God is a Person who has revealed himself as a Trinity in unity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit-three Persons and yet one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; I Corinthians 8:6; Exodus 20:2; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11).
The Bible, including both the Old and New Testaments, is a divine revelation, the original autographs of which were verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is without error in all it affirms in the original autographs and is the only authoritative guide for faith and practice and as such must not be supplanted by any other fields of human learning. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).
Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, which is to say, He is Himself very God; He took upon Himself our nature, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is fully God and fully man possessing both deity and humanity united in one person, without division of the person or confusion of the two natures. He died upon the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sin of the world. An individual receives the benefit of Christ’s substitutionary death by faith as the result of responding to the message of the gospel. Salvation is the free gift of God’s grace through faith alone, in Christ alone, therefore not dependent upon church membership, intermediaries, sacraments or works of righteousness to attain or sustain it.
He arose from the dead in the body in which He was crucified; He ascended into heaven in that body glorified, where He is now our interceding High Priest; He will come again personally and visibly to set up his Kingdom and to judge the quick and the dead. This refers to the premillennial return of Christ at which time He will set up His millennial reign, during which time He will fulfill His promises to Israel (Colossians 1:5; Philippians 2:5-8; Matthew 1:18-25; 1 Peter 2:24-25; Luke 24; Hebrews 4:14-16; Matthew 25: 31-46; Revelation 11:15-17; 20:4-6, 11-15).
Man was created by God. This affirms that the first human beings were a special and unique creation by God as contrasted to being derived from any pre-existing life forms. Further, God created everything “after its kind”, which excludes any position that allows for any evolutionary process between kinds. Man was created in the image of God but chose to sin, and, in that sense, is lost; this is true of all men, and except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God; salvation is by grace through faith in Christ who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree; the retribution of the wicked and unbelieving and the rewards of the righteous are everlasting, and as the reward is conscious, so is the retribution. This statement excludes any position which asserts a temporary or complete cessation of consciousness, or merging with eternal oneness, or annihilation of the damned, or a “second chance” or a period of suffering or purification in preparation for entrance into the presence of God (Genesis 1-2; Romans 3:10, 23; John 3:3; Acts 2:38-39; 4:12; John 3:16; Matthew 25:46; 2 Corinthians 5:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Luke 16).
The Church of Jesus Christ is a distinct entity from Israel in the ongoing program of God. Further, this universal Church consists of all who possess saving faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from Pentecost to the Rapture of the church and which will represent every language, people and nation. The Church is an elect company of believers baptized by the Holy Spirit into one body; its mission is to witness concerning its Head, Jesus Christ, preaching the gospel among all nations; it will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before He appears to set up His kingdom. Christ will return in the air preceding the seven-year Tribulation at which time He will receive into heaven all believers who constitute His Church. During that tribulation period God will bring salvation to Israel and the nations while exercising judgment on unbelievers (Acts 2:41; 15:13-17; Ephesians 1:3-6; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:6-8; 1 Corinthians 4:16-18).
If you are interested in joining the Church at Laramie Valley Chapel, pick up a membership application from one of our elders and attend our perspective membership class.
