The Bible is our all-sufficient rule for faith and practice. This Statement of
Fundamental Truths is intended simply as a basis of fellowship among us (i.e.,
"That we all speak the same thing" 1 Cor. 1:10; Acts 2:42). The phraseology
employed in this Statement is not inspired or contended for, but the truth set
forth is held to be essential to a Full-Gospel ministry. No claim is made that
it contains all Biblical truth, only that it covers our need as to these
fundamental doctrines.
1. The Scriptures Inspired
The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God
and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of
faith and conduct (2 Tim. 3:15-17; I Thess. 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21).
2. The One True God
The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent "I AM," the
Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed
Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit (Deut. 6:5; Isaiah 43:10-11; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22).
The Adorable Godhead
a. Terms Defined
The terms "Trinity" and "persons", as related to the Godhead, while not found in
the Scriptures, are words in harmony with Scripture, whereby we may convey to
others our immediate understanding of the doctrine of Christ respecting the
Being of God, as distinguished from "gods many and lords many." We therefore may
speak with propriety of the Lord our God, who is One Lord, as a trinity or as
one Being of three persons, and still be absolutely scriptural. (Matthew 28:19;
II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:16-17).
b. Distinction and Relationship in the Godhead:
Christ taught a distinction of Persons in the Godhead which he expressed in
specific terms of relationship, as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but that this
distinction and relationship, as to its mode is inscrutable and
incomprehensible, because unexplained. (Luke 1:35; I Corinthians 1:24; Matthew
11:25- 27; 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; I John 1:3-4).
c. Unity of the One Being of Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Accordingly, therefore, there is that in the Son which constitutes Him the Son
and not the Father; and there is that in the Holy Ghost which constitutes Him
the Holy Ghost and not either the Father or the Son. Wherefore the Father
is the Begetter, the Son is the Begotten, and the Holy Ghost is the one
proceeding from the Father and the Son. Therefore, because these three persons
in the Godhead are in a state of unity, there is but one Lord God Almighty and
His name one. (Zechariah 14:9; John 1:18; 15:26; 17:11, 21).
d. Identity and Cooperation in the Godhead:
The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are never identical as to Person; nor
confused as to relation, nor divided in respect to the Godhead; nor opposed as
to cooperation. The Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son as to
relationship. The Son is with the Father and the Father is with the Son, as to
fellowship. The Father is not from the Son, but the Son is from the Father, as
to authority. The Holy Ghost is from the Father and the Son proceeding, as to
nature, relationship, cooperation and authority. Hence, neither Person in the
Godhead either exists or works separately or independently of the others. (John
5:17-30, 32, 37; John 8:17-18).
e. The Title, Lord Jesus Christ:
The appellation, "Lord Jesus Christ," is a proper name. It is never applied, in
the New Testament, either to the Father or to the Holy Ghost. It therefore
belongs exclusively to the Son of God. (Romans 1:1-3, 7; II John 3).
f. The Lord Jesus Christ, God with Us:
The Lord Jesus Christ, as to His divine and eternal nature, is the proper and
only Begotten of the Father, but as to His human nature, He is the proper Son of
Man. He is, therefore, acknowledged to be both God and man; who because He is
God and man, is "Immanuel," God with us. (Matthew 1:23; I John 4:2, 10, 14;
Revelation 1:13, 17).
g. The Title, Son of God:
Since the name "Immanuel" embraces both God and man in the one Person, our Lord
Jesus Christ, it follows that the title, Son of God describes His proper deity,
and the title Son of Man, His proper humanity. Therefore, the title, Son of God,
belongs to the order of eternity, and the title, Son of Man, to the order of
time. (Matthew 1:21-23; II John 3; I John 3:8; Hebrews 1:1-13, 7:3)
h. Transgression of the Doctrine of Christ:
Wherefore, it is a transgression of the Doctrine of Christ to say that Jesus
Christ derived the title, Son of God, solely from the fact of the incarnation,
or because of His relation to the economy of the redemption. Therefore, to deny
that the Father is a real and eternal Father, and that the Son is a real and
eternal Son, is a denial of the distinction and relationship in the Being of
God; a denial of
the Father and the Son; and a displacement of the truth that Jesus Christ is
come in the flesh. (John 1:1, 2, 14, 18, 29, 49; 2:22, 23, 4:1-5; Hebrews 12:2,
II John 9).
i.
Exaltation of Jesus Christ as Lord:
The Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, having by Himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; angels and principalities and
powers having been made subject unto Him. And having been made both Lord and
Christ, He sent the Holy Ghost that we, in the name of Jesus, might bow our
knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father until
the end, when the Son shall become subject to the Father that God may be all in
all. (Acts 2:32-36; Romans 14:11; I Corinthians 15:24-28; Hebrews 1:3; I Peter
3:22).
j. Equal Honor to the Father and to the Son:
Wherefore, since the Father has delivered all judgment unto the Son, it is not
only the express duty of all in heaven and on earth to bow the knee, but it is
an unspeakable joy in the Holy Ghost to ascribe unto the Son all the attributes
of Deity, and to give Him all the honor and the glory contained in all the names
and titles of the Godhead (except those which express relationship. See
paragraphs b, c, and d), and thus honor the Son even as we honor the Father.
