Ordination Paper

Personal History

Church History

Doctrinal Beliefs

Practical and Pastoral Ministry Issues

Corby Angle

First Baptist Church Peekskill

Peekskill, NY

October 17, 2016

Contents

Personal History .............................................................................................................................1

Personal Testimony ..............................................................................................................1

Call to Ministry ....................................................................................................................3

Qualifying Gifts ...................................................................................................................5

My Understanding of Ordination .........................................................................................6

Theological Training and Preparation for Ministry .............................................................6

Church History...............................................................................................................................8

Historic Baptist Distinctives ................................................................................................8

The Historical Roots of the Conservative Baptists ............................................................10

Doctrinal Beliefs ...........................................................................................................................11

Doctrine of the Scriptures - Bibliology ..............................................................................11

Doctrine of God – Theology Proper ..................................................................................13

Doctrine of Christ - Christology ........................................................................................16

Doctrine of the Holy Spirit - Pneumatology ......................................................................17

Doctrine of Angels, Satan, and Demons - Angelology ......................................................18

Doctrine of Man - Anthropology .......................................................................................21

Doctrine of Sin - Hamartiology .........................................................................................22

Doctrine of Salvation - Soteriology ...................................................................................22

Doctrine of the Church - Ecclesiology...............................................................................24

Doctrine of Last Things - Eschatology ..............................................................................26

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PERSONAL HISTORY

Personal Testimony

I was raised in an atheist home. My mom taught me that there was no God. My father

abandoned my mom, my sister and me early on. Growing up, my greatest need was to be

successful. As a teenager, this meant being popular and playing football. As I got older, success

was measured in the material things that this world had to offer: a good job, a big house and lot

of grown up toys.

When I was 16, I met a girl who took me to church. The relationship did not last very

long but I kept going to the church. I liked who I was when I was at church or with people from

church. I started doing all the things I thought made me a Christian. During this time, I also met

my wife Debra. Shortly thereafter, I joined the military and a year later, we were married.

After moving to Hawaii where I was stationed, it quickly became obvious to me that my so-

called Christianity stayed behind. I realized that I did not even believe in God. When I told

Debra this, she was devastated and felt betrayed.

Over the next 20 years, my life was a series of “career successes” followed by the

letdown that came with the realization that no amount of financial success was ever enough.

However, Debra remained faithful to God. When we moved to New York, she insisted that we

find a good church home. Shortly before my 40th birthday, we started attending church as a

family. Our three children became active in the youth group and I saw each of them accept Jesus

as their Lord and Savior.

In my conversations with the pastor, I told him that I was not a Christian. I explained that

I did not think that anyone could prove to me that God existed, and that, in my mind, Christianity

was an all or nothing way of life. I didn’t understand how someone could believe what the Bible

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teaches, and yet not be so overwhelmed by it that their whole life changed to serve God. To me

this meant that if I became a Christian, I would have to give up everything.

The pastor agreed that no one would ever prove to me that God existed and said that

knowledge could get me so far, but that it was only by faith that I could ever come to know

Christ personally. He also shared some verses that made it very clear what God expects from us:

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For

whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel

will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:34-

36).

For several years, I continued to attend church. I took every bible class offered because I

wanted to know more. I continued to resist because, intellectually, I knew what accepting Christ

would mean. Finally, I realized that it took more unfounded faith for me to believe what the

world was telling me about my origin, my purpose and my future than to accept the simple truth

of God’s Word and His plan for my life. On November 9th of 2003, I could deny Christ no more

and I asked Him to come into my life as my Savior.

Since becoming a Christian, He has made some amazing changes in me. I struggle with a

lot of the same issues but now I have a way to deal with them. He has taught me that real success

is living my life for Him. My personal growth is guided by being in His Word daily and

developing a life of prayer that makes Him my greatest source of strength. He has blessed me

with men who have taught me and helped build my faith. He has given me a real desire to build

into others what has been built into me and to reach others with His gospel message through

outreach and evangelism.

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Call to Ministry

My call to ministry began long before I became a Christian. As I look back on the events

of my life that shaped me and made me who I am, I can clearly see the hand of God at work. He

has developed in me a strong sense of commitment and perseverance that is evident in my

marriage, my success in business and, now in my ministry work. My education, my travels as I

was growing up and even my family situation, or lack thereof, were all preparing me for what

was to come.

Prior to becoming a Christian, in many circumstances, my personality was such that I

wanted to be a leader. In the military and in each of my jobs, I was often promoted quickly and

placed in leadership roles. From the military, I learned a style of leadership that was often

authoritarian in nature. In business, I learned that different situations called for different styles

of leadership ranging from authoritarian to more consensus based leadership but all with the

same objective: influence those being led to achieve a common objective. When I became a

Christian, I saw this objective worked out in a whole new way. At first, I did not recognize it as

a Christ focus approach to leadership. What I saw was men who were growing me and others

not just in our faith but in the living out of our faith. Over the years, they gradually took me

from being in constant need of feeding to being someone who could feed others. They worked

with me even when I was not diligent in learning or accepting what they were teaching. But the

one thing each of these men had in common was the approach that they took in leading me: they

modelled what they taught and they served not only me but others as well in the process of

teaching. I came to understand that this was what Christian leadership looked like. The man

who was primarily involved in my discipleship taught me to lead all of the ministries he was

involved in. This included teaching bible studies, discipling others, teaching others how to share

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their faith and how to lead short term missions trips. Other men in the church taught me how to

counsel and how to correct when needed. Another taught me how to preach the Word of God in

a meaningful and relevant way. After several years of this kind of discipleship, I found that I

truly enjoyed discipling and teaching others in the same way I had been and I was given many

opportunities to do so.

