We Believe...

 INCARNATION AND CHRISTOLOGY

The word incarnation derives from a Latin word developed from in + caro [flesh], which literally means “in the flesh.” In Christian theology the term refers to the supernatural act of God, effected by the Holy Spirit, whereby the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Triune Godhead, took into union with himself a complete human nature apart from sin. As a result of that action, the Son of God became the God-man forever, the Word made flesh (Jn 1:1, 14; Rm 1:3–4; 8:3; Gl 4:4; Php 2:6–11; 1Tm 3:16; Heb 2:5–18; 1Jn 4:2).

The means whereby the incarnation came about is the virgin conception, commonly known as the virgin birth—the miraculous action of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary—so that what was conceived was fully God and fully man in one person forever (Mt 1:18–25; Lk 1:26–38). He did this in order to become the Redeemer of the church, our Prophet, Priest, and King, and thus to save his people from their sins (Mt 1:21). By becoming one with us, the Lord of Glory not only shares our sorrows and burdens, he is also able to secure our redemption by bearing our sin on the cross as our substitute and being raised for our justification (see Rm 4:25; Heb 2:17–18; 4:14–16; 1Pt 3:18).

THE HUMANITY AND DEITY OF JESUS IN SCRIPTURE

Biblical evidence for the full deity and humanity of Christ is abundant. In regard to his humanity, Jesus is presented as a Jewish man who was born, underwent the normal process of growth and development (Lk 2:52), experienced a full range of human experiences (e.g., Mt 8:10, 24; 9:36; Lk 22:44; Jn 19:28), including growth in knowledge (Mk 13:32), and the experience of death (Jn 19:30). Apart from his sinlessness, which Scripture unequivocally affirms (Jn 8:46; 2Co 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1Pt 1:19), he is one with us in every way.

Scripture also affirms that the man Christ Jesus is also the eternal Son of God and thus God equal with the Father and Spirit. From the opening pages of the NT, Jesus is identified as the Lord: the One who establishes the divine rule and inaugurates the new covenant era in fulfillment of OT expectation—something only God can do (e.g., Is 9:6–7; 11:1–10; Jr 31:31–34; Ezk 34). That is why Jesus’s miracles are not merely human acts empowered by the Spirit of God; rather they are demonstrations of Jesus’s own divine authority over nature (e.g., Mt 8:23–27; 14:22–23), Satan and his hosts (Mt 12:27–28), and all things (Eph 1:9–10, 19–23). Because he is God the Son, Jesus has the authority to forgive sin (Mk 2:3–12), call himself the fulfillment of Scripture (Mt 5:17–19; 11:13), view his relationship with the Father as one of equality and reciprocity (Mt 11:25–27; Jn 5:16–30; 10:14–30), and do the very works of God in creation, providence, and redemption (Jn 1:1–18; Php 2:6–11; Col 1:15–20; Heb 1:1–3).

THEOLOGICAL EXPRESSION OF JESUS’S NATURES

Later church reflection, especially at the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451), affirmed that we cannot do justice to Scripture without confessing that Jesus of Nazareth was fully God and fully man. God the Son, who gave personal identity to the human nature he had assumed and did so without putting aside or compromising his divine nature, must be confessed as one person who now exists in two natures. Additionally, Chalcedon affirmed that we must not think that the incarnation involved a change in the properties of each nature so that some kind of blending resulted which was neither divine nor human, as the Eutychians wrongly affirmed. Rather, we must affirm that the properties of each nature (human and divine) were preserved so that Jesus is all that God is in all of his perfections and all that we humans are except in terms of sin.

This affirmation entails at least two important points. First, the man Jesus from the moment of conception was personal by virtue of the union of the human nature in the person of the divine Son. At no point were there two persons or two centers of self-consciousness, as the Nestorians wrongly affirmed. That is why in our Lord Jesus Christ we come face-to-face with God. We meet him, not subsumed under human flesh, not merely associated with it, but in undiminished moral splendor. The deity and humanity coincide, not because the human has grown into the divine, but because the divine Son has taken to himself a human nature for our salvation. He is the divine Son who subsists in two natures, who has lived his life for us as our representative head, died our death as our substitute, and been raised for our eternal salvation. This is why the Lord Jesus is utterly unique and without parallel and thus the only Lord and Savior. Second, since in the incarnation the eternal Son took to himself a human nature, he can now live a fully human life. Yet he was not totally confined to that human nature as if for a period of time the divine nature was divested of its attributes or function. That is why Scripture affirms that even as the incarnate One, the divine Son continued to uphold and sustain the universe (Col 1:15–17; Heb 1:1–3) even while he lived out his life on earth as a man dependent upon the Father and empowered by the Spirit (Jn 5:19–27; Ac 10:38).

