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THE APOSTLES' CREED
The ApostlesCreed was developed between the 2nd and 9th
centuries. Its central doctrines are those of the Trinity and God the
Creator. This creed forms the basis of Protestant faith and practice developed since the Apostolic Period.
The creed was used as an instruction of Christian doctrine
for baptismal candidates in the early churches. Baptismal candidates had to agree to its tenets and doctrine.
(MODERN ENGLISH VERSION)
I Believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth.
I Believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
Who was Conceived by the Holy Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was Crucified, Died, and was Buried;
He Descended into Hell.
On the Third Day He Rose Again;
He Ascended into Heaven,
He is Seated at the Right Hand of the Father,
and He will Come Again to Judge the Living and the Dead.
I Believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Universal Church,
the Communion of Saints,
the Forgiveness of Sins,
the Resurrection of the Body,
and the Life Everlasting. AMEN.
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Spirit Life Church of Sopchoppy is a Spirit-filled church that firmly believes in the 'Two'Fold Life'. This title speaks of the two-fold work of Christ, our Savior and Lord. The first work is that which Christ has done 'for' man through His substitutionary sacrifice on Calvary, and the second work is what Christ does 'in' man through the Holy Spirit after man has repented of sin and has received the new birth.
Spirit Life Church most closely follows the Charismatic/Pentecostal tradition of worship. Expositional teaching of the Word of God is the type of preaching/teaching done during regular church services We conduct Sunday School during the regular school season from September until the end of the school year in May. Also during the summer our mid-week service on Wednesday evening is scaled back to include supper at 6pm followed by a time of corporate prayer. During the school year we are offering on Wednesday evening, supper at 6pm followed by ministry classes for all groups; Men, Women, Youth and Children. Our Wednesday service usually concludes at 07:30 pm.
Spirit Life Church is a non-denominational fellowship of believers who come from all walks of life. We very much believe in working closely with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ to influence our community with the gospel of Christ and demonstrate to those around us the love of God.
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WHAT WE BELIEVE
We believe that the Bible is the inspired and only infallible and authoritative Word of God. We believe that There is one God, eternally existent in three persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost . We believe In the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His personal future return to this earth in power and glory to rule a thousand years . We believe that The only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious blood of Christ . And that Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for personal salvation . We believe In the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a holy life . We believe in the baptism in the Holy Spirit, according to Acts 2:4,is given to believers who ask for it . We believe that The redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides healing of the human body in answer to believing prayer . We believe In the Blessed Hope -- The rapture of the Church at Christ's coming . We believe In the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, the one to everlasing life and the other to everlasting damnation.
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Why we believe the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
By inspiration we mean 'God-Breathed' ( 2 Tim. 3:16). By infallible we mean that the words, phrases and sentences of the Bible are without error. The Bible was written by Man, as fallible and error prone as he is, however, the writers of the bible were moved upon to write their biblical texts by the Holy Spirit ( 2 Peter 1:21). This is why we say that the Bible was God-Breathed. For us to say 'God-Breathed' means that God 'breathed-out' the Word of God. This means that the Bible is as much the creation of God as is the heavens and the earth. This means that the Scripture is a divine product, issued out of His mouth, through the Holy Spirit, to holy men of God. So, the Bible did not come to us as a product of the will of Man, but as a product of the will of God. The Bible is God speaking to Man. The Bible does not contain the Word of God, it is the Word of God, therefore, the Bible is God's Word whether or not Man chooses to hear and listen to it. It is because the Bible is inspired by God is what makes it inerrant. The Bible is..... 'a mirror' - it reflects to us the true image and character of God ( James 1:23-25). The Bible is..... 'a critic' - it reveals the thoughts and intents of our hearts ( Hebrews 4:12). The Bible is..... 'a seed' - it contains the power to regenerate a sinner into a saint (I Pater 1:23). The Bible is..... 'a laver' - it cleanses and washes clean the vessel soiled by sin (Ephesians 5:26). The Bible is..... 'a fire' - it burns away all the chaff of an unsanctified and unholy life (Jeremiah 20:9). The Bible is a hammer' - it breaks the hardness and impenitent heart (Jeremiah 23:29). The Bible is....'a sword' - it pierces through the darkness of the world (Ephesians 6:17). The Bible is....... 'food' - it feeds those who hunger for righteousness (Matthew 5:6). The Bible is....... 'milk' - it nourishes the babies and causes them to grow up (I Peter 2:2). The Bible is..... 'bread' - it is what we are to live by (Matthew 4:4).
