SALVATION

We believe that God must and will punish sin because he is holy and cannot tolerate it. This punishment must come either to the guilty person or to a satisfactory substitute. Because it is not God's will that any should perish, he has provided the way of salvation. Jesus Christ voluntarily offered himself on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for sin so that all who believe in him may be redeemed. Initially salvation requires repentance and faith which results in justification, regeneration and sanctification and culminates in resurrection and glorification. Some of these are at times simultaneous in man's experience but are hereafter described separately for the sake of clarity.

A.  Repentance

We believe the Scriptures teach that repentance must accompany regeneration as well as be an ongoing act that accompanies sanctification.

Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
Isaiah 55:7

"The time has come," he said, "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
Mark 1:15

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9

Genuine repentance is a necessary attitude of man as a condition for a holy and just God to forgive man's sins. It is produced in man by the kindness of God. It involves godly sorrow for sin and a proper reverence for God's holiness. It results in confessing and forsaking sin and whenever possible and appropriate, making restitution to those sinned against.

I tell you no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
Luke 13:3

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
Romans 2:4

He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them find mercy.
Proverbs 28:13

B.  Faith

We believe that faith is essential to salvation. It is the means by which the Word of God is received as true. It is both the gift of God and the response of man.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6

Faith is confidence based upon good evidence. It is an assurance born of complete trust in God as revealed through Christ. By faith one trusts in the death of Christ as the only efficacious sacrifice for his sin.

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:31
Also see: Romans 10:10

C.  Justification

We believe that justification is a judicial act of God in which he declares the sinner free from condemnation and punishment and restores him to divine favor and privilege. It takes place when the sinner repents and trusts Christ for salvation.

...and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:24-26

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,...
Romans 5:1

D. Regeneration

We believe that regeneration is wholly of grace and free to all but must include repentance toward God and faith in Christ as Savior.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

Regeneration is the impartation of divine life. By the operation of the Holy Spirit through the Word, the believer is given a disposition to love and obey God. What was destroyed in Adam is renewed in Christ.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Also see: Romans 5:17; Titus 3:4-6

Other terms used in Scripture to describe regeneration are "born again," "converted" and "saved."
See John 3:7; Acts 4:12

Some evidences of regeneration are: the witness of the Holy Spirit, a personal knowledge of the forgiveness of sin, peace with God, love for God's Word, newness of life, and reconciliation with any against whom sin has been committed.

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
Romans 8:16

E.  Sanctification

God has always required that his people should be holy because he is holy.
See Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter l:16

Sanctification is that action whereby God sets apart his people from sin. It has its source in what Christ has done through his blood, making believers a people of his own possession and calling them holy ones (saints). This holy position is granted when the Christian first believes in Christ. It is neither earned nor achieved by good works but is followed by good works.
See 1 Corinthians 1:2,30, 6:9-1l; Hebrews 10:14, 13:12

Sanctification is also a process in the Christian life and involves the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, setting one apart from a sinful walk and producing a Christ-like character. This process is experienced through faith and obedience which includes consciously yielding the whole life to God and continually letting the Holy Spirit be in control. The results include a manifestation of spiritual fruit and progress in Christian growth, which are the will of God for every Christian.
See John 17:17; Romans 6:13b, 8:29,12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 1:2

The process of sanctification will be completed upon entering the presence of Christ when the Christian will enjoy a perfectly holy state.
See 1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 1 John 3:2

F. Believer's assurance

We believe that every Christian can have a valid sense of assurance concerning his salvation, his relationship with God and his destiny. Through faith in Jesus Christ, a knowledge of the Scriptures and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, such assurance becomes real and personal.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
1 John 5:13

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
Romans 8:16

Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: we know it by the Spirit he gave us.
1 John 3:24

There is no need for any believer to be anxious about God's ability or his gracious purpose to keep the believer for himself.
See Romans 8:37-39

However, the Scriptures have ample warning for anyone who might be inclined to presume upon the love of God by careless or sinful living.
See Hebrews 3:12-13, 10:26-31

Therefore, it is necessary to examine ourselves to see whether our faith is genuine, a faith that is expressed in attitude and actions by obedient works. Without that kind of faith, there is no Scriptural assurance. The most complete basis for the believer's assurance is found in 1 John.
See 2 Corinthians 13:5

G.  Resurrection and glorification

We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ, and because he lives, we too shall live.

He is not here, he has risen!
Luke 24:6a

After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:3

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
2 Corinthians 15:22
Also see: 1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 3:20-21

At the return of Christ, the bodies of the righteous dead will be raised and will, with the living believers, be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. We will be changed so as to have immortal bodies like unto Christ's own glorious body.

...the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:16b-17a
Also see: 1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 3:20-31

Our glorification is the culminating act of God's redeeming and sanctifying believers and will be realized when we see him as he is.

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
1 John 3:2