Statement
of Faith
Of
Effective
date:
ARTICLE 1. Name
The name of this
organization shall be called Rochester Chinese Christian Church (RCCC), as
registered with the State of
ARTICLE 2. Purpose and
The purpose of this
church shall be to promote, using Chinese as the primary language, the worship
of the Triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; to systematically proclaim and
teach the Word of God; to bring the lost to a saving knowledge of the Lord
Jesus Christ; to provide opportunity for believers to grow in grace and in
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ; to obey, as God enables, the commission of
our Lord in missionary endeavor both at home and abroad as stated in Matthew
28: 19-20 and Acts 1,8; to discover, assist, and generally encourage men and
women in the dedication of their lives for definite Christian service; to
distribute Christian literature, such as is expedient to the spread of the
Gospel of Christ and the promotion of the work of the Lord.
ARTICLE 3. Statement of Faith
Section
We believe that the
sixty-six (66) books of the Bible are the inspired Word of God in the original
autographs (1), that it was written by men controlled by the Holy Spirit (2),
and therefore without error. It must not be modified with addition or deletion
(3). It is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
(1) II Tim. 3:16-17,
(2) II Pet. 1:20-21, (3) Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:5,6; Rev. 22:18, 19.
Section 2. The Trinity
We believe in the
Trinity of the Godhead; there is one God (1), eternally existing in three equal
but distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (2).
(1) Deut. 6:4, (2)
Matt. 28:18-19; II Cor. 13:14
Section 3. God the Father
We believe in God,
the Father, and rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of
men (1), that He hears and answers prayer (2), and that He saves from sin and
eternal damnation all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (3). We believe He
has a paternal relationship to believers only (4).
(1) Dan.
Section 4. God the Son
We believe in Jesus
Christ, God's only begotten Son (1), born of a virgin (2), sinless in His life
(3), who atoned for the sins of the world by His death, burial, and bodily
resurrection (4). We believe in His ascension into Heaven (5), His perpetual
intercession for His people (6), His personal coming in the air for His church
prior to the seven year tribulation (7), and His return to earth at the close
of the tribulation to establish His millennial Kingdom (8).
(1) Jn. 3:16, (2) Isa. 7:14; Matt.
1:23, (3) I Pet.
(5) Acts 1:9, (6)
Heb.
Section 5. God the Holy Spirit.
We believe in the
personality and deity of the Holy Spirit (1), who convicts (2), regenerates
(3), baptizes (4), indwells (5), seals (6), and fills (7). We believe Spirit
baptism takes place at the time of regeneration (8) and that the filling of the
Spirit is manifested by the fruit of the Spirit rather than by any specific
spiritual gift (9).
(1) Acts 5:3-4, (2)
Jn.16: 8-11, (3) Tit. 3:5, (4) I Cor. 12:12-13, (5) I
Cor. 6:19-20,
(6) Eph. 1:13, (7)
Acts
Section 6. Creation
We believe in the
direct creation by God in six solar days, of the physical universe, man, and
lower forms of life, without the process of evolution; and also that the early
chapters of Genesis are literal and accurate history. God sustains all creation
but exists in no necessary relationship to it (1).
(1) Gen. 1, 2; Col.
1:15-17; Jn. 1:3
Section 7. Spirit Beings
We believe that God
created an innumerable company of sinless spirit beings (1). One of these,
though created holy by God, sinned through pride, thereby becoming Satan, the
Devil, the enemy of his Creator, leading a host of angels in rebellion against
God (2). He became the god of this age and the ruler of all the powers of
darkness and is destined to the judgment of an eternal punishment in the lake
of fire (3).
(I)
Section 8. Mankind
We believe that all
men are sinners by nature (1) and under the condemnation of God (2). The only
remedy for this condition is Holy Spirit regeneration through faith in the shed
blood of Jesus Christ as payment for one's sins (3). We believe regeneration is
the irrevocable act of God, thus securing the believer for all eternity (4). We
believe the Bible does not teach that God created any person for the purpose of
condemnation (5).
(1) Eph. 2:3;
?lt;/span>(4) Rom.
Section 9. Final Destinies
We believe that the
souls of believers in Christ do at death immediately pass into His presence (1)
and there remain until the resurrection of the body at the rapture when soul
and body reunited shall stand before Christ to be judged of their Christian
works for the giving of rewards; and they shall then be associated with Christ
forever in glory (2). The souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious
misery until the final resurrection at the end of the millennium for judgment;
the result of this judgment will be that all will be cast into the lake of
fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting separation
from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (3).
(1) II Cor. 5:6; Phil.1:23, (2) II Cor.
5:10; I Cor. 3:11-15; I Thess.
4: 13-18, (3) Lk.
Section 10. The Church
We believe the Church
(1) is a living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head (2) and of which
all regenerated people are members (3). We believe that a local church is a
company of believers in Jesus Christ (4) baptized on an acceptable confession
of faith (5) associated for worship, work and fellowship (6) and having two
offices, pastor and deacon (7). We believe that to these visible churches were
committed, for observance throughout the church age, the ordinances of baptism
by immersion and the Lord's Supper (8), and that God has laid upon these
churches the task of witnessing to a lost world to accept Jesus Christ as
Savior (9) and of building up the saints in the faith once for all delivered
(10). We believe that human betterment and social improvements are the inevitable
by-products of the Gospel and edification (11).
(1) Matt. 16:18,
(2) Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:16; Eph.
(6) Acts 2:42; Heb.
10:25, (7) Phil.1:1, (8) Matt. 26:16-20; Rom.
(10) Eph. 4:7,
11-16; Jude 3, (11) Eph.
Section 11. Separation
We believe that
separation is a doctrine as well as a practice and that the separation
principle runs through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. We believe that
true spiritual fellowship is the result of a common faith and practice. We
believe there are at least four aspects of Biblical separation.
a. Political
separation - the separation of the church from the state (Lk.20:25). The governing
of Church is directly accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ.
b. Personal
separation - the separation of the believer from the world and sin in order to
serve God. This involves a separation from acts of sin, the world system, the
unbelievers, heretics, and, false teachers. Meanwhile, we must proclaim the
gospel to them in the spirit of loving your neighbor as yourself.
(Josh. 24:15; Eph
5.15-18; I Jn. 2:15-17; II Cor.
6:14-7:1; Tit. 3:10; II Jn.10, 11, I Jn. 4:1).
c. Ecclesiastical
separation - the separation of the church from apostasy. Each local church is
independent and autonomous and must be free from interference by any other
ecclesiastical authority. We believe we are to reprove apostates rather than
recognize them, to rebuke rather than to reason with them, to reject rather
than to receive or unite with them.
(II Cor. 6.14-17; II Jn. 10-11; II
Tim. 4:2-4).
d. Practical
separation - the separation of the believer from an erring brother. We believe
that we must separate from those who continue in disobedience to the Word of
God. This includes the troublemaker, the disorderly, and the immoral brother
(1). However, we should still love them as we would towards a non-believer,
leading to repentance and submit to the teaching of the Word of God (2).
(1)
II Thess. 3: 6, 14, 15, Rom.