Harvest Fellowship

STATEMENT OF FAITH

1. About the Bible

We believe the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, to be the complete and revealed Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed, and the final authority for faith and life. (Ps. 19:7-11; Isa. 40:8; Matt. 5:18; II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21)

2. About God

We believe in one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are co-eternal in being, co-eternal in nature, and co-eternal in power and glory, each having the same attributes and perfections. (Gen. 1:26; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 13:14)

God the Father

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He is intimately involved in the affairs of mankind, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Deut. 6:4; Psalm 19; John 14:13-14; Rom. 5:8; I Jn. 4:16)

God the Son

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 man. (John 1:1-2,14; Luke 1:35)
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Rom. 3:24-25; I Pet. 3:18; 2:24; Eph. 1:7)
3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God the Father; where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; I Jn. 2:1-2)
4. We believe in the personal, visible, and imminent bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth. (Acts 1:11)

God the Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came from the Father and the Son; and that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is the supernatural agent of regeneration and sanctification. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer at salvation; that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide; and that He seals each believer until the day of redemption. (John 3:3-7; 16:8-14; Acts 1:11; 2:38-39; Rom. 8:26; I Cor. 6:19; II Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14; 5:18)

3. About Man

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

4. About Salvation

We believe that salvation is a gift from 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. (Jn. 1:12; Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:18-19)

5. About Eternal Security

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. 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 to indulge the flesh. (Jn. 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom 8:1, 38-39; 13:13-14; I Cor. 1:4-8; Gal. 5:13; Tit. 2:11-15; I Pet. 1:5)

6. About Christian Conduct

We believe the Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow man; his conduct should be blameless before the world; he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. (Rom. 12:1-2; Col. 2:6-7; 3:17; Titus 2:11-13)

7. About the Church

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head, composed of people who, from the Day of Pentecost until the return of Christ, have placed their faith in Christ Jesus and been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We believe in the local church, whose membership consists of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, associated for worship, Bible study, prayer, the ordinances, fellowship, and evangelism for the lost world. (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:42-47; Eph. 4:1-15)

8. The Ordinances

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the church to be observed until the return of Christ: Baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper. By baptism, the believer publicly declares his new life in Jesus Christ. In the Lord’s Supper, the believer is dramatically reminded of the sacrifice of Christ for our sin. We believe that these two ordinances are not means to salvation but acts of obedience. (Matt. 3:13-17; 26:26-29; 28:19; I Cor. 10:16-17; 11:23-34)

9. The Last Things

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; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)

We believe 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 the spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; Rev. 20:4-6; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23, 3:21; I Thess. 4:16-17)

We believe the souls of the unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when the soul and body reunited 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. (Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:41; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 1:6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 20:11-15)