WHAT WE BELIEVE

HOLY BIBLE

The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. We believe that the sixty-six (66) books of the Old Testament and New Testament are God’s completed and sufficient revelation for the total well being of mankind. It alone is the final authority for determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, the Bible is inspired, infallible and inerrant (See Prov. 30:5; Rom. 16:25, 26; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21).

TRINITY

There is one God, eternally existent in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and co-eternal (Gen. 1:26; Isa. 9:6; Matt.3:16, 17; 28:19; Luke 1:35; Heb. 3:7-11). The Father is fully God; His Fatherhood is eternal and personal. He is the Father of the Lord Jesus and of all who believe in Christ (Eph. 3:14, 15). The Son is Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles and died on the cross for mankind. He rose from the dead on the third day, ascended to the right hand of the Father and will return again in power and glory (John 1:1, 14, 20:28; 1 Tim. 3:16; Isa. 9:6; Phil. 2:5-6; 1 Tim. 2:5). The Holy Spirit is equal in deity and person with God the Father and God the Son. He makes people aware of their need for Jesus Christ, performs the miracle of the new birth, and comes to live in every Christian the moment they trust in Jesus Christ (John 16:5-15).

REDEMPTION

Man was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression he fell; his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Gen. 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Rom. 5:12-21).

SALVATION

Salvation is the gift of God to man, separate from works and the law, and is made operative by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, producing works acceptable to God (Eph. 2:8).

REPENTANCE

Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption, forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation. (Acts 2:21, 3:19, 1 John 1:9).

SANCTIFICATION

Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life (1 Thess. 4:3 4:3, 5:23; 2 Cor. 3:18, 6:14-18; 2 Tim. 2:1-3; Rom. 8:29, 12:1; Heb. 2:11).

JESUS' BLOOD

The blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary was 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death (1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5, 5:9; Col. 1:20; Rom. 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29).

JESUS CHRIST INDWELLS ALL BELIEVERS

Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to Him thus making Jesus their Lord and Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished on the cross (John 1:12, 14:17, 23, 15:4; Rom. 8:11; Rev. 3:20).

BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel through the whole earth. This experience can be accompanied by the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit Himself gives utterance (Joel 2:28-29; Matt 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:8, 2:38-39, 19:1-7).

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible’s lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestations of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters (Heb. 2:4; Rom. 1:11, 12:4-8; Eph. 4:16; 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6-7; 1 Cor. 12:1-31, 14:1-40; 1 Pet. 4:10).

CHURCH

The church is the representative of Jesus on earth and is to carry out the Great Commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord, Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:22, 2:19-22; Heb. 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23).

WATER BAPTISM

Baptism in water is by immersion, is a direct commandment of our Lord, and is for believers only. This ordinance is a symbol of the Christian’s identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Matt 28:10; Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12; Acts 8:36-39).

COMMUNION

A special time in the presence of God when the represented elements of the Body and the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ are taken in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross (Matt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 10:16, 11:23-25).

DIVINE HEALING

Healing is for the physical ails of the human body and is shaped by the power of God through the prayer of faith and by the laying on of hands. It is provided by the atonement of Christ and is the privilege of every member of the church today (Mark. 16:18; James 5:14-16; 1 Pet. 2:24; Matt. 8:17; Isa. 54:4-5).

GOD'S WILL FOR PROVISION

It is the Father’s will for believers to become whole, healthy and successful in all areas of life. But because of the fall, many may not receive the full benefits of God’s will while on Earth. That fact, though, should never prevent all believers from seeking the full benefits of Christ’s provision in order to better serve others:

• Spiritual (John 3:3-11; 2 Cor. 5:17-21; Rom. 10:9-10)
• Mental and Emotional (2 Tim. 1:7, 2:11; Phil. 4:7-8; Rom. 12:2; Isa. 26:3)
• Physical (Isa. 53:4-5; Matt. 8:17; 1 Pet. 2:24)
• Financial (Josh. 1:8; Mal. 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; 2 Cor. 9:6-10; Deut. 28:1-14; Ps. 24:10, 84:11; Phil. 4:19)

RESURRECTION

Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected (Luke 24:16, 26, 29; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; 1 Cor. 15:42, 44; Phil. 1:21-23, 3:21).

HEAVEN

Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matt. 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; 2 Cor. 5:1; Heb. 11:6; 1 Pet. 1:4).

SECOND COMING

Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures (Matt. 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thess. 4:15-17; 2 Thess. 1:7-8; Rev. 1:7).

HELL

After living life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the Fallen Angels (Matt. 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Heb. 9:27; Rev. 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8).

DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE AND SEXUALITY

We believe that the term ‘marriage’ has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex or disagreement with one’s genetically born sex, is sinful and offensive to God. We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, should abide by and agree to this Definition of Marriage and Sexuality and conduct themselves accordingly. While IHLM will not take or support any action that is intended to be hostile towards any persons practicing sexual immorality of any kind, we believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of the church. Furthermore, IHLM strongly encourages and welcomes persons practicing sexual immorality of any kind to attend church services at IHLM (subject to general congregational decorum). We believe IHLM’s Definition of Marriage and Sexuality is based upon God’s will for human life as conveyed to us through the Holy Scriptures, upon which IHLM has been founded and anchored, and this Definition of Marriage and Sexuality shall not be subject to change through popular vote; referendum; prevailing opinion of members or the general public; influence of or interpretation by any government authority, agency, or official action; or legal developments on the local, state or federal level.