Statement of Faith

The Corporation's Doctrinal Statement is defined by Holy Scripture and agreed upon by the Antioch International Movement of Churches. In addition, the Corporation affirms the Lausanne Covenant (1974) as a global expression of evangelical unity and commitment to the task of world evangelization, insofar as it aligns with and supports our biblical convictions and missional values.

Section 1. The Bible

We believe that the Bible is the inspired, authoritative, living, eternally reliable Word of God equally in all parts and without error in its original manuscript, and our primary and authoritative source of revelation from God, superior to conscience and reason, though not contrary to reason. Therefore, the Bible is our final authority for faith and practice and is necessary for our daily lives as it continually points us toward the person of Jesus (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12).

Section 2. The Godhead

1. We believe in one God who has revealed Himself in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Romans 1:2). The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all co-eternal, all stand equally superior to time, free from the temporal distinctions of past and future (Father: Deut. 33:27; Psalm 90:2; Psalm 102:27; 1 Timothy 1:17 | Son: John 1:1-2; John 8:58; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 1:2; Revelation 1:8 | Spirit: Hebrews 9:14).
2. We believe in God the Father, creator of all things visible and invisible (Colossians 1:15-16).
3. We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, who came into the world to reveal the Father, and was the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person; that Jesus Christ was the Creator of everything, for by Him all things were made. We further believe that in Christ dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and that He is very-God and very-Man (John 1:1-2, 14; 1 Timothy 3:16; Acts 7:37-38).
4. We believe in Jesus Christ's pre-existence, incarnation, virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, substitutionary and atoning death, bodily resurrection, bodily ascension into heaven, exaltation, present rule at the right hand of God, coming, personal return in power and great glory, and in His everlasting Kingdom and dominion. We acknowledge His Lordship -- that Jesus Christ is Lord over all things in heaven and on earth, and under the earth (Acts 1:11, 3:19-21; Daniel 7:14; Revelation 20:4; Philippians 2:9-10).
5. We believe in the Holy Spirit, His present ministry, His indwelling, His empowering, His impartation of gifts for today, and His transforming power in the lives of all believers (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:13-14).

Section 3. Man and Salvation

1. We believe that man was created by a direct and immediate act of God (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:4).
2. We believe that man by transgression fell from a state of righteousness and holiness in which he was first created into total spiritual depravity, a state of death in trespasses and sins in which he is held as a slave of sin and an enemy of God. As such, he is unable to attain divine righteousness by his own efforts but must be redeemed and delivered by the power of the gospel (Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
3. We believe that repentance and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ are an integral part of God's work of justification of the believer. Through faith in the shed blood of Christ, he or she is justified and made a partaker in the death of Christ (Romans 5:1, 9).
4. We believe that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). We further believe that the emphasis for a continuous walk in grace should be on demonstrating righteousness and purity of heart, believing in the keeping power of God, walking after the Spirit and not after the flesh, living a lifestyle that demonstrates the character, standards and convictions of Jesus Christ, and not being conformed to the world (Jude 24; Romans 8:25; Galatians 5:16-25; Romans 4:1-5; 12:1-2).
5. We believe that repentance is dependent upon the convicting action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of sinners and believers and their response. The conviction of the Holy Spirit, which often accompanies the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, will result in the revelation of the sinfulness of self, which should lead to godly sorrow and repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10; Psalm 51; Acts 11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25; Romans 1:18-32; Matthew 9:12-13).
6. We believe that in the final judgment, which will accompany the return of Christ, every person will give an account to God of every aspect of this earthly life. Unbelievers will be separated from God for eternity in hell. Believers will experience the final resurrection and live eternally with Christ in the new heavens and the new earth (1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-15).

Section 4. The Lord's Commands

1. We believe in the Lord's Supper and believer's baptism as acts of our obedience and a testimony of our faith (Matthew 3:6; Mark 16:16; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29).
2. We believe that water baptism is necessary in obedient response to the command of Jesus. Baptism is to be performed only upon repentant believers in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20).
3. We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit according to Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6. We hold that the real evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is one's response to the Word of God (John 16:13), a Christ-like life, showing forth Christ's character, and experiencing and manifesting the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26; 16:14; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

Section 5. The Family

We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image (Genesis 1:27). Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord (Genesis 2:20-25, Matthew 19:4-6, Psalm 139:13-15).

Section 6. The Church

We believe the Church is both universal and local. All believers form the Church, in unity with all believers throughout history; and yet, the church is also local, with believers gathering in committed community and under the authority of Christ (Ephesians 1:21).

Scripture describes the Church as the Body of Christ (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Ephesians 1:9-10, 22-23), the Household of God (Romans 8:14-17, Galatians 3:26-4:7, Ephesians 2:11), the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:9-17, Ephesians 2:21-22, 1 Peter 2:4-10), and God's chosen people (Romans 11:17, Galatians 4:28-31, Ephesians 2:19). This language is intimate and reveals Jesus's commitment to and care for His people. Furthermore, the church is God's instrument for revealing His purpose on the Earth (Ephesians 3:10) and the fullness of Jesus on earth (Ephesians 1:23) for His glory.

Section 7. Faith in Practice

In Colossians 1:23, Paul exhorts believers to "continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation." In our day and age, it is essential for the Christ-follower to be continually renewed in the truth of the Bible and its authority over every area of our lives so that we do not find ourselves shifting. As the voices of culture and the ways of the world become loud, our convictions on biblical truth must become clearer and stronger. We must be constantly washed with the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26) so that we can be sober-minded (2 Timothy 4:5). To live out our faith, we need to continually come to Scripture to find clarity on who God has created us to be and how He has called us to live.