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OUR
BELIEFS There are two things on the earth that will last forever: the Word of God and the souls of people. Christians have been called to bring the two together. BMW is committed to scriptural integrity and doctrinal purity as expressed in our doctrinal statement. We seek to hold these beliefs in the spirit of love and humility. OUR DOCTRINAL STATEMENT Biblical Ministries Worldwide is an independent, fundamental faith mission board. The following doctrinal statement is an integral part of the constitution. All missionaries and board members bi-annually affirm in writing their agreement with this doctrinal statement and position of separation. The Holy Scriptures - We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures, consisting of 66 books which constitute the Old and New Testaments, the Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, the complete and unalterable special revelation of God, and our final authority. We believe in the normal, literal, and consistent interpretation of the Scriptures; and a dispensational understanding of God's progressive revelation. Matthew 5:18; John 16:12,13; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:20,21 The
Godhead - We believe in the one triune God, eternally
existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - co-eternal
in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and
having the same attributes and perfections. Deuteronomy 6:4; 2
Corinthians 13:14 The
Person and Work of Christ - We believe the Lord Jesus
Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be
God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin
Mary and lived a sinless life. He came that He might reveal God
and redeem sinful man. Luke 1:35; John 1:1,2,14 We believe the
Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death
on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice
in providing an unlimited atonement for the sins of the whole world,
and our justification is verified by His literal, physical resurrection
from the dead. Romans 3:24,25; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 2:9; I Peter
1:3-5; 2:24; I John 2:2 We believe the
Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right
hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry
of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. Acts 1:9,10; Romans
8:34; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24; I John 2:1,2 The
Person and Work of the Holy Spirit - We believe the
Holy Spirit is the person of the Godhead who in this present age
convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; who regenerates
and baptizes into the body of Christ those who believe; and who
indwells and seals them unto the day of redemption. John 16:8-11;
Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians
1:13,14 We believe the
Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all
truth, and it is the privilege of believers to be filled with, and
their duty to walk in, the Holy Spirit. John 16:13; Galatians 5:16;
Ephesians 5:18; I John 2:20,27 The
Total Depravity of Man - We believe man was created
in the image and likeness of God; in Adam's sin the race fell, inherited
a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and man is totally
depraved and unable to remedy his lost condition. Genesis 1:26,27;
Romans 3:22,23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3,12 Salvation
and Security - We believe the Lord Jesus Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and
substitutionary sacrifice for all people and all who trust Him are
saved by grace through faith on the grounds of His shed blood, accepted
in the beloved, kept by God's power, and thus secure in Christ forever.
John 1:12; 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1,38,39; I Corinthians 1:4-8;
Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:5,18,19 We believe every
saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for victory
of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling
Holy Spirit, and all claims to the eradication of the old nature
in this life are unscriptural. Romans 6:13; 8:12,13; Galatians 5:16-25;
Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:10; I Peter 1:14-16; I John 3:5-9 We believe it
is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their
salvation through the testimony of God's Word which, however, clearly
forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh.
