PREAMBLE
WE believe the Bible to be inspired of God, the infallible Word of God. "All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16).
The Bible is the only God-given authority which man possesses; therefore, all
doctrine, faith, hope, and all instruction for the church must be based upon, and harmonize
with, the Bible. It is to be read and studied by all men everywhere, and can
only be clearly understood by those who are anointed by the Holy Spirit (I John
2:27). "No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy
came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost" (II Peter 1:20,21).
FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINE
The basic and fundamental doctrine of this organization shall be the Bible standard
of full salvation, which is repentance, baptism in water by immersion in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy
Ghost with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance.
We shall endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit until we all come into the unity
of the faith, at the same time admonishing all brethren that they shall not contend for
their different views to the disunity of the body.
THE ONE TRUE GOD
We believe in the one ever-living, eternal God: infinite in power, holy in nature,
attributes and purpose; and possessing absolute, indivisible deity. This one true
God has revealed Himself as Father; through His Son, in redemption; and as the
Holy Spirit, by emanation (I Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; II Corinthians 5:19;
Joel 2:28).
The Scripture does more than attempt to prove the existence of God; it asserts,
assumes and declares that the knowledge of God is universal (Romans 1:19,21,28,
32; 2:15). God is invisible, incorporeal, without parts, without body, and therefore
free from all limitations. He is Spirit (John 4:24), and "a spirit hath not flesh and
bones"(Luke 24:39).
"The first of all the commandments is, Hear, 0 Israel; The Lord our God is one
Lord" (Mark 12:29; Deuteronomy 6:4). "One God and Father of all, who is above all,
and through all, and in you all" (Ephesians 4:6).
Before the incarnation, this one true God manifested Himself in divers ways. In
the incarnation, He manifests Himself in the Son, who walked among men. As He
works in the lives of believers, He manifests Himself as the Holy Spirit.
THE SON OF GOD
The one true God, the Jehovah of the Old Testament, took upon Himself the form
of man, and as the Son of man, was born of the virgin Mary. As Paul says, "And without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified
in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, received up into glory" (I Timothy 3:16).
"He came unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11). This one true
God was manifest in the flesh, that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. "God was
in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto
them" (II Corinthians 5: 19).
We believe that, "in him (Jesus) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily"
(Colossians2:9). "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell"
(Colossians1:19). Therefore, Jesus in His humanity was man; in His deity was and
is God. His flesh was the lamb, or the sacrifice of God. He is the only mediator
between God and man. "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5).
Jesus on His Father's side was divine, on His mother's side, human; Thus, He
was known as the Son of God and also the Son of man, or the God-man.
"For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put
under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him"
(I Corinthians 15:27). "And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the
Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be
all in all" (I Corinthians 15:28).
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is,
and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8).
THE NAME
God used different titles, such as "God Elohim," "God Almighty," "El Shaddai,"
"Jehovah," and especially "Jehovah Lord," the redemptive name in the Old
Testament.
"Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: . . . and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). This prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled when the Son of God was
named. "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for he
shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4 :12).
CREATION OF MAN AND HIS FALL
In the beginning God created man innocent, pure and holy; but through the sin
of disobedience, Adam and Eve, the first of the human race, fell from their holy state,
and God banished them from Eden. Hence by one man's disobedience, sin entered
into the world (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23, 5:12).
REPENTANCE
Pardon and forgiveness of sins is obtained by genuine repentance, a confessing
and forsaking of sins. We are justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).
John the Baptist preached repentance, Jesus proclaimed it, and the apostles emphasized
it to both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 2:38, 11:18, 17:30).
The word "repentance" means a change of views and purpose, change of heart,
change of mind, change of life, transformation, etc.
Jesus said, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3).
Luke 24:47 says, "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached
in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."
WATER BAPTISM
The scriptural mode of baptism is immersion, and is only for those who have
fully repented, having turned from their sins and a love of the world. It should be
administered by a duly authorized minister of the gospel, in obedience to the Word
of God, and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the Acts of the
Apostles 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, 19:5; thus obeying and fulfilling Matthew 28:19.
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
John the Baptist, in Matthew 3:11, said, "He shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost, and with fire."
Jesus, in Acts 1:5, said, "Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days
hence."
Luke tells us in Acts 2:4, "They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began
to speak with other tongues [languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance."
The terms "baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire," "filled with the Holy Spirit,"
and the "gift of the Holy Ghost" are synonymous terms used interchangeably in the
Bible.
It is scriptural to expect all who receive the gift, filling, or baptism of the Holy
Spirit to receive the same physical, initial sign of speaking with other tongues.
The speaking with other tongues, as recorded in Acts 2:4, 10:46, and 19:6, and
the gift of tongues, as explained in I Corinthians, chapters 12 and 14, are the same in
essence, but different in use and purpose.
