Keizer Community Church Doctrinal Statement

The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the
verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant
in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed (II Tim. 3:16,17; II Pet.
1:20,21; Matt. 5:18; Jn. 16:12,13).
The Godhead

We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons -
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature,
co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and
perfections (Deut. 6:4; II Cor. 13:14).
The Person and Work of Christ
1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God,
  became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived
  by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He
  might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Jn. 1:1,2,14; Lk. 1:35).
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption
  through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious,
  substitutive sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by
  His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Rom. 3:24,25;
  I Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:3-5).
3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is
  now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest,
  He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate
  (Acts 1:9,19; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; I Jn. 2:1,2).
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world
  of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the
  supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the
  body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of
  redemption (Jn. 16:8-11, II Cor. 3:6; I Cor. 12:12-14; Rom. 8:9;
  Eph. 1:13,14).
2. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into
  all truth, and, that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be
  filled by the Spirit (Jn. 16:13; I Jn. 2:20,27; Eph. 5:18).
The Total Depravity of Man

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but
that in Adam's sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became
alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved, and, of himself,
utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:26,27; Rom. 3:22,23
5:12; Eph. 2:1-3,12).
Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and
received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood
was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 2:8-10; Jn. 1:12;
Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:18,19).
The Assurance of Believers
1. We believe that all those born of God are kept by God's power and
  are thus secure in Christ forever (Jn. 6:37- 40; 10:27-30;
  Rom. 8:1,38,39; I Cor. 1:4-8; Eph. 2:8,9; Heb. 10:14; I Pet. 1:5).
2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the
  assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word;
  which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an
  occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13,14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
The Two Natures of the Believer

We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with
provision made for victory of the new nature over the old nature
through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit; and that all claims
to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural
(Rom. 6:13; 8:12,13; Gal. 5:16-25; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:10;
I Pet. 1:14-16; I Jn. 1:8-2:1; I Jn. 3:5-9).
Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to
bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and that separation from
all religious apostasy; all worldly and sinful pleasures; practices and
associations is commanded of God (II Tim. 3:1-5; Rom. 12:1,2; 14:13;
I Jn. 2:15-17; II Jn. 9-11; II Cor. 6:14-7:1).
Missions

We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life
and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim
the Gospel to all mankind (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:19,20).
The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
1. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of spiritual
  gifts upon believers. We believe that the purpose of God in
  bestowing the gifts is that, just as each one of us has received
  gifts, we might minister them to one another as good stewards
  of the manifold grace of God, resulting in the spiritual growth
  and strengthening of the saints (I Cor. 12:7, 12-25; Eph. 4:11-16;
  I Pet. 4:10-11).
2. We believe that certain gifts were temporarily given to provide
  revelation and/or accreditation until the completion of the
  New Testament at the end of the first century. We believe that
  the temporary gifts were the gifts of Apostle, Prophet, word
  of knowledge, word of wisdom, discerning of spirits, tongues,
  interpretation of tongues, miracles and healings. We believe
  that God may intervene either providentially or directly to
  provide physical healing
3. (Job; II Cor. 12:7-9; I Tim. 5:23). We believe that He does so in
  response to the prayers of His children, rather than through
  those claiming to have the spiritual gift of healing (Rom. 12:6-8;
  I Cor. 12-14; II Cor. 12:12; Eph. 2:20; 3:5; Heb. 2:4; 6:5).
The Church
1. We believe that the church, which is the body and the
  espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of
  all born-again persons of this present age (Eph. 1:22,23;
  5:25-27; I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor 11:2).
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local
  churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament
  Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Tim. 3:1- 13; Titus 1:5-11).
3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free of any
  external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28;
  Rom. 16:1,4; I Cor. 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; I Pet. 5:1-4).
4. We recognize the ordinances of water baptism by immersion
  and the Lord's Supper as a scriptural means of testimony for
  the church in this age (Matt. 28:19,20; Acts 2:41,42; 18:8;
  I Cor. 11:23-26).
Dispensationalism

We believe that the Scriptures, interpreted in their natural, literal
sense, reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life
which define man's responsibilities in successive ages. The
dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather divinely
ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to
His purpose. Three of these - (1) the age of Law, (2) the age
of the Church, and (3) the age of the Millennial Kingdom - are
the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture (Jn. 1:17;
I Cor. 9:17; II Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10; 3:2-10;
Col. 1:24,25; Heb. 7:19; Rev. 20:2-6).
The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the
cause of the fall; that he is the open and declared enemy of
God and man; and that 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).
The Second Advent of Christ

We believe in that "Blessed Hope", the personal, imminent,
pre-tribulation and pre-millennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
for His redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to earth,
with His saints, to establish His Millennial Kingdom
(I Thess. 4:13-18; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-6;
I Thess. 1:10; 5:9; Rev. 3:10).
The Eternal State
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men; the Saved
  to eternal life, and the Unsaved to judgment and everlasting
  punishment (Matt. 25:46; Jn. 5:28,29; 11:25,26;
  Rev. 20:5,6,12,13).
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death,
  absent from the body and 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 (Lk. 23:43; Rev. 20:4-6; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21;
  I Thess. 4:16,17).
3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death,
  in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when,
  with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great
  White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of
  Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious
  punishment (Lk. 16:19-26; Matt. 25:41-46; II Thess. 1:7-9;
  Jude 6,7; Mk. 9:43-48; Rev. 20:11-15).