1 The Scriptures both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct (2 Timothy 3: 15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2: 13; 2 Peter 1 :21)
The One true God has revealed himself as the eternally 1 self-existent “I AM”, the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10, 11; Mathew 28:19;Luke 3:22).
The terms “trinity” and “persons”, as related to the Godhead, while not found in the Scriptures, are words in harmony with Scripture, whereby we may convey to others our immediate understanding of the doctrine of Christ respecting the Being of God, as distinguished from “gods many and lords many”. We therefore may speak with propriety of the Lord our God, who is one Lord, as a Trinity or as one Being of three persons, and still be absolutely scriptural (Mattew 28:19: 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 14:16,17).
Christ taught a distinction of persons in the Godhead which He expressed in specific terms of relationship, as Fa ther, Son, and Holy Ghost, but that this distinction and rela tionship, as to its mode is inscrutable and incomprehensible because unexplained (Luke 1:35; 1 Corinthians 1:24; Mat thew 11:25-27,28:19;2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 John 1:3,4)
Accordingly, therefore, there is that in the Son which T constitutes Him the Son and not the father, and there is that ir g the Holy Ghost which constitutes Him the Holy Ghost and no either the Father or the Son. Wherefore the Father is thi IT Begetter, the Son is the Begotten, and the Holy Ghost is the th One proceeding from the Father and the Son. Therefore, bie S cause these three persons in the Godhead are in a state G
The Father, the Soh, and the Holy Ghost are never iden- tical as to person, nor confused as to relation; nor divided in respect to the Godhead; nor opposed as to co-operation. The Son is in the Father and the Father is with the Son as to fellowship. The Father is not from the Son, but the Son is from the Father, as to authority. The Holy Ghost is from the Father and the Son proceeding, as to nature, relationship. co-operation and authority. Hence no person in the Godhead either exists or works separately or independently of the others (John 5:17-30,32,37,8:17, 18).
The appellation “Lord Jesus Christ”, is a proper name. It is never applied in the New Testament either to the Father or to the Holy Ghost. It therefore belongs exclusively to the Son of God (Romans 1:1-3,7; 2 John 3).
The Lord Jesus Christ, as to His divine and eternal nature, is the proper and only Begotten of the Father, but as to His human nature, He is the proper Son of man. He is, there- fore, acknowledged to be both God and man, who because He is God and man, is “Immanuel, God with us” (Matthew 1:23; 1 John4:2,10,14; Revelation 1:13,17).
Since the name “Immanuel” embraces both God and man, in the one person, our Lord Jesus Christ, it follows that the title Son of God describes His proper deity and the title Son of man, His proper humanity. Therefore, the title son of God belongs to the order of eternity and the title Son of Man to the order of time (Matthew 1:21-23; 2 John 3:8; Hebrews 1:1-13, 7:3)
Wherefore, it is a transgression of the doctrine of Christ to say that Jesus Christ derived the title Son of God solely from the fact of the Incarnation, or because of His relation to the economy of redemption. Therefore, to deny that the Father is a real and eternal Father, and that the Son is a real and eternal Son, is a denial of the distinction and relationship in the Being of God; a denial of the Father and the Son; and a disc placement of the truth that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (2 John 9; John1:1,2,14,18,29,49; 1 John2:22,23:4:1-5; Hebrews 12:2)
The Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, having by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, angels and principalities and powers having been made L subject unto him. And having been made both Lord and Christ, b He sent the Holy Ghost that we, in the name of Jesus, might bow our knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father until the end, when the Son shall be 5 come subject to the Father that God may be all in all (Hebrews 1:3; 1 Peter 3:22; Acts 2:32-36; Romans: 14:11; 1 Corinthians s 15:24-28). a
Wherefore, since the Father has delivered all judgement unto the Son, it is not only the expressduty, of all in heaven and on earth to bow the knee, but it is an unspeakable joy it a the Holy Ghost to ascribe unto the Son all the attributes d 3 deity, and to give Him all the honor and the glory contained all the names and titles of the Godhead except those whid express relationship (see paragraphs b,c and d), and thus hond the Son even as we honor the Father (John 5:22,23; 1 Peter 18 Revelation 5:6-14; Philippians 2:8,9; Revealation 7:9,10; 4:8-11)
The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. The Scriptures declare:
(a) His Virgin birth (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31,35)
(b) His sinless life (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22)
(c) His miracles (Acts2:22; 10:38).
