Biblical Issues

Doctrine & Social Issues relevant for today!

Although these issues may be controversial to some and others may not agree, I believe that there is sufficient evidence in Scripture to claim the following statements as Biblical Truth:

Racism
Mankind was made in the image of God; every person is a descendent of Adam through Noah and his sons, from whom the races came; that unkind and unjust behavior toward someone on the basis of circumstances of birth is oppressive and forbidden by the Bible; the Lord Jesus demonstrated that right behavior toward someone of another race; and the presence of racist notions among believers is especially abhorrent to God because all who are in Christ are cherished by Christ, who is no respecter of persons. Gen. 1:27; 10:1; Exodus 22:21; Malachi 2:10; James 2:9; Eph. 5:29-30; Acts 10:34-35.

Separation
All the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain from all immodest and immoderate appearances. Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; II Cor. 6:14-7:1; II Tim. 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17;
II John 9-11; Lev. 19:28; I Cor. 6:19-20.

The Personality of Satan
Satan is an actual being, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10.

Creation
God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin.
Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11.

Civil Government
God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: the home, the church and the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; I Pet. 2:13-14.

Human Sexuality

1. God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; I Cor. 5:1; 6:9; I Thess.4:1-8; Heb. 13:4.

2. The only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; I Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23.

Family Relationships

1. Men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home and men are to be the leaders (pastors, elders and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for ordination by the church. Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; I Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12.

2. God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are an heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12; I Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4; I Pet. 3:1-7.

Divorce and Remarriage
God disapproves of divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage are permitted in the case of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor, elder or deacon. Just as our Lord loves and forgives, we do not judge or look down upon those that have made mistakes in their lives, but try to encourage them as Christians. Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; I Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6.

Abortion
Human life begins at conception and the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the taking of unborn human life and is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother are acceptable.
Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44.

Love
We should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward both those who are not believers and those who oppose us. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; Col. 3:12-15; II Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; I John 3:17-18.

Missions
God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That commission begins in our community, extends throughout our country and reaches to the ends of the earth. Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:20.

Giving
Every Christian is a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. A Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Cor. 9:11-14; I Cor. 16:2; II Cor. 8:1-3, 7-15; II Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; I Tim. 5:17-18; I John 3:17.

Sign Gifts
The sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, prophesy, knowledge and gifts of healing were temporarily used by God during a transitional period of the conception and the empowering of the early church. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. We believe that God does miraculously heal individuals in answer to prayer, but deny special apostolic power that was given primarily to the early church disciples. I Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22; Heb. 2:3-4.