I. We Believe the Scriptures Are Inspired

The Bible is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to man, the infallible

Rule of faith and conduct, and is superior to conscience and reason, but not contrary to reason. (2 Timothy 3:15-17;

1 Peter 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12)

Part of its divine design includes:

·        Written over 1600 years by more than 40 authors

·        The middle chapter of the Bible is Psalm 118

·        The middle verse is Psalm 118:8: “It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in man.”

·        The middle two words are: “the Lord”

·        There are 594 chapters before and after Psalm 118 which, when added together, equals 1188, or Psalm 118:8.

____________________________________________________________________

II. We Believe In the One True God

The God of the Bible is revealed as a Holy Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are three divine Persons who are self-existent,

self-revealed, distinct in office, yet function as one entity and perfectly one in character, Jesus Christ being the full and final revelation

of God. (Gen. 1:26; Matt. 3:12-17; 1 Cor. 15:28; John 16:14; Heb. 1:3; John 1:18)

____________________________________________________________________________

III.             We Believe In the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ 

This is our most important statement of faith, and that what we believe about the Lord Jesus Christ separates us from truth and error. We believe

that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and arose bodily from the dead. (Heb. 10:5; Luke 24:38-40; 1 John 4:1-3)

Jesus is all God and all man, not some percentage or mixture of both.

Jesus is all God:

·        Established by His virgin birth. (Isa. 7:14; Luke 1:26-28; John 1:1-4: Phil. 2:5-8)

·        Established by the testimony of God (Heb. 1:8,9), angels (Luke 24:4-8), men (Matt. 16:16), and demons (Matt. 8:29).

________________________________________________________________________

IV.              We Believe In the Fall of Man

In the beginning, everything was good and perfect. Man was created in the image and likeness of God, thus separating man from the animal

kingdom. Man was sinless and perfect, made for fellowship with God. (Gen.1: 26-31)

God gave Adam responsibility to protect and choose. He was given dominion over the earth, not ownership. (Ps. 24:1)

Satan tempted man and he fell. Had Adam chosen the Tree of Life, he would have been sealed in perfect relationship with God. Sin opened the

door to death (Rom. 5:12), the curse (Deut. 28), and the dominion of Satan (2 Cor. 4:4).

Sin was passed down to all men (Rom. 3:23). Men who die in a fallen state of sin will be eternally separated from God (Luke 16:19-31; Matt. 25:41;

Rev. 20:14).

____________________________________________________________________________

V.                 We Believe In the Salvation of Man

Man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. On the cross, Jesus Christ became our sin offering, providing both

salvation and wholeness for all mankind (Ps. 103:3). C. I. Scofield wrote, “The Greek words for salvation imply the ideas of deliverance, safety,

preservation, healing, and soundness. Salvation is the great inclusive word of the Gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes

as justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, imputation, forgiveness, sanctification, and glorification.” (See Hebrews 7:25.)

Salvation is from God, not man (Rom. 3:11: 1 Peter 1:18-20). Salvation is through Christ alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Salvation is obtained by

grace and not by works (Eph. 2:8,9; John 6:44).

Salvation is for time and eternity (Heb. 13:5) but can be lost by an irrevocable act of your will (Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26,27; Mark 3:28-30). “Normal sins

break fellowship with God, not relationship with Him (1 John 1:9).

The evidences of salvation are, number one, to the believer: a brand-new spirit (2 Cor. 5:17-21) and the direct witness of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:16);

and, number two, the outward witness to all men is a life of holiness and righteousness, evidenced by a life of obedience to God and love to one

another (Col. 3:1-14; 1 John 3:23).

_____________________________________________________________________________________

VI.              We Believe In Two Ordinances of the Church

Water Baptism:

Water baptism is essentially three things:

1.  Obedience to Jesus’ command (Matt. 28:19,20; Mark 16:15,16).

2.  An outward testimony of an inward work in your heart (Rom. 6:1-5)

            3.  A decision of faith to follow the Lord (Rom. 6:46)

     The method of baptism is in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

     by immersion.(Matt. 28:19; Acts 19:1-3)

     The Lord’s Supper:

     The bread and juice are symbolic, not actual, representations of the broken body          

     and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, intended as an observation, remembering    

     the great provisions of Christ’s sacrifice. (1 Cor. 11:24-28) The frequency of

     observation is determined by each church.

      _________________________________________________________________

      _________________________________________________________________

      _________________________________________________________________

    VII.        We Believe In the Promise of the Father

All believers are entitled to, and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the “promise of the Father,” the baptism of the Holy Spirit,

according to the instructions of our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:49). 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 work of the ministry

(Acts 1:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:1-31).

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1.       We Believe In the Church

The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfilling of her Great Commission.

Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of this great general assembly — and church of the First- Born — whose names are written in

Heaven (Eph. 1:22; 2:19-22; Heb. 12:23).

____________________________________________________________________________

2.      We Believe In Sanctification

The Bible teaches that without holiness, no man can see the Lord. We believe this doctrine to be a definite, yet progressive work of grace,

commencing at the time of the New Birth and continuing until the consummation of salvation at Christ’s return (Heb. 12:14; 1 Thess. 5:23;

2 Peter 3:18; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:12-14; 1 Cor. 1:30).

____________________________________________________________________________

3.      We Believe In the Rapture of the Church

The Rapture refers to a pre-tribulation catching away of the Church. This does not refer to the “Day of the Lord” or the Second Coming of Christ

(Rev. 20:1-4). Also called the “Blessed Hope (Titus 2:13), the Rapture is referred to as the event at which the saints, both the dead and those

remaining, will be caught up into the clouds where we will meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:13-5:11; 1 Cor. 15:51-57). The basic sequence of

the last days events: (1) the Rapture (2) the Tribulation (3) the Millennial reign of Christ (4) the final Judgment (2 Thess. 2:1-8).

4.      We Believe In a Biblical Form of Church Government

Accountability is not a yoke around a person’s neck; it is a place of safety and protection. Leadership must itself be accountable if it is to align itself with the biblical model. Historically speaking, there are four basic forms of church government:

1.    Episcopal: From the Greek word, episcopus, meaning overseer, bishop, or

superintendent, this form is most commonly found in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran, and Church of God denominations. The authority in the local church flows from the Bishop to the Pastor to the Congregation.

1.      Presbyterian: From the Greek word, presbuteros, meaning elder, this form is most commonly found in the Presbyterian, Pentecostal Holiness, and Friends denominations, as well as many non-denominational churches. The church is governed by a group of “elders,” usually 7, 10, or 12 in number. The authority flows from the Elders (one of whom is usually the Pastor) to the Congregation.

2.      Congregational: In this form of government, commonly used by the Baptist, Assemblies of God, Church of Christ, and congregational denomination, major matters are determined by a vote of the congregation.

3.      Independent: In this form, one man holds the authority with a number of elders for council. The government is much like a corporate structure in which the pastor is much like a president, and the elders like vice-presidents.

Triumphant Word Christian Center has an INDEPENDENT form of government.