1. The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is verbally inspired by God and is the revelation of God to man, inerrant in the original writings, it is the final authority on faith and conduct. (II Tim 3:15-17; I Thes 2:13; II Pet 1:21)

NOTE: Based on the above premise, the following scripture provides a list laying the foundation of Christian doctrine. As expressed in this scripture, this list is not the end of doctrine, only the beginning:

“1) Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2) of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” (Heb 6:1-2)

2. Repentance is the act of recognizing the sinful state of man without God (Rom 3:23), and turning from a life of dead works toward a life led by the Spirit of God (Rom 8:14).

3. Faith is the leaning of your entire human personality on God in Jesus Christ, in trust and confidence in His wisdom, goodness and mercy (Pro 3:5-6; Eph 2:8-9). This faith will produce righteousness or sanctification in those who pursue it (Rom 1:17; Heb 10:22, 11:6, 12:1-2; I Jn 2:28 - 3:9).

4. Baptisms:

a) Baptism into Christ: Salvation by faith in Jesus Christ makes one a member of the body of Christ.

“ 13) For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” (I Cor 12:13)

This occurs when one is born again.

"5) Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7) Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’" (Jn 3:5-7)

b) Water Baptism by immersion, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38, 10:48, 19:5), according to the command of Jesus:

“. . . baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, . . .” (Mat 28:19)

c) Baptism in the Holy Spirit: A gift of power from God for the purpose of living a victorious Christian life. (See Act 1:5 & 8, 2:4, 8:12-17) This is not optional, it is a command (Eph 5:18). This gift also makes available to the church all the gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in I Cor 12:1-11. The great commission to the church, found in Mark 16 confirms this:

“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; . . . they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk 16:17-18)

5. Laying on of hands is given for imparting:

a) The baptism in the Holy Spirit (Act 8:17)
b) The gifts of the Holy Spirit (I Tim 4:14)
c) Healing to the sick (Mk 16:18)
d) Ordination for ministry (Act 13:2-3)

6. Resurrection of the dead:

a) The resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ.

- Past (I Cor 15:4)
b) All the saints at His return to rule on earth a thousand years.

- Future (I Cor 15:52)
c) The wicked for the judgment after the thousand years.

- Future (Rev 20:4-6)

7. Eternal Judgment: All will be judged:

a) All born again believers at the judgment seat of Christ where each believer’s works will be judged. (II Cor 5:10)
b) All who are not born again at the Great White Throne Judgment after which they are cast into the lake of fire for eternity. (Rev 20:3-15)

NOTE: For the benefit of those who might be concerned, we believe that many items that are usually included in a Doctrinal Statement are already interwoven throughout these seven doctrines. Such things would include:

a) The deity of Jesus Christ (I Cor 3:11; Col 2:9)
b) The eternal God-head or trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mat 28:19)

In addition, any discussion of Christian doctrine would be incomplete without mentioning the one great commandment Jesus gave to the Church:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35) By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn 13:34-35)

See also: (I Cor 13:1-13; I Thes 4:9; I Jn 3:10 - 5:5)

All scripture quotations are from the New King James Version