Our Basis of Union is an expression of our faith. It outlines our doctrine and what we believe and is a statement of our fellowship and witness.
We believe that God is a Spirit (John 4:24), infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being (Psalm 90:2, Malachi 3:6), wisdom (Psalm 147:5), power (Genesis 17:1, Rev. 19:6), holiness (Isaiah 57:15, Rev. 4:8), justice (Deut. 32:4), goodness (Psalm 100:5), and truth (Psalm 117:2).
We believe that there is but 1 God, the true and living God (Deut. 6:4, Jer. 10:10), who is eternal (Deut. 33:27, Psalm 90:2), omnipresent (I Kings 8:27, Ephesians 1:23), omniscient (Job 34:21, John 21:17), and omnipotent (Genesis 17:1, Matthew 19:26). He is immutable (Exodus 3:14, 8:58), invisible (Exodus 33:20-23, John 1:18), and incomprehensible (Job 11:7-8, Romans 11:33).
We believe that God exists in three (3) persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:15-17, 28:19, John 14:16-17, 26, 15:26, II Cor. 13:14, Ephesians 2:18, Hebrews 9:14, I Peter 1:2). In the Deity, the Son, and the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father, yet, they are all the same. The same attributes and acts in the Scriptures are ascribed to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit without distinction.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and lived as a man among men, the perfect sinless life (Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:26-35, II Cor. 5:21).
We believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of mankind (Romans 5:8, Mark 10:45). He bore the punishment of man’s sins (I Peter 3:18) in order to satisfy divine justice. The law of God required the death of the offender (Ezekiel. 18:20, Romans 6:23). The death of Jesus provided a life that could be laid to the account of a penitent sinner (John 3:16, 18, 36).
We believe that Jesus Christ bodily arose from the dead. The burial of Christ’s body indicates that He was dead when taken down from the cross (Matthew 27:57-60, John 19:31-34). Jesus demonstrated that His resurrection was physical by showing His disciples His hands and feet (Luke 24:39, I John 1:11), by eating in their presence (Luke 24:41-43), and by many “infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3). Jesus was raised in a physical body never to die again. God had raised others from the dead to natural life (II Kings 4:32-37, Mark 5:35-43); as a result, they died again. The resurrection of Christ conquered death. The atoning sacrifice of Christ and His subsequent resurrection is the keystone of the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, His atoning death would be of no value for the salvation of sinners (I Cor. 15:20).
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is not an “it” or an influence, but God Himself. He, therefore, bears all the divine marks of personality as the Father and the Son. While identified as the third person of the Trinity, Scripture places Him on the same level as the Father and the Son (II Cor. 13:14, Matt. 28:19, I Cor. 12:4-6). The Spirit carries to completion the saving work of the Father and the Son. He is known by such names as “the Spirit of God”, “the Holy Spirit of God”, “the Spirit of Adoption”, “the Spirit of the Son”, and “the Spirit of Christ”. Just as the Father and Son are persons, so is the Holy Spirit. He is seen as one who thinks (Romans 8:27), feels (Romans 15:30), wills (I Cor. 12:11), teaches (John 14:26), guides (Acts 8:29), and intercedes (Romans 8:26-27). The Spirit shows love and affection (Romans 15:30), and bears witness that we are children of God. He is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10), omnipotent (Zech. 4:6, Romans 18:18-19), eternal (Hebrews 9:14), and Co-Creator of the world (Genesis 1:2, Psalm 140:30). The Holy Spirit is divine because God is divine, and He is personal because God is personal. He lives in perfect unity with the Father and the Son, but He is also a distinct person, as is each of them.
We believe that Jesus Christ shed His blood for the remission of sins that are past (Romans 3:35, I John 1:7), for the regeneration of penitent sinners, and for salvation from sin and from sinning (Ephesians. 2:1-10, I John 3:5-10).
We teach and firmly maintain the scriptural doctrine of justification by faith alone through the blood (Romans 3:24-25, 5:6-9, Ephesians 1:7, Col. 1:14).