In July, 2007, my primary mentor told me that he had been called to another church and

that he would be leaving the following month. As he prepared to leave, I found that I desperately

wanted his job in the church. The old me would have gone after it aggressively. But as I prayed

about it and talked to my wife about it, I came to realize that I was not qualified for that kind of

leadership responsibility over the spiritual lives of others. In my business life, I often achieved

success by going after things that I wanted even when I was not qualified. I always seemed to

figure out how to get the job done once I had it. But the Holy Spirit impressed upon me that I

should never have a ministry job because I wanted it; I should have a ministry job because God

wanted it. As a result, contrary to every instinct I had to pursue the role and against every

personal desire I had, the Spirit convicted me to keep my mouth shut, not pursue the job and to

simply continue to serve in any capacity that the church leadership asked of me. And then, in

September of that year, the senior pastor asked me to come in for a meeting and it was during

that meeting that he told me that he and the elders had discussed it and prayed about it and he

asked me if I would consider coming on staff as the minister of evangelism and discipleship.

As I look back on that whole situation, I can see that God had a plan. He had given me

the desire to serve Him in full time ministry as an internal call on my life but had also worked in

the lives of some very godly men to verify and confirm it with their external call.

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Qualifying Gifts

Based on a number of gifts assessments that I have taken over the years as well as my

own experience and the insight and feedback of trusted believers, I believe that God has blessed

me not only with the desire but the ability as well to teach, to disciple, to preach and to do

evangelism. He has also given me a broad range of skills that are useful in the running and the

administration of the church.

The qualifications for being an overseer / elder / pastor are given in 1 Timothy 3:

An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate,

prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious,

but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages

his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a

man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the

church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and

fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good

reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the

snare of the devil.

While I am not sinless, I do not have sinful habits or behaviors in my life that would

cause others inside or outside the church to have issues with my character. I hold myself to a

very high standard of integrity and ethical and moral behavior. My wife and I have been married

for 35 years and neither of us has ever been divorced. I am not prone to emotional extremes of

behavior and am very welcoming of others. I believe that teaching is one of my strongest skills

and one of the things I most enjoy doing. I do not drink, smoke or use recreational drugs in any

form. In terms of finances, the Lord has provided all that I need in abundance. I have no debt

other than a demand mortgage payable to the church for my house. I have established savings

and investment income to provide for my retirement and maintain a good life insurance policy to

provide for my wife in the event that I die before her. All three of my children are grown and

walking with the Lord. I have been a maturing Christian actively involved in the church for 13

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years. I believe that I am respected both by those in the church, those in the community of

churches that I am a part of and those outside the church.

My Understanding of Ordination

In the Old Testament, ordination is the process by which God calls someone, something

or someplace to a holy purpose for Himself (Ex. 28:41, Nu. 28:6, Ps. 8:3). In the New

Testament, it refers to the giving of a command to a specific role or function for the Lord (Gal.

3:19, 1 Cor. 9:14). In the context of the local church, ordination is the process by which the

leaders of the church, after observing the life and work of one of its leaders for a period of time,

convenes a council of like-minded godly men to confirm the qualification, the gifting, the call

and the theological soundness of the man and, subject to that confirmation, appoint him to a life

of ministry. In addition, the process is designed to safeguard the ministry through the convening

of council as well as the depth of the examination (1 Tim. 5:22). Once these criteria have been

met, it is the local church that ordains its leaders for ministry. The purpose of the ordination

process is to recognize and confirm men called to serve as ministers of the Gospel by God, to set

them apart for ministry and to safeguard that ministry.

Theological Training and Preparation for Ministry

My theological training has taken place in three ways. First, through my own personal

Bible study, I have come to see and understand the amazing consistency contained in Scripture

of the great doctrines of the Christian faith. Second, in my local church, I have studied under the

leadership of the senior pastor and elders to come to fully understand the theological principles

upon which the church is governed and the implications of this on their philosophy of ministry.

Finally, I have also pursed an academic course of study of theology. In May, 2016, I graduated

from Cairn University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Bible and am currently pursuing a

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Master of divinity degree in pastoral studies from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. This is

a 93 credit hour course of study in Old and New Testament, theology, Greek and Hebrew

languages, evangelism, discipleship and other church ministries.

In addition to my studies, I have been serving full time in my local church as the

associate pastor responsible for evangelism, discipleship and missions for six years. During that

period, I have lead several 2 year men’s discipleship classes, evangelism classes and an adult

Sunday School class. I have also led several men’s retreats and other one-off classes. Finally,

whenever the senior pastor was unavailable, I have been called on to preach (10 times this

calendar year), do baptisms and funerals. Through each of these responsibilities, I have also had

the opportunity to deal with less tangible aspects of ministry such as counselling, correcting and

discipline within the context of the church.

I believe that my education and my experience as the associate pastor at my local church

have prepared me for a life of ministry and service to God in whatever form He calls me to.

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CHURCH HISTORY

Historic Baptist Distinctives

I believe, support and teach the following Baptist disctinctives:

Biblical Authority

Baptists believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God in its original documents (2

Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet. 1:21, 1 Thess. 2:13). It is infallible in that it will not lead to errors in the

practice of one’s faith and is inerrant in all that it says without limitation (Ps. 12:6, 19:7, Prov.

30:5). It supersedes all tradition, reason, experience and emotion (Heb. 4:12, Rom. 9:20). It

contains God’s complete revelation to mankind to equip us for all that God has called us to (2

Tim. 3:17, John 6:67-69).

Priesthood of Believers

Baptist believe that every believer is called to fulfill the role of priest (1 Pet. 2:5-9) with

equal access to God. We enter into the presence of God through our High Priest Jesus Christ,

our one and only mediator (Heb. 4:14-16, 1 Tim. 2:5), to serve God with all that we are (Rom.

12:1), to proclaim the excellencies of God (1 Pet. 2:9), to intercede in prayer for others (Lk. 1:10,

Rev. 5:8, 8:3-4), to do good and to share (Heb. 13:16). We have also been granted gifts by the

Holy Spirit which we should exercise for the common good (1 Cor. 12:7) and to edify the church

(1 Cor. 14:5).

