Living Word Church Doctrinal Statement

Living Word Church accepts the Holy Scriptures as the revealed will of God, the all sufficient rule of faith and practice, for the purpose of maintaining general unity.

We believe in the verbal inspiration of the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. (2 Timonthy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12, 1 Peter 1:23-25, 2 Peter 1:19-21)

We believe in one God revealed in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:29, John 17)

We believe that man, in his natural state, is a sinner, lost, undone, without hope, and without God. (Romans 3:19-23, Galatians 3:22, Ephesians 2:1-2, Ephesians 2:12)

We believe that Jesus is God come in the flesh and that He is both divine and human. (Luke 1:26-38, John 14:1-3, Acts 2:36, Acts 3:14-15, Philippians 2:5-12)

We believe in the saving power of the Blood of Jesus and His imputed righteousness. (Acts 4:12, Romans 4:1-9, Romans 5:1-11, Ephesians 1:3-15)

We believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Luke 24:39-43, John 20:24-29)

We believe that Christ Jesus ascended to the Father and is presently engaged in intercession for the saints. (Romans 8:34)

We believe in the visible, bodily return of Christ Jesus to this earth to judge the world and to rule in righteousness. (Acts 1:10-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, James 5:8, Revelations 1:7)

We believe that the terms of salvation are repentance toward God for sin, and a personal, heartfelt faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, which results in regeneration for the person. The salvation is entirely by grace of our Lord and not of works. Works are excluded except as FRUIT of salvation. (Acts 3:19-20, Romans 4:1-5, Ephesians 2:8-10)

We believe the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a Body of believers who have been baptized; who are under recognized delegated authorities; and who assemble to worship, carry forth the Great Commission, and minister as the Holy Ghost leads. (Matthew 16:18, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:40-47, Acts 20:28, Ephesians 5:22-32, 1 Timothy 3:15)

We believe that the two ordinances of the Church are Water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Water Baptism: Immersion in water in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Matthew 3:15-16, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 8:38, Romans 6:1-4). A symbol of identification with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.

Lord’s Supper: A memorial of the death, resurrection, and Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 22:13-20).

We believe that believers should seek, as the early disciples did, to practice the separated life from the world and unto Christ and to set standards of conduct which shall exalt our Lord and His church. (Romans 12:1-3, 2  Corinthians 6:17, Galatians 6:14, Ephesians 5:11, Colossians 3:17)

We believe the Holy Spirit to be the third person of the trinity whose purpose in the redemption of man is to convict men of sin, regenerate the repentant believer, guide the believer into ALL truth, indwell and give gifts to believers as He wills, that they may minister as Christ would to men. We believe that the manifestations of the Holy Spirit recorded in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 shall operate in the present day churches which yield to the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 11:13, John 7:37-39, John 14:16-17, John 16:7-14, Acts 2:39-48).

We believe that God has used doctors, medicines, and other material means of healing; but divine healing was also provided for in the Atonement (Isaiah 53:5) and may be appropriated by laying on of hands by elders (James 5:14-16), laying on of hands by the believers (Mark 16:18), by the prayer of an anointed person gifted for healing the sick (1Corinthians 12:9), or by a direct act of receiving this provision by faith (Mark 11:23).

We believe that each believer is a priest of the Lord (Revelation 1:6) and has direct access to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. Each person must believe for himself, be baptized for himself, obey for himself, and answer to his Creator for himself.

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