Church of the Open Bible

Beliefs

I. ARTICLES OF FAITH AND DOCTRINE:
To be interpreted as expressed in and according to the natural and literal meaning of the respective passages of the Word of God referred to under each Article.

A. The Divine Authority and Plenary Inspiration of the Whole Canonical Scriptures:
We believe that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” by which we understand that the Holy Spirit guided the holy men of old in all that they wrote, and that the whole book called The Bible was inerrant in the original writing and that its teaching and authority are absolute, supreme and final.
2 Peter 1:21
Exodus 20 :1
2 Timothy 3:16
Acts 1:16
I Thess. 2:13
I Cor. 2:11 - 14
I Cor. 14:37
2 Samuel 23:2

B. The Trinity of the Godhead:
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections, and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence and obedience.
Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:6 - 8
John 1: 1 - 4
Acts 5: 3 - 4
Matthew 28:19 - 20
2 Cor. 13:14
Hebrews 1: 1 - 3
Revelation 1: 4 - 6

C. The Fall of Man:
We believe that man, originally created in the image and after the likeness of God, fell from his high and holy estate through disobedience, by eating the forbidden fruit, and in consequence, the threatened penalty of death was then and there inflicted, so that he totally lost all spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses and sins, and subject to the power of the devil.
Genesis 1:26; 2:17
Ephesians 2: 1 - 3
Isaiah 64:6
I Timothy 5:6
John 5:40; 6:53
I John 3:8

D. The Total Depravity of Man:
We believe that this spiritual death, or total corruption of human nature, has been transmitted to the entire race of man, the man Christ Jesus alone excepted, and hence that every child of Adam is born into the world with a sinful nature.
Genesis 6:5
Jeremiah 17:9
Psalm 14:1 - 3; 51:5
John 3:6
Romans 5:12 - 19

E. Regeneration by the Holy Spirit:
We believe that owing to this universal depravity and death in sin no one can see or enter the kingdom of God unless born of the Spirit whereby he becomes a new creation.
John 3:5 - 8
James 1:18
Galatians 6:15
I Peter 1:23
Titus 3:5
I John 5:1

F. The Atonement by the Blood of Christ:
We believe that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was made to be sin, and made a curse for us, dying in our room and stead, a Sacrifice acceptable to God and effectual for every sinner who receives Him.
Leviticus 17:11
Galatians 3:13
Matthew 26:28
Ephesians 1:7
John 1:12
I Peter 1:18 - 19; 2:24
Romans 5:6 - 9
2 Cor. 5:21

G. Salvation by Grace through Faith:
We believe that sinners are saved by Grace through Faith alone and that not of themselves, it is the gift of God, not of works. We further believe that every saved person is justified from all things from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Acts 13:3
Ephesians 2:8 - 9
Romans 5:1
Titus 2:11 - 1

We believe in the eternal security of all who are actually born again by the Spirit of God through faith in Christ as revealed in the Scriptures and that is the privilege of all such to be assured of their present salvation and eternal safety.
John 10: 28 - 29
John 5 :24
2 Timothy 1:12
Phillipians 1:6
Romans 8:33 - 39

I. The Deity and the Virgin Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ:
We believe in the essential Deity and the Virgin Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and that all the Scriptures from first to last center about Him, His Person and work, His sacrificial death upon the cross and His coming again.
Isaiah 7:14
John 5:39
Matthew 1:18 - 23
Acts 17:2 - 3; 18:28
Luke 1:35
Acts 26:22 - 23; 28:23

J. The Unity of the True Church in the Mystical Body of Christ:
We believe that the Church is composed of all who are united by the Holy Spirit to the risen and ascended Son of God, and that by the same Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles thus being members of one another and knit together in love.
Romans 12:5
Ephesians 4:3 - 10
I Cor. 12:12 - 27
Colossians 2:19

K. Doctrine of the Holy Spirit:
1. The Personality, Deity and Present Mission of the Holy Spirit:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Personality - the third Person of the Trinity - who is now, throughout this age of Grace, here present in the true Church, having been sent for the express purpose of revealing Christ Jesus to the members of the Church, that they may be comforted, instructed and built up in their most holy faith and to the world that sinners may be convicted of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.
John 7:38 - 39; 14:16 - 17; 15:26; 16:13 - 15
Acts 1:8, 2:1-4