 

Our affirmation of the biblical Jesus is beyond our full comprehension, but it is only in such a Jesus that we have One who can meet our every need. Apart from him as God the Son incarnate, we do not have a Redeemer who can stand on our behalf as a man, let alone satisfy God’s own righteous demand upon us due to our sin. After all, it is only God who can save us. By becoming one with us, our Lord not only becomes our sympathetic Savior, he also accomplishes a work that saves us fully, completely, and finally.

SCRIPTURES INSPIRED - We believe that the Bible is the inspired and only infallible and authoritative Word of God. (II Timothy 3:15; I Peter 2:2)

ONE TRUE GOD - We believe there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. ( Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, John 5:17-30)

DEITY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST - We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of God the Father and in His personal future return to the earth in power and glory to rule over the nations. (Isaiah 7:14; Acts 1:9-11, 2:22; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 7:26)

FALL OF MAN - We believe man was created good and upright, but man voluntarily sinned and thereby incurred both physical and spiritual death, which is separation from God. (Genesis 12:6-27, 2:17, 3:6; Romans 5:12-19)

SALVATION OF MAN - We believe the only means of our being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious blood of Christ. Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential for personal salvation. (Luke 24:47, Romans 8:16, 10:13-15; Titus 2:11, 3:5-7)

MARRIAGE - We believe that marriage, as ordained by God, is defined as being between one man and one woman. No other will be performed or condoned (Jeremiah 29:6; Corinthians 7:2; Genesis 21:21; Genesis 29:21; I Corinthians 7:36, 39; Genesis2:34-24; Ephesians 5:22-23, 25, 28-29, 31, 33).

ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH - We believe the ordinances of the Church are the communion of the Lord's supper and baptism in water by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.(Matthew 28:19; I Corinthians 11:26; Romans 6:4; II Peter 1:4)

BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - We believe the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is recieved when a person is Born Again by The Holy Spirit. "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit" (1Cor. 12:13).We believe this is the Biblical experience of New testament Christians; and that it endues the believer with power for Christian living, & ministry.  The Holy Spirit has His own language that is uttered thru a yielded believer (**prayer language, unknown tongue) to The Heavenly Father. This produces intimacy, edification & intersession for the believer with The Heavenly Father. (Romans 8:26-27, 1Corinthians 14:2,4).

SANCTIFICATION - We believe the scriptures teach a life of holiness. Sanctification is a separation from that which is evil and a dedication unto God. We believe all believer's should earnestly pursue sanctification by walking in obedience to God's Word. We further believe that the Christian is able to live a Godly life by indwelling of the Holy Spirit. (Philippians 2:12-13; Hebrews 12:14; I Peter 1:15,16)

THE CHURCH - We believe that the Church is the body of Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus is The Head who is connected to His Body, The Church (Col. 1:18). Every believer is nourished by the Life giving Power of The Holy Spirit (Rom.8). Jesus is The Baptizer who immerses the believer in The Holy Spirit (Jn. 1:33). Each believer, born of the Holy Spirit, is a part of the "general assembly and Church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven." (Ephesians1:22-23, 2:22; Hebrews 12:23)

THE MINISTRY - We believe a divinely called ministry has been provided by our Lord for two purposes: 1) Evangelizing the world, and 2) edifying the body of Christ. (Mark 16:15-20; Ephesians 4:11-13)

GIFTS of THE HOLY SPIRIT - We believe that The Disciple of Jesus Christ is endowed with The Gifts of The Holy Spirit. These Gifts manifest when the Disciple of Jesus Christ yield (submit) to The Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 12:4-11).

THE BLESSED HOPE -We believe in 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 Jesus Christ. This is the imminent and blessed hope of the Church. (Romans 8:23; I Corinthians 15:51,52; I Thessalonians 4:16,17; Titus 2:13)

THE DAY OF THE LORD - The occasion of God’s final intervention in human affairs to punish sin, restore the faithfull ones, and establish His rule over the nations. It is linked with the Messianic hope and will be fulfilled at Jesus Christ’s return. This future consummation is anticipated in historical acts of judgment and, although its time is unknown, it will be heralded and accompanied by signs and by great upheavals in nature (Isaiah 24:21-22, 13:9-11, 2Peter 3:10, 1Thes.5:2-3, Acts 2:19-20).

THE END OF THE AGE -The Biblical worldview envisioned this present age ending with a time of Great Tribulation, transitioning into Millennial Reign, followed by Judgment of the Wicked and the Righteous are rewarded. "God’s Kingdom" is fully inaugurated with Jesus Christ as "King" over the New Earth ( "All things made new)," Psalms 37:27-29. Revelation 20:11-15, 21:1-7, Zechariah 14:5; Isaiah 11:6-9; Micah 4:3,4 Amos 9:11, Romans 11:26,27; Revelation 1:7, 20:4, 11-16; 2Corinthians 5:10.