The Essentials that are without Compromise:

Teachings Fundamental to Redemption:
God calls ALL men everywhere to Repentance and faith proven by deeds. He Draws all men, Convicts the world of Sin, Righteousness and Judgment and Stretches forth His hand daily offering them repentance unto life. He’s not willing any perish in sin and takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. (Acts17:30-31, 26:18-21, Jh12:32, 16:8, 2Pet3:9, Rom2:4, Ezk18:32) To 'Draw, give' is inclusive of all, (all given the opportunity) there is no such thing as election of some and not others or any pre-ordained to salvation and others to condemnation.

 

Man is born with a Moral Conscience and Natural inclinations totally free and unhindered in will and ability. He is not rendered incapable of Obedience to God, or limited in ability by: Original Sin, moral depravity, inbred sin, sin nature or adamic, fallen nature. He is only unwilling to repent in that he is rebellious to God and has chosen self-indulgence over obedience to Christ. Sin is what you DO not what you are; you are a sinner by Choice, not Nature. You become addicted to sin as a Slave to who you Obey. (Rom6:16) Nature in Scripture is 'physis (our word for Physics) defined as a principle of growth, nature of growth, 'By Nature children of wrath' Eph2:3, meaning by 'habit, use, with the variable of free will involved making wrong choices to indulge the lusts. In contrast the Gentiles are able to ‘Do by nature (physis) the things contained in the law, Rom2:14, meaning by the use of their free will to make choices for good they answer the accusation of their conscience and do what is Right. Man's sense of reason can become distorted (reprobate) as he continues in sin, rejects God, exchanges His truth for a lie and 'reverses nature', going into  perversion. (Rom1:18-26) The Scripture speaks of man being made upright, innocent (neutral) and able to do what is Right: Ecc7:29, Deut1:39, Isa7:16, Mat18:3, 19:14, Ps139:14, 127:3, Ezk14;14. Passages such as Ps51:5, 58:3, Rom5:12, Ecc7:20, Gen6:5, 8:21, Job14:1-4, 15:14, DO NOT prove man is born sinful; please consult our web site for further information as to why the church teaches man is born a sinner.  (Click here for further Study)

 

How Redemption Takes Place:
The Purpose of Redemption is to Save man form the corrupting influence of sin and set him free from bondage, redemption means; 'Release from bondage'. Salvation is not merely 'receiving Jesus or Trusting He paid off your sin debt so you can be forgiven and escape the punishment of hell and then hopefully sin less and obey more. It is the Complete and total renovation of man's mind, purposes, opinions, inclinations and desires, not by degree, but through the Washing, Regeneration and Renewing of the Holy Spirit, he becomes a Partaker of the Divine Nature and escapes the corruption that is the world through lust. (Tit3:5, 2Pet1:3-4)
 
to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. Acts26:18

 

In order for this radical transformation to take place and not end up as another sin daily, no one's perfect professed Christian, you must understand that man is fully able to do what Scripture says he must do, to be Saved. (men and brethren, what must we DO to be Saved!? Acts2:38) It's NOT what's been DONE, but what you must DO! God has given man free will and the ability to DO what is Right as a ‘worker together’ with his creator. Faith is NEVER alone! The first act of Faith toward God is Obedience from the heart, Rom6:16, Heb11:6, when the Scripture says, 'Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness', Rom4:3, we see the 'synergeo' (synergy: two or more things working together to produce a result that cannot otherwise be attained) at work by comparing scripture with scripture:  Do you see that faith was working together (synergeo) with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? Js2:22, Abraham doing his part, responding to God's call, so the conclusion of a faith that saves is:
'You see then that a man is Justified by what he DOES and not by faith alone' Js2:24 The miracle of Regeneration takes place by God through the Spirit, BUT repentance proven by deeds belongs to man.
(preparations of heart belong to man, Prov16:1)  

 