Two Ordinances

Baptists believe that the church has only two ordinances and that neither of these

ordinances are salvific or add to grace in any way. These acts of obedience include:

1. The baptism of believers by immersion in water identifying the believer with Christ in His

death, burial and resurrection

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2. The Lord’s Supper in which believers commemorate Christ’s giving of His body and His

blood for our sins.

Church Membership

Baptists believe that membership in the local church is limited to those who give a credible

testimony of faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and who have publicly identified themselves

with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection through believer’s baptism. (2 Cor. 6:14, Acts 21:41)

Autonomy of the Local Church

Baptists believe that local church is autonomous and independent with Christ as its head

(Eph. 1:22, 4:15, Col. 1:18). Each local church is responsible for selecting its own leadership,

establishing its structure of worship, deciding its own financial matters, exercising authority over

its members, including discipline, and direct its church related affairs without external

interference (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5, Matt. 18:15-20, 1 Cor. 5:12, 2 Cor. 2:5-8).

Separation of Church and State

Baptists believe that God has established both the church and the state but that He meant

for the two to be separate entities each with their own sphere of influence. The church is to be

subject to the governing authorities when possible (Rom. 13:1-7, 1 Pet. 2:13-17) but is to remain

faithful to God at all times (Mk. 12:17, Acts 5:29). The church can and should be a righteous

influence on the government but should never be the government.

Two Offices

Baptists believe that the Bible describes 2 offices in the church – elder and deacon (1

Tim. 3:1-13, Acts 14:23, 15:4, Phil. 1:1, 1 Tim. 5:17, Titus 1:5-9). In the New Testament, the

terms pastor, overseer, bishop and elder refer to the same office. The office of elder represents

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those appointed to lead the church (1 Tim. 3:1-7, 1 Pet. 5:1-3) while the office of deacon

represents those appointed to serve the needs of the church (1 Tim. 3:8-13, Acts 6:1-6).

The Historical Roots of the Conservative Baptists

The Conservative Baptist Association of America (CBAA) was formed on May 17th,

1947 in Atlantic City, New Jersey in response to the growing liberalism in the Northern Baptist

(now American Baptist) convention. Initially, it grew out of the same movement that led to the

creation of the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society (now World Venture). The

purpose of the association was to maintain the basic convictions surrounding biblical faith and

historical Baptist distinctives. From its inception, the CBAA has been heavily focused on the

spread of the gospel though both domestic and world missions and in 1950, launched the

Conservative Baptist Home Mission Society (now Missions Door) and founded the Conservative

Baptist Theological Seminary in Denver, Colorado. The CBAA has also had close associations

with several other institutions including Southwestern Bible College in Phoenix, Arizona (now

Arizona Christian University), Western Seminary (Portland, Oregon) and Eastern Conservative

Baptist Seminary (now part of Bethel Seminary).

The CBAA has been an association of churches and not a denomination. Each church

within the association is autonomous with no centralized authority sitting over them. Today, the

CBAA, now known as CB America, consists of some 230,000 members across 1,200 churches.

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DOCTRINAL BELIEFS

Doctrine of the Scriptures - Bibliology

I believe that God has chosen to reveal Himself, His divine nature, His absolute truth and

His plan of redemption to His creation through that very creation, through the Scriptures and

through the person of Jesus Christ. In the absence of this revelation, man would have no accurate

way of knowing God. The two primary means of this revelation are General Revelation and

Special Revelation. General revelation is the process by which God reveals different truths and

aspects of His nature in such a way as to make humanity aware of His existence. This general

revelation is evident in nature (Ps. 19:1-6, Rom. 1:18-21), in God’s providence for His creation

(Matt. 5:45, Acts 14:15-17, Dan. 2:21) and in our very consciences (Rom. 2:14-15). Special

revelation is how God reveals Himself specifically to mankind to teach us how to we can know

Him (2 Pet. 1:21), be restored to Him (Rom. 10:17) and how to live for Him (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

While God has used many methods of special revelation including physical appearances, dreams

and visions, I believe that He communicates to us through His Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet.

1:21) and that Jesus Christ is His Living Word (John 1:1, 14, 18; 6:36; 14:10).

Inspiration

I believe that the Scriptures are the inspired Word of God. I believe that the Holy Spirit

supernaturally influenced the writers of Scripture using their own styles, their personalities and

their contexts to produce without error, in the words of their original manuscripts, God’s

intended revelation of Himself to man (2 Tim. 3:16-17, 1 Cor. 2:13, 2 Pet. 1:21). I believe that

every word is inspired and as such is without error not only in matters of faith and practice but

also with respect to history, science, chronology, and all other matters to which the Scriptures

speak. I do not believe that God gave general concepts which the writers then put into words but

that He inspired the very words themselves (Matt. 5:18, 1 Thess. 2:13). I believe that divine

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inspiration of Scripture is essential otherwise man would not be able to distinguish between

man’s relative truth and God’s absolute truth.

Authority

I believe that the Bible is the objective and authoritative Word of God whether a person

responds to it or not (John 8:47, 12:48). I believe that God is true and does not lie (John 3:33),

that Scripture is breathed of God (2 Tim. 3:16) and, therefore, that all Scripture is true. As such,

it is the ultimate authority not only in matters of faith and practice but also but also with respect

to history, science, chronology, and all other matters to which it speaks. It will not lead to error

nor is it in error in anything that it says. I believe that God’s inspired written Word has the very

authority of God Himself (2 Kings:22 8-20, Isa. 40:8, Matt. 24:35, Ps. 119) and as such, it

imposes on those who hear it a responsibility and an obligation to respond to it whether it be

imperatives, assertions, promises or prophecies.

Illumination

I believe that man’s sin nature and corrupted mind prevent him from comprehending the

spiritual truths contained in Scripture (2 Cor. 3:15). The Holy Spirit not only reminds us of the

truths of God’s Word (John 14:26) but provides the God-given help necessary for people to

understand the spiritual truths of the Bible (1 Cor. 2:6-14, Eph. 1:17-18). I believe that the

purpose for this illumination by the power of the Holy Spirit is not just so that we may

understand God’s Word but so that we may respond to it by believing, living and acting

according to what it teaches us.

