Our Beliefs
We can get into the nitty gritty, but the easy way to understand what we believe is to read the Apostles Creed.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
The third day he arose again.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father,
He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy universal church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
ALL OF OUR BELIEFS.
For all you Bible scholars.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to men, the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and superior to conscience and reason, but not contrary to reason.
The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent, self-revealed “I AM,” and has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association, by simultaneously existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory.
The Scriptures declare:
- His virgin birth (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31,35).
- His sinless life (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22).
- His miracles (Acts 2:22; Acts 10:38).
- His substitutionary work on the cross (1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
- His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:4).
- His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9,11; Acts 2:33; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:3).
Man was created good and upright; However, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God.
Man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Conditions of Salvation
The Grace of God, which brings salvation, has appeared to all men, through the preaching of repentance toward God and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; man is saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, and being justified by grace, has become heir of God according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 2:11; Titus 3:5-7; Romans 10:13-15; Luke 24:47)
Evidences of Salvation
The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16). The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:24; Titus 2:12)
Baptism in Water
The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded in the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized. 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)
Holy Communion
The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements, bread and fruit of the vine, is the symbol expressing our sharing in a memorial to His suffering and death, and a prophecy of His second coming, and is enjoined to all believers “until He comes.” (John 6:48,51,53-57; Luke 22:19-20; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 Corinthians 11:25)
All believers should ardently expect and earnestly seek the Promise of the Father, which is the baptism in the Holy Spirit. With it comes the infilling of power for life and service, and the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31)
With the baptism in the Holy Spirit come such experiences as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit (John 7:37-39; Acts 4:8), a deepened reverence for God (Acts 2:43; Hebrews 12:28), an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work (Acts 2:42), and a more active love for Christ, for His Word, and for the lost (Mark 16:20).
The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is often witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance (Acts 2:4). The speaking in tongues in this instance is the same in essence as the gift of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:4-10,28), but different in purpose and use.
Sanctification is the will of God for all believers, and should be earnestly pursued by walking in obedience to God’s Word.
Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God.
Scriptures teach a life of “holiness without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 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).
The church is the holy Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer is an integral part of the church, and their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
(Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 2:22; Hebrews 12:23; I Thessalonians. 2:4)
Since God’s purpose concerning man is to seek and to save that which is lost, to be worshiped by man, to build a body of believers in the image of His Son, and to demonstrate His love and compassion for all the world, the priority reason-for-being of Citizen Church is:
- To be an agency of God for evangelizing the world (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16).
- To be a corporate body in which man may worship God (1 Corinthians 12:13).
- 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 Corinthians 12:28; 1 Corinthians 14:12).
- To be a people who demonstrate God’s love and compassion for all the world (Psalms 112:9; Galatians 2:10; Galatians 6:10; James 1:27)
A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the fourfold purpose of leading the Church in:
- Evangelization of the world (Mark 16:15-20)
- Worship of God (John 4:23-24)
- Building a Body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Ephesians 4:11,16)
- Meeting human need with ministries of love and compassion (Psalms 112:9; Galatians 2:10; Galatians 6:10; James 1:27).
God created marriage. It is a covenant made between a biological man and a biological woman that makes them one.
Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement of Christ and is the privilege of all believers.
The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation, together with
those who are alive and remain unto the Lord, is imminent and is the blessed hope of the church.
The revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, the salvation of national Israel, and the millennial reign of Christ on the earth are Scriptural promises and our hope.
The devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, and whosoever is not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life shall be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake which burns fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
We, as promised in the Scriptures, look for a new heavens and a new earth wherein righteousness dwells.