Statement of Faith
Articles of Faith of Rusty's Deaf Minister Life.
In accordance With Baptist Doctrine.
The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally-inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed (II Timothy 3:16-17).
The Godhead
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfection (Deuteronomy 6:4, II Corinthians 13:14).
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man (John 1:1-2,14, Luke 1:36). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished redemption through His death as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25, Ephesians 1:7). We believe the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, He is our High Priest, Intercessor, and Advocate (Hebrews 9:24,7:25).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling, and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11, Ephesians 1:13-14). We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth (John 16:13, Ephesians 5:18).
The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved, and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 3:22-23, 5:12).
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 2:8-9, John 1:12).
The Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the fall; that he is the declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
Missions
We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind (Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8).
Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40).
The Two Natures of the Believer
We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 6:13, 8:12-13).
Separation
We believe that believers should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord; and that separation from all religious apostasy, and all worldly and sinful pleasures and practices is commanded by God (II Timothy 3:1-5, Romans 12:1-2, I John 2:15-17).
The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
We believe that God is sovereign in bestowing all His gifts, and that the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the Body of Christ today (Ephesians 4:7-12).
The Church
We believe that the Church is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age (Ephesians 1:22-23). We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the Scriptures (Acts 14:27, 20:17). We believe that a New Testament church is a local group of baptized believers united for His purposes and for spreading the Word locally and worldwide. We believe that it is completely self-determining and responsible only to Christ, the Head of the Church (Colossians 1:1-18).
The Second Advent of Christ
We believe in that “Blessed Hope,” the personal, imminent, pre-tribulation, and premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones (I Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The Eternal State of Man
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men; the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to everlasting punishment (John 5:28-29). We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord (II Corinthians 5:8).