Statement of Faith – Faith Fellowship Church of Dodgeville

STATEMENT OF FAITH

Faith Fellowship Church—Dodgeville, Wisconsin

THE BIBLE (The Holy Scriptures): We believe the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the complete, fully inspired Word of God and without error in the original writings and preserved in translation. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man, and therefore, are the final authority for faith and life. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; 1 Thess. 2:13).

THE GODHEAD: We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and that these three are one God; who are equal in being, nature, power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections and deserving the same homage, confidence, and obedience. (Matt. 28:18-19; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; 2 Cor. 13:14; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 1:4-6).

GOD THE FATHER: We believe that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity and is the eternal, unchanging, all-powerful, all-knowing, all wise, all-loving, completely just and perfectly holy, sovereign Ruler and Sustainer of the universe. He is the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Father of all true believers. (Gen. 1:1; Eph. 4:6; John 1:12-13, John 5:19-21, John 17:1-5; Isa. 40:21-28, Isa. 43:10-13, Isa. 46:8-11; Rom. 8:14-16).

THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST: We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the uncreated, eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. He lived a perfect and sinless life, completely fulfilling the Law of God in our place and accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice. We believe that our redemption is made sure to us by His literal physical resurrection from the dead. Today, He is alive and seated at the right hand of His Father in heaven, where as the High Priest for His people, acting on our behalf, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (John. 1:1-2; Luke 1:35; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2; Acts 1:9; Heb. 7:25; 9:24).

THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: We believe that the Holy Spirit, the Third
Person of the Godhead, is convicting the world of its sin, righteousness, and of judgment.
He is the supernatural agent in regeneration; baptizing all believers immediately upon regeneration into the body of Christ; indwelling; and sealing them unto the day of redemption and progressively transforms them as genuine believers more and more into the image of Jesus. The Holy Spirit also empowers believers for Christian witness and service and gives gifts for the building up of the body of Christ the church. (John 16:7-15; 2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13-14).

CREATION: We believe in the direct seven-day creation by God of the physical universe, all spirit beings, man and lower forms of life, without the process of evolution.

(Gen. 1:1-31; Ex. 20:9-11; Ex. 31:17; Prov. 16:4; Rom. 1:20; Rev. 4:11).

THE PERSON AND WORK OF SATAN: We believe that Satan is a created, personal being; the originator of sin and the instigator of the fall of man; the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that his destiny is everlasting punishment in the lake of fire. (Job 2:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:11-19; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; 1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 20:10).

MANKIND: We believe that man was created in the image of God, and that in Adam’s sin, the race fell, breaking God’s Law; inherited a sinful nature; and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death. As a result, all are separated from God by their sin, totally depraved and unable of oneself to remedy their lost condition; and is thereby under the just wrath of God and deserving of eternal punishment in a literal eternal hell and are hopeless apart from the salvation found in Christ alone. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; Eph. 2:12).

SALVATION: Salvation is a free gift that comes only by God’s grace, through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. Anyone who turns from their sin and places their trust in Jesus Christ and acknowledges His death, burial and resurrection on their behalf shall receive forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. Upon receiving salvation; one is cleansed from all sin and is given the righteousness of Christ and exchanges the destination of hell for that of heaven. We believe that all the redeemed once saved are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (Eph. 2:8-10; John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; John 6:37-40; John 10:27- 30; 2 Cor. 5:19; 1 Pet. 1:5; John 3:3-18; 1 John 5:13).

THE BELIEVER’S TWO NATURES: We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God. We believe that the Holy Spirit enables all believers to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Though their old nature continues to be present, believers are no longer under its authority and must strive to live a holy life by the power of God, according to their new nature. (2 Tim. 3: 1-5; Romans 12: 1-21; 2 John 1: 9-11, 2 Cor. 6: 14; 17:1; Rom. 6:11-13; Rom. 8: 1-9; Gal. 5:16; Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:1-10; 1 Pet. 1:14-16; 1 John 3:5-9).

