Our ministry has been entrusted with the delightful duty to proclaim, promote and preserve the truth of God. What is our creed; what, in short, are our beliefs?
Scripture alone. We do not bow to the writings of men to guide us in doctrine and practice. We cannot wholeheartedly support in letter every detail of many old confessions of faith written by well-meaning but sinful men. There are no church denominational rules that govern this ministry, we look to “the Word of Truth,” the inspired Old and New Testament Scriptures as the sole foundation and guide for all that we believe and do. “Thus saith the Lord,” taken in its context, governs our beliefs, values, convictions and practices.
Christ alone. There is but one Savior, one Sacrifice for sins, one Substitute for sinners, one Mediator, one God-Man, one Law-Keeper, one Door, one Way to God, one Truth, one Life, one Righteousness, one blood that pardoned sin and one Name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. The Name of the One who saved His people by the sacrifice of Himself is Jesus Christ the Lord. We declare His person, the Son of God and the Son of Man. We proclaim His successful redemption of all those given to Him by the Father in the everlasting council of peace. And we declare His exaltation, He is the resurrected, sovereign Lord Who does His will throughout His vast creation and who will come again someday to gather His people unto Himself and judge the wicked by the standard of His own righteousness.
Grace alone. The sovereign grace of God, not the works or will of the sinner, is the cause of salvation. All who are saved were chosen unto salvation in grace, justified by grace, sanctified by grace, redeemed in grace, called in grace, preserved by grace and shall be glorified by grace. “For by grace ye are saved” (Ephesians 2:5). Our testimony is the same as that of the apostle Paul. “By the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Cor 15:10). It was grace that wrote our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life, grace that sent the Savior to save us from our sins, grace that commissioned the Holy Spirit to send us the message of the gospel and grace that enabled us to receive Him of whom we heard. It is grace that keeps us “looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
Faith alone. There is one outstanding mark of having been regenerated by the Spirit of God - faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The gift of faith generated in us by the Holy Spirit in God’s election is ever and only what assures us of present and final salvation. He is our hope, confidence, life, joy and our all. His gospel is our message, His glory is our goal, His blood is our atonement, His righteousness is our comeliness, love for Him is our motivation for service and His people constitute our family. The full assurance of faith and liberty of conscience given by the Holy Spirit to all God’s elect (Heb. 10:22) can never be realized through a calculated measure of internal works or character, including even the works the elect are destined to walk within (Eph. 2:10). Most fruits of the Spirit are counterfeited in one form or another by the mystery of iniquity, we cannot be assured sufficiently by experiential works but only God’s gift of indestructible faith in Christ’s person and work for us.
The Glory of God alone. Our salvation is not based on the merit of any righteousness in us, not even our faith. It is based solely on God’s eternal purpose from before the foundation of the world to redeem a people from the consequences of sure and certain sin, death, and ultimate wrath in the person and work of Christ. The redemption of God’s elect from humanity in Christ is the highest purpose of God’s sovereign acts in in history (Isa. 46:9,10; Col. 1:25-27). The final wrath of God on non-elect angels and mankind is also executed unto the glory of God alone (Col 1:16-17, Jude 4).
Total Inability. All mankind, Christ only excepted, is conceived in iniquity and therefore has no inherent ability to believe the gospel or obey any law given by God with pure intent of being. In addition, mankind is wholly inclined to all evil by nature unless and until God works a miracle of regeneration completely apart from the will of man.
Unconditional Election. In eternity transcendent of all time and space, God elects a specific people from humankind to eternal life in Christ apart from any free choice or exercise of the will of man. God in His sovereign grace will certainly bring final salvation to pass for this elect people apart from any conditional actions fulfilled by them to obtain or keep it.
Limited Atonement. Eternal salvation was completely achieved for a specific mass of God’s eternally elect people in Christ’s finished atonement. These are invariably rescued from the damnation common to wicked and unrepentant humanity. Their salvation was from their sin (Mat. 1:21). No others except those for whom salvation was achieved in Christ’s person and work will ever experience redemption from sin and eternal death. This truth is best defined as Particular Redemption, since the Atonement of Christ should not be thought of as limited with respect to the scope of its saving work and purpose.
Irresistible Grace. No person elected in Christ by the Father’s eternal purpose has ability to reject grace and salvation when granted faith in Holy Spirit regeneration or afterward. The Grace of God in Christ is irresistible to all His purposed elect people.
Preservation of the Saints. Once God has imparted the gift of faith unto salvation to any human person, God will certainly preserve that elect person in a state of Grace, faith, and resultant obedience to Christ for all eternity. No elect person in God’s plan of salvation can ever fall totally or finally from a state of grace, regeneration, and perpetual belief in the person and finished work of Christ.
We uncompromisingly affirm the major doctrines of the Person of God (Theology), the Holy Trinity, Christ (Christology), the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology), Salvation by Grace through Faith Alone (Soteriology), the Infallibility and Inerrancy of the Old and New Testament Scriptures in their original content, the absolute nature of propositional truth revealed in scripture as a standard of faith (Epistemology), the importance of proper hermeneutics in interpreting the integrated whole of scripture (scripture must interpret scripture), the nature of the people of God (Ecclesiology) as both an invisible multitude of all elect saints of all time as well as each local visible assembly worshipping according to the five New Testament apostolic essentials (Acts 2:41-42), and the proper understanding of the consummation of the kingdom at Christ’s final return (Eschatology).
Christianity is to be Experienced and Enjoyed!
Our faith in Christ Crucified is not just an exercise in learning, but it is to be experienced in humility and joy. Several have been able to elaborate on Christian doctrine, but as a thing experienced in the heart and mind, it is something of which they have very little knowledge. They know nothing of a true faith, of a true repentance. Their confession is merely superficial, and they are only concerned with their appearance and not with the Savior. The Gospel is just a play thing to them because the Spirit has not impressed it upon their heart. It is absolutely necessary that one must be born again to newness in life in the Holy Spirit.
Note: This is pulled together from the 13th Street Baptist Church confession (published in a bulletin) and the Hawaii Island Reformation Fellowship confession with a few additions and changes...