What We Believe at Fountain of Life Church

WE BELIEVE:

1. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by inspiration of God (1) and are the only sufficient, certain and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith and obedience (2).
2. There is but one living and true God, and intelligent, spiritual and personal Being (3), the Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the universe (4), infinite in holiness and all other perfections (5), to whom we owe all love, reverence and obedience (6). He is revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence or being (7).
   
3. In the creation, test and fall of man as recorded in Genesis; and man's total depravity and inability to attain to divine righteousness (8).
   
4. In the Savior of men, the Lord Jesus Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, very God and very man (9); who lived among men without sin (10); who died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day (11); who ascended bodily to heaven (12) where He is enthroned as King (13) and Priest (14); who will "appear the second time" (15).
   
5. That men are saved by the grace of God (16), which embraces the entire work of God, from the first dawning of grace in the soul, until it is consummated in glory (17); in salvation, and that such salvation is entered into by the "obedience of faith" (18); and that the new life is to be built on the divinely ordered foundation principles (19).
   
6. That the repentant, believing sinner will immediately submit to water baptism by immersion in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, according to apostolic command and practice (20), such baptism being the divinely ordered act of initiation, the full meaning of which is delivered in the apostolic writings (21).
   
7. In the reception of the gift of the Holy Spirit accompanied by a confirming manifestation (22).
   
8. In the Spirit-filled life, a life of separation unto the Lord and the perfecting of holiness in the fear of the Lord as an expression of Christian faith (23).
   
9. That the "saved" are "added to the church" (24). The Scriptures distinguish between the invisible or universal church (25) and the individual church, in which the universal church takes a local and temporal form (26). A local church is a body of believing, baptized, Spirit-filled, gift-endowed disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, "associated by covenant in faith and fellowship of the Gospel" (27). Each local church, while maintaining wholesome relationships with other New Testament churches, functions sovereignly with its elders and deacons under the Lordship of Christ (28); with its distinctive life (29), ministry (30), and worship (31) in the proper discipline of the body of Christ (32).
   
10. In the Lord's Supper, instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, ordered by apostolic command to be a continuing memorial, covenant meal until the return of our Lord, and to be eaten worthily by those who are in proper covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ (33).
    
11. In the healing of the body by divine power, or divine healing in its many aspects as practiced by the early church (34).
    
12. In providing for the support of the Lord's work and ministry by the bringing of the tithes and offerings to the leadership of the church, to be responsibly dispensed in accordance with the Word of God (35).
    
13. In the resurrection of all men and the final judgment (36).
    

Also in our confession of faith, we include and willingly receive the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed.

References

(1) II Tim. 3:15-17; I Cor. 2:13; II Pet. 1:21

(2) Isa. 8:20; II Tim. 4:2; James 1:22; I John 2:5

(3) Duet. 6:4; I Cor. 2:13; Gal. 3:20

(4) Gen. 1:1; Rom. 11:34-36; Heb. 11:3; Col. 1:15-20

(5) Isa. 6:3; 48:12; Jas. 1:17

(6) Matt. 22:37, 38

(7) Matt. 28:19; II Cor 13:14

(8) Rom. 5:12, 18; Rom. 3:10, 12

(9) Luke 1:30-35; John 1:18; Isa. 9:6

(10) II Cor, 5:21; Heb. 4:15; I Peter 2:22

(11) I Cor. 15:1-4

(12) Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9-11; Eph. 1:20

(13) Acts 2:29-36; Heb. &:1, 2

(14) Heb. 4:14, 7:24-26

(15) Heb. 9:28; I Thes. 4:13-18

(16) Eph. 2:8; Tit. 2:11

(17) Phil. 1:6, 2:12-13, 3:20-21; Rom. 13:11; II Pet. 1:3-5

(18) Rom. 16:26; Acts 6:7, 2:38, 3:19, 26:20; Mark 16:16

(19) Heb. 6:1-2

(20) Acts 2:38, 8:12, 9:18; 10:47-48. 16:15, 33, 18:8, 19:5, 22:16

(21) Acts 2:41; Rom. 6:3, 4: I Cor. 1:2, Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:11,12; I Peter 3:20-21

(22) Acts 2:1-4, 2:38, 10:44-47, 19:6; Mark 16-17; Gal. 5:22

(23) Eph. 5:18; II Cor. 6:11-18, 7:1; Epistle of John

(24) Acts 2:47

(25) Heb. 12:23; Eph. 1:22,23; Eph. 3:10, 5:23-32

(26) Acts 14:23; Rom. 16:5; I Cor. 1:2, 4:17; I Thes. 2:14

(27) I Cor. 12:1-31

(28) Matt. 18:17; Acts 15:22; Phil. 1:1

(29) Matt. 18:20; Eph. 4:16; Heb. 10:25

(30) I Cor. 12; I Tim. 3; Tit. 1:5-9; Heb. 13-17

(31) Eph. 5:18-20; Phil. 3:3; Col. 3:16; Heb. 13:15

(32) Matt. 18:15-35; Rom. 16:17,18; Gal. 6:1,2; I Thes. 5:14; II Thes. 3:6-15; Tit. 1:9-14, 3:10-11

(33) Matt. 26:16-29; I Cor. 10:16-22, 11:17-34

(34) Acts 4:30; Rom. 8:11; I Cor. 12:9; James 5:14-16

(35) Gen. 14;20; Lev. 27:30-32; Num. 18:26; Mal. 3:8,10; Matt. 23:23; Rom. 12:8, 13:16; I Cor. 16: 1-3, 9:1-14; II Cor. 8:9; Heb. 7:4-10

(36) John 5:28, 29; II Thes. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:11-15