Statement of Faith

As a summary of our beliefs, we teach the following fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith.

The Synod of the Global Apostolic Dioceses and Churches adheres unwaveringly to the Full Gospel paradigm, wherein the atoning work of Christ is proclaimed in its plenitude: salvation through faith, sanctification by the Spirit, divine healing as provisioned in Isaiah 53:4-5, and the imminent return of the Lord as foretold in Revelation 22:20. This doctrinal framework, rooted in the patristic witness of the Apostolic Fathers and the pneumatic vitality of the early ekklēsia, equips our global communion to proclaim ‘Jesus is Lord’ (1 Corinthians 12:3) amid the vicissitudes of the age.

Section 1     The Holy Scriptures

The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the verbally inspired and divinely preserved Word of God, inerrant in the original languages, the complete authority for faith and life, infallible and God-breathed. (2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Mt. 5:18, John 16: 12-13)

Section 2     The Godhead

  1. There is one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit … co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4, Mt. 28:19-20, 2 Cor. 13:14)
  2. This Triune God is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth; and He is the creator of all things. (John 4:24, Luke 24:39, Ps. 90:2, Gal. 3:6, James 1:17, Is. 44:24, Rev. 9:6, 1 John 3:20, Ps. 147:5, Ps. 139:7-10, Jer. 23:24)

Section 3     The Person and Work of the Father

  1. The Father, who is spirit, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, was active in creation and, along with the Son sustains the creation. He is the first cause and source of all things. (John 6:46, 1 Tim. 6:16, Gen. 1:1-2, 1 Cor. 8:6)
  2. The Father willed and decreed the plan of salvation. He elects calls, justifies, forgives, reconciles, adopts and glorifies the redeemed. (Matt 26:39, Rom. 8:28-33, Eph 1:3-6)

Section 4 The Person and Work of the Son

  1. The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. (John 1:1-2, 14, Luke 1:3 5)
  2. The Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His life of perfect obedience to the Law, His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and our justification is made sure by His literal, physical, resurrection from the dead. (Rom. 3:24-25, 1 Peter 2:24, Eph. 1:7, 1 Pet. 1:3-5)
  3. The Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10, Heb. 9:24, 7:25, Rom. 8:34, 1 John 2:1-2)

Section 5     The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

  1. The Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, and He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the Body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. As the uncreated power of the Godhead, He actively sustains the biological and spiritual life of the believer, mediating the continuous presence of the glorified Christ(John 16:8-11, 2 Cor. 3:6, 1 Cor. 12:12-14, Rom. 8:9, Eph. 1:13-14)
  2. He is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth, and it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (John 16:13, 1 John 2:20, 27, Eph. 5:18)

Section 6      Creation, the Fall and the Depravity of Man

God created the heavens and the earth from nothing, by His Word, in seven days. Man was created in the image and likeness of God, but in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved, and, of himself, totally unable to remedy his lost condition. The created order, declared good by God when He created it, was subjected to the effects of the fall of Man and sin. It awaits redemption in its current imperfect state. (Gen. 1:26-27, Rom. 3:22-23, 5:12, Eph. 2:1-3, 12)

Section 7     Salvation

Salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace alone and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. (Eph. 2:8-10, John 1:12, Eph. 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18-19). We believe that the redemptive work of Christ provides for the holistic well-being of the believer. As an expression of the inbreaking Kingdom of God, we earnestly pray for, expect, and celebrate God’s miraculous healing and faithful provision in this present age. However, we firmly reject the transactional theology which asserts that believers are unconditionally entitled to perfect physical health or material wealth in this fallen world. We hold in biblical tension the victorious, present power of the Holy Spirit with the profound reality of human suffering, acknowledging that God’s grace is frequently perfected in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). We do not view temporary affliction as a lack of faith, but endure it with an eternal perspective, eagerly awaiting the ultimate eradication of all sickness, sorrow, and poverty at the resurrection of the dead and the final consummation of Christ’s Kingdom.

Section 8     The Assurance of Believers

  1. All the redeemed, once saved, are preserved by God’s power and are in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30, Rom. 8:1, 38-39, 1 Cor. 1:4-8, 1 Peter 1:5)
  2. It is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. This privilege is contingent upon a continuing walk in the Spirit, without which such assurance is presumptuous. (Rom. 13:13- 14, Gal. 5:13, Titus 2:11-15, Rom. 8:5-14, Heb. 11:14-4:1, Heb. 10:22-29)

Section 9     The Nature of the Believer

Every saved person possesses the spiritual competence to lead a life of Christ-like character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father through the indwelling Holy Spirit; but claims to perfection in this life are unscriptural. Through an unwavering commitment to the Word and sacraments, the believer’s consciousness is continually renewed to reflect the divine nature (Rom. 6:13, 8:12-13, 1 Cor. 6:19-20, Gal. 5:16-25, Eph. 4:22-24, Col. 3:10, Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 1:14-16, 1 John 2:15-17, 1 John 3:5-9, 1:8-10).To facilitate the renewing of the mind, we affirm that while we are not saved by the Law, the moral law of God—summarized in the Ten Commandments—remains the objective, diagnostic yardstick for Christian character. Furthermore, the foundational models of Christ, in Prayer, and the ongoing practice of confession (1 John 1:9), are essential for the relational maintenance of our covenant with God.

Section 10     The Church

  1. The Church, which is the body and espoused Bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism and a visible communion made up of all the saved. It is the historic and dynamic vessel through which God’s Kingdom is advanced on earth (Eph. 1:22-23, 5:25-27, 1 Cor. 12: 12-14, 1 Cor. 11:12). We believe in the fivefold ministry gifts for the equipping of the saints. However, all such offices must operate under strict, visible structures of mutual accountability, financial transparency, and objective biblical scrutiny. We wholly reject authoritarian leadership models that elevate offices above the moral law and the collective correction of the Body of Christ.
  1. The establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27, 20:17, 28-32, 1 Tim. 3:1-13, Titus 1: .5-11). We believe in the fivefold ministry gifts.

Section 11     Ordinances

There are two church ordinances: water baptism for believers and the Lord’s Supper. Far beyond symbolic acts of obedience, these are dynamic, participatory seals of the New Covenant that impart the genuine presence and life of the glorified Christ to the believer, greatly benefiting the individual and the body as a whole. These are acts of obedience and are of great benefit to individual believers and to the body as a whole. John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (1 Cor. 11:23-24, Acts 8:35-37, 10:47-48, 1 Cor. 1:14, Acts 8:12): Acts 2:38  “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”. Acts 9:18; 1 Pet 3:21

Section 12     Marriage

Marriage is created by God and has only one meaning. It is a covenant relationship uniting one man and one woman under God in a single, exclusive union.

Section 13     Missions

It is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind. (Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8, 2, Cor. 5:19-20)

Section 14     Satan

Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of The Fall; he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and he, the fallen angels and unsaved mankind shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7, Isa. 14:12-17, Matt. 4:2-11, 25:41, Rev. 20:10)

Section 15     The Second Advent of Christ

We teach the personal, imminent, coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones and His eternal reign with them in the new heavens and new earth. (1 Thes. 4:13-18,

Rev. 19:11-16, 21:1—4, 1 Thes. 1:10)

Section 16     The Eternal State

All men will be bodily resurrected, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Mt. 25:46, John 5:28-29, 11:25-26, Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)

 

An Independently Incorporated 1 st Century FULL GOSPEL APOSTOLIC DENOMINATION Registered By USA Federal Govt- A 501 (c) 3 Inter Govt IGO with Validity Period Of 99 Years