Articles of Faith
WHAT WE BELIEVE
We, the board, administration, and staff of ACTIVE Ministry believe that:
GOD
There is one God in the person of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent,, the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner; born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can ever be born of a woman, and that He is both the Son of God, and God, the Son. He lived a sinless life and died a sacrificial death as a substitute for our sins. Jesus was buried for three days and bodily resurrected on the third day. He has ascended to Heaven and will in due time return to this earth to judge the unrighteous and gather the elect to Himself.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is a divine person; equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God's purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of judgment and of righteousness; that He bears witness to the Truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the New Birth; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. The Holy Spirit indwells the individual believer and enables the believer to live a life pleasing unto God. The Holy Spirit also endows the believer with spiritual gifts for the work of service and building up of the body of Christ, which is the church.
THE HOLY BIBLE
The Holy Bible is the divinely inspired, inerrant, infallible, authoritative Word of God.We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men supernaturally inspired; that it has truth without any admixture of error for its matter; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man; the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried.
THE WORLD AND MANKIND
The Genesis account of creation is to be accepted literally, and not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly in God’s own image and after His own likeness; that man’s creation was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary change of species, or development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms; that all animal and vegetable life was made directly and God’s established law was that they should bring for only “after their kind.” Since God created mankind into genders distinctly male and female, we believe that the only legitimate marriage is that between a man and a woman.
HEAVEN AND HELL
Heaven and Hell are real. Satan, his angels and those humans who have rejected Jesus Christ will be eternally separated from God. Those redeemed by Jesus Christ will live with God for eternity.
REDEMPTION
Redemption from the guilt, penalty and power of sin is through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and made available to each sinner by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
REPENTENCE AND FAITH
Repentance and Faith are solemn obligations, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the quickening Spirit of God; thereby, being deeply convicted of our guilt, danger and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ and openly confessing Him as our only and all-sufficient Savior.
JUSTIFICATION
The great Gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is Justification; that Justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life on principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done; but solely through faith in the Redeemer's blood, His righteousness is imputed unto us.