The Sinner comes to God by faith in response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, Jh16:8, Rom10:17, humbly seeking Christ, but he must not be given any false assurances that God will receive him as is by merely trusting in Christ or repeating some words and feeling sorry for his sins. Such notions will short-circuit the redemptive process and quell the conviction of the Spirit that may have lead him into godly sorrow and true repentance. The sinner Must have his ‘past sins Remitted (Rom3:25, pardoned) in repentance proven by deeds BEFORE he can be 'Returned to favor' (Reconciled) and filled with the Spirit. The reason Scripture says 'By the works of the law no flesh shall be Justified', is under the law the wages of sin is death, Rom6:23, and merely returning to obedience would not be sufficient to wipe the past slate clean of past rebellion, ONLY faith in the shed blood of Christ can remit past sin and purge the conscience of dead works (of rebellion) to cleanse the heart for present service, Heb9:14. Its not that 'works or deeds' has no part in Salvation, its that the deeds of faith have replaced the works of ritual and sacrifice. (Rom3:37, 31)

 

When the sinner enters into a season of godly sorrow under a crisis of conviction, their conscience playing havoc in fear of God they must be handled carefully so not to stifle the process. (as is generally done by the well meaning professed who immediately sympathize with their sorrow and offer them false comfort) If the godly sorrow is not suppressed by outside influences it will through the Spirit bring about effective results, such as: a thorough clearing of wrong doing, the person zealously making amends for past evils, restitution if necessary, also there will be a vehement desire change, the inclinations and dispositions will be transformed. There will be full self-vindication of the past life, bringing about a hatred of sin and love for God. (described in 2Cor7:10-11, Ps97:10, Prov8:13) Scripture speaks of the empting self of all guile and deceit, coming clean, laying aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, forsaking the evil of your doings, amending your ways, casting away all your transgressions and making yourself a new heart! (Js1:21-22, 4:7-10, 2Cor7:1, Jer26:3, 13, Exk18:31) In other words ALL known vile sin ceases as you Draw near to God seeking His Mercy; propitiation, in scripture, Rom3:25, is speaking of 'appeasement, that occurs at the Mercy Seat of Christ, Heb9:5, where the blood is sprinkled on the sacrifice to cleanse and purity it. In this process YOU are the Living Sacrifice, Rom12:1-2, presenting yourself in reasonable service to the Lord, having done your part in repentance in which the self-indulgent evil passion and desires of the flesh are Crucified (Put to death, Col3:5) once for all, in Christ, Rom6:4-6, so you are dead to sin, freed from its bondage and made alive to God in newness of life. NOW the ‘Washing, Regeneration and Renewing of the Holy Spirit,Titus3:5, can take place, because the soul has genuinely been set free from sin and has escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.  The new convert is freely given all things that pertain to life and godliness, the exceedingly great and precious promises and becomes a partaker of the Divine nature. 2Pet1:3-4 (he has no excuse further on to neglect doing his part by working out his salvation, adding to his faith, running the race with endurance and making his calling sure, Phil2:11-12, 2Pet1:5, Heb12:1-2, 2Pet1:10, this is imperative to insure entrance into the Kingdom, left undone will result in eternal ruin for the soul)

 

Answering some of the Common fallacies concerning Salvation:
The Scripture says: '
we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness (remission) of sins’ (Eph1:7, Col1:14, Heb9:14, Rom5:10-11) Release from the penalty and the bondage of sin, this is the ‘free gift, not of works, pardon of past sin. (not past, present, future) But the redemptive power of the blood cannot be applied except a sinner repent and produce deeds worthy of repentance. (Acts26:18-21) The same holds true of Eph2:8-9, 'By Grace you are Saved through faith, not of works', apart from a genuine repentance Grace would be receive in Vain, (2Cor6:1, without purpose, to no effect) because it is Grace that teaches us deny ungodliness and worldly lust and live soberly righteously and godly in this present age, Tit2:11. If it were merely granted as a Covering for Sin, unconditional pardon, how is it going to work its Purpose in the Redemptive Process of man working together with God!

