The Holy Trinity
We believe that the one God exists as three persons relating. The three are united in substance, equal in the sense of being God, and are distinct in their personhood.
God the Father
God is a sovereign, just, holy, and loving heavenly Father. It is God's nature to share Himself, and therefore exists as trinity. God shared Himself with sinful man when, because of His love for the world, He gave His only begotten Son. Because He is the source of all life, all living things are responsible to Him. He is a rewarder of those who obey Him, and the Judge of those who do evil.
God the Son, Jesus Christ
God revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Eternal Son came to dwell among men as a man through the incarnation. The Holy Spirit was the agent of the incarnation, while the virgin Mary was the instrument. By taking humanity to Himself, the Son of God lost nothing of His divinity, but was truely God, and truely human. As the perfect man, without sin, He gave His life as the perfect sacrifice for man. Having offered Himself "once for all," He now exercises His High Priestly ministry by interceding on behalf of the saints, waiting for the day when He comes again.
God, the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity, is the giver and renewer of life. He works to convict of sin, convince of the truth, and call sinners to life in Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who applies the work of Christ for salvation, and sanctification, as well as the empowerment for holy living. He is a comforter, an encourager, a giver of gifts, and our guide as we walk each day for Christ.
The Scriptures
The canonized 66 books of the Old and New Testament make up the Bible. The Bible is the word of God, written by holy men of old as they were enabled to communicate God's truth without error. We therefore believe that the scripture is infallible and inerrant in its original autographs. The scripture is our rule of faith and a revelation of God Himself. Written over a period of 1500 years by as many as 40 authors, the scripture is authoritative in matters of faith, doctrine, and practice.
Man
God created man in His image, with the ability to relate to God in freedom, as immortal, spiritual beings. Man's original state was one of holiness. After the fall, man became a corrupt expression of God's image. Because of the corruption of our nature, man is incapable of any positive move toward God, except through the work of divine grace. This grace, which works in advance of our salvation to bring us to favor, toward salvation, is called prevenient grace. Only through the justifying, regenerating, sanctifying grace of God can we be saved from the pervasive corruption of sin and be conformed to the image of God.
Salvation
Salvation is the process by which God forgives sin, renews man to a right relationship with God, then quickens a soul dead in trespasses and sin and draws a soul to sanctification. Full salvation indicates a full redemption from all the effects of sin. Guilt, separation, death, and depravity all must be dealt with in salvation. Thus, the work of Christ is sufficient for all our needs. This salvation is grounded in the love of God, provided by the atoning work of Christ and applied by the active work of the Holy Spirit.
Gifts of the Spirit
All nine gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Cor. 12:4-11 continue to be expressed in the church today and are subject to the order prescribed by Scripture.
The Church
The Christian Church was founded by Christ on the day of Pentecost. By the infilling of the Spirit, the followers of Christ become the Body of Christ. Being called out from the world to fellowship with Christ, the Church is a unique organism. It is universal, being made up of true believers of all nations, and it is holy, belonging to God.
The Priesthood of all Believers
Whereas in the Old Testament God used specific people as priests, in the New Testament, God calls all believers to service and ministry. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit every Christian not only represents God, but also has been empowered to be an instrument of His grace to the world. The dual duties of representing God to man and man to God, belong to every born again Christian. The responsibility of witnessing, the ministry of prayer, and the use of our spiritual gifts are included in the privilege of being His priests.
The Christian Life
Once a believer experiences new life in Christ, he strives to live a life holy and acceptable to God. The Christian life is a daily, disciplined walk with God. We believe the means of grace, prayer, Bible study, meditation, corporate worship, and fellowship-- are all necessary for Christian growth. As Christians, we should focus on reproducing the character, or fruit of the Spirit, in our own character. We should also discover, develop, and use our personal spiritual gifts within the body.
Eternal Security
As Christians, we believe and teach that salvation is a relationship based on freedom. In order to love and trust Christ, we must be free to do so. The atonement provided through Christ was provided for all men, yet God calls us to turn to Him, trust Him, and walk with Him. While God always loves us, and nothing can separate us from His love, we always have the freedom to turn from our relationship with Him. The freewill needed to have faith in Him, remains intact throughout our life.
The Sacraments
We recognize two sacraments, Baptism and Communion. Baptism is a testimony to the inner work of salvation. Whether by immersion, sprinkling, or pouring, baptism itself does not save, but is a reflection of salvation as a cleansing of sin. Children are baptized as a dedication to God, but such baptism or christening does not take the place of believer’s baptism. Holy Communion, or the Lord's Supper is a celebration of Christ's sacrifice on our behalf. Communion is open to all who believe.
Eternal Life
God created man to know Him intimately. Originally, God breathed into man His own breath, or life. Man, after the fall, was deprived of the Spirit, or life of God. Salvation is the re-breathing of that life into the soul of man. That life, the very breath of God, is the basis of what the scripture means by eternal life. Jesus said, "This is eternal life, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3) Knowing God in an intimate sense is to experience His life and therefore can be experienced in this life. Eternal life continues in heaven as we experience God in a new way - face to face. Eternal life, therefore, starts now and continues in eternity forever. Those who finally reject the offer of salvation in Christ will spend eternity separated from God and condemned to suffer in hell for eternity.
The Second Coming of Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ will return bodily, visibly, and personally to conform believers to His own image. He will judge the quick and the dead and will effect a final separation of the redeemed and the lost, assigning unbelievers to eternal punishment and believers to eternal glory.
Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27.) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25.) We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4.) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10.)
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of [the organization] as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the [the organization] members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by [the organization] in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matt 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thess 5:22.)
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11.)
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the practices of SPIN Ministry.