THE ETERNAL STATE: We believe that the souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation immediately pass into His presence upon their death, and they remain in conscious joy until the resurrection of their bodies in their glorified state. This will occur at the Second Coming of Christ, when each believer’s spirit, soul, and body will be reunited and shall reign forever with Him in glory. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious torment until the final judgment before the Great White Throne. This will occur at Christ’s Second Coming, when each unbeliever’s spirit, soul, and body shall be cast into the lake of fire to continue in everlasting and unalterable punishment, eternally separated from the presence of the Lord. (Rom. 6:23; Matt. 25:46; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Job 19:25-27; Isa. 59:18; Rom. 12:19; I Thess. 5; Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20:11-15).

RETURN OF CHRIST: The teaching of Faith Fellowship Church is the personal, physical, pre-tribulational and premillennial return of Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission. The imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones will result in the fulfillment and establishment of His eternal, visible kingdom. (1 Thess. 4:13-18: 1 Cor. 15:51-53, Titus 2:13: Zeh. 14:4-11; Isa. 9:6; Rev. 20:6).

BODY OF BELIEVERS: We believe that all believers are baptized by the same Holy Spirit into, and thus become, one Body that is Christ’s, whether Jews or Gentiles, and having become members one of another, are under solemn duty to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, rising above all natural inclinations, and loving one another with a pure heart fervently. (Matt. 16:16- 18; Acts 2:42-47: Rom. 12:5: 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. I:20-23: 4:3-6; Col. 3:14-15).

ORDINANCES: Following salvation, we recognize baptism by immersion (as described in scripture as an outward expression and commitment of following Jesus Christ) and the Lord’s Supper (as described in scripture as a symbol and celebration of the Lord’s death and resurrection) as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. (1 Peter 3:21; 1 Cor. 10:16; Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-41; Acts 8:35-38; Matt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 11:23-25).

THE LOCAL CHURCH: We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures and that the local church is a company of believers in Jesus Christ through confession of faith associated for worship, fellowship, work, observance of the ordinances and the to spread the Gospel locally and to the world. (Acts 14:27; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11; Heb. 10:24-25; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; Rev. 1:11)

MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM: We believe that it is the obligation of the individual believer to fulfill Christ’s command to go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel – locally and globally, by word and deed. We believe it is the duty of the Church to send and support believers in this task. (Acts 1:8: Matt. 28:19-20).

MORAL ISSUES:

Abortion: We believe that human life begins at conception and that an unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn life and is murder. (Psalm 139:13-14; Luke 12:6-7; Gen. 2:4-23; Prov. 31:8; Jer. 1:5; Matt. 19:14).

Human Sexuality: We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of marriage. We believe the only biblical marriage to be between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God created man as man genetically and woman as woman genetically and any deviation of His creation in gender reassignment through appearance alterations, gender identification or surgery are a sinful violation of scripture and God’s original creation. (Gen. 1:27; Rom. 1:24-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Ex. 20:14; Matt. 5:27-28; Matt. 19:4).

Divorce: Before discussing what the Bible has to say about divorce it is of the utmost importance that we understand God’s plan and intention for marriage. First, the Scriptures teach us that marriage is holy, the first institution created by God, and that He pronounced it good (Genesis 2:18–24, Matthew 19:3-6). Second, the Word of God teaches us that God’s expectations for marriage are universal and for all of mankind, whether the individual professes to know Christ or not. Third, marriage is a covenant relationship before God only dissolvable by the death of one of the spouses or by divorce resulting from sexual immorality of one of the spouses (Matthew 19:7–11). God’s Word is clear on the point that His intention for marriage is that it is for a lifetime and it is clearly stated in God’s Word that He hates the act of, and the effects of divorce (Malachi 2:16). It is the position of this Church that if a person has divorced un-biblically (whether before or after salvation) the Holy Spirit will lead them into a clear spirit of repentance and to actively pursue reconciliation. It is understood that circumstances can arise that would make reconciliation impossible (i.e. the remarriage of the other spouse) (I Corinthians 7:10-11). It is important to note that an individual who has been through an unbiblical divorce but was not the individual who pursued the divorce, but rather was actively involved in trying to preserve the marriage should not be held responsible for the sins of the offending spouse (I Corinthians 7:15).