This is a continuation of comparing what I believe with the Assemblies of God Statement of 16 Fundamental Truths. We’re ready for number nine.
- SANCTIFICATION
Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God.
Romans 12:1,2
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Hebrews 13:12
The Scriptures teach a life of “holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.”
Hebrews 12:14
By the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to obey the command: “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:15,16
Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by the faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 6:1-11
Romans 6:13
Romans 8:1,2
Romans 8:13
Galatians 2:20
Philippians 2:12,13
1 Peter 1:5
This is one of my favorite topics to talk about. The church I went to as a kid had a rack of tracts in the foyer. There was a series of tracts that started with “Now that I’m a Christian, I should…,” followed by some topic that was relevant to the Christian’s life, such as going to church, reading the Bible, etc. I always wanted to make a book out of that series, but I’m sure it’s been done ad nauseam. The point is, I agree 100% with sanctification and the holy lives of believers. Anything less would be a reason to question someone’s professed salvation.
- THE CHURCH AND ITS MISSION
The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn, which are written in heaven.
Ephesians 1:22,23
Ephesians 2:22
Hebrews 12:23
Just as Paul wrote to the Corinthians that believers are all a part of the body but each of us has a different role to play, yes, the church has a mission and each of us has a part to play. To note, the A/G page has some more bullet points under #10 that are pertinent to the mission and vision of the Assemblies of God denomination, but I won’t list them here. Feel free to visit their site for the rest of #10.
- THE MINISTRY
A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the fourfold purpose of leading the Church in:
Evangelization of the world. Mark 16:15-20
Worship of God. John 4:23,24
Building a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son. Ephesians 4:11-16
Meeting human need with ministries of love and compassion.
Psalms 112:9
Galatians 2:10; 6:10
James 1:27
Believers are all called to be witnesses to the world through our lives. In that sense, we are all called to be ministers. And if we are ministers, then we all have a ministry. Ministers are just people who carry out some duty. We should all be in two of these four areas of ministry, or more. I mean, worship of God should be a given for the believer, so you’d better be involved in at least one other area of ministry. Otherwise, I’d have to ask if you are just holding on to your talent until the Master returns. The parable didn’t turn out so well for that person. So, yes. I believe in the Ministry of believers.
- DIVINE HEALING
Divine healing is an integral part of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement, and is the privilege of all believers.
Isaiah 53:4,5
Matthew 8:16,17
James 5:14-16
Coming from a Pentecostal background, I’ve seen the abuse of healing services. I’ve seen people who thought they were unworthy of God or that they had some unknown sin that was preventing them from receiving healing of some kind. It’s really sad and infuriating to see, but having said that, I do believe in divine healing. And I have seen some true healings.
I’ll conclude part three here and post the remaining four fundamental truths in another post.
