ESTE CAMINO CHURCH-FAMILY
DECLARATION OF FAITH
ETERNAL DIVINITY:
WE BELIEVE in the unity of the living and true God who is eternal, the only existing one, who has revealed Himself as one in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and who is the Creator and preserver of visible and invisible things – Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark 12:29; Matthew 28:19; Genesis 1:1; Psalm 86:9-10; Isaiah 43:10-11; John 1:1-3.
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST:
WE BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the triune Deity, who was and is the eternal Son of God; who became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary.
WE BELIEVE in His sinless life, in His miraculous ministry, in His substitutionary atoning death, in His bodily resurrection, in His glorious ascension and His permanent intercession – Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22; Acts 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:12; Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Acts 1:9; Ephesians 4:9-10; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:23.
THE HOLY SPIRIT:
WE BELIEVE in the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune Deity, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, and is always present and active in the work of convicting and regenerating the sinner, and sanctifying and guiding the believer into all truth. John 14:26; John 16:8-11; 1 Peter 1:2; Romans 8:14.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES:
WE BELIEVE in the verbal and complete inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, that is, the Old and New Testaments in their original writings. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is infallible and inerrant, revealing God’s will, revealing everything necessary for our salvation. The Holy Scriptures are for all of us the supreme and sufficient authority in all matters pertaining to faith and conduct.
The Bible does not simply contain the Word of God, but is, in fact, the complete revelation and very Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that everything not contained therein is not to be considered as an article of faith. Matthew 5:17-18; 24:35; John 4:39; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
THE DEVIL:
WE BELIEVE in the personality of the devil who, by his influence, led to the fall of man, and now seeks to destroy the faith of all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ – Genesis 3:1-15; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8; John 13:2.
THE CREATION:
WE BELIEVE that the heavens and the earth and all original forms of life, including man, were made by the specific immediate creative acts of God, described in the account of origins presented in Genesis 1 and 2, and that all biological changes that have occurred since creation are limited to variation within each species.
THE FALL OF MAN:
WE BELIEVE that man was created by God through a specific and immediate act, in His image and likeness, with spirit, soul and body, morally upright and perfect, but fell by voluntary transgression. Consequently, all men are separated from original righteousness, depraved and without spiritual life. Genesis 1:26-31; 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
THE ATONEMENT:
WE BELIEVE that God’s response to man’s sinful state is in the death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, on the cross, whose suffering and shedding of blood made complete atonement for the sins of the whole world, and that there is no other way to obtain salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:25-26; 1 Peter 1:19-20.
SALVATION OF MAN:
WE BELIEVE that salvation is received through repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This experience is also known as the new birth and is an instantaneous and complete operation of the Holy Spirit whereby the believing sinner is healed by the action of Theotherapy (God’s healing in the believer’s life), whereby he is regenerated, justified and adopted into the family of God and becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus (Luke 9:11; Titus 2;11; 3:5-7; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 5:1) and an heir of eternal life.
THE CHURCH-FAMILY:
WE BELIEVE that the Church-Family is the body of Christ, the dwelling of God through the Spirit, with divine designs for the fulfillment of His Great Commission, and that it is also the Family of God. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the congregation of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven – Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23.
WATER BAPTISM:
WE BELIEVE that baptism, by immersion, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is ordained for all who have repented and believed in Christ as Savior and Lord, and that it is a symbol of our identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection – Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 10:47-48; 2:38-39; Romans 6:4-5; Colossians 2:12; Mark 16:16.
THE LORD’S SUPPER:
WE BELIEVE that the Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements of bread and wine, is the symbolic expression of sharing in the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4); a memorial of His suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26); and a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26), and is ordained for all believers “until He comes.” Luke 22:15-20; Matthew 26:26-28; Acts 20:7.
SANCTIFICATION:
Sanctification is an act of separation from what is evil and dedication to God. WE BELIEVE that it is the glorious provision for every believer in Christ to be purified in heart and completely set apart, through the working of the Holy Spirit, by the blood of Jesus and the Word of God – John 17:15-19; Acts 15:8-9; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; Hebrews 2:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Hebrews 10:16-19; Romans 12:1-2.
THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT:
WE BELIEVE that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to grant the believer power to be an effective witness for Christ. This experience is different from and subsequent to the New Birth; it is received by faith and is accompanied by the manifestation of speaking words in tongues given by the Spirit as initial evidence – Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8; Acts 2:1-4; 8:15-19; 11:14-17; 19:1-7.
GIFTS:
WE BELIEVE in the current operation of the nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit for the edification of the church-family, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 12. We also believe in Christ’s ministerial gifts, as recorded in Ephesians 4:11-13.
DIVINE HEALING:
In accordance with the teachings of the Scriptures, we trust in our Heavenly Father to protect and heal our bodies from sickness and ailments.
WE BELIEVE in divine healing for the body, which, like all of God’s redemptive blessings, has been provided by the atoning death and victorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; it is a privilege for all believers and is provided by faith in the infallible promises of our Heavenly Father. Exodus 15:26; Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 8:16-17; 1 Peter 2:24; Psalms 103:3; James 5:14-15; Mark 16:17-18.
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST:
WE BELIEVE in the premillennial, imminent and personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ to gather His people. Having this glorious hope and fervent expectation, we purify ourselves even as He is pure, so that we may be ready to receive Him when He comes – John 14:1-3; James 5:7-8; Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; 1 John 2:28; 3:2-3.
THE MILLENNIUM:
WE BELIEVE in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to establish His thousand-year reign on this earth – Zechariah 14:5; Daniel 7:22; Revelation 5:9-10; Psalms 96:10-13; Psalms 11; Revelation 20:1-10.
THE PUNISHMENT OF THOSE WHO REJECT CHRIST:
WE BELIEVE in the eternal punishment (eternal torment) of those who voluntarily reject and despise the love of God, manifested in the great sacrifice of His only Son on the cross for their salvation – Matthew 25:46; 13:49-50; Luke 12:47-48; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:11-15.
WE BELIEVE that the devil and his angels, as well as anyone not found written in the Book of Life, will be consigned to eternal punishment in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death – Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:10-15.
NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH:
WE BELIEVE that we will enjoy a new Creation of God. “But we look for new heavens and a new earth according to His promises, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” – 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21 and 22.
