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What We Believe
T h e U . S . C & M A
S t a t e m e n t o f F a i t h
1. There is one
God, (1) who is infinitely perfect,(2) existing eternally in three
persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.(3)
([1] Deuteronomy 6:4, [2] Matthew 5:48, [3] Matthew 28:19)
2 . Jesus Christ
is the true God and the true man.(4) He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.(5) He died
upon the cross, the Just for the unjust,(6) as a
substitutionary sacrifice,(7) and all who believe in Him are justified on
the ground
of His shed blood.(8) He arose from the dead according to
the Scriptures.(9) He is now at the right hand of Majesty on high as our
great High Priest.(10) He will come again to establish His
kingdom, righteousness and peace.(11) ([4] Philippians 2:6-11, [5] Luke
1:36-38, [6] I Peter 3:18, [7] Hebrews 2:9, [8] Romans
5:9, [9] Acts 2:23–24, [10] Hebrews 8:1, [11] Matthew 26:64)
3. The Holy
Spirit is a divine person,(12) sent to dwell, guide, teach, empower the
believer,(13) and convince the world of sin,
of righteousness, and of judgment.(14) ([12] John 14:15–18,
[13] John 16:13, Acts 1:9, [14] John 16:7–11)
4 . The Old and
New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by
God and are a complete revelation of
His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the
divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice.(15) ([15] 2 Peter
1:20–21,
2 Timothy 3:15–16)
5. Man was
originally created in the image and likeness of God:(16) he fell through
disobedience, incurring thereby both physical
and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful
nature,(17) are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only
through
the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ.(18) The portion
of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious
torment;(19) and that of the believer, in everlasting joy
and bliss.(20) ([16] Genesis 1:27, [17] Romans 3:23, [18] 1 Corinthians15:
20–23, [19] Revelation 21:8, [20] Revelation 21:1–4)
6. Salvation has
been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and
believe in Him are born again of the
Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become
the children of God.(21) ([21] Titus 3:4–7)
7. It is the
will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and
be sanctified wholly,(22) being separated from sin
and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God,
thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service.(23) This is
both a
crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of
the believer subsequent to conversion.(24) ([22] 1 Thessalonians 5:23,
[23]
Acts 1:8, [24] Romans 6:1–14)
8. Provision is
made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of
the mortal body.(25) Prayer for the sick
and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and
are privileges for the Church in this present age.(26) ([25] Matthew 8:16–17,
[26] James 5:13–16)
9. The Church
consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed
through His blood, and are born again
of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the
Church, (27) which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world
as
a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations.(28) The
local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for
the
worship of God, for edification through the Word of God,
for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of
the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.(29)
([27] Ephesians 1:22–23, [28] Matthew 28:19–20, [29] Acts 2:41–47)
10. There shall
be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a
resurrection unto life;(30) for the latter, a
resurrection unto judgment.(31) ([30] 1 Corinthians 15:20–23,
[31] John 5:28–29)
11. The second
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent(32) and will be personal,
visible, and premillennial.(33) This is
the believer’s blessed hope and is a vital truth which
is an incentive to holy living and faithful service.(34) ([32] Hebrews
10:37,
[33] Luke 21:27, [34] Titus 2:11–14)
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