Church Doctrine
Below is the Doctrine of the Bethel Stand For Life Outreach Ministries, Bible doctrines have continued to be the pillars of this organization’s teachings. While we consider every part of the Bible to be doctrinal, these truths have been key tenants of our faith for over a century.
Ten Commandments
We believe that the Ten Commandments, as stated in the Holy Bible, in the book of Exodus, Chapter Twenty (20), expresses God’s great love for mankind. We believe that because of His great love, He saw it fitting to give to mankind directives to ensure man’s harmony with man, his environment and ultimately with Him. We believe that the Commandments are holy, just and good.
Seventh-Day Sabbath
The beneficent Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The fourth commandment of God’s unchangeable law requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God’s kingdom. The Sabbath is God’s perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between Him and His people. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, is a celebration of God’s creative and redemptive acts. (Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; Luke 4:16; Isa. 56:5, 6; 58:13, 14; Matt. 12:1-12; Ex. 31:13-17; Eze. 20:12, 20; Deut. 5:12-15; Heb. 4:1-11; Lev. 23:32; Mark 1:32.)
Repentance is a change of mind and heart that gives us a fresh view about God, about ourselves, and about the world. It includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments. Our sins make us unclean—unworthy to return to and dwell in the presence of our Heavenly Father. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Father in Heaven has provided the only way for us to be forgiven of our sins (see Isaiah 1:18). Repentance also includes feeling sorrow for committing sin, confessing to Heavenly Father and to others if necessary, forsaking sin, seeking to restore as far as possible all that has been damaged by one’s sins, and living a life of obedience to God’s commandments.
Washing the Disciple’s Feet is practiced according to the example and commandment Jesus gave. John 13:14-15
We believe that all things should be done in the Name of Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus Christ is God Almighty and that he was Father in Creation, Son in Redemption and is now the Holy Ghost in the Church.
We believe the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) is the Comforter promised by our Lord Jesus Christ, who will abide in the hearts of those who diligently seek Him. We further believe that He will guide us into all godly truths and give us power. We believe that speaking in other tongues as the spirit God gives utterance is the initial evidence of the presence of the Holy Ghost; however, we believe that the Holy Ghost must also be manifest both in word and by the fruit of the spirit and the keeping of the Commandments of God. Furthermore, as in Acts 2:4, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The Lord’s Supper, also referred to as Communion, is an ordinance given to the Church as a memorial of the death of Jesus Christ, and it should be observed annually at the appointed time. Unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, wine, should be used in this service as emblems of the body and the blood of Jesus Christ. The ordinance of feet washing was given by Jesus Christ as an example for us to teach humility and is to be practiced in connection with the observance of the Lord’s Supper. The washing of feet shall be followed by the Lord’s Supper
Repentance is a change of mind and heart that gives us a fresh view about God, about ourselves, and about the world. It includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments. Our sins make us unclean—unworthy to return to and dwell in the presence of our Heavenly Fa- ther. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Father in Heaven has provided the only way for us to be forgiven of our sins (see Isaiah 1:18). Repentance also includes feeling sorrow for committing sin, confessing to Heavenly Father and to others if necessary, forsaking sin, seeking to restore as far as possible all that has been damaged by one’s sins, and living a life of obedience to God’s commandments.
In Christ’s life of perfect obedience to God’s will, His suffering, death, and resurrection, God provided the only means of atonement for human sin, so that those who by faith accept this atonement may have eternal life, and the whole creation may better understand the infinite and holy love of the Creator. This perfect atonement vindicates the righteousness of God’s law and the graciousness of His character; for it both condemns our sin and provides for our forgiveness. The death of Christ is substitutionary and expiatory, reconciling and transforming. The resurrection of Christ proclaims God’s triumph over the forces of evil, and for those who accept the atonement assures their final victory over sin and death. It declares the Lordship of Jesus Christ, before whom every knee in heaven and on earth will bow. (John 3:16; Isa. 53; 1 Peter 2:21, 22; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4, 20-22; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, 19-21; Rom. 1:4; 3:25; 4:25; 8:3, 4; 1 John 2:2; 4:10; Col. 2:15; Phil. 2:6-11.)
We believe that only certain living crea- tures are to be eaten. The blood of flesh shall not be eaten because it contains the “life” of the animal. The judgment for eat- ing unclean food is found in the Holy Scriptures. We believe in and adhere to those dietary laws found in the Book of Leviticus( Lev 11).
Marriage was divinely established in Eden and affirmed by Jesus to be a lifelong union between a man and a woman in loving companionship. For the Christian a marriage commitment is to God as well as to the spouse, and should be en- tered into only between partners who share a common faith. Mutual love, honor, respect, and responsibility are the fabric of this relationship, which is to reflect the love, sanctity, closeness, and permanence of the relationship between Christ and His church. Regarding divorce, Jesus taught that the person who divorces a spouse, except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery. Although some family relationships may fall short of the ideal, marriage partners who fully commit themselves to each other in Christ may achieve loving unity through the guidance of the Spirit and the nurture of the church.