Romans 13:13,14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15; I Peter 2:13-20 The Church - We believe the church, which began with the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, is the body and bride of Christ. It is the spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of the present age. Acts 2:1-13; I Corinthians 12:1-13; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22,23; 5:25-27 We believe the
establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught
and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. Acts 14:27; 20:17,28-32;
I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11 Ordinances
- We believe the Lord Jesus Christ established two ordinances for
the Church in this present age. These are believer's water baptism,
practiced by immersion, and the Lord's supper, observed as a memorial
of His death. Acts 8:12,35-39; 10:47,48; I Corinthians 1:14; I Corinthians
11:23-34 Missions
- We believe that Christ commissioned individuals in the church
to make disciples from among all nations, to baptize them in the
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them
to observe all things whatsoever He has commanded. Matthew 28:18-20;
Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19,20 The
Ministry and Spiritual Gifts - We believe the Lord
Jesus Christ gives the Church evangelists and pastor-teachers. These
gifted men are to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
Ephesians 4:7-14 We believe the
Holy Spirit bestows spiritual gifts upon believers for Christian
service and the edification of the Church. Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians
12:4-11; I Peter 4:10,11 We believe the
church age was initiated through the ministry of the apostles and
prophets accompanied by sign gifts to confirm their message. These
sign gifts gradually ceased by the time of the completion of the
New Testament. I Corinthians 12:28-31; 13:8-10; 14:1-28; 2 Corinthians
12:12; Ephesians 2:19-22; Hebrews 2:3,4 We believe God
hears and answers prayer in accord with His own will for healing
of the sick and afflicted. John 14:13,14; 15:7; I John 5:14,15 Dispensationalism
- We believe the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal
sense reveal divinely determined dispensations which define man's
responsibility in successive ages. A dispensation is not a way of
salvation, but a divinely ordered stewardship by which God directs
man according to His purpose. John 1:17; I Corinthians 9:17; 2
Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10; 3:2-10; Colossians
1:24,25; Hebrews 7:19; Revelation 20:2-6 We believe salvation
is always by grace through faith regardless of the dispensation
in which the believer may have lived. God's purpose of salvation
by grace through faith alone has always been based upon the substitutionary
atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. Ephesians 2:8-10;
Hebrews 11:6; I Peter 1:10-12 The
Personality of Satan - We believe Satan is a created
being, the author of sin, the tempter in the fall, the declared
enemy of God and man, and the god of this age. He shall be eternally
punished in the lake of fire. Job 1:6,7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew
4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10 The
Second Advent of Christ - We believe in the personal,
imminent, pretribulational and premillennial coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones. We believe that at the end of
the seven-year tribulation He will return to earth with the saints
in power and glory to reign for a thousand years. Zechariah 14:4-11;
I Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:9; Titus 2;13; Revelation 3:10;
19:11-16; 20:1-6 The
Eternal State - We believe in the bodily resurrection
of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment
and everlasting punishment. Matthew 25:46; John 5:28,29; 11:25,26;
Revelation 20:5,6,12,13 We believe the
souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present
with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection
when spirit, soul, and body are reunited and glorified to be forever
with the Lord. Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23;
3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16,17; Revelation 20:4-6 We believe the
souls of unbelievers are, at death, absent from the body and in
conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and
body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment
and shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated,
but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. Matthew 25:41-46;
Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6,7; Revelation
20:11-15 Creation
- We believe the triune God, by a free act and for His own glory,
without the use of existing materials or secondary causes, brought
into being - immediately and instantaneously in six literal days
by the word of His mouth - the whole visible and invisible universe.
Genesis 1:1-27; Exodus 20:8-11; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 104:25,26; Isaiah
40:21-31; John 1:1-5; Colossians 1:16,17 Biblical
Separation and Unity - We believe the saved should
be separated unto the Lord Jesus Christ, necessitating holy living
in all personal and ecclesiastical associations and relationships.
Romans 12:1,2; 14:13; I Corinthians 6:19,20; Titus 2:14; James 4:4,5;
I Peter 2:9; I John 2:15-17 We seek to cooperate
wherever possible with other missions, organizations and indigenous
churches whose doctrine and policy are homogeneous with ours. It
is the believer's responsibility to endeavor to maintain the unity
of the faith while separating from apostasy and those who have deviated
from biblical doctrine and behavior. Every proposed alliance must
be considered in the light of our commitment to biblical separation.
We will not cooperate with or endorse any movement, organization,
or program which is contrary to the faith whether in doctrine or
practice. Matthew 18:15-17; Romans 16:17; I Corinthians 5:7-11;
2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 4:1-6; 2 Thessalonians 3:11-14;
2 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 3:10; 2 John 9-11. Though there
are levels of fellowship, personnel will not knowingly enter into
relationships with churches, schools, or other organizations which
might jeopardize the clarity of the Mission's testimony based upon
this commitment. We are responsible to identify false teaching and dangerous movements where they relate to the conduct of the Mission's ministries. Separation is required in those instances where people, groups, and organizations whose doctrinal position is the same as the Mission's engage in contradictory practices which compromise the faith. We desire to be consistent in this difficult area of separation and emphasize that our concern is for the purity of our testimony and ministry. We seek to bring to bear upon the issues of our day the principles set forth in the Word of God while not becoming embroiled in controversy over personalities. It is our desire in this pursuit to maintain an attitude characterized by love and humility. (Scripture verses are representative, and not to be considered exhaustive.) Home | About | Mission Fields | Opportunities | Support | Resources BIBLICAL
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