Canon

I believe that the canon of Scripture consists of the 39 books of the Old Testament and

the 27 books of the New Testament. I believe that these 66 books are the only writings given to

us by the direct inspiration of God and that their authority in all matters supersedes all other

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authorities. I believe that beginning with the account of creation in the book of Genesis through

the description of the end of times in Revelation and its prohibition against adding to those words

(Deut. 4:2, 12:32, Prov. 30:6, Rev. 22:18), we have the complete breadth of the revelation that

God intends for us to have. I believe that God has revealed to us all that we need to equip us to

live the lives He would have us live (2 Tim. 3:16-17) and that God is not giving new revelation.

I believe that claims made by individuals to have had dreams or visions that led them to faith in

Jesus Christ are true but that there is no biblical basis to believe that these dreams or visions

represent new revelation from God or that they are in fact given by God (Rom. 10:13-15).

Doctrine of God – Theology Proper

I believe that God exists. I believe that the very existence of all that is demands the

existence of God. I believe that the existence of order and function of the universe and all that it

contains in such perfect harmony demands the existence of God. I believe that the existence of

man’s conscience, intellect, emotion, will and awareness of right and wrong demand the

existence of God. I believe that the existence of God demands that He is also ultimately in

control of all that is.

Nature

I believe that God is eternal and self-existent (Ex. 3:4). He has no beginning and no

ending. I believe that God does not change (Mal. 3:6). I believe that God has revealed Himself

to mankind through His general (Ps. 19:1-6; Rom. 1:18-21) and special revelation (Rom. 10:17).

I believe that He is infinitely greater than our understanding of Him but that He communicates

with us through His activities in creation, in history, in our lives and, most significantly, through

His Word. I believe that God is transcendent, existing outside of this realm (John 4:24; Ex.

33:20). It is in His transcendence that His absolute attributes are manifest. But God is also

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immanent, functioning within this space and time for the good of His creation (Jer. 23:33; Acts

17:27; Ps. 139:7-12; Rom 8:38, 39). His grace, mercy, love, compassion all show Him to be the

truly personal God who desires a relationship with His creation. It is in His immanence that His

relative attributes are manifest.

Attributes

I believe that our understanding of God is largely based on our limited ability to define

his attributes since any definition of God Himself would limit who He is. His attributes include,

but are not limited to, His truth (Isa. 44:8-10, 45:5; Num. 23:19; Rom. 3:3-4; Heb. 6:18; Titus

1:2), His Holiness (Ex. 15:11; Ps. 92:15; 1 John 1:5), His self-existence (Ex. 3:14; John 5:26),

His immutability (Mal. 3:6; James 1:17), His eternity (Ex. 3:14; Ps. 90:2, 102:12), His love (John

4:8; John 3:16; 4:10; Rom. 5:8), His omnipresence (Ps. 139:7-12; Col. 1:17; Ps. 71; Jer. 23:24;

Heb. 13:5), His omniscience (Ps. 139:1-6; Matt. 6:8; 10:30; 1 John 3:20), His omnipotence (Job

42:2; Gen. 17:1), His mercy (Eph. 2:4-5; Lam. 3:22-23; Deut. 4:31), His grace (Rom. 3:24; 5:8;

Ps. 51:1; 85:7; 94:18; 143:8; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-9), His righteousness / justice (Gen. 2:17; Deut. 7:9;

27:26; 32:4; Ps. 58:11; 119:37; Rom. 2:7; 6:23; Gal. 3:10). Each of these attributes is in perfect

harmony with all His other attributes at all times.

Trinity

I believe that the Trinity is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith that separates it

from all other religions and that it is described and referred to in both the Old and the New

Testament (Gen. 1:26; 3:22; Isa. 6:8; 7:14; 48:16; 61:1; Matt. 28:19; Lk. 3:22; John 14:26;

15:26; Acts 2:33; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 1:17; Tit. 3:6; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 1:2). God is one God in

three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – each distinct but of the same essence as

God and fully God. All three are eternally existent.

Works of Creation

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I believe that God created all that is (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 104:24; 146:6) from nothing (Heb.

11:3; Rev. 4:11). He called them into being through His words (Gen. 1:3-25). The Father, the

Son and the Holy Spirit were all involved in the creation (Gen. 1:2; John 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-16;

Heb. 1:2; 11:3). He created the world and all that is in it in six literal twenty-four hour days

(Gen. 1:5-2:2; Ex. 20:9-11). He created the world for His glory (Ps. 19:1; Isa. 6:3; 43:6-7).

Sovereign Rule

I believe that God has absolute authority over all that is, over creation, over providence

and grace. He is the King of Kings and reigns over all (Ex. 15:18; Ps. 47, 93, 97; Dan. 4:34). I

believe that, in His Sovereignty, He has given His rational creations, men and angels, free will

and sovereignly continues to allow us to exercise that freedom while sustaining us moment by

moment (Gen. 5:20; Acts 2:23, 4:27-28; Col. 1:17). The exercise of that freedom includes man’s

freedom to choose to obey God or to sin (Gen. 3:7-7) and the requirement to accept the

consequences of that sin (Rom. 6:23).

Providence

I believe that God, because of His love and wisdom, is active in this realm sustaining,

controlling and guiding everything that happens (Ps. 66:7; Matt. 5:45; Rom. 11:36; Acts 17:28).

I believe that it is through this Divine providence that God effects His will (Gen. 50:29; Lk.

22:22; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; Heb. 1:3). I believe that God sanctifies believers through His providence

maturing them through trials and persecutions (Rom. 8:28-29, James 1:2-4).

Decree of God

I believe that God, in His sovereignty, has in eternity passed, decreed a single,

unchangeable, all-encompassing plan for the world and its history in which all things are brought

to pass (Ps. 33:10-11; Prov. 19:21; Eph. 1:11). Some aspects of this decree are carried out by

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God directly (Gen. 1:1; Lk. 22:22) while others are carried out by human actions, both in their

obedience and their disobedience.