Man is not 'saving himself' by producing deeds worthy of repentance and obeying God, he is simply doing his part as commanded by God and being born without a sinful nature does not negate his need for a Savoir. There is no hint of human pride or boasting in this process, it is the most humbling of experiences anyone could enter into. The reason most professed Christians are never set free from their bondage to sin is because they came under the false premise that man in his unregenerate state CANNOT 'reason with God, call upon Him while He is near and answer the call to 'lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, doing what is necessary to approach the Mercy Seat of Reconciliation for remission and refreshing. (Acts3:19) Although he is FULLY capable of doing these things, the 24/7 influence of 'born in sin, saved in sin, never stop sinning false gospel has dulled his senses to any further conviction of the Spirit that he might rise from the Pig Pen of shame and find true redemption. Therefore most professed Christians languish in the revolving door of 'supposed ongoing forgiveness via confessing 1Jh1:9 for reoccurring sins that should have ceased in repentance.

 

There is no Transfer of Virtue or Sin in the Redemption process, Christ did not 'become sin nor did have to suffer God’s Wrath in man’s place or Pay any kind of penalty so man could be forgiven. He gave Himself as a spotless, blameless offering for sin (1Jh3:5, 8) in order to destroy the works of the devil and ‘Release (Ransom, Redeem) man from the bondage of sin; by offering him a way to be Reconciled (returned to favor) through Repentance and faith proven by deeds. (2Cor5:20, Acts26:18-21, repentance alone is sufficient to divert God’s punishment for sin, Mat18:23-35) God points the Way through Christ (Narrow gate you Strive to enter Lk13:24) man responds or rejects. (Isa1:19-20) Christ cannot obey in your place, repent for you or transfer His personal righteousness.      

 

Sin (known, willful, vile) Stops in repentance, the Old man of sin is put to death, once for all, it does not die out gradually, daily, there is no process of sanctification in the sense of sinning less and obeying more. Growth in Grace and Knowledge, 2Pet3:18, is adding to your faith, working out your salvation and running the race with endurance, 2Pet1:5, Phil2:11-12, Heb12:1-2,  NOT treating grace as a revolving door of forgiveness for ongoing sins that are covered by merely confessing 1John1:9, He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy, Prov28:13, Because man is not perfect in Knowledge or free from ignorance, even as a born again Christian he will be subject to mistakes in judgment, errors, wrong decisions, personality flaws due to vanity. His Perfection toward God is in Obedience and devotion, loving Christ with all his heart, mind, soul and strength according to his God given ability. (he is NOT required to be as perfect as God!) Such sins as listed in 1Cor6:9-10, Gal5:19-21, Eph5:3-7 are NOT Mistakes and must cease in Repentance. Returning to your Vomit (even once) will result in disqualification from the Kingdom and require a protracted season of godly sorrow in repentance to recover from and may prove impossible the longer you remain in sin.

 

Real Christians are NOT:
The Wretched man of Rom7, the Chief of sinners who sin daily in thought, word and deed, nor do they have desperately wicked hearts of divided loyalties. Their Righteousness is not filthy rags in God's sight, sin is never a foregone conclusion and they don't run around spouting such non-sense as: 'no one is perfect, its not of works, judge not and if I say I have no sin I'm a liar without truth!'


Definition of Terms that pertain to Redemption:

Reconciliation: means 'Return to favor', not Atonement in the sense of Christ taking man's place on the cross, paying off his sin debt by suffering the wrath of God and magically transferring His righteousness

 

Redemption: means, Release from bondage, can be translated 'Ransom, it’s the escape from the corrupting influence of sin that genuine Salvation provides.

 

Remission: means Pardon and Release, 'We have redemption through His blood, the remission of sin', Eph1:7, Col1:14, 'Release from bondage on both sides', if you're redeemed by the blood you are FREE from bondage to sin

 

Propitiation: means Appeasement, Mercy, 'Mercy Seat' Heb9:5, it has nothing to do with expiatory sacrifice or vicarious (replacement) theology.

