THE OHIO BIBLE FELLOWSHIP – DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

1. The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God‑breathed (II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:20, 21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12, 13).

2. The Godhead

We believe in one triune God eternally existing in three persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — co‑eternal in being, co‑equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; II Corinthians 13:14).

3. The Person and Work of Christ

A. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1, 2, 14; Luke 1:35).

B. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24, 25; I

Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3‑5).

C. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into 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; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1, 2).

4. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

A. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person Who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the

Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all Believers into the Body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8‑11; II Corinthians 3:6; I Corinthians 12:12‑14; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13, 14).

B. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher Who guides Believers into all truth, and, that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (John 16:13; I John 2:20, 27; Ephesians 5:18).

5. The Total Depravity of Man

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the race fell, and, that man is totally depraved, and of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26, 27; Romans 22, 23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1‑3, 12).

6. Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:18, 19).

7. The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

A. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37‑40; 10:27‑30; Romans 8:1, 38, 39; I Corinthians 1:4‑8; I Peter 1:5).

B. We believe that 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, 14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11‑15).

8. The Two Natures of the Believer

We believe that 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, that 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).

9. Separation

A. We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord and that this should include careful obedience to the moral purity of the Word of God, honest financial practice and abstinence from all worldly and sinful pleasures (I John 2:15‑17; Romans 12:1, 2; 14:13; I Corinthians 6:9, 10; Titus 2:12).

B. We believe that the saved should practice separation from apostasy as represented by the ecumenical movement, local ministerial associations which include members of the National or World Councils of Churches and evangelistic crusades and spiritual causes which unite men of belief and unbelief (II Corinthians 6:14‑7:1; Romans 16:17; II John 9‑11; Ephesians 5:11).

C. We believe that the saved should practice separation from brethren who repudiate the practice of separation and are careless in their association with men, movements, missions and schools which do not take a separatist position (II Thessalonians 3:6, 14, 15; I Corinthians 5:11; Matthew 18:15‑18; I John 1:7).

10. Missions

We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; II Corinthians 5:19, 20).

11. The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts

A. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and, that the gifts of evangelist, pastors and teachers are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today; and, that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established (I Corinthians 12:4‑11; II Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7‑12).

B. We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; I John 5:14, 15).

12. The Church

A. We believe that the Church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born‑again persons of this present age (Ephesians 1:22, 23; 5:25‑27; I Corinthians 12:12‑14; II Corinthians 11:2).

B. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28‑32; I Timothy 3:1‑13; Titus 1:5‑11).

13. Baptism

A. We believe immersion to be the New Testament mode of baptism to be administered upon personal acceptance and public confession of Christ as Savior. We believe Christ Himself established and commanded the ordinance to symbolize the Believer's death to the old life of sin and his spiritual resurrection to the new life in Christ (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 9:18; 10:47, 48; Romans 6:3‑6).

B. Since baptism is not essential to salvation we recognize the sovereign right of any local church to accept for membership those who have not yet been baptized or who have been baptized by other modes if it so desires.

14. Dispensationalism

We believe in the Dispensational view of Bible interpretation but reject the extreme teaching known as "Hyper Dispensationalism", such as that teaching which opposes either the Lord's Table or water baptism as a Scriptural means of testimony for the Church in this age (Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 2:41, 42; 18:8; I Corinthians 11:23‑26).

15. The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the fall; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that 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).

16. The Second Advent of Christ

We believe in that "Blessed Hope", the personal, imminent, pretribulation and premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to the earth, with His saints, to establish His Millennial Kingdom (I Thessalonians 4:13‑18; Zechariah 14:4‑11; Revelation 19:11‑16; I Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9; Revelation 3:10).

17. The Eternal State

A. 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 20:6, 9, 12, 13).

B. We believe that 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 to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:42;Revelation 20:4‑6; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:13; 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16, 17).

C. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, 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 (Luke 16:19‑26; Matthew 25:41‑46; II Thessalonians 1:7‑9; Jude 6, 7; Mark 9:43‑48; Revelation 20:11‑15).

18. Conclusion

In subscribing to these articles of faith, we by no means set aside or under‑value any of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments; but we deem the knowledge, belief and acceptance of the Truth as set forth in our Doctrinal Statement to be essential to sound faith and fruitful practice and, therefore, requisite for Christian fellowship in the Ohio Bible Fellowship, Inc.