2. The Baptism With (in) The Holy Spirit:
We believe that when the Holy Spirit came upon the whole body of believers on the Day of Pentecost, it was the fulfillment of the announcement made by John the Baptist and the promises of Christ to His own during His earthly ministry and that then the disciples were individually endued with power to witness concerning Christ, and collectively baptized into one body, which was the formation of the Church, which is His Body (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; 14:16, 17, 26, 27; 16:7 - 15; Luke 24:46 - 49; Acts 1:4, 5, 8; 2:1 - 4, 37). We further believe that since the time the Gospel went to the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius when the believing Gentiles received the Holy Spirit without delay, tarrying, praying, laying on of hands or any other condition save faith, all who believe in Christ are born of the Spirit, indwelt by the Spirit, and by (in) the Holy Spirit are baptized into the Body of Christ. (Acts 10:44, 11:18; John 3:3 - 6; I John 5:1; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30, 2 Cor. 1:21 - 22; I John 2:20 - 27; I Cor. 3:16; 6:19 - 20; Romans 8:9 - 15; Galatians 4:6; I Cor. 12:12 - 13). We also believe that the New Testament distinguishes between being indwelt by the Spirit, which is true of all believers, and being filled with the Spirit, which is the believer’s privilege and duty (compare Acts 2:4 with 4:8 - 31; Ephesians 1:13 - 14 with 5:18).
There is one baptism with (in) the Spirit, and it is into the Body of Christ, but there are many fillings. Pentecost is a historical event and is not repeated.

L. Sanctification:
We believe that the members of the body of Christ are sanctified once, are perfected as to their standing forever by the one offering of the blood of Christ and are one with Christ in sanctification. As to their state, they may be sanctified with the constant washing of water by the blood of Christ, and by the inworking presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:16 - 25
Ephesians 5:25 - 27
Ephesians 4:22 - 24
Hebrews 2:11; 10:10; 13:12
John 17:17 - 19
I John 1: 7 - 9
Romans 15:16
Jude 1
I Cor. 6:11

M. The Pre-Millennial Coming of our Lord:
We believe this present age will end with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, first to receive His Church unto Himself and then to establish the throne of David upon the earth and to reign in righteousness over it for a thousand years.
2 Samuel 7:1
John 14:1 -3
Psalm 72:7 - 8
Acts 1:10 - 11
Isaiah 9:6 - 7
I Thess. 4:13 - 18
Micah 5:2
Hebrews 9:28
Luke 1:32 - 33
Titus 2:13

N. The Resurrection of the Body:
We believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, according to the Scriptures, in bodily form, and this became the first fruits of them that sleep; that upon His return He will raise out from among the dead those that have died in Christ, this being the first resurrection; and that, after the thousand years, He will raise them that have died in unbelief from their graves to receive their sentence.
Psalm 90:3 - 4
John 5: 28 - 29
Isaiah 26:19
I Cor. 15
Daniel 12:2
Romans 1:4; 8:23

O. The Eternal Blessedness of the Saved, and the Eternal Punishment of the Lost:
We believe that the attitude either of reconciliation or enmity toward God is fixed eternally at death, and that the saints of all the ages will be forever with the Lord and will become joint heirs with Him as their Redeemer in His inheritance. We further believe that there is an appointed day for the judgment of the wicked when they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, there to remain forever and ever in varying degrees of torment according to their works.
Daniel 12:3; 7:22 - 27
I Thess. 4:17
Romans 8:17
2 Peter 2:9
Rev. 20:11 - 15; 21:8; 22:11

P. The Personality of Satan:
We believe that Satan is a person, the father of lies, a murderer from the beginning and the great deceiver of all the nations; that he will be overcome by the Lord Jesus Christ as the seed of the woman and cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years, and finally committed to the Lake of Fire with all his angels to be tormented forever and ever.
Job 1:6 - 12
2 Cor. 11:13 - 15
John 8:44
Ephesians 6:12 - 16
Rev. 20: 1 - 3; 7 - 10
Genesis 3:15

Q. Divine Healing of the Body:
We believe that Divine healing of the body is not in the Atonement in the sense that salvation and forgiveness of sins are in the Atonement. The suffering and death of Christ according to the New Testament was substitutionary, penal and vicarious. (Romans 4:25; I Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:21; I Peter 2:24; I Peter 3:18) It is nowhere taught in Scripture that Christ died for the effects of sin but for sin, and sickness is directly or indirectly the effect of sin.

R. Baptism:
We believe that Christ prescribed baptism by water for His believing disciples and that this was the practice of the early church.
We also believe that the believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, signified by baptism, is best represented by immersion. Yet at the same time we shall be free to admit into membership any Christian believer of godly walk and conversation who holds the faith and doctrine as herein set forth, even though not immersed.
Matthew 28:19 - 20
Acts 2:38; 8:12
Romans 6:3 - 6

S. The Lord’s Supper:
We believe that the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper should be observed regularly, preferably on the first Lord’s Day of each month, and shall be presided over by the Pastor or by any duly authorized person.
Luke 22:19 - 20
I Cor. 11: 23 - 27

T. Dedication:
We believe that it is the privilege of Christian parents to present their children in dedication to the Lord before the church, that they may be made the subject of united and solemn prayer.
Mark. 10:13 - 16
Luke 18:15 - 17