The Lord, through the Prophet Joel, said, "I will pour out my spirit upon all
flesh"(Joel 2:28).
Peter, in explaining this phenomenal experience, said, "Having received of the
Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he [Jesus] hath shed forth this, which ye now
see and hear" (Acts 2:33).
Further, "the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar
off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39).
DIVINE HEALING
The first covenant that the Lord (Jehovah) made with the children of Israel after
they were brought out of Egypt was a covenant of healing. The Lord said, "If thou
wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD [Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord that
healeth] thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his
commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee,
which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the LORD that healeth thee"
(Exodus 15:26).
Our Lord Jesus Christ went about Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom
and healing all manner of sickness and disease among the people (Matthew4:23-24).
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8).
The vicarious suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ paid not only for the salvation of
our souls but also for the healing of our bodies. "With his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah
53:5). Matthew 8:17 reads, "Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."
(See also I Peter 2:24.) We see from this that divine healing for the body is in the
atonement.
Jesus said of believers, "They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
Later, James wrote in his epistle to all the churches: "Is any sick among you? let him
call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall
raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your
faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:14-16 ).
SACRAMENT OR COMMUNION
On the night of our Lord's betrayal, He ate the Passover supper with His apostles,
after which He instituted the sacrament. "And he took bread, and gave thanks,
and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you:
this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup
is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22:19-20).
Paul instructed the church how to observe it (1 Corinthians 11:23-34).
Thus was instituted the use of literal bread and the fruit of the vine, which are
partaken of literally, as emblems of His broken body and shed blood. There is also a
spiritual significance and blessing in partaking of the sacrament.
FOOT WASHING
When the Passover supper was ended, we read in John 13:4-5, "He riseth from
supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that
he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe
them with the towel wherewith he was girded."
Jesus said, "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought
to wash one another's feet. For 1 have given you an example, that ye should do as I
have done to you" (John 13:14-15).
This first example was given by our Lord, and it is a divine institution. It is well
to follow His example and wash one another's feet; thus manifesting the spirit of
humility.
HOLINESS
Godly living should characterize the life of every child of the Lord, and we
should live according to the pattern and example given in the Word of God. "For the
grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in
this present world" (Titus 2:11-12). "For even hereunto were ye called: because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled,
reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him
that judgeth righteously" (I Peter 2:21-23).
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the
Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).
"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father,
who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time
of your sojourning here in fear: forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot" (I Peter 1:15-19).
We wholeheartedly disapprove of our people indulging in any activities which
are not conducive to good Christianity and godly living, such as theaters, dances,
mixed bathing or swimming, women cutting their hair, make-up, any apparel that immodestly exposes the body, all worldly sports and amusements, and unwholesome
radio programs and music. Furthermore, because of the display of all these evils on
television, we disapprove of any of our people having television sets in their homes.
We admonish all of our people to refrain from any of these practices in the interest
of spiritual progress and the soon coming of the Lord for His church.
THE GRACE OF GOD
"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching
us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:11-12).
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ"
(John 1:17).
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift
of God: not of works lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
A Christian must walk with God and keep himself in the love of God (Jude 21)
and in the grace of God. When a person transgresses and sins against God and does
not repent, he will eventually be lost and cast into the lake of fire. (See John 15:2, 6;
II Peter 2:20-21.) Jude speaks of the backsliders of his day, and their reward. (See
also Hebrews 6:4-6.)
RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS
We understand the Scripture to teach the "restitution of all things, which God
hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:21).
But we cannot find where the devil, his angels, and all sinners are included. (See
Revelation 20:10).
CONSCIENTIOUS SCRUPLES
We recognize the institution of human government as being of divine ordination,
and, in so doing, affirm unswerving loyalty to our Government; however, we take a
definite position regarding the bearing of arms or the taking of human life.
As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, we believe in implicit
obedience to His commandments and precepts which instruct as follows:
"That ye resist not evil" (Matthew 5:39); "Follow peace with all men" (Hebrews
12:14). (See also Matthew 26:52; Romans 12:19; James 5:6; Revelation 13:10.)
These we believe and interpret to mean Christians shall not shed blood nor take
human life.
Therefore, we propose to fulfill all the obligations of loyal citizens, but are constrained
to declare against participating in combatant service in war, armed insurrection,
property destruction, aiding or abetting in or the actual destruction of human life.
Furthermore, we cannot conscientiously affiliate with any union, boycott, or
organization which will force or bind any of its members to belong to any organization,
perform any duties contrary to our conscience, or receive any mark, without our
right to affirm or reject same.
