| Statement Of Faith |
| The following is a list of beliefs that we at River Of Truth hold to. |
| 1. We believe that salvation comes only through the grace (God's power and ability given to every believer) and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not believe that there is anything you can do that is good enough to earn your way into heaven and that there is no ceremonial act that you need to perform to get into heaven, including water baptism, communion, and other Christian sacrements. 2. We believe that salvation as the Bible describes it is a salvation from the curse of sin, and therefore once the person is saved they should be able to evidence their salvation through a new way of life where they cease to sin (1 Peter 4:1-2). We believe that holiness as seen in Hebrews 12:14 is still a requirement to see the Lord. 3. We believe that repentance is vital and necessary in a persons conversion and must take place as a means of receiving the free gift of salvation that Jesus has provided. Repentance means to turn around and go a different diriction. 4. We believe that holiness is an attitude of the heart that causes you to do what is right. Those who claim to be Christians but do not practice holiness are not Christians at all. 5. We believe that a sinner is a person who sins. Christians do not sin (see 1 John 2:3-6, 3:4-9, 5:18). We believe that people who sin knowing that what they are doing is sin are simply not saved and will go to hell if they do not repent. 6. We reject any and all doctrines that cannot be supported by the whole of scripture. If even one verse can contradict a doctirnal theory, we reject it because Jesus said that not one jot or one tittle of the law shall pass away until all is fulfilled. 7. We do not believe in eternal security, or the theory of once saved always saved, as it pertains to life here on earth because scripture clearly contradicts it (see Hebrews 6:4-6, 10:26, and 2 Peter 2:20-22) The only time a person will be eternally secure is once they have made it into either heaven or hell where they will spend the rest of eternity. The Bible clearly teaches that once in either of these two places there is no way out accept in the case a man be raised from the dead. 8. We believe in miracles and supernatural signs and wonders as seen throughout the Bible and especially in the book of Acts through the works of the New Testament Christians in the early church. We believe that Christians today have the power to supernaturally heal the sick, raise the dead, and perform miracles just as much as the saints of old did. 9. We believe in the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit and that both must work together with each other. For example, a person gifted with the gift of tongues should not be able to curse, since cursing goes against the fruit of the Spirit. The only reason that it is possible for a person to speak in tongues and still curse is because a gift from the Spirit is yours to keep whether you backslide or grow in God, but if the tree dies the fruit also dies. 10. We believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of the Living God and that there is a divine relationship between Jesus and the written Word (see John 1:1, 1:14, 1 John 5:7, Revelation 19:13). We should place as much belief in the Bible and what it says as we do in believing that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died and rose again for our sins. Believing in Jesus means believing in the Bible and what it says, and applying those beliefs to our life and conducting our lives accordingly. 11. We believe that everything in the Bible is literal and is only open for alternate interpretation as the Spirit leads. Every story in the Bible either has actually happened or will actually happen, and every moral law in the Bible is literally demanded of God. As well, all punishments for breaking God's laws are literal, which includes eternal damnation in hell for ALL sinners. 12. We believe in the trinity as being one God revealed in three persons or three manifestations. Much like the United States governmant is one government consisting of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial; the trinity is one god consisting of three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 13. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came in human flesh to become the sacrificial lamb that would rid the world of sin. We believe that Jesus died on a Roman crucifixion cross, was buried in a borrowed tomb, and rose out of the grave on the third day just as scripture declares. We believe that all who will believe this and the power of it can obtain the salvation spoken of above. 14. We believe that there will be a rapture of the Christian church. We also believe that this rapture will take place before the seven year reign of the Antichrist and the Great Tribulation. 15. We believe that there is solid, concrete physical evidence proving that there is a God, He is the God of the Bible, He created the universe and everything in it, the Bible is the genuine inspired Word of God, and that God has a Son, Jesus Christ, and the Jesus came to earth, died on a Roman crucifixion cross, and rose from the grave on the third day to save humanity from their sins. 16. We believe that it is every born-again Christians duty and obligation to engage in soul winning. Anyone who has received Jesus as the Lord of their life should have no problem at all sharing their faith with others. "The apex of all Christian endeavor must be to place the jewel of a soul in our Lord's crown, so that the lamb who was slain might receive the rewards of His suffering." |