Doctrine of Christ - Christology

I believe that Jesus Christ has eternally existed (John 1:1) and will exist forever (Rev.

22:13). I believe that He is fully God (John 1:1; 8:58; 20:28; Col. 2:9-10; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; 1

John 5:20; 2 Peter 1:1), that He is co-equal with the Father (John 10:30; 14:9), and has all the

divine attributes (Matt. 28:18, 20; John 1:1; 16:30; Heb.13:8). I believe that He took on human

nature in the incarnation becoming fully human (John 1:14; Phil 2:7-8; 1 Tim. 3:16) yet

remained also fully God (Col. 2:9; John 1:14; Heb. 2:14), voluntarily setting aside the

independent use of some aspects of His divine power while on Earth (Phil. 2:7). He was born of

the virgin Mary (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18; 22-23). Although He was fully man, He did not have a sin

nature (1 John 3:5; 4:2). He had a childhood and grew up like any other child would (Lk. 2:52).

He experienced temptation (Matt. 4:1; Heb. 4:15), hunger (Matt. 4:2), thirst (John 4:7; 19:28),

pain (John 19:1) and death (John 19:30). He is the creator and sustainer of all things (John 1:3;

Col. 1:17). He forgave sin (Matt. 9:1-2; Mk. 2:5; Lk. 7:48) and performed miracles (Matt. 8:23-

32; 14:16-21; John 11:1-44) attesting to His deity. I believe that He is worthy of all honor and

worship (John 5:23; 1 Tim. 4:18). I believe that having lived a sinless, perfect life (2 Cor. 5:21;

1 John 3:5; 1 Pet. 2:22), He revealed God’s nature to us (John 1:14, 18; 14:9; Heb. 1:3). I

believe that He was crucified, buried and raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1

Cor. 15:3-4; Rom. 6:4, 9; Acts 2:24, 32) to pay the penalty for man’s sins (Rom. 3:25; 1 Pet.

2:24. Col. 2:13). I believe that He is currently at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Acts

2:33; 7:56; Rom. 8:34; Col. 3:1, Heb. 1:3) continuing the work He began during His earthly

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ministry of building His church (Acts 1:1; 2:47; Col. 1:18; Eph. 4:8; 11-13; 5:23-26), interceding

for believers (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1), preparing a heavenly dwelling for believers

(John 14:1-3) and producing fruit in the life of believers (John 15:1-7). I believe that He will

return bodily to earth (Acts 1:11; Zech. 14:4) to pass judgment on the unbelieving (Rev. 19:11-

21) and to establish His millennial kingdom (Mic. 5:4; Zech. 9:10; Lk. 1:32, 33; Rev. 20:2-7).

Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

Personhood

I believe that the Holy Spirit possesses all the essential attributes of personhood including

intellect (1 Cor. 2:10), knowledge (1 Cor. 2:11), emotions (Isa. 63:10; Eph. 4:30) and will (16:6).

I believe that the Holy Spirit can be grieved (Isa. 63:10; Eph. 4:30), blasphemed (Matt. 12:32,

Mk. 3:29-30), resisted (Acts 7:51, lied to (Acts 5:3) and obeyed (Acts 10:19-21).

Deity

I believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and is fully God (John

15:26; 16:13-14). I believe that He possesses the essential attributes of God including

sovereignty (2 Cor. 3:18), truth (John 14:17; 15:26), holiness (Matt. 1:20, 12:32; Rom. 1:4; 1

John 2:20), eternity (Heb. 9:14), love (Gal. 5:22), omnipresence (Ps. 139:7-10), omniscience

(John 14:26; 16:12, 13; 1 Cor. 2:10-12), omnipotence (Gen. 1:2; Job 33:4; Lk. 1:35) and grace

(Zech. 12:10; Heb. 10:29).

Ministry

I believe that the Holy Spirit has an ongoing ministry in this realm in the building of

Christ’s church (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:8, 13). I believe that the Holy Spirit testifies to the life

and works of Jesus Christ (John 15:26) and convicts unbelievers of sin and judgement to draw

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them to Christ (John 16:8, 9). I believe that He gives new life to those who call on Jesus Christ

to be their Savior (John 3:5-8, 6:63; 2 Cor. 2:3-6; Titus 3:5) and sanctifies them (2 Thess. 2:13).

I believe that He intercedes on behalf of believers (Rom. 8:26) and works in their lives

reminding them of what Christ has taught them and continuing to teach them (John 14:26),

guiding them in all truth (John 16:13), instructing them on the will of God in their lives (Acts

8:29, 13:2) and empowering them to be effective witnesses of the Gospel to others (Acts 1:8). I

believe that the Holy Spirit is a gift from God who eternally indwells all believers at the moment

of salvation (John 14:16; Rom. 8:9; 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13, 4:30; 1 John 4:13; Jude 19) to allow

them to live the Spirit filled life (Gal. 5:16, 22-23). I believe that the filling of the Holy Spirit in

the believer’s life is commanded by God but is conditional, experiential and recurring and is

distinct from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at salvation (1 Cor. 2:9-3:4, Eph. 5:18). I believe

that it is necessary for the believer if they are to live their lives that are empowered by and

controlled by God (Acts 4:31). I believe that being filled with the Spirit means not having any

unconfessed sin in one’s life (Ps. 66:18, 1 John 1:9), not grieving or quenching the Holy Spirit

through sin (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19) and obeying God by walking by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16).

Gifts

I believe that the Holy Spirit grants one or more gifts to every believer to allow them to

undertake spiritual service and edify others (Rom 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:7-11; 1 Peter 4:10-11) and

that He grants gifts to the church in the form of people uniquely qualified to serve, grow and

edify the church (Eph. 4:11-13). I believe that the apostolic gifts of tongues and interpretation,

prophecy, miracles and healing have ceased (John 10:37-38; Acts 4:10, 16; 1 Cor. 13:8-12).

