Taken from the Constitution of Zion Community Church.

 

A.  SCRIPTURES:

The Scriptures, as contained in the 66 books of the Old and New Testament, are the verbal-plenary inspired Word of God, without error (inerrant) in the original writings.  Furthermore, the Scriptures are infallible, God-breathed, and our final authority for life and faith (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:19-21, 3:15-16; John 10:35; Rom. 3:2; Hosea 1:1; Joel 1:1)

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B.  GODHEAD:

There is ONE True and Living God, eternally existing in Three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  These Three are co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and have the same holy and perfect character.  (Deut. 6:4; II Cor. 13:14; Gen. 1:26; Heb. 1:8; Acts 5:3-4)

1.  GOD THE FATHER:
   There is no other God besides Jehovah.  He is the Creator and primary source of all things.  He is the loving and gracious Father of the redeemed.  Since God is God, He deserves all of our worship as our personal Lord and Sovereign ruler over everything in our lives.  (I Kings 8:60; Eph. 4:6; Psalm 33:6, 9; Rom 8:14-15; Rev. 5:12)

2. JESUS CHRIST, THE SON:The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and our Savior who became man, without ceasing to be God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order to redeem sinful men. (Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 5:18, 8:58; Rom. 5:10; I Peter 1:3-5, 18-19; I John 2:2; Rev. 1:11 (KJV))  Christ’s death on the cross was vicarious, He was our substitutionary sacrifice and our justification is certain by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.  (Rom. 3:24-25; II Cor 5:21; I Peter 2:24, 3:18)  The Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, where He is presently acting as our Advocate and High Priest.  (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; I John 2:1-2)  The Lord Jesus Christ will come to earth with His Saints (Body of Christ) at the end of the Tribulation period to establish His Millennial reign.  (Matt. 24:27-31; Rev. 19:11-21; Zech. 12:10, 14:1-7).

3. THE HOLY SPIRIT:
   The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Divine Trinity and is presently indwelling all who are true born again believers.  He is convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.  The Spirit baptizes, indwells and seals the believer.   (John 16:13; II Cor. 3:5-6)  We believe that it is the Holy Spirit who works in us, not only the conviction of sin, but repentance, regeneration, and sanctification.  He is the one who teaches and guides us into spiritual truth from the Scriptures.  (John 16:8-11; I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 3:6; Rom. 8:9; I John 2:20, 27; Eph. 4:30; 5:18; I Thess. 5:23)

 

C.  TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN:

Man was created in the image and likeness of God and was made a free moral agent, whereby he could choose between right and wrong for himself, and thereby become a morally responsible being.  In Adam’s sin the entire race fell, inherited a sinful nature and became alienated from God.  Man is totally depraved and of himself unable to remedy his lost condition.  Sin includes both the outward transgression of the law and disobedience to God. (Gen. 1:26-27, 2:7; Josh. 24:15; Isa. 53:6; Rom 3:10-12, 23, 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3; I Cor. 2:14; James 4:17; Prov. 14:12)

 

D.  SALVATION – BY “GRACE” THROUGH “FAITH”:

Salvation is a gift of God to man received by personal faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God – Whose precious blood was shed on the cross for the remission, or forgiveness, of our sins. (Eph. 2:8-10; Rom. 10:9-10; John 1:12, 3:16, 36; I Peter 1:18-19; I John 1:7).  We believe that True Faith is manifest by repentance and a Godly life. (Titus 2:11-12)

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E.  REPENTANCE:

We believe that the Holy Spirit initiates repentance, which is Godly sorrow for sin – or abhorrence of sin; a change of mind about it, that causes one to turn away from sin and results in a turning to God to trust and serve Him. (Job 42:5,6; Prov. 28:13)

 

F.  POSITIONS OF THE BELIEVER:

1. JUSTIFICATION:
The judicial act of God’s grace, centered in the meritorious work (death, burial, and resurrection) of Jesus Christ, ascribed to the sinner, and acquired through faith in Him.  God proclaims the inner pardoned from all his sin, set free from its penalty and renewed as righteous by Christ’s blood.  (Rom. 3:20, 23-24, 5:1, 9)

2. REGENERATION:
Also known as the “New Birth,” a passing out of death into life.  It is the impartation of a new nature – even God’s own nature, to those who formally were dead in trespasses and sins.  (I John 3:14; Eph. 2:1, 4-5; II Pet. 1:4)

3. ADOPTION:
An act of God’s grace whereby the justified and regenerated believer receives the position of “A Son” of God. (Eph. 1:5)

4. RECONCILIATION:
We believe in the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ whereby we may and do receive forgiveness (pardon) for sins committed.  Through this cleansing from sins we are brought back into communion and fellowship with God. (Rom 5:11; I John 1:7-9.)

