What We Believe

The Assemblies of God – Our 16 Foundational Doctrines

1. The Bible is inspired

The Scriptures of the entire Bible are verbally inspired of God. It was not just the ideas that were inspired; even the choice of words was inspired as the original writers were moved by God to write what He wanted them to say.
We therefore believe that

• the Scriptures are God’s revelation of himself to mankind
• they are infallible (never wrong)
• they are the divinely authoritative guide for our faith, belief and manner of living.

2. One True God

There is one true God. He has revealed himself as having always existed without any outside cause or agent bringing Him into being. He is the Creator of heaven and earth and the One who redeems, saves or rescues, saves or rescues mankind form sin and its painful consequences. God has further revealed himself as a single Being consisting of three interrelated persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This concept of one God or Being of three persons is called the Trinity

3. The Lord Jesus Christ is Fully God

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has always existed. He too is without beginning or end. In order to complete His earthly sacrificial mission, He became human by being born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit. He lived a perfect life, absolutely without sin. While on earth He worked many miracles through he anointing of the Holy Spirit. In order to restore fallen mankind, He died on the cross as a substitute for the sins of every person. He was raised from the dead by the supernatural power of God. Since His resurrection He has been exalted and is seated at the right hand of God.

4. The Fall of Mankind

Mankind was created good and upright; for God said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”. However, mankind by willful choice, ignored God’s instructions…choosing to engage in what they knew was wrong and evil. As a result, mankind fell from innocence and goodness and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God.

5. The Salvation of Mankind

Man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God

• Conditions of Salvation: Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life
• Evidences of Salvation: The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Holy Spirit. The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness.

6. The ordinances of the Church

• Baptism in water: The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded in the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized. This they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
• Holy Communion: The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements- bread and the fruit of the vine- is the symbol of expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ; a memorial of His suffering and death; and a prophecy of His second coming; and is enjoined on all believers “ till He comes”!

7. The Baptism in the Holy Ghost

All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the earthly Christian Church. With it comes the endowment of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experiences of the new birth. With the Baptism in the Holy Ghost comes such experiences as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit, a deepened reverence for God, an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work, and a more active love for Christ, for His word and for the lost.

8. The Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Ghost

The baptism of believers in the Holy Ghost is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance. The speaking in tongues is this instance is the same in essence as the gift of tongues, but different in purpose and use.

9. Sanctification

Sanctification is an act of separation form that which is evil, and of dedication unto God. The Scriptures teach a life of “holiness without which no man shall see the Lord”. By the power of he Holy Ghost we are able to obey the command: “Be ye holy, for I am holy”

Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit.

10. The Church and its Mission

The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn, which are written in Heaven.

Since God’s purpose concerning man is to seek and to save that which is lost, to be worshipped by man, and to build a body of believers in the image of His Son, the priority reason-for-being of the Assemblies of God as part of the Church is:

• To be an Agency of God for evangelizing the world
• To be a corporate body in which man may worship God
• To be a channel of God’s purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son

The Assemblies of God exists expressly to give continuing emphasis to this reason-for –being in the New Testament apostolic pattern by teaching and encouraging believers to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. This experience:

• Enables them to evangelize in the power of the Spirit with accompanying supernatural signs
• Adds a necessary dimension to a worshipful relationship with God.
• Enables them to respond to the full working of the Holy Spirit in expression of fruit and gifts and ministries as in New Testament times for the edifying of the Body of Christ.

11. The Ministry

A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the threefold purpose of leading the Church in :

• Evangelization of the world
• Worship of God
• Building a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son.

12. Divine Healing

Divine healing is an integral part of the Gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement and is privilege to all believers.

13. The Blessed Hope

The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the Church.

14. The Millennial Reign of Christ

The second coming of Christ included the rapture of the saints, which is our blessed hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign in the earth for one thousand years. This millennial reign will bring the salvation of national Israel.

15. The Final Judgment

There will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophets, will be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

16. The New Heavens and the New Earth

“ We according to His Promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” This doctrine is important because it assures us of our future above in a world far better than this one.