Doctrinal Statement of Faith
About God,
There is one God (Deut. 6:4) who is infinitely perfect (Matt. 5:48), existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19).
About Jesus Christ,
Jesus Christ is the true God and the true man (Phil 2:6-11), and is equally God and man both in Heaven and when He walked on the earth during His first coming (Phil 2:6-11). Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (Lk 1:34-38) which was prophesied (Isa. 7:14). He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust (1 Pet. 3:18), as a substitutionary sacrifice (Hebrews 2:9-10), and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood (Jn. 3:16-18; Rom. 5:9). Jesus Christ physically rose from the dead according to the Scriptures (Lk. 24:1-49; Jn. 20:1-21:11; Acts 2:23-24; 1 Cor. 15:1-19). Jesus Christ ascended bodily to Heaven (Lk.24:50-53) and is now at the right hand of Majesty on high as our great High Priest (Heb. 8:1). He will come again to establish His kingdom, righteousness and peace (Matt 26:64).
About the Holy Spirit,
The Holy Spirit is a divine person (Jn. 14:16-18), sent to dwell, guide, teach, empower the believer (Jn. 14:16-31, 16:5-15), and convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (Jn. 16:7-11).
About the Bible,
The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).
About Man,
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27): he fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature (Rom. 3:23), are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:20-23). The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious physical torment (Rev. 20:11-15, 21:8); and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss (Rev. 21:1-4).
About Salvation,
Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God (Jn. 3:16-18; Titus 3:4-7).
About Holy Living,
It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly (Matt. 5:48; 1 Thess. 5:23), being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service (Acts 1:8). Holy living comes by the Holy Spirit, who is called Holy; and comes about through the process of sanctification (Rom. 6:1-14; 15:16).
About Spiritual Gifts,
All Spiritual gifts are in operation in this present age (Rom. 12:4-8;1 Cor. 12:1-11; Eph. 4:11-13).
About the Church,
The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3:16-18) through faith (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17). Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church (Eph. 1:22-23), which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations (Matt. 28:16-20). The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Lk. 22:14-20; Acts 2:41-47). The Church that is holy is not appointed to suffer the wrath of God (1 Thess. 5:9) and will not go through the future tribulation because the tribulation is the wrath of God. Therefore the rapture of the Church will occur before the start of the Tribulation (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
About Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
We at Life Blood Ministries do not believe that Baptism or partaking in the Lord’s Supper leads to salvation, or is a requirement of salvation. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances, or symbols, of what Jesus Christ did for us while He was on this earth. Baptism is a reminder of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We believe that Baptism is to be done after someone receives salvation. We believe that the Biblical method of Baptism is immersion.
The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of the sacrifice that Jesus gave to us on the cross. The bread is symbolic of His body that was broken for us. The grape juice is a symbol of the blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross for the forgiveness of sins (Matt. 26:28). The grape juice (or wine) is a symbol of the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; 1 Cor 11:25). The Lord’s Supper is have us remember what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross. Additionally, the Lord’s Supper proclaims the Lord’s death on the cross to everyone; it remembers His resurrection; and second coming: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Cor 11:26).
About the Christian Life,
We believe that the Christian life is marked by: faith in Jesus Christ (Jn. 6:29), making Jesus Christ Lord of our life (Rom. 10:9), faith in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:9), love (1 Jn. 3:32-24; 4:20-21), humility (Jas. 4:10), and Christ centered living [Holy Living] (Jn. 15:5).
About Resurrection and Judgment,
There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection to life (1 Cor. 15:20-23; 1 Thess. 4:13-18); for the latter, a resurrection to judgment (Jn. 5:28-29).
About the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ,
The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent (Heb. 10:37) and will be personal, visible, and premillennial (Lk. 21:27; 19:11-19). This is the believer’s blessed hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service (Titus 2:11-14).
