15:50-58; II Cor 5:10; I Thess 4:13-5:11; Titus 2:13; Rev 3:10; 5-21)
a. Personal
We
are to be "called out from among them" that are in the world. Believers should separate themselves from the
unsaved, false teachers, and disobedient brothers. A Christian should be headed in the opposite
way of the world, toward Christ-likeness.
When one chooses the way of Christ as his path for life, he chooses to
separate himself from the way of the world.
This entails every aspect of life.
We are not to be yoked together with unbelievers, this is to include
marriage (as for the choosing of a mate), as well as business or ministry
partnerships. We should abstain from
worldly practice, including drunkenness, smoking, and other lusts of the flesh,
as our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Thus, we are to be different
from the world. This difference should
be apparent in our actions, speech and appearance, culminating in a testimony
for Christ. We should cling to the
righteous things of God, which will become natural to us if we stay close to
Him. We should not alienate ourselves
from the world for we are to go into the world witnessing for Christ. We are to be in the world but not of the
world. (Matt 18:15-17; Rom 12:1-2, I Cor 5:11-13; II Cor 6:14-18; Col 3:5-10;
II Thess 3:6; James 4:1-10; I Pet 1:13-16; I John 2:15-17)
b. Ecclesiastical
As in our personal life, separation in the church should be just as strong. We have been warned in the Scriptures of false teachers and should stay away from them. We should not join ourselves to or have fellowship with any false religions, cults or other churches which do not hold to the same beliefs, convictions or doctrines as our own or teach things contrary to the Bible, including those associated with the ecumenical movement and ecumenical evangelism. We should be a strong testimony and example to others in the community, possibly giving us an opportunity to give the gospel and witness for our Lord. We should not fellowship with any who might be a hindrance to our testimony or witness. The church should separate from itself fellow believers who do not themselves separate from false teachers and their teachings. Not alienating ourselves from the world through which we are sojourners, but the church is to go out into that world witnessing and winning souls for Christ. (Matt 18:15-17; I Cor 5:11-13; II Cor 6:14-18; Gal 1:6-9; II Thess 3:6; I Tim 1:3-7; Titus 1:9-16; 3:9-11; I John 4:1; II John 7-12; III John)
13. What is your position concerning the Charismatic Movement?
It is a tool that is being
used by Satan to draw men away from the true God by causing them to think they
are heading toward heaven another way. Christ has said He is the only way of
salvation. It is a dangerous thing to
base one's beliefs on feelings or emotions.
Fundamental believers should not participate in the use of tongues or
extrabiblical revelations such as dreams and visions, as we do not believe that
the Holy Spirit is still using these gifts.
We should separate ourselves from this movement. Although I am sure that it or its effects
will confront us, we must not join with them - only be a strong witness for
Christ to them.