The Bible does not merely contain the "Word of God," it is the "Word of God." The Bible is the inspired Word of God, it is "God-breathed." The Bible is infallible and inerrant, reliable, true and eternal.
God the Father is the Creator of everything. God is holy, eternal, immutable, righteous, just and merciful. He is Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent. God is love. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are equal in character, authority and power.
Jesus was born of a virgin and came as the once-for-all atonement for the sins of everyone who would accept Him as Savior. He lived a sinless life, was crucified and died, and was bodily resurrected from the tomb on the third day. He is risen, exalted and to be worshiped in spirit and truth. One day, He will return to the earth for His bride - those who believe in Him - and He will judge the earth.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. He convicts of sin, bears witness of Christ and gives the new birth, indwells believers, seals salvation, fills and empowers believers, grants spiritual gifts, guides believers and anoints them with special abilities for specific purposes. He is the author of the Scriptures, the comforter of the saints and assists the believers' prayers.
The Holy Spirit of Jesus is the sovereign Giver of spiritual gifts. No single gift is proof of either the Spirit's baptism or His filling. The "unboxable" Spirit distributes gifts to each individual "just as He wills." He places the members in His body, just as He desires. In salvation, the Holy Spirit brings the sinner to conviction and repentance of sins, gives faith in Jesus Christ's death as payment for his sins, and brings salvation. There is, however, a further work of the Holy Spirit in empowering the believer for service or ministry in the Kingdom. This further work of the Spirit may occur almost simultaneously with the moment of being "born again" or it may occur later.
Man was created in God's own image. Man was created with a physical nature, a mind and will, and a spiritual nature. When Adam sinned, all men came under the penalty of eternal, spiritual death. Man is saved from the penalty of his sins, by God's grace through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection from the tomb.
Salvation is "the gift of God." Man cannot keep God's law without sinning. "To sin" literally means "to miss the mark" and all men have sinned. God's plan for the salvation of man was the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. He took the punishment for sin for all men. In order to receive the gift of salvation, individuals must come to know they are sinners, knowing they cannot earn God's pardon. They must repent - turn from their sin; place their faith in what Jesus did for them on the cross. Salvation is a transformation. It is being "born again." Salvation is a "once-for all time" event and a life changing process (sanctification) that continues until we are in heaven.
Sinners are saved by the grace of God alone and kept "saved" by God's grace alone. God has promised, in His Word, the Bible, that He will never leave or forsake us. The assurance of our salvation is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, at work with the Word, in the believer, convincing the believer of God's love, mercy and the security that He will not leave them, no matter what.
The word "church" means "called out ones." The true church is made up of people who have accepted Jesus as Savior and followed Him in believer's baptism. The characteristics of a New Testament church are found in Acts 2. They are worship, evangelism, teaching/discipleship, community among believers, stewardship and service to others.
Baptism is a Greek word that means to immerse, plunge or submerge. Jesus was baptized to establish an example for believers. It is a step of obedience to Jesus, following salvation. The Lord's Supper (Communion) was instituted by Jesus. It is a remembrance of what He did for us on the cross. The elements of the Lord's Supper (the fruit of the vine and the unleavened bread) are symbolic of Jesus' blood and His body.
Worship is not an activity of the mind; it is a response of the heart. It has little to do with location, because its focus is on the living Lord. There are no set "formulas" for how to worship - by type of music or posture - except that it must be authentic and from the heart. Before true corporate worship can take place in a "church service," each believer must have prepared in private.
Believers have a responsibility to care for what God has entrusted to them. This includes time, talents and gifts, and money. How we use our "time, talent and gifts" is important to God. The primary means of furthering the Gospel is the tithes and offerings of God's people. Tithe means the first 10% or "tenth" of our income. God will be faithful to those who are faithful in giving.
Diligence must be given to keep the fellowship pure. When believers fall into sin and remain in it the entire body is affected. Matthew 18:15-17 outlines the process to be used for restoration. As there is a change of heart, fellowship can and must be restored. Jesus expects His church to be of "one heart and one mind." Unity of purpose and action will accomplish powerful things for the Kingdom. In cases where there is divisiveness, the person is warned twice, and then placed out of the fellowship. The purpose of this is to maintain the church's purity and to see the person restored to the fellowship of the congregation.