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Why We Believe in the Trinity
The Trinity is the foundation rock of the Christian faith. Although the word, 'Trinity' will never be found in the Bible, the doctrine is stated throughout its text. In Acts 20, verse 28, Paul writes, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." (KJV). Here, in plain text, is the doctrine of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is the agent or The Empower-er of the Church of God, the Father, which was purchased by the blood of Christ, the Son! The Apostles' Creed is a statement to the fact of the Trinity. To deny this fact is to deny the most orthodox and basic teaching of the Scripture and of the Church. The Trinity is really a Tri-Unity. The Almighty God co-eternally, co-equally existing in three Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. An illustration of this fact is found in the Gospel of John, chapter twelve, verses 35-41; "Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him." (KJV). John is quoting Isaiah chapter 6, "I saw the Lord, high and lifted up, and His train filled the Temple." Isaiah saw Jehovah, the Lord Almighty, in his vision, sitting upon the Throne of God, and John says it was Jesus whom Isaiah saw! What we see in these verses is both the 'Unity' of the Godhead, and the 'identity' of the Persons of the Godhead. It is a perfect Unity and a perfect Identity; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, all One God, eternally existing in the Persons of the Godhead.
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Why We Believe in the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ
Jesus is the 'Infinite God/Man'. He is not two Persons, one God and the other Man. He is One Person possessing all of the qualities and attributes of the Second Person of the Godhead, and also, possessing all of the qualities and attributes of a son of Abraham. So, Jesus Christ possessed both a divine nature and a human one. He is 'Christ, The Messiah' and He is Jesus of Nazareth (Philippians 2:5-10). He declared Himself to be the 'I Am' (John 8:58), the same title announced by Jehovah to Moses (Exodus 3:14). Because Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary, Jesus was born without the nature of sin. He was devoid of sin. He could not sin because He also possessed a divine nature which was holy and without even an approach to sin. Jesus possessed a fully divine and a fully human nature, both without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Because Jesus lived His life on Earth, in his human body, without sin, He could be the sacrifice in atonement for Man's sin. Jesus Christ is the only acceptable offering that enables Man to stand in and have access to the Presence of God. There is no other way into the Presence of God than the way He provided through the precious blood of Jesus (Acts 4:12).
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Why We Believe Regeneration and the Sanctifying Power of the Holy Spirit is Absolutely Essential to Personal Salvation
The New Testament is very clear on the subject of personal salvation. Paul stated in Romans 3:23 that 'all have sinned and come short of the glory of God'. God has concluded all men to be under sin (Galatians 3:22). And because God is merciful, He has provided the means by which Man can receive forgiveness of sin and become fit for the kingdom. The means is (1) to repent from the life of sin, and (2) receive faith in Christ as Savior. There exists two aspects of repentance. The first, as an act of our own will, is to inwardly change our will concerning the matter of a sinful life. Secondly, there is the outward turning to God in humility and surrender. There also exists two aspects of having faith toward God. First, there is the inward conviction of the truthfullness of God, that He is exactly what the gospel declares Him to be. Secondly, there is the outward act of obedience to the spoken will of God, which involves submission to the gospel of Jesus Christ and surrendering to Him as both Savior and Lord. When these conditions are met within the suppliant, the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit enters into, and makes him a new person in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). To claim personal salvation without the cleansing and sanctifying work of the Spirit is to assume a religion about Christ, without a relationship with Christ. Paul states in Romans 8:9, 'However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.' (NAS). The New Testament is emphatic that the sinner must receive Christ before He is 'born again'. After the New Birth (2 Corinthians 5:17) it is the Holy Spirit who separates the new believer from the spirit of this world and continues the sanctifying process within him enabling him to live a godly, overcoming life (Philippians 2:12-13).
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Why We Believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit With the Evidence of Speaking in Tongues
The Doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues is so evident in the Acts of the Apostles. All though there are over 500 million Spirit-baptized believers in the world today, there are differing views on this vital subject. There are Classical Pentecostals who believe a person is not filled with the Holy Spirit until they speak in other tongues and, on the other side of the spectrum, there are Third Wave Pentecostals who think it is not necessary to speak in other tongues in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We believe that a person who is actually filled with the Holy Spirit will speak in other tongues. We also believe this is the biblical pattern. There are five (5) references within the Book of Acts related to individuals and companies of persons being filled with the Spirit. None of them refer to the candidates being filled with the Spirit and not speaking with other tongues. The direct references are found in Acts 2:1-4; Acts 10:44-45; and Acts 19:1-6. The indirect references are found in Acts 8:14-21; and Acts 9:11-17. Concerning the reference in Acts, chapter 8, the word 'matter' is the same Greek word used in chapter 2:4, 'utterance'. It is logical to assume that this reference implies that the 'matter' Peter mentioned, and that Simon observed was the manifestation of tongues as evidence the candidates had received the Holy Spirit. Concerning the indirect reference in Acts, chapter nine, Paul states himself in 1 Corinthians 14:18 that he speaks with tongues. Isn't it logical to assume that when Ananias layed hands on Paul to receive the Holy Spirit that he spoke in tongues just like all the others? The counsel we use in praying for candidates to receive the Holy Spirit is; (1) receive the gift by faith; (2) the Holy Spirit is in you through the New Birth, therefore, yield yourself to Him; (3) what words the Spirit gives you to utter speak out of your mouth in faith. The speaking in tongues is the outward evidence that you have been inwardly filled with the Holy Spirit. The reason we believe it is the initial evidence of the Spirit baptism is twofold. (1) Tongues is a sign of the New Covenant, the receiving of power ( Acts 1:8) Jesus said His disciples would receive. (2) Tongues and Interpretation of tongues are the only two of the nine manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit, mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 :8-10, that will not be found in the Old Testament. Therefore, speaking in tongues is a new manifestation of the New Covenant for the New Creation and these gifts, especially speaking in tongues, is available to every born again child of God. It is just a matter of yielding your spirit to the Holy Spirit, receiving the words and language He gives you to speak, then speaking them out by faith.
