The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

1)   We believe that the Holy Spirit is a member of the Godhead who is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son.  It is He who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.  He indwells all who will believe on Jesus Christ for the saving of their souls, working the regeneration that produces eternal life.  He baptizes all believers into the body of Jesus Christ, indwelling them and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1^st Cor. 12:12-14; 2^nd Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14).

2)   We believe that the Holy Spirit is our divine teacher, and that He assists believers to understand and apply the Scriptures to the unique circumstances of their lives (Eph. 1:17-18; 1st John 2:20, 27).

3)   We believe that it is the privilege and duty of all Christians to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18).

4)   We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the specialized gift of healing, were the temporary means whereby God sought to confirm to the Jewish mind the reality of the Gospel.  Those sign gifts dissipated upon the completion of the canon of New Testament Scripture, which was approximately at the close of the first century A.D.  We believe that speaking in tongues was never, and is not now, a prerequisite nor an indicator of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit.  The ultimate deliverance of a believer’s body from temptation, sin, sickness, and death will be realized when the soul is called into the presence of God, either through death or the translation (commonly called the Rapture).  We do not deny, however, that we serve a miracle-working God who is our sovereign Lord, and who may do as He will, when He will, where He will (1st Cor. 1:22, 13:8, 13:10, 14:21-22; Rom. 7:24-25).