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THE PRIORITY OF TRUTH

MCF is committed to preserving, promoting and practicing biblical truth and the historic Christian faith, as recorded in God‟s inspired revelation in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

STATEMENT OF BELIEF

The intent of these statements is to be clear, not contentious; not to create tension and division, but to present a biblical foundation on which to build fellowship and cooperation. We hold these beliefs out of the utmost reverence for God‟s word and with sincere respect for those who disagree. It is our desire that the defense and promotion of biblical truth will always be done in humility, gentleness and love. As a summary of the truths that transform us (John 8:32; Romans 12:2) we hold, without apology or exception, the following statements to be true.

One God

We believe in one God, the Creator and Sustainer of life, who exists in 3 Persons: Father, Son and Spirit; is distinct from creation but intimately involved with it, as he works to draw people back to himself [Biblical basis: Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24, 14:16, 17:3; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:3, 11:13]

One Book

We believe the Bible is the inspired, written revelation of God, the final authority on issues of faith and conduct; that truth is not relative but absolute, based on revelation, not experience or observation. [Biblical basis: Matthew 5:18; John 10:35; Acts 4:24-25; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21]

One Problem

We believe that mankind‟s ultimate problem is “sin,” which the Bible describes as “lawlessness” (living by our own rules); that everyone has turned away from God; that the penalty for our rebellion, regardless of the reason, is “death” (separation from God), both spiritually (now) and physically (for eternity). [Biblical basis: Genesis 3:1-8; Romans 3:1-18, 22-28; 5:12-21; 6:23; James 1:13-15; 4:1-3; 1 John 3:4]

One Savior

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who took on humanity in order to reveal the Father to us and to pay the penalty for our sin, which is death; that he rose from the dead, just as he promised, and now offers forgiveness and life to those who receive his payment on their behalf; that he is the one who will judge all mankind and determine their eternal destinies. [Biblical basis: John 1:1-3, 14; 4:1-3; 5:24-27; 14:7-11; Romans 8:3-4; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:19; 2:9; Hebrews 2:14-18; 4:14-16; 7:26-27]

One Solution

We believe that “salvation” – the forgiveness of our sins and restoration of a personal relationship with God – is a free gift that God made possible by his own choice and on his own terms; that salvation is made actual through personal faith in Jesus Christ, apart from works of merit of any sort; that Jesus is not one option out of many possible ways back to God, but the only way back to the Father. [Biblical basis: Mark 10:45; John 6:28-29; 14:6; Acts 2:38-39; Romans 6:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Ephesians 2:4-10]

One Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit‟s primary objective is to bring glory to Jesus Christ, by bringing sinners to repentance and faith and by working in believers to conform them to the character of Christ; that he is personal, not a force; that he permanently lives in every believer and brings truth alive in those who submit to it. [Biblical basis: John 3:1-7; 16:24; Acts :3-4; Romans 8:9-10; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18]

One Purpose

We believe the “Church” consists of all who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; that they are called to worship and serve together to reveal the grace and truth of God to the world; that the enjoyment of new life in Christ is realized through the transformation of how they think about life, through knowledge of, and obedience to, biblical truth; that it is their responsibility to relate to our community as ambassadors of Jesus Christ. [Biblical basis: Matthew 28:19-20; John 16:12-15; 17:17; Romans 12:1-2, 17-18; 13:1-14; Ephesians 3:7-13; 4:1-16; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 1:13-16]

One Future

We believe in the bodily return of Jesus Christ to this earth in power and glory; that at his return Jesus will triumph over those who stand against him, establish his kingdom and bring ultimate justice to sins committed against mankind; that after his return Jesus will judge those who have rejected him by eternal, conscious separation from his presence; that Jesus will also judge his own according to their faithfulness in obedience and service; that the judgment of believers has nothing to do with salvation but only with the reception, or loss, of rewards; that a new heaven and a new earth will be created for our eternal enjoyment. [Biblical basis: Matthew 25:31-46; John 14:1-4; Acts 1:1-11; 1 Corinthians 3:9-15; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Revelation 19:11 – 20:15; 21:1-8]

STATEMENT ON CHARISMATIC ISSUES

The following thoughts are presented to help clarify where MCF stands on charismatic issues. If you desire we can provide you with a more in-depth scriptural study about these conclusions. The aim is not to determine who is “right” and “wrong,” but to delineate the Biblical guidelines for our thinking; to contend for truth without being contentious. Below are the summary statements of how the MCF understands the Biblical teachings on these issues:

  1. Spiritual gifts gifts are for the “common good,” to build up other believers

  2. Spiritual gifts are the activity of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, not an ability given to a believer

  3. How the Holy Spirit works in the life of a believer is at God‟s discretion; no particular gifts should be promoted among, or expected of, believers

  4. No one gift is for all believers; no one believer has all the gifts; no gift is more important than another; no believer is unimportant in the Body

  5. Our responsibility is to serve and share the good news of Jesus, not try to determine which gift(s) we have

  6. Every believer is baptized with, and sealed by, the Holy Spirit at the moment of their salvation; not a subsequent act to conversion

  7. The filling of the Spirit happens when we willingly pursue God‟s purposes, resulting in a joyful spirit, loving fellowship and continuous praise

  8. Spirituality is more than just the mind (logic and reason), but it does not by-pass the mind

  9. Not everything that is “spiritual” is from the Holy Spirit

  10. Experiences are not self-validating; they must be interpreted by the Bible

  11. Not every miracle worker is empowered by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 7:22-23)

  12. Testing the teachings and/or experiences of another person, to see if they align with the Bible or not, is not an insult

  13. Tongues are a sign to unbelievers, pointing them to Jesus; they are not a sign of spirituality, being baptized by the Holy Spirit or being filled with the Holy Spirit

  14. Tongues are verifiable known languages, expressed by those who do not know them, as a sign to unbelievers of God‟s glory and their need for repentance.

  15. Prayer languages, if considered an uninterpreted gift of tongues, would be silent in the church or only spoken in private prayer

  16. Prophecy is declaring the word of God, to instruct, strengthen, encourage and comfort

  17. The guidelines for the practice of tongues and prophecy in the Body of Christ are clearly delineated in the Bible (specifically, 1 Corinthians 12 – 14

  18. Love is the distinguishing mark of a Spirit-filled disciple of Jesus Christ

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