What do we believe?

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 Statements of Faith

(Abbreviated Tenets of Faith & Doctrine)

The following guides us though all we do as a church and body, the following determines the direction of our goals, mission and guidelines as a Church and community.

SonRise Faith Church  accepts the scriptures as the revealed will of God, the all sufficient rule of our faith and practice, and for the purpose of maintaining general unity; as such, have adopted these Statements of Faith as our fundamental truths and doctrine. All we do as a church is centered around these fundamental truths, which are further defined in our corporate By Laws and foundational documents.

I. The Scriptures Inspired.We believe that all Scripture is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to man, the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and it is superior to human conscious and reason but not contrary to reason (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Peter 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12)

II. The One True Godhead.We believe that God is comprised of three separate and distinct persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who are eternally self existent, self revealed and yet function as one entity. Jesus Christ, who is God manifested in the flesh, is the second member of the Godhead, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

III. We believe that there exists a devil, Lucifer, who is a fallen angel, and with all the fallen angels and evil spirits will be punished eternally in the Lake of Fire (Mathew 25:41).

IV. Man, His Fall and Redemption.Man was created good and upright, for God said “Let Us make man in our image, after Our likeness.” But, man, by voluntary transgression, fell, and his only hope of redemption (salvation) is Jesus Christ the Son of God (Genesis 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21).

V. Salvation of Man.

a. Mans only hope of redemption (salvation) is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. On the cross Jesus became all sin providing salvation, prosperity and healing for all mankind, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. For by grace we are saved through faith. 

 i. “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart—that is, the word of faith we are preaching, that if you confess Jesus as Lord, and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 3:24; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 10:8-10)

b. Evidence of salvation. The inward evidence, to the believer of his salvation, is the direct witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16). The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness – “And this is His commandment, that we believe in the 

name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us” (1 John 3:23).

c. Faith and Works. Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ alone, and not by human works; however, our works will determine the rewards in eternity (Acts 16:3; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; Romans 14:20-21 and Corinthians 5:10).

VI. Baptism in Water. We believe that the ordinance of baptism by burial with Christ should be observed as commanded in the scriptures by all who have truly repented and in their hearts have truly believed in Christ as their Lord and Savior. In so doing they declare that they have died to the world with Jesus and that they have been raised up with Him to walk in a newness of life (Mathew 28:10; Acts 10:47-48; Romans 6:40).

VII. We believe that all believers are entitled to, and should ardently expect and earnestly seek, the promise of the Father, which is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, according to the command of Jesus Christ. With this comes the endowment of power (anointing) for our life and service, the bestowment of gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; 2:38-39, 10:44-46, 11:14-16, 15:7-9; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31). 

VIII. We believe in the Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit: The full consummation of the Baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is evidenced by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and by the subsequent manifestation of spiritual power in public testimony and service. We believe in the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit and all His Gifts are in full operation in the church today. (Acts 2:4, 10:44-46, 19:2, 6, 1:8). 

IX. We believe the biblical definition of marriage is the union between one man and one woman; coming into single exclusive covenant as husband and wife; and that the two become, one flesh. This marriage is the only legitimate and accepted sexual relationship. We believe that God has established marriage as a lifelong, exclusive relationship between one man and one woman, and that all intimate sexual activity outside the marriage relationship, whether heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise, is immoral and therefore sin (Gen. 2:24-25; Ex. 20:14, 17, 22:19; Lev. 18:22-23, 20:13, 15-16; Matt. 19:4-6, 9; Rom. 1:18-31; I Cor. 6:9-10, 15-20; I Tim. 1:8-11; Jude 7). 

a. We believe that God created the human race male and female and that all conduct with the intent to adopt a gender other than one’s birth gender is immoral and therefore sin (Gen. 1:27; Deut. 22:5). (Genesis 2:24; Genesis 2:23; Genesis 2:18-25; Ephesians 5:22-32).

X. We believe in the celebration of the Lord's Supper by eating of the bread and drinking of the cup is a remembrance of Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:24-30). 

XI. We believe the Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God, and a representation and Agent of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth that each believer is an integral part for the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23). 

XII. We believe in the Total Prosperity of man 

a. (a) Spiritual (John 3:3,11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 10:9-10) 

b. (b) Mental (2 Timothy 1:7; Romans 12:1; Isaiah 26:3) 

c. (c) Physical (Isaiah 53:4, 5; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24) 

d. (d) Financial (3 John 1:2; Malachi 3: 10-11; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14) 

e. (e) Social (Proverbs 3:4) 

XIII. We believe in the Blessed Hope: Jesus is coming again to gather all His Saints to Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1). 

XIV. We believe those who have not accepted the redemptive work of Jesus Christ will suffer eternal separation from the Godhead and will burn in the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20, 20:10-15). 

XV. We believe in the Rapture of the Church and the Millennial Reign of Jesus: The Church will be raptured from this earth as not to endure the coming Tribulation Period and the subsequent return of our Lord Jesus Christ with His Saints from Heaven to rule and reign for 1,000 years on earth as the Scripture promised (Romans 11:25, 27; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-7). After this, there will be a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21).