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Why We Believe in the Rapture of the Church
The Rapture of the Church is a fact (I Thessalonians 4:14-18; I Corinthians 15:50-52). It is one of the cardinal doctrines of the Body of Christ as every serious, honest student of the Scripture will attest.
Although the rapture of the church is an orthodox belief, it is the opinion of the time of the rapture that differs with many different groups within the body of Christ. We do not argue these differing points from an absolutist position because there is only One who knows the exact time of the rapture, that is the Father God. It is quite plain from Scripture that the church will be raptured. It is the absolute responsibility of every believer in Christ Jesus to be ready at whatever hour the Lord returns. The Lord will bring judgment upon the heathen nations in a global scope and the Tribulation will be an extreme time of testing for the nation of Israel prior to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The True Church will have already passed through its judgments, and thus, will be 'taken up' by Christ. The True Church has not been appointed unto wrath, but to obtain salvation ( I Thessalonians 5:9) and, as Moses and the Children of Israel were supernaturally protected from the judgment of God upon the heathen Egyptians, so will God protect the True Church from the power of the the devil. The word 'salvation' implies not only forgiveness of sin, but also, deliverance from evil. When the Lord returns to receive His bride, the Church, She will have clothed Herself in righteousness and will be found by Christ to be a Church without spot, wrinkle or any such thing (Eph. 5:25-27). 2 Timothy 2:19, ' Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.' This verse describes the True Church. They 'are His', and as a result, will feast with Him at His celebratory banquet while the impenitent suffer His wrath. The end of this age has been predetermined by God Himself and we trust in His judgment that He will do what is right.
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Why We Believe in Bodily Healing
The Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, speak repeatedly of God's desire and will to heal men physically and emotionally. God's Healing covenant with His people is first mentioned in Exodus 15:26, 'And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.' (KJV). God's will has never changed, for Jesus' ministry included healing the sick (Matthew 8:16,17). That it is the will of God to heal all who come to Him for healing is emphatic in the Scripture. This healing covenant has continued throughout the Church Age and was transmitted to the Church through the Gospel ( Mark 16: 15-20). One of the signs of the new believers' would be that they would lay hands upon the sick and the sick would recover. It has been my priviledge through these years of ministry to lay hands on many and see them receive healing for their bodies. Jesus is the Healer! As He was on the shores of Galilee, so He is today!
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Why We Believe in the Resurrection and the Judgemnt to Come
God has promised through the Scripture that there will come a resurrection of the just and the unjust. For the just, there will be a resurrection to life, and for the unjust, there will be a resurrection to condemnation ( Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:11-15). The Scripture also declares that the judgment of the wicked dead will not be an annihilation. Unjust men will exist eternally in the region of the damned. The just will be resurrected to life and will spend eternity with God. Scripture is also very clear on the subject of the immortality of the soul, and that, the soul is not the same spiritual organ as the spirit. The two are eternal and will exist beyond time. The Old Testament refers to the soul (Nephesh) over four hundred times, the vast majority of uses pertaining to the whole man, not just a part of him. When Ezekiel 18:1-8 refers to 'the soul that sinneth, it shall die' is a reference to the sinner ceasing to exist in this physical world. Ezekiel was not referring to the extinguishing of the soul, one of his spiritual organs, but of the dying of the physical body. The soul of Man contains his sense of reason and will. The New Testament mentions the soul (Psuche) a little over forty times, and in almost every case the mention is referring to man's mind, will or emotion, not his spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12 explicitly mention the three-fold nature of man; that he is a spirit, he has a soul and he lives in a body. The only portion of Man's being that ceases to exist is his physical body. His spiritual parts endure. Jesus spake of a rich man (Luke 16:19-31) who died physically in a moment, then found himself in hell, in torment. This rich man retained all the soulish faculties he possessed while on earth; fear, feeling pain, grief and remorse. Even though his body was buried in a grave, his spiritual organs continued to exist. Only the place and manner of his existence changed.The life we choose to live in this life, whether in obedience to the divine will or against it, will determine the manner of existence in the life that will be.
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