Statement of Faith | LOAM India

LOAM holds to the following statement of faith. Agreeing to this statement is necessary for ministry with LOAM. All who come on mission with LOAM or represent it, must teach and observe the following doctrines when doing pastor training, preaching, teaching, children’s ministry and community projects. By participating in this ministry you are agreeing to the following:

I. The Scriptures

I believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of the original manuscripts. I believe God divinely moved on the human authors to write exactly what He intended with no mistakes. I also believe that the modern versions of the Bible allow man to understand the full intent of God’s message while preserving His truth to all generations. I believe in the original canon of Scripture which will not be added to and cannot be taken away from. I believe all Scripture is profitable for instructions in righteousness and every good work.

2. Trinity

I believe in the eternal triune God who reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. I believe that God is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient and completely Holy. The God, I AM, as revealed in nature, the Bible, and the person of Jesus Christ is the only true God. Other religions are not worshipping God by a different name, but are false teachings and idol worship. The only way to be reconciled to God is through Jesus Christ as seen in Scripture. No other religion, lifestyle nor behavior can ever reconcile man to God.

Jesus

I believe in Jesus who, while fully man and fully God, lived a sinless life both because he would not sin as a man, and he could not sin as God. I believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ (in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension to the Right Hand of the Father and Second coming with power and glory).

Holy Spirit

I believe in the Holy Spirit as a person of the Trinity to be equal to the Father and Son. He, not it, indwells the believers bearing fruit in their lives. His work in our lives always points to Christ. The gifts He gives are for God’s glory at salvation that can grow with our faith, and are neither a second blessing nor proof of salvation. The book of Acts shows many early church miraculous events like speaking in tongues, healings, demonic exorcisms and raising people from the dead. In the modern church there are very rare times of such displays. I understand God can do whatever He wants and have total faith in Him, but understand such experiences are not necessary for salvation nor proof of higher spiritual walk. Therefore I should not wish for such experiences but rather focus on loving one another and letting God work as He sees fit.

3. Salvation

I believe every human being is a sinner by act and by nature and the wages of sin is death. Thus no man with a dead soul can be in the presence of the holy living God and all deserve eternal punishment in Hell including those who have never heard of Jesus. Jesus Christ, who was sinless, died on the cross as the substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the world. God offers salvation as a free gift to anyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ with full forgiveness and adoption as sons, which is just, because of the imputation of Jesus’ substitutionary righteousness through the sacrificial blood atonement for sins. Salvation cannot be earned through good deeds nor be lost from sinning as salvation has nothing to do with man’s behavior. Salvation occurs when a person, upon hearing the Word, responds by grace through faith in the atoning work of Jesus, confesses his sinfulness and need for Jesus, and receives Him as Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit enters the dead soul making him eternally alive.

4. The Church

I believe the Church is the body of Christ with Christ as the head. The unity of believers and the bond of peace that exists in love for one another is the call and command for all believers. As such the local church reflects that picture of the body of Christ in many ways including gender roles in the church. Thus the role of head pastor is fulfilled in a called and set apart man who has surrendered to lead the church through the power of the Holy Spirit. Women in the church have full authority to minister and serve so long as they are in submission to the Word and to church authority showing same submission as the church has to Christ.

5. Missions

I understand that sharing the gospel is a command of Jesus Christ and a responsibility of both individuals and the church. I obey His command and go to whomever He says, without hindrance of racism, sexism nor political thought. In sharing the gospel I must offer the free gift of salvation to all people knowing that those who hear will be given the faith to believe. If they act on that faith they will be saved. If I in any way take away or add to that gospel I am sinning against God. If I refuse to share the good news of Jesus Christ I am condemning the lost souls to Hell for whom Jesus died. The urgency of the gospel for all people to know him compels me to pursue the lost lovingly in the name of Christ who sends me while my own obligation to the gospel motivates me as I was also one who benefited from the same gospel.

6. Love

I know that the commandment I must live my life by is love. Hate, pride, selfishness and all other sins are the opposite of love. God’s will for my life is to love God with all my heart soul and mind, undivided to any other gods, creeds, religions or philosophies; and to love all people as myself. While my love motivates me to kindness, it does not compel me to participate in others’ wickedness by approving sin nor false teachers. If I cannot love other Christians nor have compassion for the lost then I am walking in darkness rather than light.