(John 5:22-23; Philippians 2:8-9; Revelation 4:8-11; 5:6-14; 7:9-10).
3. The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. The Scriptures declare:
a. His virgin birth (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31, 35).
b. His sinless life (Hebrews 7:26; I Peter 2:22).
c. His Miracles (Acts 2:22; 10:38).
d. His substitutionary work on the cross (I Corinthians 15:3; II Corinthians
5:21).
e. His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; I
Corinthians 15:4).
f. His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9-11; 2:33; Philippians
2:9-11; Hebrews 1:3)
4. The Fall of Man
Man was created good and upright; for God said, "Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness." However, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby
incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation
from God (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:17; 8:6; Romans 5:12-19).
5. The Salvation of Man
Man's only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son
of God.
a. Conditions to Salvation
Salvation is received repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus
Christ. By the washing to regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, being
justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the
hope of eternal life (Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8;
Titus 2:11; 3:5-7).
b. The 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).
6. Ordinances of the Church
a. Baptism in Water:
The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded in the Scriptures. All who
repent and believe in 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 (Matt. 28:19; Mark 1:16; Acts
10:47-48; Romans 6:4).
b. Holy Communion:
The Lord's Supper, consisting of the elements - bread and the fruit of the vine
- is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus
Christ (II Peter 1:4); a memorial of His suffering and death (I Corinthians
11:26); and a prophecy of His second coming (I Corinthians 11:26); and enjoined
on all believers "till He come!"
7. The Baptism in the Holy Ghost
All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the
promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire, according to the
command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the
early Christian Church. With it comes the enduement of power for life and
service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry
(Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; I Corinthians 12:1-31). This experience is distinct
from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth (Acts 8:12-17; 10:44-46;
11:14-16; 15:7-9). With the baptism in the Holy Ghost 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), and 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).
8. The Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Ghost
The baptism of believers in the Holy Ghost is 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 (I Corinthians 12:4-10, 28), but different in purpose and
use.
9. Sanctification
Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of
dedication unto God (Romans 12:1-2; I Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:12). The
Scriptures teach a life of "holiness without which no man shall see the Lord"
(Hebrews 12:14). By the power of the Holy Ghost we are able to obey the command:
"Be ye holy, for I am holy" (I Peter 1:15-16).
Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification
with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by faith reckoning daily upon the
fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of
the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1-13; 8:1-2, 13; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:12-13;
I Peter 1:5).
10. The Church and It’s Mission
The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with
divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer,
born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the General Assembly and the Church
of the First-born, which are written in heaven (Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:22; Hebrews
12:23).
Since God's purpose concerning man is to seek and to save that which is lost, to
be worshipped by man, and to build a body of believers in the image of His Son,
the priority reason-for-being of the Assemblies of God as part of the Church is:
a. To be an agency of God for evangelizing the world (Matthew 28:10, 20; Mark
16:15-16; Acts 1:8).
b. To be a corporate body in which man may worship God (I Corinthians 12:13).
c. To be a channel of God's purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in
the image of His Son (I Corinthians 12:28; 14:12; Ephesians 4:11-16).
The Assemblies of God exists expressly to give continuing emphasis to this
reason-for-being in the New Testament apostolic pattern by teaching and
encouraging believers to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. This experience:
a. Enables them to evangelize in the power of the Spirit with accompanying
supernatural signs. (Mark 16:15-20; Acts 4:29-31; Hebrews 2:3-4).
b. Adds a necessary dimension to worshipful relationship with God. (I
Corinthians 2:10-16; 12:13-14).
c. Enables them to respond to the full working of the Holy Spirit in expression
of the fruit and gifts and ministries as in New Testament times for the edifying
of the body of Christ. (I Corinthians 12:28; 14:12; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians
4:11-12; Colossians 1:29).
11. The Ministry
A
divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord
for the threefold purpose of leading the church in: (1) Evangelization of the
world (Mark 16:15-20), (2) Worship of God (John 4:23-24), (3) building a body of
saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Eph. 4:11-16).
12. Divine Healing
Divine healing is an integral part of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness is
provided for in the atonement, and is the privilege of all believers (Isaiah
53:4-5; Matthew 8:16-17; James 5:14-16).
13. The Blessed Hope
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 is the
imminent and blessed hope of the church (Romans 8:23; I Corinthians 15:21, 52; I
Thessalonians 4:16-17; Titus 2:13).
14. The Millennial Reign of Christ
The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is our
blessed hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign
on the earth for one thousand years (Zechariah 14:5; Matthew 24:27-30;
Revelation 1:7; 19:11-14; 20:1-6). This millennial reign will bring the
salvation of national Israel (Ezekiel 37:21- 22; Zephaniah 3:19-20; Romans
11:26-27) and the establishment of universal peace (Isaiah 11:6-9; Psalm 72:3-8;
Micah 4:3-4)
15. The Final Judgment
There will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and
judged according to their works. Whosoever is not found written in the Book of
Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet,
will be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake which burneth with fire
and brimstone, which is the second death (Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43-48;
Revelation 19:20; 20:11-15; 21:8).
16. The New Heavens and the New Earth
"We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein
dwelleth righteousness" (II Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:22).
