STATEMENT OF FAITH

 

The Bible

We believe that the Bible as God's Word is inspired and infallible. It is fully inerrant in its original manuscripts and superior to all human authority. We do not shape God's Word. God's Word shapes us. God's Word has never failed man. It is a perfect road map that leads to
eternal life with God, through Jesus, the Word made flesh.

 

The Trinity

There is one God eternally existent in three distinct persons in one divine essence: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

 

  • God the Father has revealed Himself as the Creator and preserver of the universe, to Whom the entire creation and all creatures are subject.
  • Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son, is the image of the invisible God. To accomplish our redemption He became fully human, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus Christ, who is true God and true man, by His perfect obedience and substitutionary death on the cross, has purchased our redemption. He arose from the dead for our justification in the body in which He was crucified.
    He ascended into heaven, where He is now seated at the right hand of God, the Father, as our interceding High Priest. He will come a second time personally, boldly, and visibly to gather the believers unto Himself and to establish His eternal kingdom. He will judge the living and the dead and make an eternal separation between believers and unbelievers.
  • The Holy Spirit is a divine person eternally one with the Father and with the Son. Through the Word of God He convicts people of sin, persuades them to confess their sinfulness to God and calls them to faith through the Gospel. He regenerates, sanctifies, and preserves believers in the one true Gospel. He regenerates, sanctifies, and preserves believers in the one true faith. He comforts, guides, equips, directs, and empowers the church to fulfill the great commission, which is making disciples of all nations.

 

Salvation

Eternal salvation is available to every living human being on earth only by God's grace and through faith in Christ alone.

 

Destiny

We believe that there is life after death and all are on their way to either heaven or hell.

 

Sacraments

The sacraments, as means of grace, are sacred acts instituted by God in which God Himself has joined His Word of promise to a visible element, and by which He offers, gives, and seals the forgiveness of sins earned by Christ.

 

  • Baptism is not merely water; it is water used according to God's command and connected with God's Word. It brings about forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives everlasting salvation to all who believe, as the Word and promise of God declare.
    It is not the water that does these things, but the Word of God connected with the water and our faith which relies on that Word. It signifies that the old Adam in us, together with all sins and evil desires should be drowned by daily sorrow for sin and repentance and
    be put to death, and that the new person should come forth every day and rise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.
  • Holy Communion is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, given to us Christians to eat and drink, as it was instituted by Christ himself. Through the words, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins," the forgiveness of sin, life, and salvation are given to us in the sacrament; for where there is forgiveness of sin there is also life and salvation. These words together with the eating and drinking are the chief thing in the sacrament and those who believe them have what they say and declare, namely, the forgiveness of sins.

 

 

CORE VALUES

 

God's Living Word

The Word of God is the focus of our worship services, the textbook for our teaching ministries, and the foundation of our daily lives. Whether we are preaching, teaching, singing or just talking, we want to be people of the Word. The Bible as God's Word is the center of our congregation.

 

God's Grace

We want the Good News of God's grace in Jesus Christ to be the centerpiece of our mission. All people need the Gospel and need to hear
it again and again. The Good News is God's power, which saves us, draws us together and motivates us for service.

 

God's Law

The Law of God cannot save us, but it is necessary for our salvation. We need to see our sin and be driven to the cross of Christ for forgiveness. We need to be reminded that we cannot earn God's love or merit His blessings. We need the ethical guidance that God's
Law gives. We dare not make up our own morality.

 

Love and Fellowship of God's People

We need each other. We need the spiritual gifts, which the Holy Spirit imparts to His people. We experience God's peace as we worship
and work together, forgive each other, and bear each other's burdens.

 

We are to Witness and Proclaim the Gospel

We long for people to trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, to come to know Him in a personal way. We are called by the love of Christ
and commanded as His disciples to share His Gospel. Our mission is as local as our neighborhood and as universal as the whole world.

 

We Seek to be People of Prayer

Whether in public worship, small groups or in our personal lives, we want prayer to be foundational. Prayer supports and propels
us in our mission. We desire that prayer be as essential in our ministries as breathing is to our physical life.

 

Family and Marriage

God's plan for human sexuality is that it is to be expressed only in a monogamous, lifelong relationship between one man and one woman within the framework of marriage, or in celibate chastity. This is the only relationship which is divinely designed for the birth and rearing of children and is a covenant union made and blessed in the sight of God.

605.438.9672                          101 Northridge Ave, P.O. Box 301, Milbank, SD 57252                          livingword@itcmilbank.com                          nnnnn