Statement of Faith
The Prayer Closet Ministries, Inc. is a distinctly Christian ministry whose foundation is the Bible, the Word of God. We affirm the historic confessions of the faith such as The Apostles' Creed, the Athanasian Creed, The Nicene Creed, The Definition of Chalcedon, and The Chicago Statement on Inerrancy. The Prayer Closet Ministries, Inc. also has a detailed statement of belief as delineated below.
We believe:
I. The Scriptures
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by the inspiration of God. The Scriptures are without error and are incapable of being in error. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the only sufficient, certain, and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.
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II. God
There is one and only one living and true God. He is self-existent and infinite in His being and attributes. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the Universe. He is great beyond all our conceptions and is eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, and infinite. He is most holy, wise, free, and absolute. All that He does is the outworking of His changeless, righteous will and for His own glory. He is all-sufficient and all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness are found in Him and in Him alone. To Him, we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, without division of nature, essence, or being.
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III. The Trinity
God is revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each has distinct personal attributes, but without the division of nature essence, or being. Each is fully God and yet, the Godhead is one and indivisible. They are one in substance, in power, and in eternity. These Persons, one infinite and eternal God not to be divided in nature or in being, are distinguished in the Scripture by their relations within the Godhead and by the variety of works which they undertake.
- Exodus 3:14
- Matthew 28:19
- John 1:14,18, 14:11, 15:26
- 1 Corinthians 8:6
- 2 Corinthians 13:14
- Galatians 4:6
- 1 John 5:7
A. God The Father
God the Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to His own wise and holy purpose. He is all-powerful, holy, loving, and wise. God is the Creator of all things. He is a Father only to those who become His children by repentance from sin and by faith in Jesus Christ.
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B. God The Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and necessities of the human nature and identifying Himself completely with sinners yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of sinners from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the one Mediator, partaking in the nature of God and man, and in whose Person is reconciliation between God and sinners. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers and is the living and ever-present Lord.
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C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. He exalts Christ and convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He effects regeneration and calls sinners to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ. He cultivates and, is the Source of, Christian character. He comforts believers and bestows spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He enables the Christian to move toward maturity in the faith. He enlightens and empowers the believer in worship, ministry, and evangelism.
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IV. Man
Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. Man, as he came from the hand of the Creator, was upright and perfect. By the temptation of Satan and through his own willfulness, man sinned against God. Now all mankind is born in a state of sin and misery. Men are given up to unspeakable miseries unless the Lord Jesus Christ sets them free. Only the grace of God can bring man to His holy fellowship and a right relationship to Himself. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image. Therefore every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
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V. Salvation
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is freely offered to all who receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense, salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.
A. Regeneration
Regeneration, or new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby sinners become new creatures in Jesus Christ. It is a change of heart that is wrought in the sinner by the Holy Spirit through the conviction of sin and the hearing of the Word of God. Through this gracious work of the Spirit, the sinner is enabled to repent of his sins and to trust in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as Savior and a commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord. Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon the principles of His righteousness of all sinners into a relationship of peace and favor with God.
B. Sanctification
Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes and is enable to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.
C. Glorification
Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed. The believer will be completely conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
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VI. The Church
The head of the church is the Lord Jesus Christ. The church is the Body of Christ and is commissioned to continue the ministry Jesus started. Every believer is a member of the universal church through faith in Jesus Christ and repentance of sin. Every believer is to be an active part of a local assembly where he or she can worship, fellowship, give, be taught the Word of God, use his or her spiritual gift(s), and carry out evangelism.
- Matthew 16:15-19, 18:15-20, 28:19-20
- Acts 2:41-42
- Hebrews 10:25
VII. Healing
God uses doctors, medicine, and other material means in healing. However, God's direct intervention to heal the whole person is an extension of Christ's continued ministry today through the church. Elements in divine healing include God's Word, faith, prayer, and anointed ministry in the Body of Christ.
- Isaiah 53:5
- Mark 11:23, 16:18
- 1 Corinthians 12:9
- James 5:14-16
VIII. Christ's Second Coming
According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth. The dead will be raised and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell in heaven forever with God.
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