:: Bread of Life Ministries - Statement of Faith ::

:: Bread of Life Ministries - What we believe ::

	. . . Port Elizabeth, South Africa
	Our mission: "To faithfully proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ to all mankind, equipping each one to maturity in faith, and releasing them to do the same."
	What we believe

We believe in ...

1. The One True God.

The One True God has revealed Himself as the eternal self-existent ‘I AM’, the Creator of the universe and the Redeemer of mankind (Deut. 6: 4; Exodus 3: 14; Isaiah 43: 10-11)

God has further revealed Himself as a Triune being manifested as Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Isaiah 48: 16; Matthew 28: 29; Luke 3: 22)

2. The Scriptures Inspired.

The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible authoritative rule of faith and conduct (2 Tim. 3: 15-17; 1 Thess. 2: 13;2 Pet. 1: 21)

3. The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and as such, shares in the Divinity and deity of God (Matt. 1: 23; John 5: 22,23; 2 John; Heb. 1: 1-13).

4. Original Sin and Fall of Man.

Man was created good and upright; for God said, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness” (Gen. 1: 26-27). The first man, Adam, through disobedience, fell from the grace of God and thus sin entered into the world and death by sin. Adam’s transgression incurred not only physical death for man, but also spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God.

(Gen 2:17, 3:6-24). Man’s propensity to sin because of his sinful nature, necessitate salvation from the power of sin and a Saviour to provide that salvation (Rom. 7:13-25).

5. The Salvation of Man.

Man’s only hope of redemption and salvation from the power of sin is through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; Rom. 5:8-13; 10:9; James 1:21; Eph 2:8)

6. Christ the One Shepherd.

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and the Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20). There is only one spiritual shepherd referred to in the New Testament and Jesus Christ is that One (John 10:16).

7. The Church and Its Mission.

The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Holy 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 the Church of the firstborn, which was written in heaven (Eph.1:22,23; 2:22; Heb.12:23).

The unity of the Church is established under the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Eph.4).

Since God’s purpose concerning man is to seek and to save that which is lost, to be worshiped by man, and to build a body of believers in the image of His Son, the responsibility of the Church is:

a) To be an agency of God for evangelizing the world (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15,16)

b) To be a corporate body on which man may worship God (1 Cor. 12:13).

c) To be a channel of God’s purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Cor. 12:28; 14:12).

8. The Ordinances of the Church

a) Baptism

The Baptism is the symbolic identification with Christ in his Death, Burial and Resurrection (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47-48; Rom. 6:4)

b) The Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion

The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Jesus to remember Him in His suffering, persecution, death, resurrection and anticipates His Second Coming (2 Pet. 1:4; 1 Cor. 11:26).

9. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

With the Baptism in the Holy Spirit comes the endowment of power for life and service (Acts 2:4; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4; 1 Cor. 12:1-31; Acts 8: 12-17; Acts 10: 44-46; 11: 14; 15: 7-9).