5. TWO NATURES OF THE BELIEVER:
Each saved person possesses two natures, the old and new nature.  Through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit victory over the old nature is possible; however, eradication of this nature is unscriptural.  Those who are saved should represent the Lord Jesus in character and conduct and this involves separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly pleasures and all appearance of evil.  (Rom. 6:13, 8:12-13, 12:1-2; Gal. 5:16-25; I Pet. 1:14-16; II Cor. 6:14-7:1; I John 2:15-17; I Thess. 5:11)

6. SANCTIFICATION:
Sanctification of the believer has a three-fold application:

1. Position – every born-again believer is eternally set apart by God by redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. Experience – It is a reckoning of ourselves to be dead unto sin which results in a holy Christian walk. It is a life-long process by the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. It will only be complete when we see Christ.

3. Ultimate Sanctification, or Glorification – our final sanctification awaits us at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ for His saints when we shall be conformed to His image and made like Him.
   (Rom. 6:11-14, 12:1-2; Titus 2:11-13; I Cor. 15:51-54; Eph. 5:27; Col 3:1-4; I Thess. 5:10; I John 3:2-3) 

7. SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER:

Those who by faith have received the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed, and are saved for all eternity.   They are kept by God’s power, this security is not a license to sin, rather each believer should live as unto the Lord.  (Rom. 8:38-39, 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; John 10:28-29; I John 5:11-13).

 

G.  SPIRITUAL GIFTS:

God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts.  Today, the gifts of evangelists, pastors and teachers are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints.  I Corinthians 14:22, gives us the purpose of signs in the early church.  Tongues were a sign to unbelieving Israel so that they might believe the gospel.  Speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed.  (I Cor. 13;8) Today tongues have no purpose.  (I Cor. 12:4-11;  Eph. 4:7-16; II Pet. 1:16-21; cp Matt 17:1 et al.)

God can and does hear and answer our prayer of faith, in accord with His will for the sick and afflicted.  But as for “Divine Healers,” Scripture does not give us any indication, nor teach that man are or can be “Divine Healers.”  (I John 3:22, 5:14-15; John 15:7; James 5:16)

 

H.  THE CHURCH:

The Church, which is the “body” and the “espoused bride” of Christ, is the spiritual organism made of all born again persons, from the Pentecost to the Rapture, of this present age.  We believe in the establishment of the local church being clearly taught in the New Testament Scriptures and its continuance and work, and that the local church should be free from any external authority or control.  (Eph. 1:22-23, 2:19-22, 5:25-27; I Cor. 12:12-14; Acts 14:27, 20:17-32; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11; Acts 15:13-31; Rom. 16:1-4. )

We believe in two ordinances for the church:

1. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion (I Cor. 11:23-26.)

2. Believer’s baptism. This shall be performed by immersion, unless extenuating circumstances would not permit it, thereby the mode shall be agreed upon by the Pastor, Steward Board and individual. (Acts 16:31-34; Rom 6:3-5)

We further believe that neither ordinance bestows or imparts favor or grace.

 

I.  SATAN:

Satan is a person, the author of sin, the cause of the fall, the open and declared enemy of God and man. He was judged at the Cross and shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Isa. 14:12-17; Job 1:6-7; Ez. 28:12-19; Matt. 4:2-11, 24:41; Rev. 20:10; I Peter 5:8; John 12:31, 16:11; Col. 2:15;  Heb. 2:14)

 

J.  THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST:

We believe in the personal, imminent, pre-tribulation, pre-millennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church and His subsequent return to the earth after the Tribulation Period, with His saints, to establish the Kingdom age (His 1,000 year reign on earth). (I Thess. 4:13-17; I Cor. 15:51-53; Dan. 2:44-45, 9:24-27; Zech. 11:15-17; 12:10-13:9 , 14:1-7, 9-21)

 

K.  ETERNAL STATE:

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all mankind, saved to eternal life in heaven, unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment in hell. (John 5:28-29; Rev. 20:4-6, 12-13)

Souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body, present with the Lord – where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord.  (Phil. 1:23, 3:21; II Cor. 5:8; I Thess. 4:13-18)

Souls of all unbelievers, after death, remain in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, then to be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting, conscious punishment. (Luke 16:19-26; Matt. 25:41-46; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 20:11-15)

 

L.  MISSIONS:

Paul said he was obligated to preach the Gospel, (Rom. 1:14-15).  We too are obligated as believers to witness to the truth of the Scriptures, and to proclaim the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.  (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:19-20)

 

M.  MARRIAGE:

We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture.  (Gen. 2:18-24; Matt. 19:4-6; Eph. 5:21-33; Col. 3:18-19) – also refer to Zion Community Church Policy Statement on Marriage and Sexuality