THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the inspired Word of God.  The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed and therefore, are the final authority for faith and life.  The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete divine revelation of God to Man.  The scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning, and all issues of interpretation and meaning shall be determined by the pastors and the elders.  As it pertains to this constitution, The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official translation used by the church. (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

THE GODHEAD 

We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God.    (Deuteronomy 6:4; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 28:19)

GOD THE FATHER

Although God the Father shares the same essence with God the Son and God the Spirit, He is to be distinguished from the two other members of the Trinity. The Father is not begotten nor is He the One who was crucified. He is frequently spoken of as “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thanks to His choice in adopting us, He is also our Father, and we are described as His children. Hence, Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven.” The Father is the one who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and chose us to be His from before the foundation of the world. The Father loved the world and gave His Son on our behalf. (Matthew 6:9; John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 1:3; Ephesians 1:3)

Although the Fatherhood of God finds its clearest expression in the New Testament, this relationship was already known to the faithful in Old Testament times. For example, David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah refer to the intimacy of the Father/Son relationship. (Psalm 103:13, 14; Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 3:19)

THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, came into the world that He might manifest God to men, fulfill prophecy, and become the Redeemer of a lost world. To this end, He was born of the Virgin Mary, received a human body and a sinless human nature without ceasing to be God. (Luke 1:30-35; John 1:1, 14, 18; Hebrews 4:15; Philippians 2:5-11 )

We believe that, in infinite love for the lost, He voluntarily accepted His Father’s will and became the divinely provided sacrificial Lamb and took away the sins of the world. (Romans 3:25-31;  2 Corinthians 5:14; Hebrews 10:5-14)

We believe He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He had lived and died and that His resurrected body is the pattern of the body which ultimately will be given to all believers. (John 20:20; Philippians 3:20-21)

We believe that on departing earth, He was accepted by His Father and that His acceptance is a final assurance to us that His redeeming work was perfectly accomplished. (Hebrews 1:3)

We believe that He became head over all things to the church, which is His body, and in this ministry He does not cease to intercede and to be an advocate for the saved.  (Luke 1:35; 1 Corinthians 15:1-3; Ephesians 1:23; Philippians 2:6-8; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1-2).

THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe the Holy Spirit is that Person of the Triune Godhead who dwells in every believer upon placing their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, convicts men of sin, causes regeneration (which is spiritual birth), indwells, seals, sanctifies, guides, equips, teaches, and fills the believer, thus enabling him to walk in obedience to God and His Word.  (John 3:5; 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15; Acts 1:8; 5:3-4; Rom. 8:9, 14; 1 Cor.2:10-11, 6:11,19;12:4-13, 2 Co 3:18, Gal. 5:16-18, 22-23; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30, 5:18-21)

THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN 

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God; but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God.  Man is totally depraved and, of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.  (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3 22-23; 5:12 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)

SALVATION 

We believe that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again spiritually, and that the new birth of the believer comes only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We believe, also, that our redemption has been accomplished by the grace of God, an unmerited gift, given in love by God and not the result of any human works. (John 3:17-18; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Romans 4:4-5 )

We believe that the explicit message of our Lord Jesus Christ to those whom He has saved is to make Christ known to the whole world and that this is the purpose of the church through the individuals within it. (Matthew 28:18-19; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21)
 

We believe that local churches, such as Ekklesia Christian Fellowship, gather together for practical instruction in the scriptures, for fellowship with God and with other believers, and for corporate witness to the unsaved world. Our common spiritual goal is to grow toward Christ’s likeness. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:13-16)

THE ETERNAL SECURITY AND ASSURANCE OF BELIEVERS.  

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever.  (John 6:37– 40; 10:27 -30; Rom. 8:1; 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; Eph. 1:13, 1 Pet. 1:4-5)

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word.  (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

THE CHURCH 

We believe that “The Church” is the called out body of born again believers and the espoused bride of Christ.  The local church is solely made up of born again persons.  (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2, Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)

We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20: 17, 28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control.   (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1,4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet. 5:1-4)

We believe that two ordinances have been committed to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the triune God. This ordinance, being a command of Christ.  Likewise, the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His atoning death. These two ordinances are to be observed until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:16-20; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:41, 10:47-48; I Corinthians 11:23-29)

THE SECOND ADVENT OF CHRIST

We believe that a future period of great tribulation on the earth will be climaxed by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth as he went in person in the clouds with power and great glory to establish His millennial kingdom.  But prior to this tribulation, we believe there will be the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the air to receive unto Himself into Heaven both those own who are alive in Christ and remain until His coming, and also all who have died in Jesus Christ.  (1 Thess. 4:13-14; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 3:10).

THE ETERNAL STATE

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.  (Matt 25:46; John 5:28, 11;25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)

We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when the spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever, with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8;  Phil.1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17 Rev. 20: 4-6)

We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment.  (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)

THE PERSONALITY OF SATAN

We believe that Satan, the devil, is the prince of demons and the declared adversary of God and man. However, when the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, He limited the power of the devil and guaranteed the ultimate triumph of God. (Ephesians 2:2; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:10; Colossians 2:13-15)

CREATION

We believe that God created the universe in six literal days.   We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen. 1-2; Ex 20:11)

CIVIL GOVERNMENT

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions:  1) the family (home), 2) the church, and 3) the government.  Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His word.  (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13-14)

HUMAN SEXUALITY

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance.   (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)

We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman.  (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and in the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)

We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society.  The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church.  The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ.   Children are a heritage from the Lord.   Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values according to God’s holy word. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:12, Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12; 1 Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4; 1 Pet. 3:1-7)

DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE 

We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. We recognize that divorce and remarriage might be permitted under certain conditions. However, whether a person has a biblical reason to divorce or whether a divorced person has biblical grounds for remarriage is subject to the determination of the pastors and the elders, based on the teachings of Scripture. We urge those who are struggling in their marriages to seek counsel from mature believers with fervent prayer that God might bring about reconciliation and renewed commitment to the marriage vows. (Genesis 2:24; Malachi 2:16; Matthew 19:3–9; 1 Corinthians 7:10–13)

ABORTION

We believe that human life is a sacred gift from God and must be respected from the moment of conception (fertilization). (Psalm 139:13–16)

LOVE AND UNITY

We believe that we should demonstrate biblical love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal with those who oppose us  graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly.  God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice.  Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Phil 2:2-4; 2Tim 2:24-26; Titus 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)

LAWSUITS AMONG BELIEVERS

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes.  We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal dispute between members.  We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another’s insurance company as along as the claim is pursued without malice or slander.  (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32).

GIVING

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his local church.  We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should give offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel.  We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of his tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7, Gal. 6:6, Eph. 4:28; 1Tim. 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)