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Doctrinal views
The
doctrinal views
of the UPCI reflect most of the beliefs of the Holiness-Pentecostal
movement, with the exception of the "second work of grace," the historic
doctrine of the Trinity, and the traditional Trinitarian formula in
water baptism. It embraces the Pentecostal view that speaking in tongues
is the initial sign of receiving the Holy Spirit.
The UPCI holds a fundamental view of the
Bible: "The Bible is the only God-given authority which man possesses;
therefore all doctrine, faith, hope, and all instructions for the church
must be based upon and harmonize with the Bible" (Manual of the United
Pentecostal Church, 19). The Bible is the Word of God, and therefore
inerrant and infallible. The UPCI rejects all extrabiblical revelations
and writings, and views church creeds and articles of faith only as the
thinking of men.
The UPCI holds that salvation is by grace
through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works. Faith in Jesus is the means
by which a person is justified. At the same time, a sinner must believe
the gospel; he is commanded to repent of his sinful life, to be baptized
in water in the name of Jesus Christ, and to receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 4:12; 8:12-17; 10:43-48; 19:1-6). Thus the
various aspects of faith and obedience work together in God's grace to
reconcile us to God.
Oneness of God
In distinction to the doctrine of the
Trinity, the UPCI holds to a oneness view of God. It views the
Trinitarian concept of God, that of God eternally existing as three
distinctive persons, as inadequate and a departure from the consistent
and emphatic biblical revelation of God being one.
The UPCI teaches that the one God who
revealed Himself in the Old Testament as Jehovah revealed himself in His
Son, Jesus Christ. Thus Jesus Christ was and is God. In other words,
Jesus is the one true God manifested in flesh, for in Him dwells all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily (John 1:1-14; I Timothy 3:16; Colossians
2:9).
While fully God, Jesus was also fully
man, possessing a full and true humanity. He was both God and man.
Moreover, the Holy Spirit is God with us and in us. Thus God is
manifested as Father in creation and as the Father of the Son, in the
Son for our redemption, and as the Holy Spirit in our regeneration.
Importance of the Family Unit
The UPCI stresses and supports the family
unit as God's primary institution and teaches that the church is God's
redemptive fellowship for all believers.
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United
Pentecostal Church International