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2. Jesus Christ is the
true God and the true man.(4) He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of
the virgin Mary.(5) He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust,(6) as a
substitutionary sacrifice,(7) and all who believe in Him are justified on the
ground of His shed blood.(8) He arose from the dead according to the
Scriptures.(9) He is now at the right hand of Majesty on high as our great
High Priest.(10) He will come again to establish His kingdom, righteousness
and peace.(11) ([4] Philippians 2:6–11, [5] Luke 1:34–38, [6] I
Peter 3:18, [7] Hebrews 2:9, [8] Romans 5:9, [9] Acts 2:23–24, [10]
Hebrews 8:1, [11] Matthew 26:64) 3. The Holy Spirit is a
divine person,(12) sent to dwell, guide, teach, empower the believer,(13) and
convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.(14) ([12] John
14:15–18, [13] John 16:13, Acts 1:8, [14] John 16:7–11) 4. The Old and New
Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and
are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They
constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice.(15)
([15] 2 Peter 1:20–21, 2 Timothy 3:15–16) 5. Man was originally
created in the image and likeness of God:(16) he
fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual
death. All men are born with a sinful nature,(17) are separated from the life
of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus
Christ.(18) The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence
forever in conscious torment;(19) and that of the believer, in everlasting
joy and bliss.(20) ([16] Genesis 1:27, [17] Romans 3:23, [18] 1
Corinthians15:20–23, [19] Revelation 21:8, [20] Revelation
21:1–4) 6. Salvation has been provided
through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are
born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become
the children of God.(21) ([21] Titus 3:4–7) 7. It is the will of God
that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified
wholly,(22) being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the
will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective
service.(23) This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in
the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.24 ([22] 1 Thessalonians
5:23, [23] Acts 1:8, [24] Romans 6:1–14) 8. Provision is made in
the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal
body.(25) Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the
Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age.(26) ([25]
Matthew 8:16–17, [26] James 5:13–16) 9. The Church consists of
all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood,
and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the
Church, (27) which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a
witness, preaching the gospel to all nations.(28) The local church is a body
of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for
edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation
of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's
Supper.(29) ([27] Ephesians 1:22–23, [28] Matthew 28:19–20, [29]
Acts 2:41–47) 10. There shall be a
bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a
resurrection unto life;(30) for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment.(31)
([30] 1 Corinthians 15:20–23, [31] John 5:28–29) 11. The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent(32) and will be personal, visible, and pre-millennial.(33) This is the believer's blessed hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service.(34) ([32] Hebrews 10:37, [33] Luke 21:27, [34] Titus 2:11–14) |