- Speaking where the Bible speaks
- Silent where the Bible is silent
We do not believe in Creeds, because that just adds fuel to the fire of confusing and divisive denominationalism. Therefore, the main tenets of our beliefs will be quoted below from God’s Word, the Bible itself:
GOD:
God the Father “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) To Abraham: “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3) To Isaac: “Through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed” (Genesis 26:4) To Jacob: “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring” (Genesis 28:14) Re. Moses: “No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10)
David: “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans for the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth ~ he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do” (Psalm 33:10-15)
God the Son “Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob…[and many generations of descendants to] Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ” (Matthew 1:2, 16) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen is glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14)
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are ~ yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:14-15)
“God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:24) “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 2:5)
God the Spirit “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever ~ the Spirit of Truth….Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is Truth ” (John 14:15-17; 17:17) “I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge….Consequently, faith comes from hearing the word, and the word is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10: 2,17)
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19) “Peter replied ‘Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38)
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Romans 8:26). “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father’ “ (Galatians 4:6)
“The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: ‘This is the covenant I will make….I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds” (Hebrews 10:15,16) “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits” (I Timothy 4:1)
THE BIBLE:
“…the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:15,16)
“In the same way, after supper he [Jesus] took the cup saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant [testament] in my blood; do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me” (I Corinthians 11:25) “Having canceled the written code with its regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14)
“The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless, for the law made nothing perfect…The first covenant [Testament] had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary….Christ is the mediator of a new covenant [testament]…now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant [testament]….By calling this covenant ‘new’ he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. In the case of a will [Testament] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it…This is why even the first covenant [testament] was not put into effect without blood….so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people” (Hebrews 7:18; 9:1, 15, 8:13; 9:16-18, 28)
BECOMING SAVED CHRISTIANS:
“This is good and pleases God our Savior who wants ALL men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (I Timothy 2:3,4)
“And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name….Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 22:16, Romans 10:13). “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3,4) “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26) “Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12). “This water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also ~ not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 3:21)
WORSHIP:
“Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching” (I Timothy 4:13) “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19) “I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone” (I Timothy 2:1,2)
“On the first day of the week, we came together to break bread….The Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way after supper he took the cup saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (Acts 20:7, I Corinthians 11:23-26)
“On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income….Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:7)
“Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (I Corinthians 14:40).
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another ~ and all the more as you see the Day approaching. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left” (Hebrews 10:25-26)
THE CHURCH:
“And the Lord added to their number [church] daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47)
“All the churches of Christ send greetings” (Romans 16:16) “from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name” (Ephesians 3:15) “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church which is his body” (Ephesians 1:22-23) “There is one body and one Spirit….one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6) “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body” (I Corinthians 12:13) “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves….And he is the head of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:13, 18)
“Appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer [bishop] is entrusted with God’s work” (Titus 1:5-7) “If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer [bishop], he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach” (I Timothy 3:1-2) “A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well” (I Timothy 3:12)
If a creed has less than the Bible, it is not enough.
If a creed has more than the Bible, it is too much.
If a creed is the same as the Bible, why have it?