DOCTRINE
Concerning the Bible
We believe that the Old and New Testament, as originally written, were God-breathed, both verbally and in every part. We believe God communicated this truth through Spirit-controlled men so that the Bible is without error and the final authority in all matters to which it speaks. Therefore, it is the supreme revelation of God’s will for mankind and constitutes the only infallible guide for faith and life. (Matthew 5:17-18; Mark 12:36; Acts 1:16; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 5:12; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 3:15-16)
2. The True God
We believe in one God, the Creator of heaven and earth. We believe that in the unity of the Godhead, there are three Persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; equal in power and glory and executing distinct and harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 4:35; 6:4; Isaiah 46:9; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19-20; John 1:1-3, 14; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 1:19-20; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 1:3-14; 4:4-6; Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 1:4-6)
3. The Lord Jesus Christ
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He is fully God and fully man, yet without sin. He voluntarily laid down His life on the cross of Calvary as a substitute in the sinner’s place to make full atonement for our sins. He rose from the dead on the third day, and after forty days He ascended bodily into heaven. He is coming again, first to rapture His saints and then to establish His earthly kingdom on the throne of David. The rapture is imminent and will be personal, pre-tribulational, and pre-millenial. (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; Daniel 9:25-27; Matthew 1:18-25; 24:29-31; 28:6; John 1:1, 14; 14:3; Acts 1:9-11; 15:16; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8; 1 Peter 2:22-24; 3:18; Revelation 20:1-4, 6)
4. The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is a Person of the Godhead, possessing all the attributes of personality and deity. He convicts unbelievers of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is the agent of the new birth and He seals, indwells, infills, guides and teaches believers in the ways of righteousness. There is a new and unique work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament in relation to the body of Christ, which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, by which He places each believer into the body of Christ at the moment of salvation. In addition, we believe that the Holy Spirit endows each believer with service gifts upon salvation. While EBM does not subscribe to the experience and ecumenically-orientated practices of the charismatic movement (including the insistence on speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues for today’s usage), we do affirm that the Holy Spirit does continue to be at work in this world today in powerful ways, opening spiritually blinded eyes to the gospel, drawing men and women to Jesus Christ and building up His church. (John 3:6; 7:39; 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-11; Acts 1:5; 4:8; Romans 8:9; 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 12:4-13, 28-31; 13:8-13; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:7-11, 30; Titus 3:4-7; 1 John 2:20-27)
5. Man
We believe the Scriptures teach that man was created by a direct act of God and not from any previously existing form of life. By voluntary transgression man fell from his state of innocence, in consequence of which all men are now sinners by nature and by choice, are utterly devoid of the holiness required by God’s standard, are positively inclined to evil, and therefore are without defense or excuse under just condemnation to eternal punishment and to everlasting existence separated from God. (Genesis 1:26-27; 6:5; Psalm 14:1-3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; John 5:25-30; Romans 3:10-12, 23; 5:12-19; Revelation 20:11-15)
6. Salvation
We believe the Bible teaches that the salvation of sinners is initiated by God and accomplished wholly by grace through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Salvation is made personal when an individual places faith in Jesus Christ apart from any human work(s) on his part. Salvation involves regeneration through the power of the Holy Spirit resulting in the creation of a new nature, complete justification, and a salvation which is eternally secure. (Matthew 26:28; John 1:12-13; 3:3-18, 36; 5:24; 6:29; 10:28-29; Acts 13:39; 16:31; Romans 1:16-17; 3:26; 4:5; 5:1, 9-11;10:9-13; Galatians 6:15; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 4:2; 1 Peter 1:18-23; 2 Peter 1:4)
7. The Church
We believe the Scriptures teach the Church of Jesus Christ was inaugurated at Pentecost and must be considered in two aspects: the local church and the “church which is His body.” The local church is a congregation of baptized believes associated by a covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word. Its Scriptural officers are pastors, sometimes called bishops or elders; and deacons, whose qualification, claims and duties are defined in the epistle to Timothy and Titus. This definition of the local church leads to these Scriptural distinctives:
Sole authority of the Scriptures for faith and practice
Autonomy of the local church
Believers’ baptism by immersion before church membership
Two officers: Pastor (elder, bishop) & Deacons
Two symbolic ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Individual priesthood of the believer and soul liberty
Separation of church and state
The “church which is His body” is the entire company of believers in Christ in this age, whether Jew or Gentile, regardless of denominational affiliation and present position in heaven or on earth. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 41-42; 10:44-48; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9)
8. Baptism and the Lord’s SupperWe believe the Scriptures teach Christian baptism, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the single immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem his identification with the crucified, buried, risen Saviour and to illustrate the believer’s death to sin and his resurrection to the new life. It is prerequisite to membership and privilege in a local church. We believe the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes and should be preceded by solemn self-examination. Observance of the Lord’s Supper is for believers only. The ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper must be observed under the discipline of the local church. (Acts 2:41-47; 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28)
9. The Eternal StateWe believe the Scriptures teach the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust. All those who are justified through faith in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will spend eternity in full enjoyment of God’s presence, and those who refuse to accept God’s offer of mercy and grace will spend eternity in everlasting punishment in the lake of fire. We believe that the terms heaven and hell refer to literal and distinct places and not to a condition or state. (Luke 16:19-26; John 5:28-29; 14:2-3; Philippians 1:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:1-4)
10. Satan
We believe the Scriptures teach there is a personal devil who is “the god of this age” and “the prince of the power of the air,” who is full of all subtlety, who continually seeks to frustrate the purpose of God and to ensnare the sons of men, and who was conquered by Christ on the cross and condemned to everlasting punishment. (John 16:11; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; 11:13-15; Ephesians 2:2; 6:10-12; Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14; I Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:9; 20:1-3, 10)
11. Personal Separation
We believe the Scriptures teach that every believer should be separated unto God from the World and should walk by the aid of the Hoy Spirit in Christian love and holiness, exhibiting qualities of honesty, integrity, forgiveness, and loving-kindness. We further believe that any achievement of these characteristics will be evidenced by sincere humility and genuine zeal for the advancement of the cause of Christ. We also believe the Scriptures admonish every believer not to love the world or the things in the world, but rather to flee evil desires, avoid every kind of evil, and refrain from questionable practices which destroy one’s testimony, offend one’s brother, and fail to glorify God. (Romans 6:11-13; 14:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20; 8:9-13; 10:23, 31-33; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 4:22-32; 5:1-21; Philippians 4:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 5:5-6; 1 John 2:15-17)
12. Ecclesiastical Separation
EBM stands firmly against all forms of doctrinal error and apostasy and separates from those organizations and individuals who sanction theological compromise and/or unity at the expense of doctrinal integrity. This doctrine is based upon God’s eternal principle of division between truth and error and His specific command to be separate from unbelievers and disobedient brothers who promote theological error. Obeying this principle must not be carried out in pride but with an attitude of devotion to God, humility and compassion, yet with conviction, so as to create the proper condition and foundation for the main objective, which is the salvation of the lost through the gospel of Christ. We believe that any form of evangelism that organically works together with apostates, heretics, and false teachers violates the principles taught in the Bible. (Romans 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 1:8-9; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Titus 3:10-11; 2 John 9-11)
