Doctrinal Statement of Park Hills Christian Church
1. We believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word and needs to be accepted and followed by all Christians. It is without error and was written over a period of about1,500 years. The Bible is God’s message and plan for mankind. (2 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12)
2. We believe God the Father is the first person of the Trinity*. The role of the Father is one of authority over all creation. Jesus Christ, as a human, placed Himself under that authority of the Father. Through the Father, we see both the discipline and love of God. (Luke 10:21, John 3:16-18; 15:21-27; 17:1-2, Revelation 21:1)
3. We believe Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. Jesus Christ is totally God and totally man. He gave his life as the payment for sin. He physically rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father where He now intercedes on our behalf. Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity*. (Mark 16:19, John 3:16, Romans 8:34)
4. We believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity*. He draws people to Jesus Christ and dwells within the believer. He leads the believer into all truth. The Holy Spirit is God working on the earth today. (John 14:16-17; 16:13-14, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
5. We believe man is created in the image of God. As a result of his disobedience, he was separated from God. If man continues in his present condition, he will be lost for eternity. (Genesis 6:26-27, 2:6-7, 6:22-24)
6. We believe sin is falling short of God’s standard. God's standard is perfection. The struggle with sin continues in the life of the believer. Sin will be eliminated in the believer, when we go to be with the Lord. (Romans 3:23, 7:19-25, Ephesians 6:12, Revelations 21:4-7, 27)
7. We believe salvation is a gift from God to all who believe and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Salvation is the only means by which man can bridge the gap, created by sin, and come into a relationship with God. (John 3:16, 14:6, Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 John 5:11-13)
8. We believe the Church consists of all believers in Jesus Christ. The church represents Christ to this world. The church has two ordinances, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We practice baptism by immersion for believers after their conversion to Jesus Christ. (See the document on Baptism for more details) We also celebrate the Lord’s Supper weekly remembering Acts 2:4-6, “ And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart”. The purpose of the church is to evangelize the world and teach the principles of Christ to the believer. (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34)
9. We believe that angels were created by God and are His messengers.
Under Lucifer’s leadership, one-third of the angels rebelled against God and were cast out of Heaven. Both groups are in spiritual warfare for the souls of men. (Isaiah 14:12-15, Luke 10:10, Ephesians 6:12, Hebrews 1:14, 2 Peter 2:4, Revelations 12:14)
10. We believe that future events are under God’s control. Jesus Christ will return and take all believers to Heaven with Him. Those who ignored God’s free gift of salvation will join Lucifer and his angels in the lake of fire for eternity. (Matthew 24:29-31,36; Revelations 20:10, 21:15) * The Trinity is one God in Three Persons (Triune). The Bible teaches that the Father is God, Jesus Christ is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. These Three are one God (example 1x1x1=1 ).
Baptism
Baptism - As defined in the New Testament, was for believers only, after their conversion. Some call this the "new birth" or "being born again".
The definition of baptism is: to dip, immerse, 'submersion' as used by the Greeks for dying a garment. Never used in the Bible "to sprinkle"