Doctrine of Angels, Satan, and Demons

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Angels

I believe in the existence of angels. They are spoken of extensively in both the Old and

New Testaments. They are created beings (Ps. 148:2-5; Job 38:6-7; Col. 1:16) and vast in

number (Gen. 32:1-2; Deut. 33:2; Ps. 68:17; Dan. 7:10; Rev. 5:11). I believe that all angels were

created at the same time (Col. 1:16) and that God intends for them to live eternally (Lk. 20:36).

They are spirit beings (Heb. 1:14). Scripture speaks of three specific angels, Michael (Dan.

10:13, 12:1; Jude 9; Rev. 12:7-9), Gabriel (Dan. 9:21, Lk. 1:26) and Lucifer (Isa. 14:12; Ezek.

28:12-15), and of various kinds of other angels including cherubim (Gen. 3:24; Ezek. 1) and

seraphim (Isa. 6:2-6). I believe that God’s purpose for angels is to minister to Him (Job 38:7;

Isa. 6:2-6; Ps. 103:20, 148:2; Rev. 5:11), to minister for Christ (Matt. 2:13, 4:11, 25:31; Lk.

22:43; Acts 1:10) and to minister to believers (Heb. 1:14) by providing protection (Ps. 34:7,

35:4-5, 91:11-13; Acts 5:19, 12:7-11; Rev. 7:1-14). I believe that they are also called to fight

God’s battles against the spiritual forces of darkness (1 Kings 22:19; 2 Kings 16-17; Rev. 12:7-8,

19:14, 19). Presently, man is lower than angels in the hierarchy of created beings (Heb. 2:5-9)

but when we are raised with Christ, we be raised above them (1 Cor. 6:3).

Satan

I believe that Satan is a real being (Gen 3:1; Job 2:1; Matt. 4:10; Mk. 4:15; John 22:3). I

believe that he has intellect and knowledge (Matt. 4:3-6; Eph. 6:11; Rev. 12:9). I believe that he

tempts and accuses believers (Matt. 4:3; Rev. 12:9-10). I believe that Satan was an angel of

God, exalted above the other angels (Ezek. 28:12-15). I believe that he pridefully sought to

establish his own throne above God’s and sought to be the “Most High” (Isa. 14:13-14) and, as a

result, God cast him out of heaven (Ezek. 28:16; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 12:13) along with a third of

the angels who supported him (Rev. 12:4). Satan and these fallen angels continue to wage war

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against God by deceiving people into not becoming followers of Christ and by minimizing and

eliminating the godly influence of those who are followers of Christ through both deception and

temptations (Matt. 3:4-11; John 8:44, 10:10; 2 Cor. 11:13-14). I believe that Satan has great

power both in the heavenly realm and this realm (Jude 9; Lk. 13:16; Eph. 6:10-13; 1 Peter 5:8)

but that he is still fully subject to the will of God (Job 1:6-12). I believe that God proclaimed his

defeat in the Garden (Gen. 3:15) and that he was made powerless through the Cross (Heb. 2:14).

I believe that Satan will be bound for 1,000 years during the millennial reign of Christ (Rev.

20:2-3), that he will be released for a period at the end of the reign but will finally be cast into

the lake of fire to face eternal torment (Rev. 20:10).

Demons

I believe that the demons spoken of in the New Testament are fallen angels (Matt. 12:24,

25:41). I believe that God has confined some of these fallen angels to protect man from their

extreme evil and wickedness (Lk. 8:31; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 9; Rev. 9:2). I believe that they are spirit

beings (Matt. 8:16; Lk. 10:17, 20) but that they are confined to single locations at any given

point in time (Matt. 8:28; Acts 16:16). They are intelligent but not omniscient (Matt. 8:29; Mk.

1:24; 1 Tim. 4:1). They have some degree of supernatural power but they are not omnipotent

(Matt. 15:22, 9:32; Mk. 5:3-4, 9:22; John 10:21). I believe that demons can influence the minds

of both believers and unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4, 11:3; James 3:15), deceive them (Eph. 2:2; Matt.

13:19; 1 Thess. 3:5), deceive nations (Rev. 16:14) and cause illness (Lk. 13:11) but only to the

extent that God allows (Job 1:12, 2:6; 2 Cor. 12:7-10). I believe that unbelievers can be

possessed by demons meaning that one or more demons can reside within them and control and

influence them (Matt. 4:24; Mk. 5:15; Lk. 8:36; John 10:21) but that they can be cast out through

prayer, fasting and the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 4:10; Mk. 1:34, 9:29). I believe that

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demons can influence believers who do not resist them (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8-9) but that they

cannot be possessed by demons because they have been bought with the blood of Christ (1 Peter

1:18-19) and are already indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19; 1 John 4:4).

I believe that, in the end, all demons will be cast into the lake of fire with Satan (Rev. 19:19-21).

Doctrine of Man

I believe that the first man, Adam, was created by God from the dust of the earth and that

God breathed life into him (Gen. 2:7). I believe that the first woman, Eve, was formed from the

rib of Adam so that he would not be alone and would have a suitable helper (Gen. 2:18-23). I

reject any theory that that espouses a naturalistic or random evolution of man from some lower

life form or that attempts to describe the origin of man in any way other than by the supernatural

creative work of God. I believe that God created man male and female in His own image (Gen.

1:26-27) and that this image of God still exists in all men although it has been corrupted by sin

(Isa. 64:6; Rom. 3:23). I believe that being created in the image of God means that, since God is

spirit (John 4:24), we have a non-material aspect to our being (2 Cor. 5:1; 1 Thess. 5:23)

consisting of intellect (Gen. 1:28, 2:15), will (Gen. 3:6) and emotions (Gen. 3:10). I believe that

God gave Adam a single commandment to obey when He told him that he could not eat from the

tree of the knowledge of good and evil or they would die (Gen. 2:17). I believed that Eve was

deceived by the serpent into believing that what God had said was a lie and that she chose to eat

of the fruit and gave some to Adam, who disobeyed God and ate (Gen. 3:1-6). I believe that this

original sin brought physical and spiritual death to Adam and all His descendants, that all have

inherited Adam’s sin nature (Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:21, 22) and that, because of this sin

nature, all men sin (Rom. 3:23; 1 John 1:8) causing them to be spiritually dead (Rom. 6:23; Eph.

