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Statement of Beliefs of the
Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association
1. GOD
God is the supreme creator and sustainer of the entire universe who
is eternal, all present, and all powerful. God is a single spirit
family presently consisting of God the Father and Jesus Christ the
Son. God is a loving, kind, and merciful being who is sharing His
magnificent and eternal existence by reproducing Himself through
mankind.
Psalm 19:1; 50:6-7; Isaiah 44:6; Nehemiah 9:6,16-17; John 1:12-13;
3:16; 4:10; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16;
Hebrews 1:1-2; I John 3:1-2
2. BIBLE
The entire Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God which contains
His plan of salvation, and the record of His participation in
history. The Bible is God's method of revealing knowledge that man
cannot discover for himself; the foundation of knowledge and the
guidebook of life. God's written Word, is revealed in two parts, the
Old and New Testaments. Together, they form the basis of
Christianity as taught by the church and as practiced by the true
Christian.
Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4; John 17:17; Romans 8:16;
1 Corinthians 2:7-11; 2
Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20
3. JESUS CHRIST
Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God and the Son of man.
He is the Messiah who was prophesied in the Old Testament and
described in the New Testament as being fully human and fully
divine. He has existed throughout eternity as the "Word" and is the
second member of the God family. He divested Himself of His power
and His majesty, to become a human being in order to live a perfect
life, thereby re-qualifying for eternal life, but then died anyway
as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind as our loving and
merciful Savior. He was then resurrected and ascended to heaven to
become our Lord and High Priest. Jesus Christ will return to earth
to establish the Kingdom of God where He will rule as King of kings
with His saints as co-rulers forever.
Deuteronomy 18:15; Matthew 16:15-17; John 1:1-14; 3:16; Acts
2:32-33; Romans 5:8; Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 4:14-15; Revelation
1:13-16
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the spiritual extension of God, containing the
essence, power and mind of God. God uses His Holy Spirit to beget
Christians as His sons and daughters. The Holy Spirit spiritually
strengthens Christians, converting their minds to be more like God’s
mind. The Holy Spirit also serves as an earnest or guarantee of
future eternal life.
Acts 1:8; 2:38; Romans 8:9, 14; 1
Corinthians 2:16; Ephesians 1:13-14
5. MANKIND
Humans have no inherent immortality as flesh and blood physical
beings; however, they can receive eternal life as a free gift from
our loving and merciful creator God. Although mankind was created by
God as flesh and blood, He did so in His own image. He added a
spiritual component to mankind’s brain to create the human mind.
Genesis 1:26-2;, Job 32:8; 1 Corinthians
2:11; I John 5:11-13
6. ANGELIC REALM
The angels were created by God as powerful spirit beings then used
by God as His agents and messengers. These spirit beings also
function as ministering spirits, helping mankind attain salvation
and have done so since man's creation. Like mankind, angels also
have free moral agency. Although angels were created to help God,
some of them, led by Satan the devil, rebelled against God and His
government. Their rebellious acts caused them to be transformed into
demons.
Psalm 91:11-12; Ephesians 6:12; Hebrews 1:7
7. SALVATION
The penalty for sin is death, but salvation is the means by which
God saves mankind from the penalty of sin so that he may be given
eternal life. Working through His Son, Jesus Christ, the salvation
process includes one's calling, repentance, baptism, justification,
receiving of the Holy Spirit, then living a life of faith and
obedience, and finally, birth into God's Kingdom as a spirit being.
Salvation is a gift freely given through grace by God, with our
ultimate reward given according to our works.
Matthew 16:27; John 3:16-17; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews
6:1-2
8. FAITH
Faith is the absolute knowledge that God exists and that He can and
will fulfill His promises. Faith is necessary for salvation, of
which, the basic elements are courage, action, and risk.
Romans 1:17; 10:17; Ephesians 3:17; Hebrews 11:1-2; James 2:22-24
9. REPENTANCE
Repentance is the act of acknowledging one's sins, and then
resolving to fully obey God and then is manifested by positive
change. It begins when God opens a person’s mind to see himself in
comparison with God and His law. True repentance is the first step
toward reconciliation with God, and therefore ultimate salvation.