We believe that Jesus Christ shed His blood for the complete cleansing of the justified believer from all indwelling sin and its pollution subsequent to regeneration (John 17:17, Acts 26:18, Romans 6:6, I Thess. 5:23, Hebrews 13:12, I John 1:7-9).
We believe that sanctification is the second definitive instantaneous work of grace, obtainable, by faith on the part of the fully justified believer (Exodus 31:13, Leviticus 11:44-45, 20:7-8, Luke 24:50-51, Hebrews 10:9-13).
We believe that the Pentecostal baptism of the Holy Ghost and Fire is obtainable by a definite act of appropriating faith on the part of the wholly sanctified believer and that the initial evidence of the reception of this experience is speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance (Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 8:14-17, 10:44-46, 19:6).
We believe in divine healing as in the atonement (Exodus 15:26, Psalm 103:3, Isaiah 53:4-5, Malachai.8:16-17, Mark 16:14-15, Acts 8:7, James 5:14-15).
We believe that the Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us as to how we may glorify God. The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man (Micah 6:8, John 20:31, John 3:16)
We believe that God created man after His own image (Genesis 1:27) in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness (Colossians 3:10, Ephesians 4:24), with dominion over all creatures (Genesis 1:28).
We believe that Adam was man’s representative, and when he sinned, all mankind sinned in him. The covenant God made with Adam was not only for himself but for his posterity. All mankind descending from him by ordinary generation sinned in him and fell with him in his first transgression (Romans 5:12).
We believe that sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of the Law of God (Malachi. 5:28). There are two (2) kinds of sin – the sin of commission and sin of omission (I John 3:4, James 4:17)
We believe that the church of God, in its distinctive character, is to be defined as general or particular, visible or invisible, militant or triumphant. The general church denotes the entire body of Christian believers in every period of time, on earth and in heaven (Ephesians 3:15). A particular church means an assembly of Christians of any particular denomination, united together for the worship of God in accordance with distinctive views (I Cor. 12:25,27). The visible church is all those who have openly and freely professed Christianity and have entered into a covenant with God (I Cor. 2:12). The invisible church is those who are known of Christ as belonging to Him, whether they have joined the visible church or not (I Timothy 2:19). The people of God on earth are called the church militant, and those in heaven are the church triumphant. The foundation and head of the church is Christ (Matthew 16:18, I Cor. 3:11, Ephesians 1:22).
We believe in the imminent personal pre-millennial second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (I Thess. 4:15-18, Titus 2:13, II Peter 3:1-14, Matthew 24:20-24), and we love and await His appearing (II Timothy 4:8).
The Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas, Incorporated, is utterly opposed to the teachings of Christian Scientists, Mohammedism, Spiritualists, Unitarians, Universalists, and Mormons. We deny as false the teachings of the Seventh Day Adventists (Galatians 3:11; Colossians 2:16-17), the annihilation of the wicked, conditional immortality and antinomianism, absolute perfection, comeoutism, teaching against an organized church, the resurrection life, the redemption of glorification of the body in this life, and the doctrine of restitution of all things as set forth in millennial dawnism, Jehovah Witness and false teaching that we are not born of God until we are sanctified wholly (Mark 9:43-45; Revelation 20:10-14), Roman Catholicism (Matthew 17:5), the belief systems and practices of the Occult, Sorcery (Exodus 20:3; Exodus 22;18; Leviticus 19-13; Leviticus 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:10-13; Acts 8:9-24; Acts 16:16-19; Galatians 5:20;), Witchcraft (I Samuel 28:8-19; Micah 5:12), Psychics, Psychic telephone lines; Numerology, so-called New Age practices and teaching of Jesus only (Matthew 28:19-20; II John 7-11). We shall not fellowship with those who teach these doctrines or engage in these practices.
People who leave the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas and try to destroy it shall not be fellowshipped by the Pastors, Church Leaders, nor members of the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas.
The Lord says that marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled. And the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas FIRMLY HOLDS THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN RELATIONS BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE, which are strictly private, according to the Word of God, and into this sacred privacy no one has any right to inquire (I Corinthians 7:15; Hebrews 14:4)