We believe that the free gift of eternal life is freely offered to all and is not limited only to a select few. Salvation is made possible only by the action of Jesus Christ, who by His own blood (His substitutionary death on the cross), made atonement for sin and obtained eternal redemption for all who will believe. The free gift of salvation is the work of God based wholly on His grace and is the freely offered, unconditional, unearned, gift of God. Any individual can exercise their God-given free will to believe in Jesus for unconditional eternal life. Jesus Christ and He alone is the only One who can grant eternal life to all who believe Him for it. He alone is the One qualified to do this because He died for their sin and rose again. By placing their belief in Christ alone for unconditional eternal life, they are immediately given that life. To believe simply means “to be convinced it is true.” To believe and receive eternal life is to be convinced it is true that Jesus Christ freely gives eternal life to all who believe in Him alone as their only means of being made right with God. Justification happens at the moment of faith alone in Christ alone and cannot be either increased or decreased. Justification means: “to be declared right with God” and it is forensic (legal). All who so believe are “born again,” and become a new creation in Christ Jesus, possessors of a new human spirit. Man is not saved through human good works or merit, self-improvement, rituals, or ceremonies of any kind; the church is not the means whereby one receives eternal life. There is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ as He and He alone is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” If people do not have eternal life it is because they do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. The reason why anyone goes to the Lake of Fire is because they do not have eternal life. This excludes all boasting and promotes humility. We believe that a person receives eternal salvation through faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone as a gift and that this gift is absolutely, unconditional, and free.
John 1:12, 5:24, 6:47, 11:25-27, 20:30-31; Acts 4:12, 16:31; Romans 3:21-26, 4:4-5, Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Timothy 1:16; 2 Timothy 2:11-13; Titus 3:5; Revelation 22:17
We believe the focus of faith necessary to receive eternal life is Jesus Himself, the One who promises unconditional eternal life which is given freely to all who believe in His promise.
John 6:47, 11:25-27; 1 Timothy 1:16
We believe that phase one salvation is eternal – it is unconditional eternal life. The believer is eternally secure and it can be stated as this. "unconditional once saved, always saved." We believe that the individuals assurance comes from the promise of Jesus, as clearly seen in the Word of God, to give eternal life to all who will believe in Him alone for that life. Assurance comes when we simply rest on His promise; assurance never comes from some self-evaluation or inspection of the believer’s works.
John 5:24, 10:28-29, 11:25-27; 2 Timothy 2:13; 1 John 5:9-13
We believe that the salvation of man is seen in the Scriptures in three phases:
Phase one: “You are saved.” One believes and receives the unconditional free gift of eternal life and is saved (delivered) from the penalty of sin which is being separated from God forever in the Lake of Fire. With phase one the human spirit is regenerated, that is, given life (born-again).
John 3:6, 16, 36, 5:24, 6:37, 11:25-27, 20:30-31; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; Ephesians 5:24
Phase two: “You are being saved.” The believer grows and advances to spiritual maturity and is saved (delivered) from the power of sin over their life in time. This is an on-going process that is never fully completed in time as the believer will always have a sin nature and will still sin. This is also called sanctification and is also referred to in Scripture as the salvation of the soul. Soul-salvation is costly. The price is denying self, taking up one’s cross, and following Jesus.
Matthew 16:24-28; Luke 9:23-26; James 1:21; 1 Peter 1:9, 2:11; Hebrews 10:39
Phase three: “You will be saved.” All believers go to be with God upon death (unless they are raptured out at the end of the Church Age). The believer is now free from the presence of sin. All believers, who overcome (not all believers will be overcomers) will be given a new glorified and eternal body in accordance with the timing of God. This is called glorification.
Luke 16:23; 2 Corinthians 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 6:9-11
We believe that eternal life is exactly that: eternal; it is the only kind of life that Jesus offers thus eternal security is of the essence of salvation. Jesus is the one who promises to give eternal life to the believer and He will forever keep His promise. Because salvation is God’s gift to all that believe, the believer is eternally secure in His phase one gift of salvation. Salvation is about Who and what Jesus is and what He did, not who and what we are and what we do. All believers will go to heaven because salvation is unto everlasting life and is a present possession as well as a future reality. A believer can do nothing to diminish or lose his or her everlasting life. Since individuals can do nothing in performance to be saved, security in phase one salvation is based solely upon the performance of Jesus Christ. However, believers may sin through failure to advance in the spiritual life, neglect their call to spiritual growth, and follow temptations to their sin nature and sin. Through sin they grieve the Holy Spirit and, though the relationship is enduring, the joyful fellowship can be interrupted. Such believers impair their grace and comforts and may bring reproach on the cause of Christ and bring loving discipline upon themselves from God; yet, they shall be kept in God’s family by the power of God.
John 1:11-14, 3:3-18, 36, 5:24, 6:47, 10:9, 27-30, 11:25-26, 20:30-31; Acts 4:12, 16:30-31; Romans 8:38-39; 1 John 5:9-13