THE EMMANUEL BIBLE CHURCH
DOCTRINAL ARTICLES OF FAITH
The Scriptural doctrines to which we ask the assent of all applicants for membership are briefly contained in the following Articles of Faith:
SECTION A: GODHEAD
We believe in the only true God (John 17:3); the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19), who created all things (Heb. 1:2; Acts 14:15; Rev. 4:11), and upholds all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3), in Whom we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28), a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He (Deut. 23:4), and He shall judge the world (Psa. 9:8).
1. The Trinity - 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, having precisely the seine nature, attributes and perfections, and worthy of precisely the seine homage, confidence and obedience. (Mark 12:29; John 1:1-4; Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 5:3, 4; II Cor. 13:l4; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. l:4-6).
2. Jesus Christ - We believe there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Cor. 3:11). We believe in the Virgin Birth of Christ (Isa. 7:14; Luke 1:27) and that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18; Luke 1:35). We believe that Jesus Christ led a sinless life (II Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15), therefore was able to be a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world (Heb. 9:14, 26-28; I John 1:7b) and was able to be a perfect example unto His believers (I Peter 2:21-24). We also believe that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures; (I Cor. l5: 3, 4), and sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:3), now to appear in the presence of God for us (Heb. 9:24).
3. The Holy Spirit - We believe that the Holy Spirit, not as an influence, but as a Divine Person, the source and power of all acceptable worship and service, is our abiding Comforter and Helper, Guide and Teacher, that He never takes His departure from the Church, nor from the feeblest of The saints, but is ever present to testify of Christ, seeking to occupy us with Him (John 7:38,39; 14:16, 17; 15:26; 16:13; 14; Acts 1:8; Rom. 8:9; Phil. 3:3). We believe that the ascended Christ gives gifts through the sovereign will of the Holy Spirit for the edification and unity of the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 12: 4-12; Ephesians 4: 7-13).
SECTION B: THE SCRIPTURES
1. Inspiration - We believe that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” by which we understand the whole of the book called the Bible; nor do we take the statement in the sense in which it is sometimes foolishly said that works of human genius are inspired, but in the sense that the Holy Spirit gave the very words of the sacred writings to holy men of old; and that His Divine inspiration is not in different degrees, but extends equally and fully to all parts of these writings, historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical, and to the smallest word, and inflection of a word, provided such word is found in the original manuscripts (II Tim, 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:21; I Cor. 2:13; Mark 12 :26,36; 13:11; Acts 1:16; 2:4).
2. Unity of Scriptures - We believe that all the Scriptures, from first to last, center about our Lord Jesus Christ, in His person arid work, in His first and second coming; and hence that no chapter even of the Old Testament is properly read or understood until it leads to Him; and moreover, that all the Scriptures from first to last, including every chapter of the Old Testament, were designed for our practical instruction (Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Acts 17:2,3; 18:28; 26:22,23; Rom. 15: 4; I Cor. 10:11).
SECTION C: SINFUL MAN
We believe that by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Rom.5:12), and judgment came upon all men to condemnation (Rom. 5:18). For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 6:23).
1. Man’s Fall - We believe that man, originally created in the image and after the likeness of God, fell from his high and holy estate by eating the forbidden fruit, and as the consequence of his disobedience the threatened penalty of death was then arid there inflicted, so that his moral nature was not only grievously injured by the fall, but he totally lost all spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses arid sins, and subject to the power of the devil (Gen. 1:26; 2:17; John 5:40; 6:53; Eph. 2:1-3; I Tim. 5:6; I John 3:8).
2. Man’s Total Depravity - We believe that this spiritual death, or total corruption of human nature, has been transmitted to the entire race of man, the man Christ Jesus alone excepted (II Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15) and hence that every child of Adam is born into the world with a nature which not only possesses no spark of Divine life, but is essentially and unchangeably bad, being at enmity against God, and incapable of any educational process whatever of subjection to His law (Gen. 6:5; Psa. 14:1-3; 51:5; Jer.l7:9; John 3:6; Rom. 5:12-19; 8:6,7).
3. Bliss or Condemnation of the Soul - We believe that the souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation do at death immediately pass into His presence, and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming, when soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in the glory; but the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the final judgment of the great white throne at the close of the millennium, when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (Luke 16:19-26; 23:43; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6:7; Rev. 20:11, 15)
SECTION D: SALVATION
1. Regeneration - We believe that, owing to universal depravity and death in sin, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless born again; and that no degree of reformation, however great; no attainment in morality, however high; no culture, however attractive; no humanitarian and philanthropic schemes and societies, however useful; no baptism or other ordinance, however administered, can help the sinner to take even one step toward heaven; but a new nature, imparted from above, a new life implanted by the Holy Spirit through the Word, is absolutely essential to salvation (Isa. 64:6; John 3:5,18; Gal. 6:15; Phil. 3:4-9; Titus 3:5; James l:2,.8; I Peter 1:23).