Flesh, SARX: is sinew covering the bones. It is not Vile or sinful nor does it have a substance of sin dwelling within, Redeemed man serves God in his flesh, Gal2:20, Rom8:11, with the evil passions and desires crucified so he does not indulge the lusts of his flesh. Gal5:24, Rom6:4-6

 

Grace: charis, is the loving kindness of God (not unmerited favor) by which He exerts His holy influence on souls to turn them from their sins to Christ and then strengthen and empower the Redeemed to exercise their faith toward godliness and self-control. Titus2:11-14, If you have partaken of His Grace it is evident in your conduct

 

Faith / Believe (synonyms) defined as: Faithfulness, fidelity, steadiness, synonymous with obedience, Rom6:16, said to work by love, Gal5:6, Purify the heart by obedience to the truth, 1Pet1:22, uphold and establish the moral law, Rom3:31, 13:10, and have Victory over sin, flesh and devil, 1Jh5:4-5

 

Righteousness: is integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, a state of approval by God, He who does what is Right is Righteous. It is what you DO, not what you receive, 1Jh3:7-8, Virtue cannot be transferred only performed. 

 

Sin is Willful transgression of God’s law 1Jh3:4, not all sin is the same; there are sins unto death and sins not unto death, 1Jh5:16, You cannot sin willfully against Grace and escape the consequences thereof, Heb10:26-31.

 

 

Man is Judged according to his Deeds done in faith. Rom2:7-8, 1Pet1;17, 2Cor5:10
When the Lord Returns He will Judge each person according to their deeds, (Matt16:24-27,Rev22:12) those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. (John5:28-29) As you are, so you will be in the final Judgment, Rev22:11-14, there is no magic transformation from wicked to righteous or filthy to clean, His Bride has made herself ready, clothed in righteous garments which are the righteous deeds of the Saints, Rev19:7-8. The Reward is eternal life (not rewards) Rev22:12-16. The Gift of eternal life is held in 'Earnest, Eph1:14, until the Race is finished, it is not a guarantee but a Hope in the age to come, Yet to reaped.
(Titus3:7, Gal6:8-10) Conditional on you finishing the race.

 

Jesus Christ is God manifested in the flesh 1Tim3:16, John1:1 'word is God, word became flesh',
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Virgin Mary as a Sign to the Jews. (Isa7:14, Mt1:20, Lk1:35) The Lord’s human nature consists of the same flesh and blood as mankind. He was tempted in all points as man yet without sin. (Jn1:14, Rom8:3, Phil2:7-8, Heb2:14, 17, 4:15, 2Jn7) Christ overcame Sin, the flesh and the Devil in His Life, Death and Resurrection. (1Jh3:8) He resides as our Great High Priest, head of the church and will return to Judge the World in Righteousness. (Heb10:12, 12:2, Eph5:23, 2Thes1:8-9, Rev22:12) He is the Image of the invisible God, first born of all creation, creator of all things and in Him all things consist. (Col 1:14-18) In Him the fullness of the Godhead expressed is
Col2:9.  (Hebrew elohim plural, divine ones, Gen1:1) Christ is God, infinite in Power and Knowledge; Omniscience, Omnipresence, and Omnipotence. (Godhead: ‘theotes’, state of being God. Synonym of divinity ‘theiotes’, divine nature) In Scripture the Godhead is expressed to us as: The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Matt28:19. You DO NOT have to be a 'Trinitarian (in the Catholic sense) to believe Christ is God! But you must recognize Him as God manifest in the flesh or your sin remains. (Click for further study)

Ransom is the Biblical model of Redemption
All models of Satisfaction and Substitution, Moral Government, Public Justice were invented by the Catholics and remove the imperative of man coming clean with God in Repentance Proven by deeds. For a full Study on this subject please refer to our Web Stie.