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2:1-2; Col. 2:13) and eternally separated from God (Isa. 59:2; Gal. 5:4). I believe that it is only

through Christ’s atoning work on the cross that man’s sins can be forgiven and that he can be

restored to fellowship with God (Rom. 6:23; Rom. 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-9).

Doctrine of Sin - Hamartiology

I believe that sin is anything that we look at, think about or do that is not consistent with

the will of God as expressed in His Word (Rom. 14:23; 1 John 3:4, 5:17). I believe that through

the fall of Adam, man has inherited a sin nature (Rom. 5:12) which leads him to sin (Rom. 3:23)

and total depravity, meaning that he can do nothing on his own that will please God. I believe

that this sin separates man from God and the blessings of knowing God (Isa. 59:2; Rom. 6:23). I

believe that God has not only provided a path to redemption (John 1:12, Rom. 10:9-10, Eph. 2:8-

9) but also everything man needs to keep him from sin (Ps. 119:11; Gal. 5:16; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Doctrine of Salvation - Soteriology

I believe that because of man’s sin, he is eternally separated from God (Isa. 59:2; Rom.

6:23). I believe that from before time began, God knew that man would sin and he put in place a

plan of redemption that would unfold throughout history (Ps. 111:9). That plan of redemption

was based in Christ’s death (Isa 52:13-53:12, Job 9:32-35, 19:25-27; Mk. 8:31). I believe that

Christ died a substitutionary death – He died in man’s place (Isa. 53:4-6; Matt. 20:28; 2 Cor.

5:21; Heb. 9:28; 1 Peter 2:24) completely satisfying the God’s righteous demands of payment for

sin. I believe that Christ’s death provided for the redemption of sinners from their slavery to sin

and sin’s consequences (1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23; Rev. 5:9, 14:3, 4). I believe that Christ’s death

provides for the reconciliation of sinful man with God (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18, 19). I believe

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that Christ’s death satisfied God’s righteous wrath at man’s sins (Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17; 1 John

2:2, 4:10). I believe that Christ’s death resulted in God forgiving man’s sin because satisfactory

atonement had been made (Eph. 1:7, Col. 2:13). I believe that Christ’s death resulted in God

declaring the sinner who believed in the substitutionary death of Christ to be the full and only

payment for his sins justified (Rom. 3:24, 4:5, 5:1, 5:9). I believe that atonement through the

death of Christ is available to all men (John 1:29, 3:16; Rom 5:6, 10:13; 1 Cor. 5:14-15; 1 John

4:14). I believe that God, in His foreknowledge, elected for salvation those who would believe

in the atoning power of Christ’s death (Rom. 8:29-30; 1 Peter 1:1-2; Eph. 1:4-5) and predestined

them to be adopted as sons of God (Eph. 1:5) and to become heirs of the Kingdom with an

eternal inheritance (Eph. 5:11) in Jesus Christ. I believe that man’s responsibility in salvation is

to believe that God, because of His great love, did all that was necessary for salvation by sending

His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross as a substitutionary atonement for man’s sins (John

1:12; 3:18, 36; 5:24; 11:25–26; 20:31; Acts 16:31; 1 John 5:13). I believe that God offers this

salvation to all men as a gift of His grace (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9). I believe that when a person

puts their faith in Jesus Christ’s atoning death to be the payment for their sin, God causes the

Holy Spirit to indwell them giving new life to their spirit and making them a new creature in

Him (John 3:3-7; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:4; Titus 3:5) and that their sins are forgiven (Col. 1:14,

2:13) and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them (Rom. 3:21-22; 2 Cor. 5;21). I believe

that when God saves a person, the Holy Spirit immediately begins the process of sanctification,

of conforming them to the image of Christ, in their lives (Rom. 8:29). Positional sanctification

occurs at the moment of salvation (1 Cor. 1:30; Heb. 10:10). This is followed by a process of

progressive sanctification throughout the believer’s life (John 17:18, 19; 2 Cor 3:18; Phil. 1:6; 2

Peter 3:18) and is completed when the believer is glorified in Him (Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 3:13, 5:23;

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1 John 3:2). I believe that once a person has been saved by God’s grace, he is eternally secure in

that salvation (John 10:29-29; Rom. 8:38-39; Eph. 4:30; Heb. 13:5).

Doctrine of the Church

Origin

I believe that Scriptures makes reference to the local church and the universal church

(Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22-23, 5:25; Col. 1:18). The local church is characterized by a group of

believers who form a local assembly (Acts 8:1; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 1:2). The universal church

includes all believers everywhere in all ages (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22-23, 5:25; Col. 1:18). I

believe that he church did not exist in the Old Testament but was started at Pentecost (Acts 2). It

is being built as the Holy Spirit baptizes believers into the body of Christ (Matt. 6:18; 1 Cor.

12:13). I believe that the church is a distinct entity from Israel and does not replace her (Acts

3:12, 4:8, 10, 5:21, 31, 35; 21:19; 1 Cor. 10:32)

Organization and Officers

I believe that Christ is the Head of the church (Col. 1:18, Eph. 1:22, 4:15). I believe that

the local church should be autonomous, self-governing (Titus 1:5) and separate from government

rule (Acts 4:19-20). I believe that it is made up of its leaders, deacons and members. The

leadership of the church should be appointed by its members and consist of its pastor(s) and

elders who meet the qualifications listed in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. The members of the

church should also appoint deacons who meet the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 to

serve the needs of the church (Acts 6:1-6).

