DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

The Bible:

The Bible contains both Old and New Testaments inspired, or, “breathed out” by God through men.  Therefore, the Scriptures are God’s very words, inerrant, true, and the authority in all matters of Christian life and practice.  Because the Bible was originally written down in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, English translations do their best to translate accurately from these other languages. MSOA accepts good English translations like the King James, New King James, English Standard Version, New American Standard, and the New International Version.

God: 

God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth.  God is unique in that the Scriptures reveal God is one Spirit or essence, but exists in three persons named the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  God is not three things or modes, but actually three persons that talk and interact with each other.  Christians call this the doctrine of the Trinity.

Jesus Christ:

Jesus is both God and man.  Jesus is not less than the Father, but equal.  Jesus is the Son of God, uncreated, and possesses all the attributes of God.  One day, every knee will bow to Jesus Christ in the presence of God the Father, and God the Father and God the Son will be given glory and praise.  God the Son took on flesh to die for sinners, but never stopped being fully God as He was and currently is in Heaven.  One day, Jesus will return and take believers to Himself. 

False religions, cults, and false denominations lower Jesus to less than God.  The Scriptures teach Jesus is our great God and Savior. 

Creation:

God is smart and powerful and doesn’t need any help such as Darwinian evolution.  God created all things as written in Genesis 1-2.

Sin:

Sin is the breaking of God’s moral laws; the Ten Commandments.  People know what sin by judging their life by what God has written down in His law.  The Scriptures teach all people have sinned and have fallen short of God’s perfection.  In fact, God says no one is righteous because of sin.  Therefore, no one can be good enough to go to heaven.  The consequence for disobeying God is death.

Hell:

Hell exits because Jesus said so.  If Hell doesn’t exist, why would we need Jesus our Savior?  If someone dies in their sins, they will be in Hell.  Hell is a holding place until Jesus returns and those in Hell we be given their final judgment sentence and be thrown into the Lake of Fire forever.  If this sounds awful to you, who was the last person you shared the Gospel with?

The Gospel:

The Gospel means good news!  1 Corinthians 15:3-4 defines the gospel as:  Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, was buried, and was raised from the dead. 

Salvation:

Trusting in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins is the only way to be reconciled with God.  When this happens, a sinner is forgiven, justified, adopted, made a child of God, and given eternal life.  This is what the Scriptures refer to as salvation.  The Scriptures also call this grace because it is not something we earn or deserve.  Trying to be a good person, going to church, being baptized, keeping the Ten Commandments, obeying the Sabbath, speaking in tongues etc. will not save anyone!  Going to heaven is not based on what we do for God, but what God has done for us by sending Jesus His Son to take away our sins on the cross, and then rising from the dead.  Believing any good works, or human effort can get a person to heaven is a denial of the work of Jesus on our behalf.  When a sinner trusts in Jesus Christ as their God and Savior, they are saved.