Acts 2:38; 3:19-21; 8:22; 1 John 3:4
10. BAPTISM
Baptism is a ceremony, symbolizing the renunciation of the past
sinful way of life, the burial of the old man in a watery grave, and
the emergence of a new, Spirit-led person living with Christ's mind
and following in His footsteps. The ceremony can only take place
after true repentance and acceptance of Christ's sacrifice, then by
full immersion in the symbolic watery grave. After this ceremony,
and as a result of all these actions, one receives the baptism of
the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands.
Matthew 3:13-16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-8; Colossians 2:12
11. LAYING ON OF HANDS
The laying on of hands is an act performed for the receiving of
God's Holy Spirit after baptism, at ordinations, anointing of the
sick, or for other special purposes.
Matthew 19:13-15; Acts,6.5-6, 8:17-18; 13:3; 1
Timothy 4:I 4; Hebrews 6:2
12. KINGDOM OF GOD
The Kingdom of God is the government of God ruled by the family of
God. It will be the world ruling government set up by Jesus Christ
upon His return. Jesus Christ will be the King of Kings and will
rule for all eternity with the resurrected spirit-composed saints
ruling with Him. In the New Testament, the Kingdom of God is
referred to as a "mystery". It was first preached and explained by
Christ, then by His church. The Kingdom of God will be established
on earth for a thousand years following Christ's return. It shall be
complete when New Jerusalem and God the Father come down out of
heaven to dwell on the New Earth.
Mark 4:11; Revelation 5:10; 20:4; 21:1-3, 7, 10
13. GOSPEL
The gospel is the message preached by Jesus Christ and His church
about the history of Jesus Christ and the future coming Kingdom of
God to be established by Jesus Christ, the restoration of God’s
government on earth, and how mankind can enter that Kingdom and
government. It includes the message of what Jesus Christ has done in
the past, is doing now, and shall do. Ultimately, it is the message
of the entire Old and New Testaments. The primary purpose and
commission of God’s church is to "Go ye therefore, and teach [make
disciples of] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Matthew 3:2; 24:14; 28:19-20; Mark 1:15; Luke 24:47
14. RESURRECTIONS
The hope of all mankind and the promise to the Christian is that
they will be resurrected from the dead. The Bible refers to four
resurrections. (1) the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the firstborn
of God and man from the dead to become the pioneer of our salvation;
(2) the resurrection of the saints at the return of Jesus Christ
when the true believers shall become spirit-composed members of
God's family. This is called the "first resurrection" (3) the
resurrection of all who have ever died without having understood
God's way, back to physical life for their first opportunity for
salvation; (4) the resurrection of those who have refused to repent
and have rejected God's way and are called the incorrigibly wicked,
to be consumed in the lake of fire. This is called the "second
death".
John 5:28-29; Acts 2:32; Romans 8:11; 1
Corinthians 15:20; 1 Thessalonians
4:13-17; Revelation 20:4-6, 13-14
15. JUDGMENT
The time of a person’s judgment is the time of his opportunity for
salvation. That begins from when a person is called by God until his
death changed into spirits upon Jesus Christ's return. The
overwhelming majority shall qualify for God's Kingdom and will
inherit eternal life, but and those who deliberately reject God's
way shall suffer the second death and be consumed in the lake of
fire.
Matthew 13:49-50; 25:34; 1 Peter 4:17;
Revelation 20:15; 21:8
16. LAW OF GOD
The law of God is a perfect expression of God’s love toward man. It
is a good, right, and perfect system of eternal directives and
principles that reflects God's character and love. God’s law teaches
mankind how to properly worship God, how to love his fellowman, how
to live an abundant life, and how to prepare for an eternal
spiritual life as a full member of the family of God. The law of God
is taught in both the Old and the New Testaments. It requires both
physical actions and spiritual convictions.
John 14:15, 21; Romans 7:12; 1 John 5:2-3
17. BIBLICAL COVENANTS
Both the Old and New Testaments record that God made certain
specific "contracts" or promises called "covenants" with mankind.
