The Apostles' Doctrine

 

We believe in the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God  (Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5; Isaiah 40:8), and that all Scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21). We believe that faith in God comes directly from the Word of God (Romans 10:17). We believe that the Bible has the power to guide the wayward (Psalm 119:105), feed the hungry (Matthew 4:4), convert the soul (Psalm 19:7), save the lost (2 Timothy 3:15; 1 Peter 1:23), keep the righteous (Psalm 37:31), sanctify and purify the Church (Psalm 119:9; John 17:17; Ephesians 5:26), and stand the test of time (1 Pedro 1:24-25). Therefore, the Bible has absolute authority in our lives.

 

We believe in one true God (Deuteronomy 6:4), who has expressed Himself in a variety of ways to suit His purposes, including as Father in creation, the Son of God in redemption and Holy Spirit in indwelling and operation; however, the fact that He has so expressed Himself in no way diminishes His essential oneness. We further believe that Jesus Christ is the one true God manifest in the flesh (I Timothy 3:16), and that the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Him (Colossians 2:9).

 

We believe in the atoning work of Jesus Christ. We believe that salvation is obtained by grace, through faith in and obedience to the Word of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). This obedience includes, as a critical component, compliance with the Biblical plan of salvation as expressed in Acts 2:38, which begins with repentance. Therefore, in obedience to the commandment of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19) and the example of His apostles (Acts 2:38; Acts 8:16; Acts 10:48; Acts 19:5; Acts 22:16), we practice water baptism by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. We also experience the infilling of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues (Acts 2:4) as an essential element of salvation.

 

We believe in the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ to receive His church unto Himself. We believe He will return for a church that is holy and separated from the world; therefore, we teach a lifestyle of separation and sanctification unto the Lord in preparation for His coming. This is consistent with the Lord's command to be holy (I Peter 1:15-16) and with the Scriptural absolute that without holiness no man shall see God (Hebrews 12:14).

 

We believe it is the responsibility of the church to share the good news of the Gospel with every culture and nation. Therefore, it is the stated purpose of The Congregation in San Felipe to faithfully minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many men, women and children of our world as we can before Jesus returns.