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Church Education Resource Ministries |
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The Holy Scriptures
CERM believes in the
inspiration, inerrancy &
sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures of
the Old and New Testaments and that they compose the entire Word of
God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible,
and God-breathed; and therefore, are the final authority for faith
and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the
complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scriptures shall be
interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical
meaning.
CERM primarily uses the New International Version, the
English Standard Version, the King James Version, the
New King James, and the New American Standard Version
for the writing of articles. CERM does not agree with the
King
James Only Fundamentalist
movement. There are no perfect bible translations. Only the
originals are perfect. All translations have strengths and
weaknesses.** (See Footnote at Bottom of Page).
The
Godhead
CERM believes in one Triune God, eternally existing in three
persons being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and each are
coeternal in being, coidentical in nature, coequal in power and
glory, and having the same attributes and perfection's. (Deuteronomy
6:4; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:10, 26, 1 John
5:7-8)
The Person and Work of Christ
CERM believes that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God,
became man without ceasing to be God, having been begotten by the
Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary in order that He might reveal
God and redeem sinful men. (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2,
14; II Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8)
CERM believes that the Lord Jesus Christ
accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a
representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our
justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from
the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7;
I Peter 1:3-5)
CERM believes that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended
to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our
High Priest, He fulfills the ministries of Representative,
Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans
8:34; I John 2:1-2)
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
CERM believes that the Holy Spirit is the One who convicts the
world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the
Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the
body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of
redemption. (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II
Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14)
CERM believes that He is the Divine Teacher Who
assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and
that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with
the Spirit. (Ephesians 1:17-18; 5:18; I John 2:20, 27)
CERM believes that God is sovereign in the
bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses
evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly
in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Romans 12:3-8; I
Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12)
CERM believe that the sign gifts of the Holy
Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing were
temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the
common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit
and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death
awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though
God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for
physical healing. (I Corinthians 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22)
The Fallen Nature of Man
CERM believes that man was created in the image and likeness of
God, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a
sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and, that all men are
sinners by birth and by choice, and, of themselves, utterly unable to
remedy their lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12;
6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
Salvation
CERM believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by
grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose
precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins
(John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19) and that in order
to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new
creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a
process.
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
CERM believes that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by
God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John
6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter
1:4-5)
CERM believes that it is the privilege of
believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the
testimony of God’s Word which, however, clearly forbids the use
of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Romans 13:13-14;
Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
The Church
CERM believes that the local church, which is the body and the
espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons. (I
Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23;
5:25-27)
CERM believes that the establishment and
continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the
New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Timothy
3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
CERM believes in the autonomy of the local church,
free of any external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31;
20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Peter
5:1-4)
CERM recognizes water baptism and the Lord’s
Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in
this age. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; I Corinthians
11:23-26)
Separation
CERM believes that Christians should live in a manner that does
not bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and that separation
from all religious apostasy, all sinful pleasures, and practices is
commanded of God.** (See Footnote at Bottom of Page). (Romans 12:1-2;
14:13; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; II Timothy 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II
John 9-11).
The
Second Advent of Christ
CERM believes in that "blessed hope," the personal, imminent
return of Christ Who will rapture His Church prior to the seven-year
tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will
personally and visibly return with His saints to establish His
earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel.
(Psalm 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-11; I Thessalonians
1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
The Eternal State
CERM believes in the bodily resurrection of all men whom are
saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting
punishment. (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Revelation
20:5-6, 12-13)
CERM believes that the souls of the redeemed are
at death absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in
conscious bliss they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul,
and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke
23:43; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; I Thessalonians
4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6)
CERM believes that the souls of unbelievers remain
after death in conscious punishment and torment until the second
resurrection when, with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at
the Great White Throne Judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of
Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious
punishment and torment. (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke
16:19-26; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)
The Personality of Satan
CERM believes that Satan is a Fallen Angel, the author of sin,
and the cause of the fall of man; that he is the open and declared
enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the
Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41;
Revelation 20:10)
Creation
CERM believes that God created the universe in six literal,
24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age
Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin.
(Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11)
Civil Government
CERM believes that God has ordained and created all authority
consisting of three basic institutions: (1) the home, (2) the church,
and (3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but
all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and
are governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific
Biblical responsibilities and has balanced those responsibilities
with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe
upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and
sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of
responsibility under God. (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews
13:17; I Peter 2:13-14)
Unchaste Conduct
CERM believes that God has commanded that no intimate physical
activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a
woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism,
bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and
pornography is a sinful perversion of God’s original intent for
a physical relationship between a husband and wife. (Genesis 2:24;
19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; I Corinthians
5:1; 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
Divorce and Remarriage
CERM believes that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last
until one of the spouses dies. Although divorced and remarried
persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in a church
and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be
considered for the offices of pastor or deacon of a church. (Malachi
2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; I Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus
1:6)
Abortion
CERM believes that human life begins at conception and that the
unborn child is a living human being. Abortion
constitutes the unjustified, inexcusable taking of unborn human life.
Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of
pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection,
birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother
are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1,
5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)
Missions
CERM believes that God has given the church a great commission to
proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great
multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group
who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we
must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not
wait for them to come to us. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke
24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8, II Corinthians 5:20)
Lawsuits Between Believers
CERM believes that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil
lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal
disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary
to resolve personal disputes between members.** (See Footnote at
Bottom of Page).
Giving
CERM believes that every Christian, as a steward of that portion
of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his
local church financially. We believe that God has established the
tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also
give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of
the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the
Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct
the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made.
(Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Corinthians 16:2; II
Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:17-18;
I John 3:17)
** The Holy Scriptures
CERM has written a rebuttal to the KJVO
argument. There are many arguments, but one such argument against the
KJVO belief are mistranslated verses that have been corrected in the
New King James version. There are dozens of these, but one such
classic passage is Exodus 20:13 where the KJV and NKJV differ. The
KJV forbids killing an insect or killing an animal. But
the NKJV differentiates between killing and murdering.
** Separation
CERM does not believe that ministering to unbelievers at their
parties, going to movies and such are wrong. CERM has studied
Acts 17 and believes that subverting the culture can be an
advantage just as Paul did in that chapter. CERM does not endorse
legalism and does not advocate that believers not listen to
contemporary Christian Music, not grow beards, not mix swim, separate
from Contemporary Evangelicals,etc..
** Lawsuits Among
Believers
CERM does not believe that a Christian may seek
compensation for injuries from another Christian's insurance company
as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (I
Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32)