These covenants define the terms of God's relationship with
individuals and groups in various circumstances and eras throughout
mankind’s history. The best known covenants were made with the
physical nation of Israel. That covenant was re-established as the
New Covenant with "better promises" and will be fully confirmed with
spiritual Israel after the return of Jesus Christ. The New Covenant
makes God's law even more relevant by expanding it to include one's
mental attitude and spiritual intent. It also applies to the New
Testament church from the time of the original apostles.
Matthew 5:21-22; 2 Timothy 3:15-16;
Hebrews 8:6-13
18. TEN COMMANDMENTS
The Ten Commandments were revealed by God to Moses who then codified
them. They were then ratified and magnified by Christ, are the
perfect expression of God's love. They are the foundation of all
biblical teaching and much of man’s law. They show mankind how to
express love toward God and his fellowman, and are consequently the
focal point of Christian life.
Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5; Matthew 5:17-19; Romans 13:10;
1 Corinthians 7:19; Revelation 12:17;
22:14
19. SABBATH
The seventh-day Sabbath was instituted at creation. It is to be
taught and kept holy in accordance with the biblical instruction.
The Sabbath was reaffirmed to Israel as a part of the covenant at
Sinai, and taught by Jesus Christ, who is the Messenger of the New
Covenant. The keeping of the Sabbath is fundamental to a Christian's
relationship with God.
Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 16; 20:8-11; 31:12-17; Mark 2:27-28; Luke 4:16
20. ANNUAL HOLY DAYS
The seven annual holy days or "appointed feasts" depict God's plan
of salvation for mankind. They are ordained by God and were kept by
the ancient Israelites. Keeping the holy days have been continued by
the early New Testament Christians and are still kept today by
modern day Christians.
Leviticus 23; Zechariah 14:16; John 7;8-10; Acts 2:1; 12:3; 20:6,
16; 27:9; 1 Corinthians 5:8; 16.8
21. TITHING
Tithing is a private matter between the individual and God because
it is an act of worship. It is not the job of the church to
"enforce" or "police" tithing, but simply teaches the responsibility
to tithe. Each individual has the responsibility to "honor the Lord
with his substance and with the firstfruits of all his increase."
Tithing and free will offerings are the method by which the gospel
is proclaimed to the world.
Malachi 3:8-10; Matthew 6:21; 23:23; 2
Corinthians 9:7
22. SIN
Sin is the transgression of God's law. It is failing to meet the
standards set by the character of Jesus Christ. The penalty for sin
is death in the lake of fire, but all sin can be completely forgiven
by God, who desires that all men be saved. God forgives sin upon the
repentance of the sinner. God therefore accepts the shed blood and
sacrifice of Jesus Christ as payment in full for the penalty of a
person’s repented of sins.
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 1:14; 1
John 3:4
23. THE CHRISTIAN
A true Christian is one who has repented of past sins, was baptized
and in whom the Holy Spirit now dwells.
Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:13
24. THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY
The core of a stable society is the family and the marriage
relationship is the basis of the family. Although men and women’s
roles are clearly defined in the Bible, both have equal spiritual
potential before God. The husband, wife and children form the family
that is the primary physical analogy of God's plan for mankind.
Therefore, marriage, child rearing and the family are given a
preeminent place in the teachings of the Bible and the church.
Exodus 20:12; Malachi 4:5-6, Ephesians 5:22-29; 6:1-3;
1 Peter 3:7
25. HEALING
Divine healing is a miracle and gift of God. He may bestow it in His
mercy and love upon those who call upon Him in time of need, but
often, according to their faith. The healings of Jesus Christ
described in the Bible depict and represent His power to express
compassion, to forgive sin, and ultimately, to resurrect the dead
and eventually to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Matthew 9:1-7; James 5:14-15
26. THE CHURCH OF GOD
The church is the spiritual body of Christ. Physically, it is group
of persons called out by God and impregnated with His Holy Spirit.
As a spiritual body, the church is made up of baptized, Spirit-led
people scattered all over the world.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27; Colossians
3:15
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