The Apostles' Doctrine
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed”. (Galatians 1:8)
- And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matt. 16:18-19)
- ...Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
(- But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
- Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
- As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine. (1 Tim. 1:3)
- And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (Eph 2:20)
- All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Tim. 3:16)
- As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. (Gal. 1:9)
Concerning the Bible:
THE BIBLE is the inspired Word of God, giving a true history of the creation of the heavens and the earth, and of mankind, and containing a correct prophecy of the ages to come regarding the heavens and the earth and the destiny of man. Furthermore, there is no salvation outside of that which is contained within its pages.
Concerning God:
There is only ONE GOD; the Creator of the heavens and the earth and of all mankind, manifested to mankind as FATHER (Creator), SON (Saviour), and HOLY GHOST (Indwelling Spirit). (Romans 8:11)
Concerning the Father:
God is a Spirit (John 4:24), the Eternal One, the Creator of All Things; and, of course, of All Men; thus making Him their Father. He is the First and the Last and beside Him there is no God. (Isa. 44:6) There was no God formed before Him, neither shall there be after Him. (Isa 43:10)
Concerning the Son:
Jesus is the Son of God according to the flesh (Romans 1:3), and The Very God Himself according to the Spirit (Matt. 1:23). Jesus is The Christ (Matt. 16:16), The Creator Of All Things (Col. 1:16); God With Us (Matt. 1:23); God Made Flesh (John 1:1-14); God Manifested In The Flesh (1 Tim. 3:16); He Which Is, Which Was, and Which Is To Come, the Almighty (Rev. 1:8, Isa 9:6).
To this Jesus Himself testified when He said: “HE THAT HATH SEEN ME HATH SEEN THE FATHER”
Since it took shedding of blood for the remission of the sins of the world (Heb. 9:22), GOD as the FATHER, being a SPIRIT, has no blood to shed; so He prepared a body of flesh and blood (Heb. 10:5), that He might fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 43:11: “Beside ME there is no SAVIOUR” and caused the angels to sing, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a SAVIOUR, which is CHRIST THE LORD.” (Luke 2:11)
Concerning the Holy Ghost:
The HOLY GHOST is not the third person in the Godhead, but rather the manifestation of the SPIRIT of GOD (the Creator), and of the resurrected CHRIST, coming to dwell in the hearts and lives of all men, who will be obedient to the gospel, as the COMFORTER, Sustainer, and Keeper. (John 14:16-26, Rom. 8:11).
So there are not three GODS, but THREE MANIFESTATIONS OF the ONE GOD. “THESE THREE ARE ONE.” (1 John 5:7).
Concerning Sin:
SIN is the transgression of the LAW OR COMMANDMENTS of GOD (1 John 3:4), the guilt of which has fallen upon all men from the sin of Adam until this present time; the wages and results of which culminate in ETERNAL DEATH (Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:14) to all those who refuse to accept salvation as set forth in the WORD of GOD.
Concerning Salvation:
SALVATION (deliverance from) consists of DELIVERANCE FROM ALL SIN AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS through the BLOOD of CHRIST; by REPENTANCE from sin, WATER BAPTISM IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST for the remission of sins, and receiving the BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST, and the continuance of a Godly life. (Acts 2:36-41).
Concerning Water Baptism:
WATER BAPTISM is an ESSENTIAL PART of New Testament SALVATION: and not, as some teach, “just an outward form of an inward cleansing”. WATER BAPTISM, is a part of entering into the Kingdom of God (God’s true Church, the Bride of Christ),.and therefore, it is not merely a part of local church membership.
(John 3:5)
Concerning Manner of Baptism:
WATER BAPTISM can only be administered by IMMERSION (Col. 2:12). Note the following: Jesus said, “BORN (to bring forth) of the water” (John 3:5); Paul said, ...We are BURIED with HIM (Lord Jesus Christ) by baptism."... (Rom. 6:4); Jesus Came up OUT of the water”. (Mark 1:10); Phillip and the Eunuch “went down, both INTO the water,” and “came up OUT of the water.” (Acts 8:38-39).
Jesus’ DEATH, BURIAL, and RESURRECTION was a type of our salvation. “REPENT (death to sin), and be BAPTIZED (burial) EVERY ONE of you in the NAME of JESUS CHRIST for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the HOLY GHOST” (resurrection).
Sprinkling, pouring, or infant baptism of any kind cannot be substantiated by the Word of God, but are only traditions handed down to us by our forefathers from the dark ages.
Concerning the Formula for Water Baptism:
The Name in which baptism is administered is as important as IMMERSION.
This Name is LORD JESUS CHRIST. Jesus’ last command to His disciples was, “Go ye therefore, and teach ALL NATIONS, baptizing THEM (all nations) in the NAME of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” :(Matt 28:19). You will notice He said Name, (singular) not NAMES (plural). As we have previously explained, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not NAMES, but TITLES of positions held by God. We see quickly that this is true as we hear the angel announce, “She shall bring forth a SON, and thou shalt call his name JESUS”:... (Matt. 1:21).
This NAME the Apostles understood to be LORD JESUS CHRIST, and from the first day that the Church of God was established on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:36-41) until the end of their ministry, they baptized ALL NATIONS (Jews, Acts 2:38-41; Samaritans, Acts 8:16: Gentiles, Acts 19:5) in the NAME of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
“They shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins”. (Matt. 1:21)
Are you looking for SALVATION? “Neither is there SALVATION in any other for there is NONE OTHER NAME under heaven given among men, WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED” (Acts 4:12)
Faith Assembly of Christ - Tarboro, NC