 

 

Issues not essential to redemption but that tend to divide us:

 

Water Baptism is Commanded by Christ,  Mat28:19,  Mk16:16.
It is a Witness of a person’s devotion and dedication to Christ (1John5:6-9) As circumcision is received as a sign a seal of the righteousness of faith, so baptism is also the answer to a good conscience toward God by faith. Rom4:11-12, 1Pet3:21. Water of itself is not going to sanctify or save anyone, an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a figure, or antitype is defined as ‘a thing resembling another, its counterpart’, baptism may indeed wash the outer man, but it’s an inward change is what counts. So ‘baptism’ resembles what happened to us in our Repentance which ‘saves’ us. That’s why water baptism follows repentance. Acts2:38. You are fully Justified when you are Born again of the Spirit, touching the water is symbolic, not savable, nothing magic happens in the water. The Washing of water in regeneration is also symbolic of your baptism of repentance in Christ. If a person was to be genuinely saved in Christ and died before he had an opportunity to be Baptized, he would indeed enter the Kingdom. However you should proceed solemnly into Baptism, not as a meaningless ritual as the in the Churches, not to be taken lightly. (Click for further study)

 

We will not be Judged by others on observances: Days, Festivals, new moons or Sabbaths, Rom14:4-6, Col2:16. These things are a 'Shadow of things to come but the substance is in Christ! This includes the keeping of customary Traditions handed down in various cultures with Pagan origins, connected in times past to worship of false gods and various deities. We do not participate in the self-indulgent idolatry that is common in the professing Churches, in the festive nature of their holiday celebrations they assume honor Christ's birth, death and resurrection. But also we will not exclude someone who is sincerely in Christ and has yet sort out these issues in their own conscience. We will express our personal views on these topics and not make them a matter of contention as would bring about dissensions and more divisions and we expect the same consideration from others as we do not believe the keeping or not keeping of these things are going to jeopardize someone's Salvation, unless they become your god and central focus in life. (Click for further Study)

 

We do not adhere to dogmatic enforcements of:
head coverings, particular dress codes, wearing of makeup, jewelry or wedding rings. Modesty is what counts in a heart made Pure by faith working by love in Christ. Sincerity, purity and love 1Tim1:5, will be expressed by men and women in their daily conduct in accord to godliness and self-control, 1Pet1:22, 1Tim6:3, Titus2:11, 1Pet3:1-6, it's the hidden person of the heart and an incorruptible spirit that counts in perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. 2Cor7:1. Neglect of the outward body in of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. Col3:15-23.

 

Women can speak and hold positions of service in the assembly (Ekklesia)
Rom16:1, Acts19:26, although they should not be leaders over the entire assembly expect in extreme circumstances when no men are available to answer the call as Deborah in Judges 4:4. Godly men do not lord it over women in forced submission and treating them as second class citizens in the body of Christ. They dwell in harmony with them as the weaker vessel and joint heirs of the grace of life. (1Pet3:7) Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. (Eph5:25) The massive abuse of the present day professing churches concerning men and women, is in the Reversal of roles that has taken place in their apostasy. The general condition within their midst is expressed in 2Pet2:12-14, sexuality is flaunted and lust is rampant. In a godly assembly of men and women there is edification and encouragement to all, not one lording over another. (Click for further Study)

 

The issue of Marriage, Divorce and re-marriage:
We believe 'Life begins at conversion', what occurred in your past life is washed away by the blood, the slate made clean and a fresh start given. Of course a true convert will accept the responsibilities of their past life, make amends where necessary, face all moral and financial obligations and never neglect doing what is right toward those who were directly affected by their past actions. Discussing what is going on the present day professed Churches, concerning marriage-divorce-remarriage, as if it would in any way apply to what we believe in Christ, isn't necessary. The pretense under which they operate is the witness of condemnation against them. You can find a full Study of this subject on our Web Site if you wish.

