Articles of Faith

 

The “Article of Faith” is an outline of biblical doctrines and beliefs adopted and taught by the Inspiring Temple of Praise Church. These doctrines serve as governing principles whereby the active membership of ITOP is expected to adhere. However, because doctrines are believed to be interpretive, these doctrines are subject to change as the leadership's understanding of biblical principles are further developed.

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I. Trinity 

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"God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God. The three different persons of the Trinity are one not only in purpose and in agreement on what they think, but they are one in essence, one in their essential nature.  

God, in His very being, has always existed as more than one person. In fact, God exists as three persons, yet He is one God. Thus, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, infinitely wise, infinitely holy, infinitely loving, omniscient, and so forth."

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                                                                                                                        ~Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology 

 

II. God 

 

God the Father

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God the Father is first and foremost creator of heaven and earth. God the Father is sovereign Lord over all that exist, have existed, and will ever exist. God the Father is the first person of the trinity. 

 

God the Son

God the Son is the only begotten of God the Father.  God the Son is the Word of God the Father made flesh, Jesus. God the Son is the perfect Lamb of God the Father, sacrificed for the redemption of man. No man can see God the Father except he (man) comes thru God the Son, Jesus. God the Son is the second person of the Trinity. 

 

God the Holy Spirit 

God the Holy Spirit is He who moved upon the face of the waters while God the Father created the heavens and the earth. God the Holy Spirit is He who Christ sent to comfort, teach, and guide all professing believers into a deeper understanding of the Kingdom of God. God the Holy Spirit is the indwelling presence of God himself, making it possible for the professing believer to access the throne of God the Father because of the redemptive blood of God the Son. God the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. 

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III. Baptism 

Every professing believer in Jesus, the Christ, should be baptized by being completely immersed in water as a demonstration of one’s faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The act of being baptized is a symbol of the professing believer beginning his/her new life in Christ.  
Baptism is an act of obedience that every professing believer should adhere to. 

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IV. Church

Serving in the earth as the called out chosen people of God, we believe that the church is a living organism birth in the earth to demonstrate the love of God through allegiance to the Bible and the Lord Jesus. We, as the church believe that we’re the future bride of Christ and that this union between Jesus and His bride cannot and will not be overthrown by the forces of evil. We believe that though the church is comprised of imperfect people its’ purpose of making perfect the heart of man is not lost in the maze of man’ agenda, foolishness, and faithlessness. We believe that it is the church – with unfeigned faith, uncompromised love, unbiased forgiveness and a relentless pursuit of God that Jesus shall return for to receive unto Himself.

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V. The Bible 

Serving to demonstrate the infinite heart and mind of God to a finite being, we believe that the bible is the incorruptible, infallible, immutable word of God that stands and shall stand as absolute truth for all eternity. We believe that the bible is God breathed, God inspired, and God sustained for all and to all generations. We believe that the bible requires no additives and/ or no alterations for the purpose of increasing its relevance and/or effectiveness in times past, present, and future. We believe that the bible is right and all other doctrines, dogma, statutes, and laws are subsequent to the bible if not wrong. While there are many fundamental tenets that authenticate our faith as Christian believers, God, the Church, and the Bible serve as the foundation of our unique identity and relationship with the creator of the universe. We acknowledge that our limited understandings of the aforementioned tenets prevent our exhausting them and that our brief discussions serve only as a pad from which we launch into the wealth of knowledge concerning them. May God bless our understanding of them, our commitment to them, and all who ascribe to them both now and in the future.