TOSI Ministry Statement of Faith
The Bible: The Bible is God’s written revelation to humanity, made known to the saints, who transmitted it through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21). It is infallible (John 17:17) and inerrant (Psalm 119:160). In it, God reveals His will and purposes for our lives (Psalm 37:23; 119:105). Therefore, the Bible is our only rule of faith, practice, and conduct, and everything related to faith and conduct should be evaluated through its lens.
The True God: There is only one true God (Deuteronomy 6:4), who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe (Genesis 1; Acts 17:24-25). He is Spirit (John 4:24), Eternal (Psalm 90:2), Immutable (Malachi 3:6), Holy (Isaiah 6:3), Almighty (Genesis 17:1; Revelation 19:6), Omniscient (Psalm 139:1-4; Hebrews 4:13), Omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10; Matthew 28:20), and Perfect (Matthew 5:48). He is represented in the person of the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). He has manifested himself to humanity through creation (Romans 1:20), the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and especially through Jesus Christ, who is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus Christ: He is the Second Person of the Trinity (John 1:1-14), coequal with the Father and the Holy Spirit (John 10:30, 14:9). He came to earth as a man (John 1:14), and in that capacity was 100% God and 100% man. He died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3), rose again on the third day (Acts 10:40), ascended to heaven (Acts 1:11), is at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3), and comes at the end of time to establish His Kingdom and punish sin (Revelation 19:6). He is the central figure of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation (Luke 24:27).
The Holy Spirit: He is the Third Person of the Trinity, coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son, and therefore is God (Acts 5:3-4). He is the Creator (Genesis 1:2), the One who inspired the Holy Scriptures in the holy prophets (2 Peter 1:21), and the One who enlightens the believer to understanding (John 16:13-14). He is the One who convicts men of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). He lives in the believer from the moment they finally believe (Ephesians 1:13-14). He convicts them of sin, regenerates them (Titus 3:5), seals them, ensuring their salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14), guides them (John 16:13), strengthens them, and empowers them to bear witness to Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth and until His return (Acts 1:8). Furthermore, He gives believers gifts and enables them to build up the church through them (1 Corinthians 12) and fulfill the purpose for which He has called them. Creation: God, who is eternal and therefore the only uncreated being who also has life within himself, created all things outside himself with the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3). This creation includes the physical and spiritual universe. God established an order so that all of his creation would glorify him. God himself is the source and sustenance of what he has created. This creation was marred by the Fall of man in the Garden of Eden. At the end of time, a new creation will be established for the enjoyment of those chosen and redeemed by Christ and for the glory of God.
Man: Man was created by God in his image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27) and was subject to God’s Law. He was created to live for God’s purposes and glory, but he disobeyed God, broke his fellowship with him, and lost his purpose through sin (Genesis 3). For this reason, all human beings are sinners by inheritance, and the penalty for their sin is death. (Romans 3:23; 6:23) However, God changes this terrible condition through Christ.
The way of salvation: Man cannot save himself; the only one who can exempt us from the penalty of sin is God Himself. (Ephesians 2:1-9) This requires man to recognize his sinful condition and repent before God (Mark 1:15), while accepting the sacrifice Jesus Christ made by dying in his place on the cross at Calvary, and recognizing Christ as the only way of salvation that God offers to all human beings (John 14:6).
Redemption: The sin committed by Adam and Eve, which we inherited, resulted in slavery to sin, to the power and dominion of Satan, and ultimately to death. To free us from that condition, it was necessary to pay a ransom sufficient and acceptable to God. Jesus Christ is the only holy and spotless Lamb who could pay for our redemption. Therefore, that ransom or redemption was provided by Christ when He died on the cross for our sins (1 Timothy 2:6). All human beings, due to their sinful nature, are condemned to eternity in hell, separated from God and in perpetual damnation. (Romans 3:23)
Salvation: Since the fall of man, God promised the coming of a Savior, who came in the person of Jesus Christ (Genesis 3:10).