 

In Summary we DO NOT believe that God has decreed that every person born into world has only ONE shot at marriage and that's it and if they mess it up, they're subject to a life time of celibacy or a protracted period of waiting for their first spouse to die off so they can 'legally remarry without committing adultery in God's sight. God is able to Redeem past marriage-divorce-remarriages as He is able to remit ANY and ALL Past Sins when a person genuinely repents, comes clean (as we have described) and is Born again of the Spirit. From that point the person is under FULL obligation to maintain martial fidelity (if married, remarried) and will NEVER again need a divorce! It’s the PRETENSE of Christianity under which people are married, phony conversions, saved in sin, never stop sinning non-sense that muddies the waters on this issue. Since we all cannot agree on what qualifies as a REAL Conversion or when the Sin actually Stops, many who argue this issue are doing so from the flawed premise of the people involved in these situations were real Christians and therefore under some degree of obligation in this matter. BUT we've found that MOST of the folks who insist on the one marriage for life, whether saved of not, (applies to whole world) preach the Substitution, saved in sin, magic cover, gospel! They past over the drunks, fornicators, porn watchers, etc in their churches, give them a 1John1:9 pass, easy ongoing forgiveness, but will nag a remarried person (in their church) to the point of insanity until they either split with their present spouse or turn their backs on religion entirely. Such hypocrisy and inconsistency should tell you that they don't know what they're talking about. Yet people buy their books, listen to their messages and get wrapped up in their foolishness.  

 

But to those sincerely confused and desirous of doing the right thing toward God, understand that we're not advocating divorce or condoning it, we are just pleading for a reasonable understanding of this subject in light of God's cleansing power and the true restoration that takes place in redemption. If Christ's blood is powerless to take away our past mistakes in these matters, to what purpose did He die. Not many of us made it into our adulthood without messing up in the marriage-divorce arena or in any other immorality for that matter. If everyone on the Planet is held to the one marriage for life rule why wasn't this made Crystal Clear in the Commandments so the early Saints could run out and tell the pagans they must become Monks and Nuns, given that marital practices in heathen societies are far removed from anything we would consider normal in the civilized world? How do we answer the past sin of polygamy in cultures where it is normal to take many wives, even young girls who had barely reached maturity? Or among the Native American tribes who had no civil or religious rules concerning marriage, who traded wives like horses and had no regard for fidelity. Even now in certain parts of the world, young girls are taken in the slave trade given as wives to war lords or forced into matrimony with older men. I could go on and on, but the point is what if someone were to be saved, truly redeemed out of this mess and become a follower of Christ, can they never marry again in the Lord and have a normal life as a disciple of Christ? Is God really that limited in His redemptive power as to require these people to remain celibate as Christians? I don’t think so and putting the one marriage burden on someone coming into the faith out of a marital mess, is stepping over the line into legalism God never intended. If you are among those who insist on this standard without compromise and see others who disagree as false teachers in sin, then its best you go your way, I go mine because no middle ground exists. (Click for further Study)

 

None of this is meant to be divisive only in that we must face the fact that certain matters will always tend to keep us separate. We wish it wasn’t so but we cannot have unity in the faith where dissensions exists, so its best to sort out theses things before hand to avoid conflict and hurt feelings. That’s the purpose of this DOC.

 

Sub issues that tend to Divide:

 

For Studies into our views of End Times eschatology, the Rapture, Mark of Beast, Anti-Christ and Millennial reign of Christ Click here
 

The Saints are currently in the Gospel age, ruling and reigning with Christ, the events of Revelation are playing out concurrently from generation to generation, the Saints are companions in Tribulation. The anti-Christ is the false System of Christianity, the Mark is an identity and the false prophets are overrunning the Churches. There is no future Millennial age, no additional hope for the unsaved dead to be raised and given another chance, when the Lord returns it is the End of the Gospel age, Judgment follows and eternity will commence. The additional links will provide all the details into this subject. 

 

For Studies into our views of the present day lying signs and wonders, cessation of fist century Apostolic gifts Click here

 

For Studies into the unbiblical nature of the establishment Church System vs the Ekklesia of the Bible Click here

 

For a study into Bible translations Click here