2010 & 2011 IA Truth Research Committee Meeting Resolutions Adapted by WDC

2010 IA Truth Research Committee Meeting Resolutions Adapted by WDC

I. Discussion on Millennialism. 

Resolution:

1. The purpose for God to bound Satan for a thousand years: “so that he should deceive the nations no more.” “Deceive the nations” refers to the great persecution and great battle prior to the end of the world.

2. The thousand years that Satan is bound and the spiritual millennialism are in the same period as the True Jesus Church reigning with Christ for a thousand years. The spiritual millennialism begins from the advent of the true church in the end times.

3. After the end of the thousand years, the major events that will occur are as follows:

      (1) Satan will be released; the great battle and great persecution will occur unprecedentedly.

      (2) Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire and the great judgment on the last day will begin.

II. Book of Romans. 

Resolution:

1. God is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and the one and only self-existing true God. Other than Him, there is no other who is self-existing.

2. God’s omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence are absolute. Therefore, He totally knew all the options and conclusions of man before creation began.

3. The above two are the consensus passed by the IA’s TRC. If there are different viewpoints than these, they should not be discussed outside the Truth Research meetings (Isa 41:4, 45:5, 18, 48:3, 8; Jer 32:17, 27; Gen 15:13-16; Deut 31:16; Ps 139; Lk 22:31-34; Jn 1:18-19)

III. The Truth in Bible, Entrusted Once for All, gradually Becomes Evident. 

Resolution:

1. To amend the 2005 Resolution as: ‟The truth of salvation was entrusted completely to the saints and prophets once for all, will not change and only through the guidance of the Holy Spirit will men be able to enter into all truth” (Jude 3; Jn 16:11-13).

2. The truth that God wants to give us in the Bible has been entrusted completely and it will not change. The understanding of the church towards the truth will be revealed through the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:10).

IV. Building up the Body of Christ. 

Resolution:

1. The system of preachers’ service should be well-established.

2. The system for the elders and deacons to manage the church should be established (refer to the consensus of the previous IA’s TRC Meeting).

3. The structure of the church ministries must be complete: Work should be adequately assigned according to the various gifts (the structure of the church ministries should be in place).

4. The establishment and management of the church should follow the principle of self-reliant, self-sustaining and self-propagating.

5. The organization of the GA or Coordination Board must not surpass the teachings of the Bible. As entrusted servants of God, each organization should take care and shepherd the house of God with the teachings of the truth; to adopt the spirit that Christ is the head of the household as the principle in managing the church organization (Mt 20:25-28; Mk 10:42-45). It must be done out of willingness and eagerness; not with dominance, but being examples to the flock (1 Pet 5:1-4; Acts 20:28-30). (2013 WDC-11—Other business: Proposal #3)

6. The truth of the Bible should be manifested in all the works of the church. The GA should play the role of Paul in Antioch, while the IA should emulate the characteristics of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem in leading the churches in the world to be united in the truth. The organizational structure should be uniform so that the multitude of churches are fully united in Christ.

7. Every GA should go through the proper channels to formulate their organizational guidelines and by-laws in accordance with the biblical truth. The IA will bear the responsibility of establishing churches in areas without the GA and will bear the responsibilities of establishing the Coordination Board.

The idea of "theocratic democracy" is based on the true God and on Christ as the head of the church; the Holy Spirit is the only ruler of the church. The ministers are sent to be the servants of God, to serve the believers according to the teachings of the Bible, and to become examples to the multitude of saints.

All the works of the church should be carried out in a democratic way, with mutual support for one another and plans of collective consideration. Decisions on major issues should be discussed and deliberated in the form of meetings under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in accordance with the principles of the Bible. This includes the handling of personnel issues. For example, when conducting elections, it is necessary to be fair and just without prejudice or partiality. It must be based on the principles of being sympathetic, reasonable, and legitimate.

V. Should Preachers be Ordained as Elders? 

Resolution:

Preachers who meet the qualifications and have experience as an overseer can be ordained as elders (to be decided according to the needs of the region or GA).

VI. The Formation of the Choir and Prerequisites of the Choir Members from the Perspective of the Bible. 

Resolution: 

1. The choir serves before God, exalts, gives thanks and praises God.

2. The choir members shall possess the following spiritual prerequisites:

 (1) Their lives must be holy in order to attain God’s abidance (2 Chr 20:21; Ps 29:2)

 (2) The motivation of participating in the choir must be pure (1 Cor 10:31). They should sing and praise God with a thankful heart (Col 3:16).

3. Since hymnal presentation is a divine work of the church, therefore in principle choir members must be the members of the True Jesus Church. However, in exceptional cases, local church councils shall make their own decisions.

VII. To Unite the English Bible Translations. 

Resolution: 

1. The use of the New King James Version (NKJV) is required for articles and publications.

2. The use of the NKJV is highly recommended for sermon delivery.

3. Avoid using the following for personal Bible reading:

•  The Living Bible/New Living Translation

•  The Good News Bible/Today’s English Version

•  The New International Version

•  The Message

•  The New English Bible

2011 IA Truth Research Committee Meeting Resolutions Adapted by WDC

I. When performing foot washing, the executor girds himself with a towel, then pours water to wash the feet of the newly baptized. The execution of and view on “girding” differs among the Gas around the world. 

Resolution:

1. Regarding ‘having a part with Christ’ in the Foot Washing sacrament: The efficacy of this occurs when the feet are washed in the name of Jesus.

2. The minister should emulate the servant image of Jesus during the Foot Washing sacrament. As for the act of girding the waist with a towel, this can be adapted according to local conditions.

II. If a Believer Has Divorced Before Believing in the Lord, Can He/She Remarry and Carry on With His/Her Ministry After Receiving Water Baptism? 

Resolution:

1. Prior to water baptism, the state of his/her marriage must be carefully reviewed. After receiving water baptism, he/she must continue to pursue being a new creation (2 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:20-24)

2. Remarriage is permissible

3. If he/she fulfills the qualifications for divine office, he/she can be ordained (1 Tim 3:2, 8).

III. Is It Appropriate for a Divorced Minister to Continue Bearing His/Her Ministry? 

Resolution:

A divorced minister is not suitable to continue bearing his/her ministry (1 Tim 3:5, 8). However, if there are exceptional circumstances, one can request the GA or IA to deal with them on a case-by-case basis.