However, we regret the false impression created by some groups of so-called
conscientious objectors that to obey the Bible is to have a contempt for law or magistrates, to be disloyal to our Government and in sympathy with our enemies, or
to be unwilling to sacrifice for the preservation of our commonwealth. This attitude
would be as contemptible to us as to any patriot. The Word of God commands us to
do violence to no man. It also commands us that first of all we are to pray for rulers
of our country. We, therefore, exhort our members to freely and willingly respond to
the call of our Government except in the matter of bearing arms. When we say service,
we mean service - no matter how hard or dangerous. The true church has no
more place for cowards than has the nation. First of all, however, let us earnestly pray
that we will with honor be kept out of war.
We believe that we can be consistent in serving our Government in certain non-combatant
capacities, but not in the bearing of arms.
We further believe that our military personnel must live in a manner consistent
with the Articles of Faith.
SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC.
According to the Word of God, we firmly believe and hold that the people of God
should have no connection whatever with secret societies or any other organization
or body wherein there is a fellowship with unbelievers, bound by an oath (James
5:12; II Corinthians 6:14-18).
TRANSLATION OF SAINTS
We believe that the time is drawing near when our Lord shall appear; then the
dead in Christ shall arise, and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up with
them to meet our Lord in the air (I Thessalonians 4:13-17; I Corinthians 15:51-54;
Philippians 3:20-21).
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
"Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry
another, committeth adultery" (Matthew 19:9). (See also Matthew 5:32.) When this
sin has been committed, the innocent party may be free to remarry only in the Lord.
Our desire being to raise a higher standard for the ministry, we recommend that ministers
do not marry again.
Judgment begins at the house of God.
TITHING
We believe tithing is God's financial plan to provide for His work, and has been
since the days of Abraham. Tithing came with faith under Abraham; Moses' law
enjoined it, and Israel practiced it when she was right with God; Jesus indorsed it
(Matthew23:23); and Paul said to lay by in store as God has prospered you. Do not
rob God of His portion, viz., tithes and offerings. (Read Malachi 3.)
SECOND COMING OF JESUS
That Jesus is coming again the second time in person, just as He went away, is
clearly set forth by the Lord Jesus Himself, and was preached and taught in the early
Christian church by the apostles; hence, the children of God today are earnestly,
hopefully, looking forward to the glorious event (Matthew 24; Acts 1:11, 3:19-21;
I Corinthians 11:26; Philippians 3:20-21; I Thessalonians 4:14-17; Titus 2:13-14).
THE MILLENNIUM
We believe that the distress upon the earth is the "beginning of sorrows" and will
become more intense until there "shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since
there was a nation even to that same time" (Matthew 24:3-8; Daniel 12:1), and that
period of "tribulation" will be followed by the dawn of a better day on earth and that
for a thousand years there shall be "peace on earth and good will toward men." (See
Revelation 20:1-5; Isaiah 65:17-25; Matthew 5:5; Daniel 7:27; Micah 4:1-2;
Hebrews 2:14; Romans 11:25-27.)
FINAL JUDGMENT
When the thousand years are finished, there shall be a resurrection of all the
dead, who will be summoned before the great white throne for their final judgment,
and all whose names are not found written in the Book of Life shall be cast into the
lake of fire, burning with brimstone, which God hath prepared for the devil and his
angels, Satan himself being cast in first (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:7, 15; 21:8).
PUBLIC SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
We disapprove of school students attending shows, dances, dancing classes, theaters,
engaging in school activities against their religious scruples, and wearing gymnasium
clothes which immodestly expose the body.
We disapprove of school students being forced to take coeducational classes
which involve boys and girls being mixed together in swimming, calesthenics, baseball,
and other mixed athletics while clothed in ungodly attire which immodestly
exposes the body.
We disapprove of school students being forced to take any classes in which,
under the guise of health classes, sex education is taught coeducationally or films or
lectures are given that promote amoral or unnatural behavior.
We disapprove of school students being forced to be taught by or listen to those
who promote or advocate sexual activity of any kind other than that within the bonds
of the marriage relationship of husband and wife.
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
The annual conference is declared to be an international religious holiday for all
members, and all members are urged to attend. Furthermore, since the founding of
the church occurred on the Day of Pentecost, Pentecost Sunday is also a recognized
religious holiday.
This is what is recorded in the 2005 edition of the United Pentecostal Church International's Ministerial Manual.
To read the 2012 version, click here. To read the 1952 version, click here.
Posted October 6, 2005
|
|||
HOME /
CONTACT / HOW DO I
HELP?
/
OLD FEEDBACK /
EXPERIENCES
/
UPC MEMBERS SPEAK
/
ARTICLES
/
BOOKS
/
ISSUES
/
LOIS' WRITINGS /
ORGANIZATIONS /
OTHER
SITES / |
|||
Established
August 23, 1997 Copyright © 1997-present by Lois E. Gibson Contents of this web site and all original works are copyright - All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of the owner. |
|||
Shop at our Amazon store! This website is a participant in the Amazon
Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. |