A Brief Doctrinal Statement

G. Richard Deal

I. God is a Person who has revealed Himself in three persons: God, the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

II. The Bible is the divine Word of God, inerrant in the original texts, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

III. Jesus Christ exists eternally, past, present and future. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the Cross to pay for the sins of the world, past, present and future, and was raised from the dead on the third day with a glorified body. He ascended forty days later and will return personally and visibly to judge the quick and the dead and to set up His kingdom on Earth. He is interceding for the saints at the present time in His role as the great High Priest.

IV. Man was created in the image of God but he fell as the result of sin. Man is saved only by grace through faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ. Man will be eternally saved or eternally lost based on the decision he makes on Earth.

V. The church was instituted by Jesus Christ to be the witness to the unsaved and for the fellowship of the believers. The church needs to be local to effectively reach the community and the leadership needs to rely on Christ for its authority and direction. The church will be caught up to meet Christ in the air before His return to Earth to set up His kingdom.