2. Redemption - We believe that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was made to be sin, and made a curse, for us, dying in our room and stead; and that no repentance, no feeling, no faith, no good resolutions, no sincere efforts, no submission to the rules and regulations of any church, or of all the churches that have existed since the days of the Apostles, can add in the very least to the value of that precious blood, or to the merit of that finished work; wrought for us by Him who united in His person true and proper divinity with perfect and sinless humanity (Lev. 17:11; Matt. 26:28; Rom. 5:6-9; II Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:7; I Peter 1:18,19).
3. Salvation - We believe that Christ, in the fullness of the blessings He has secured by His obedience unto death, is received by faith alone, and that the moment we trust in Him as our Saviour we pass out of death into everlasting life, being justified from all things, accepted before the Father according to the measure of His acceptance, loved as He is loved, and having His place and portion, as linked to Him, and one with Him forever (John 5:24; 17:23; Acts 13:39; Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:4-6, 13; I John 4:17; 5:11,12).
4. Result of Man’s Acceptance or Rejection - We believe that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16) and he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son, and this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son (I John 5:10,11); he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him (John 3:26), who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power (II These. 1:9).
SECTION E: SEPARATION
We believe that we are called with a holy calling to walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, and so to live in the Spirit that we should not fulfill the lusts of the flesh; but the flesh being still in us to the end of our earthly pilgrimage, needs to be kept constantly in subjection to Christ, or it will surely manifest its presence to the dishonor of His name (Rom. 8:12,13; 13:14; Gal.5:l6-25; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 13:1-10; I Peter 1:14-16; I John 3:5-9).
SECTION F: SECURITY OF THE BELIEVE
We believe that it is the privilege not only of some, but of all who are born again by the Spirit through faith in Christ as revealed in the Scriptures, to be assured of their salvation from the very day they take Him to be their Saviour; and that this assurance is not founded upon any fancied discovery of their own worthiness, but wholly upon the testimony of God in His written Word, existing within His children as filial love, gratitude, and obedience (Luke 10:20; 12:32; John 6:47; Rom. 8:38,39; II Cor. 5:1; 6-8; II Tim. 1:12; I John 5:13).
SECTION G: THE CHURCH (THE BODY OF CHRIST) AND ORDINANCES
1. The Church (The Body of Christ)- We believe that the Church is composed of all who are united by the Holy Spirit to the risen and ascended Son of God, that by the same Spirit we are all baptised into the risen and ascended Son of God, that by the same Spirit we are all baptised into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, and thus being members one of another, we are responsible to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and loving one another with a pure heart fervently (Matt. 16:16-18; Acts 2:32-47; Rom. 12:5; I Cor. 12:12-17; Eph. 1:20-23; 4:3-l0; Col. 3:14,15).
2. Mission of the Church - We believe in the great commission as the primary mission of the Church; 1) the preaching to all the world of the Gospel of the grace of God, and 2)teaching converts to observe the Word of God (Matt. 28:19,20).
3. The Ordinances - We believe that Christ, the head over all to the Church (Eph. l:22) hath commanded us to baptize (immersion, Ron. 6:3-10) in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19); and the same night in which He was betrayed took bread and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, “Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of Me.” After the same manner also He took the cup when He had supped, saying, “This cup is the New Testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come” (I Cor. 11:23-26). Be ye therefore ready also; for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not (Luke l2:40); looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and Saviour Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).
SECTION H: DISPENSATI0NAL STAND
We believe that the world will not be converted during the present dispensation, but is fast ripening for judgment, while there will be a fearful apostasy in the professing Christian body; and hence the Lord Jesus will come in person to introduce the millennial age, when Israel shall be restored to their own land, and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord; and that this personal and premillennial advent is the blessed hope set before us in the Gospel for which we should be constantly looking (Luke 12:35-40; 17: 26-30; 18:8; Acts l5:14-l7; II Thess. 2:3-8; II Tim. 3:1-5; Titus 1:11-15).
In subscribing to these Articles of Faith, we by no means set aside, or undervalue, any of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, but believe all to be God’s own written word, given to us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but the knowledge and belief of the truth as stated in our Articles of Faith, we deem necessary to sound doctrine, and thereby requisite for Christian fellowship.
