statement of faith

STATEMENT OF FAITH

I. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

"We believe the Holy Scriptures to be the verbally inspired Word of God in its entirety, sixty-six books composing of the Old and New Testaments, the final authority for faith and life, without error in the original writings and infallible (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 5:18; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

II. THE TRINITY

We believe in 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 (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

III. GOD THE SON

We believe that 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, the Lord Jesus Christ, might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1-2,14; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6-7).

We believe that He accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5, 2:24).

We believe that He 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 1:9-11; Hebrews 7:25, 9:24; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).

We believe in the literal, physical and personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ to establish the Messianic Kingdom on earth for one thousand years in fulfillment of the promises to Israel; and that before this He will come for His bride the Church, the dead in Christ to be resurrected and those alive to be translated into the glorified state (Kingdom - Isaiah 11:1-5, 32:1-20, 65:17-25; Psalms 2:6-9; 72; 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Jeremiah 31:38-40, 33:15; Daniel 7:13-14; Micah 4:1-8; Zechariah 9: 9-10,14:9-21; Luke 1:31-33; Matthew 19:28; Acts 15:15-17; Church - John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-17, 5:9-10; Revelation 3:10).

IV. GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, though omnipresent from all eternity, took up His abode in the world in a special sense on the day of Pentecost according to the divine promise, dwells in every believer, and by His baptism which occurs at conversion unites all believers to Christ in one body, and that He, as the Indwelling One, is the source of all power and all acceptable worship and service (John 14:16-17,16:7-15; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19,12:12-13).

V. MAN

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved and thus of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 3:22-23, 5:12).

VI. SALVATION

We believe that it is absolutely essential for man to be "born again", regenerated by the Holy Spirit, in which he is no longer conformed to the world system but redirected to the things of the Spirit, in order to be saved; and that the only way to salvation is to turn in genuine faith from the heart to Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Saviour (John 3:1-18; Titus 3:5-7; Ephesians 3:8-11; Ezekiel 36:25-27; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 1:23; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5; John 1:1 2-13; Romans 10:9-10).

VII. CHURCH

We believe that the Church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of "born again" persons, not any specific organization (Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2).

We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament (Acts 14:27, 20:17, 20:28-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).

We believe that the True Church of Jesus Christ is the One Church of history, begun in Pentecost and different from Israel, related not by organizational ties but by a vital life in the Spirit founded upon the basic doctrinal faith of the apostles continued through the ages by the superintendence of God. There is one Father, one Lord, one Spirit, one faith, one body, one baptism, and one hope of calling (Ephesians 4:1-16; Acts 2:41; Galatians 1:8-9; Jude).

VIll. THE RESURRECTION

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29,11:25-26; Revelation 20:6,13).

IX. THE GREAT COMMISSION

We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of the Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Matthew 28:18-20).

Assembly Kyoto Church, Nishioji-Hanayacho, Kyoto, Japan