Collegians for Christ

STATEMENT OF FAITH The Holy Scriptures We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be God’s Word, the Bible. We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the original writings and the preservation of His pure words by God to every generation (II Timothy 3:16; Psalm 12:6-8; I Peter 1:23-25). The Authorized King James version of the Bible is the English version that we use for teaching. It is the most accurate word for word translation in the English language. We believe that the Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed (II Peter 1:21). The Bible is our sole and final authority for our faith and practice. The Godhead We believe in one Triune God who exists eternally in three persons- The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each being co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, and co-equal in power and glory, and each having the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:26). The Person and Work of Christ We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary so He might reveal God and redeem sinful mankind back to Himself (John 1:1-2; Isaiah 7:14; Philippians 2:5-8). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His finished work on the cross as a representative ,vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 2:24). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was raised bodily and that He ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Hebrews 9:24; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2). The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Person who reproves the World of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, indwelling all believers and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14). We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all believers to be filled with the Spirit (John 14:26; Ephesians 1:17-18; I John 2:27). We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayer of believers for physical healing (II Corinthians 13:8; Hebrews 2:3-4; Mark 16:17-20; I Corinthians 14:21-22). Man We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and therefore man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12). The Way of Salvation We believe that the clear message of salvation is “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). We believe that salvation is “by grace” plus nothing minus nothing. We believe that Jesus Christ died for every man, and that each individual chooses to accept or reject the grace of God (Hebrews 2:9; I John 2:2; John 3:16-18). Eternal Security of the Believers We believe that all the redeemed, once saved are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We believe that eternal life is the present possession of every believer (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:4-5; Jude 1). The Church We believe that the New Testament church is a local assembly of baptized believers who have voluntarily joined themselves together to carry out the Great Commission. The Lord uses local churches to carry out His work in this world. The establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. The Local church is the body and bride of Christ (Acts 14:27, 20:17, 28-32; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2; I Timothy 3:1-13). We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. Christ is the only head of the church (Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Peter 5:1-4). We recognize two ordinances which are baptism by immersion in water and the Lord’s Supper as a scriptural means of testimony for local churches in this age (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; I Corinthians 11:23-26). Biblical Separation We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (II Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1-2; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1). The Return of Christ We believe the “Blessed Hope” of the Lord’s return is literal, personal, visible, imminent, premillennial, and pretribulational. Believers will be caught up to be with the Lord prior to the seven years tribulation, and at the end of the tribulation Christ will return with His saints to establish His thousand-year reign on the earth (I Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10, 19:11-16, 20:1-6; Psalm 89:3-4). The Eternal State We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life to be with Jesus Christ, and the unsaved to judgement and everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29, 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13). We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Revelation 20:4-6; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17). We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:41-46; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-46; Revelation 20:11-15). World Evangelism We believe that God has given the Church the Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8).