Hispanic-American Evangelical Church

Statement of faith of the
Hispanic-American Evangelical Church of Appleton, WI.

1. The Sacred Scriptures (the Bible)
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament as they were originally written are inspired by God. And God, who is the Truth, communicated His Word through men controlled by the Holy Spirit to the end that the Scriptures were without error and therefore, are authoritative in all they teach and in all subjects upon which they touch. We believe that the Bible is the supreme revelation of the will of God for man and constitute the only infallible guide for faith and practice in life. Matthew 5:18; Mark 12:36; John 10:34-35; Acts 1:16; Romans 3:1-4; Galatians 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Revelations 22:18, 19.

2. Creation
We believe in the direct creation of the universe by God, as related in Genesis, without the use of preexistent material, apart from any evolutionary processes. Genesis 1:1-31; Exodus 20:11; Colossians 1:16, 17; Hebrews 11:3

3. God
We believe in one God, the Creator of the heaven and the earth; and that in the unity of the Divinity there are three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory, and exercising distinct and harmonious offices in the grand work of redemption.

4. Jesus
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. His birth was unique among men. He is truly God, being “manifested in the flesh”. He lived a life absolutely without sin, and in his death made a complete vicarious expiation for our sins, dying, not as a martyr, but rather as a voluntary substitute in the place of the sinner. He rose again from the dead on the third day, and bodily ascended to heaven. We believe in “the blessed hope”: the personal and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, when the church will be “reunited with Him”. Titus 2:13; John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-13; Isaiah 7:14; Mathew 1:18-25; 28:6; John 1:1; 15:3; Acts 15:16; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8; 1 Peter 2:22; Galatians 4:4; Luke 1:35.

5. The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person possessing all the attributes of personality and deity. He is equal to the Father and the Son, and is of the same nature. His relationship to the unbelieving world is to convince of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is the agent of the new birth and His work in the believer is to dwell in them, seal them, fill them, and guide and teach them in the ways of righteousness. We believe that there is a distinction in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and His ministry in the New Testament. There is a new and unique work of the Holy Spirit in relation to the Body of Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit grants to the believer gifts of service at the moment of conversion. God, without doubt, performs miracles today, in answer to prayer and as a manifestation of His sovereignty . . . John 7:39; 14:16,17, 26; Acts 1:5; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians:13; Ephesians 4:7-11; Hebrews 9:14.

6. Man
We believe that the Scriptures teach that man was created by the direct act of God, and not through some form of previously existent life. By voluntary transgression, he fell from his state of innocence, and as a consequence, all men are now sinners by nature and by their own will, totally deprived of the holiness required by the justice of God, absolutely inclined towards evil (“the total depravity of man”), and therefore, under the just condemnation of eternal punishment and an eternal existence separated from God and without excuse. Genesis 1:27; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; 5:12-19.

7. Salvation
We believe that salvation is by grace through faith, that it is the gift of God, without merit, or virtue or by the work of man, but rather received only by means of personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ every true believer has in his possession the gift of eternal life, perfect justification, adoption into the family of God, and the security of being free from all condemnation, and possesses all that is necessary to live a holy, spiritual life. We believe that salvation is carried out in the spirit of holiness, and has the guarantee of God of never being lost. We believe that salvation takes place in the spirit, soul and body of man. Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; John 1:12; 3:14; 10:28-29; Romans 8:1; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:4; 1 Peter 3:9; Romans 8:28-29; Hebrews 10:34; Revelations 22:17.

8. The Resurrection, Eternal Life and Eternal condemnation
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust. All those who by faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will pass immediately, and for all eternity, into the full delight of the presence of God, while all those who by their impenitence and unbelief refuse to accept the offer of mercy on the part of God will pass into an eternity of eternal judgment. Psalm 16:11; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 14:2; Revelations 20:14, 15; 21:4.

9. The Church
We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ, distinct from Israel of the Old Testament, was inaugurated at the Day of Pentecost, and should be considered in two aspects: the local church and “the church that is His body”, through which God has chosen to carry out his work in the world. The local church is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by a statement of faith and the communion of the gospel, united for work, worship, edification and the fulfillment of the Great Commission, observation of the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, and exercising the gifts and privileges invested in them by His Word. Under the Head, which is Christ, it must be separate from the State and should be free from all external hierarchy which compromises the truth. Her biblical officials are: I) Pastors, also called elders, and II) deacons, whose requirements and responsibilities are defined in the epistles of Timothy and Titus. The local church should be self-sustaining, self-governing, and self-propagating, congregational in politic, and autonomous in nature. Acts 2:41-47; Ephesians 3:10; Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Timothy 3; 1 Peter 5:1-3; Ephesians 1:22; Romans 16:17; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17; 1 Timothy 6:3-5.

10. The Ordinances
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water one time, in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit, in order to demonstrate by this solemn and symbolic act his identification with Christ, illustrating the death of the believer to sin and his resurrection to a new life in Christ. It is a requirement for membership in and privileges of the local church. We believe in the Lord’s Supper as a commemoration of the death of Christ until He comes, and that it should be preceded by a solemn self-examination. Participation in the Lords Supper is only for believers. The ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper should be administered by the local church. Acts 8:36-39; Romans 8:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28.

11. Satan
We believe that the devil exists, and that he is “the god of this age” and “the prince of the power of the air”, and is full of all deceitful devices, and continually seeks to frustrate the purposes of God and to deceive men. The Son of God came to undo the works of the devil, Satan was defeated by Christ on the cross and condemned to eternal judgment. 1 John 3:8; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:13-15; Ephesians 2:2; Hebrews 2:14; Revelations 12:9.

12. Personal Separation
We believe that the believer should be separated from the world unto God, and that with the help of the Holy Spirit, walk in Christian love and holiness, exhibiting the qualities of honesty, integrity, forgiveness, and kindness. We furthermore believe that any achievement in the practice of these qualities will be manifested with a true humility and a genuine zeal for the advancement of the cause of Christ. We also believe that the Scriptures admonish every believer not to love the world or the things of the world, but rather to flee from bad desires, avoid all kinds of sin and to abstain from any dubious practice which may destroy their testimony, offend a brother or not glorify God. Proverbs 15:33; Romans 14:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20; 9-13; 10:23, 33; 1 Peter 5:5,6; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 4:32; 5:1,2; 5:7-10; 5:15-20; Philippians 4:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:7.

13. Ecclesiastical Separation
We believe that the believer should be separated from any apostasy or organization which compromises biblical doctrine. This doctrine should be based upon the eternal, divine principle of the division between truth and error, and its specific command to be separate from unbelieving and disobedient brethren. This truth should be practiced with an attitude of consecration to God, humility, compassion, and even, conviction, to create the right conditions and environment in which to achieve the principle objective, the salvation of the lost through the gospel of God. We believe that the expressions of faith that involve apostates violate the principles taught in the Word of God. Matthew 10:34-39; 18:15; Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 5:7-13; 2 Corinthians 6:14; 11:4; Galatians 1:8, 9; 1 Timothy 6:3-6; 2 Timothy 2:16-18; Titus 3:10; 2 John 9-11.