Ordinances

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I believe that the church has only two ordinances and that neither of these ordinances are

salvific or add to grace in any way. These acts of obedience include:

1. The baptism of believers by immersion in water identifying the believer with Christ in His

death, burial and resurrection (Matt. 28:19-20; Lk. 3:21; Acts 2:38, 41, 8:34-39)

2. The Lord’s Supper in which believers commemorate Christ’s giving of His body and His

blood for our sins (1 Cor. 11:24-26).

Mission

The mission of the church is two-fold:

1. The church must reach out to the world and win people to Christ by proclaiming His

Gospel message (Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 16:15; Lk. 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8).

This includes leading people to a saving knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ,

baptizing them, discipling them so that they can grow in their faith and bringing them

into the fellowship of believers within the local church.

2. The church must also minister to the local church body through worship (Acts 12:12;

Col. 3:16; 1 Tim. 4:13), teaching (Acts 2:42, Col 1:28, 2 Tim. 2:2) and fellowship

(Acts 2:46; Rom. 12:10, 14:13; Heb. 10:24, 25).

Membership Requirements

I believe that membership in the local church is limited to those who give a credible

testimony of faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and who have publicly identified themselves

with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection through believer’s baptism (2 Cor. 6:14, Acts 21:41).

Church Discipline

I believe that the members of the local church should be under the authority of the local

church leadership (Acts 6:2, 15:2; 1 Thess. 5:12-13; Heb. 13:17). I believe that Jesus described

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how church discipline was to be implemented in Matthew 18:15-20. In this procedure, He taught

that if a believer causes offense to another, the offended should go to the offender privately. If

the offender did not repent, the offended was to come back with two or three witnesses. If the

offender still did not repent, then the offender should bring the matter to the church leadership.

If, on this third attempt the offender still does not repent, then he is to be treated like “a Gentile

and a tax collector” which equated to excommunication in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13. However, if at

any stage of the process, if the offender repents, Jesus said that a brother had been won. I believe

that this shows us that the ultimate purpose of church discipline is restoration.

Doctrine of Last Things - Eschatology

Christ’s Return

I believe that in the last days, Christ will physically return from heaven to rapture away

His church (1 Thess. 4:13-18, 1 Cor/ 15:51-53), made up of all those who have trusted in Christ’s

finished work on the cross to be the payment for their sin, and remove the restrainer of evil (2

Thess. 2:6-7). This will be followed by a 7 year period of tribulation, the 70th week of Daniel

(Dan. 9:24), after which Christ will return at His second coming (Rev. 19:11-16) at which point

He will defeat the antichrist and establish His millennial reign.

The Resurrections

I believe that the Bible speaks of 2 resurrections (Dan 12:2; John 5:28, 29). The first, the

resurrection of the just, began with Christ as the first fruits (1 Cor. 15:20) and will continue when

Christ comes to rapture the church prior to the tribulation. At the point, the dead in Christ, all

believers from all time who have died, will be raised with perfected bodies (Rom. 8:11; Phil.

3:20, 21; 1 Cor. 15:44; 1 Thess. 4:16). I believe that those who are saved during the tribulation

but martyred will complete the first resurrection at the end of the tribulation (Rev. 20:4). I

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believe that at the end of the millennial reign of Christ, the second resurrection, the resurrection

of judgment, will happen (Rev. 20:5, 12-13). This will include all those from all time who never

trusted in Christ’s death to be the full payment for their sins. They will appear before the great

white throne of judgment and be cast into the lake of fire for an eternity of torment (2 Thess. 1:8-

9).

The Judgments

I believe that, following the rapture, there will be a series of judgments including:

- The judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10) where all resurrected and raptured believers

will give an account of their works and receive their rewards in heaven (Rom. 14:10-

12; 1 Cor. 3:13-15).

- The judgment of the nations (Joel 3:1–3; Isa. 2:4; Matt. 25:31–46) where, after the

tribulation and before the millennium, Jesus Christ will judge the living Gentile

nations for their treatment of Israel (Joel 3:2). This is also known as the judgment of

the sheep and goats where those who showed faith in Jesus Christ during the

tribulation and supported Israel will enter the millennial kingdom and those who

persecuted Israel will be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity.

- The judgment of Israel to draw out a remnant during the tribulation to reign with

Christ in the millennium (Ezek. 20:33–38; Dn. 12:1, 2).

- The judgment of the angels (1 Cor. 6:2-3; Isa. 24:21, 22; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6) at which

believers will judge the angels with Christ.

- The Great White Throne of Judgement (Rev. 20:11-15) when Christ judge all

unbelievers from all time and cast them into the lake of fire for eternal torment.

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- The judgment of Satan (Rev. 20:10) at the end of the millennium when he will be

loosed for a brief period and will deceive nations, and then Christ will cast him into

the lake of fire for all eternity.

The Millennium

I believe that Christ’s second coming will inaugurate a literal period of 1,000 years

during which Christ will reign over the earth on the throne of David with His saints (Lk. 1:32-33;

Rev. 20:2-7). He will reign in peace (Mic. 4:2-4; Isa. 32:17-18); there will be righteousness,

obedience, holiness, truth, joy, comfort, no poverty, and no sickness (Matt. 25:37; Isa. 35:5-6, 8,

40:1-2, 61:7, 10, 65:16; Amos 9:13-15; Ps. 24:3-4; Jer. 31:33).

The Tribulation

I believe that Christ’s return and the rapture will inaugurate the tribulation, a seven-year

period known as the 70th week of Daniel (Dan. 9:27) during which God pours out His wrath and

judgement on the earth the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments (Rev. 5-17). The antichrist will

sign a seven-year covenant with Israel (Dan. 9:27) but will break it at the three-and-a-half-year

mark by desecrating the new temple and establishing his throne on the altar (Matt. 24:15; Dan.

9:27). At the end of the tribulation, Christ will return to earth, bind the antichrist and the false

prophet and cast them both into the Lake of Fire for 1,000 years (Rev. 19:20-21)

Final Destiny

I believe that after the Millennium, the heavens and the earth are done away with and a

new heaven and a new earth become the dwelling place for all those who have loved Christ (Rev.

21:1-9).