(d) His Substitutionary work on the cross (1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
(e) His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39;1 Corinthians 15:4).
(f) His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9,11; 2:33; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:3)
Man was created good and upright; for God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”. However, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God (Genesis1:26,27;2:17:3:6; Romans:5:12-19).
Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the Washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life (Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11;3:5-7).
The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:6). The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24; Titus 2:12).
The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded in the Scriptures. All who repent and believe or Christ as Saviour and Lord are to be baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Thus they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life (Matthew 28:19 Mark 16:16, Acts 10:47,48; Romans 6:4).
The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements-bread and the fruit of the vine- is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4); a memorial of His suffering and death (1Corinthians 11:26); and a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26); and is enjoined on all believers “till He come”
All believers are entitled to and should ardently exped and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian church. With it comes the endowment of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the worn t of the ministry (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31) H This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experiend in of the new birth (Acts 8:12-17;10:44-46;11:14-16;15:7-9)
With the baptism in the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39; Act 2:4-8) comes a deepened reverence for God (Acts 2:43, Het 12:28), and intensified consecration to God and dedicationt to His work (Acts 2:42) and a more active love for Christ, for Hь Word and for the lost (Mark 16:20).
The baptism of believers in the Holy Ghost is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance (Acts 2:4). The Speak- ing in tongues in this instance is the same in essence as the gift of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:4-10,28) but different in pur- pose and use.
Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God (Rom. 12:1, 2: 1 Thes. 5:23; Heb. 13:12). The Scriptures teach a life of “Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). By the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to obey the command “Be ye holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15,16).
Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection and by faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 6:1-11, 13;8: 1, 2, 13; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 2:12, 13; 1 Peter 1:5)
The church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, the divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the General Assembly and Church of the first- born, which are written in Heaven (Ephesians 1:22, 23; 2:22; Hebrews 12:23).
Since God’s purpose concerning man is to seek and to save that which is lost, to be worshipped by man and to build a body of believers in the image of His Son, the priority rea- son for being of the Assemblies of God as part of the church is: The Assemblies of God exists expressly to give continu- ing emphasis to this reason viz., to promote the New Tes- tament apostolic pattern by teaching and encouraging be. lievers to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. This experience:
(i) Enables them to evangelize in the power of the Spirit with accompanying supernatural signs (Mark 16:15-20; Acts 4:29-31; Heb. 2:24).
(ii) I Helps to add a necessary dimension to the worshipful re- lationship with God (1 Cor. 2:10-16; 1 Cor. 12:13, 14).
(iii) Enables them to respond to the full working of the Holy Spirit in expression of fruit and gifts for ministries as in New Testament times for the edifying of the Body of Christ (Galatians 5:22-26; 1 Cor. 14:12; Ephe. 4:11-12, 1 Cor. 12:28; Colo. 1:29).
A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the threefold purpose of leading the Church in;
(i) To be an agency of God for evangelizing the world (Acts 1:8; Mathew 28:19, 20; Mark 16:15,16).
(ii) To be a corporate body in which man may worship God (1 Cor. 12:28, 14:12)
(iii) To be a channel of God’s purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Cor. 12:28, 14:12).
Divine healing is an integral part of the Gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the Atone ment and is the privilege of all believers (Isaiah 53:4,5 Matt. 8:16,17; James 5:14-16)
The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the Church (1 Thes. 4:16,17; Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:51, 52)
The Second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is our blessed hope followed by the visible retum of Christ with His saints to reign on the earth for one thousand tyears (Zech. 14:5; Matt. 24:27,30; Rev. 1:7; 19:11-14; 20:1-6).
This reign will bring the salvation of the nation of Israel (Ezekiel 37:21,22; Zeph. 3:19,20; Rom. 11:26, 27) and the establishment of universal peace (Isaiah 11:6-9; Psalm 12:3-8, Micah 4:3,4).
There will be a final judgement in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Anyone whose name is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death (Matt. 13:50; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 19:20; 20:11-15; 21:8).
“We according to His promise, look for new Heavens and a new earth, wherein righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21:22)
