Doctrinal Statement

   Aloveoffering.org without equivocation holds to the essentials of biblical orthodoxy. The definitions we use are those held by the majority of mainstream Christianity. Though, we also state upfront that those do not define orthodoxy for the whole body of Christ. Aloveoffering.org embraces all who faithfully adhere to the essentials of Biblical Christianity. And it is those essentials that we teach.

   To that end we adopt these seven articles, as that which we all share share together as tenets of our Faith. Our statement is based in large part upon the Moody Bible Institute's Moody Publishers doctrinal statement.

Article I
God is a Person who has revealed Himself as a Trinity in unity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit—three Persons and yet one God.

• Deuteronomy 6:4;
• Matthew 28:19;
• 1 Corinthians 8:6.

Article II
The Bible, including both the Old and the New Testaments, is a divine revelation, and without error in all it affirms in the texts, which were verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit; and is the only authoritative guide for faith and practice and as such must not be supplanted by any other fields of human learning.

• 2 Timothy 3:16;
• 2 Peter 1:21.

Article III
Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, which is to say, He is Himself very God; He took upon Himself our nature, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary; He died upon the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sin of the world; He arose from the dead in the body in which He was crucified; He ascended into heaven in that body glorified, where He is now our interceding High Priest; He will come again personally and visibly to set up His Kingdom; and to judge the quick and the dead.

• Colossians 1:15;
• Philippians 2:5-8;
• Matthew 1:18-25;
• 1 Peter 2:24-25;
• Luke 24;
• Hebrews 4:14-16;
• Acts 1:9-11;
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18;
• Matthew 25:31-46;
• Revelation 11:15-17; 20:4-6, 11-15.

Article IV
Man was created in the image of God but fell into sin, and, in that sense, is lost; this is true of all men, and except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God; salvation is by grace through faith in Christ who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree; the retribution of the wicked and unbelieving and the rewards of the righteous are everlasting, and as the reward is conscious, so is the retribution.

• Genesis 1:26-27;
• Romans 3:10, 23;
• John 3:3;
• Acts 13:38-39; 4:12;
• John 3:16; Matthew 25:46;
• 2 Corinthians 5:1;
• 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10

Article V
The Church is an elect company of believers baptized by the Holy Spirit into one body; its mission is to witness concerning its Head, Jesus Christ, preaching the Gospel among all nations; it will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air ere He appears to set up His kingdom.

• Acts 2:41; 15:13-17;
• Ephesians 1:3-6;
• 1 Corinthians 12:12-13;
• Matthew 28:19-20;
• Acts 1:6-8;
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Article VI
Aloveoffering.org maintains that there is one baptism of the Holy Spirit that occurs at the time a person is born again, and that baptism places the believer into the body of Christ. Aloveoffering.org further maintains that baptism is to occur subsequent to salvation, with both occuring by the believers own informed and faith-purposed consent. Aloveoffering.org also distinguishes between spiritual gifts distributed to believers to equip them for ministry and the "sign gifts" which are understood to have been manifestations of the Holy Spirit to authenticate the messenger and the gospel message during the foundational period of the church. As example is the 'gift of tongues" whose purpose at Pentecost was to make sure that every person there heard the Gospel message in their own native tongue. Therefore, the we hold that "sign gifts" are not normative for the church today. While our position is not and must not be a test of fellowship with those whose traditions differ, members of this community will not practice or propagate practices at variance with the this position.

• Acts 2:1-13;
• 1 Corinthians 13:8;
• 1 Corinthians 14:6-19;
• 1 Corinthians 14:19;
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18


• an offsite very good, and somewhat differing view on the gift of tongues can be found here: here.

Article VII
Aloveoffering.org values the worth and dignity of all persons without distinction as created in God's image. We affirm the priesthood of all believers and the responsibility of every Christian woman and man to take an active role in edifying the church. For that purpose, the Holy Spirit distributes ministry gifts to believers without distinction of any kind. That reality imposes the responsibility on every believer to fulfill ministry consistent with God's grace.

Aloveoffering.org distinguishes between ministry function and church office. While upholding the necessity of mutual respect and affirmation as those subject to the Word of God, we understand that the biblical office of elder/pastor in the early church was gender specific. Therefore it maintains that it is consistent with that understanding of Scripture that those church offices should be limited to the male gender. Nor should any position be peopled by those whose lifestyles the Bible states are an anathema to G-d.

• Ephesians 4:11;
• 1 Timothy 3:1-13;
• 2 Timothy 4:2;
• Titus 1:5-11;
• Acts 20:28;
• 1 1 Peter 5:1
• Hebrews 13:17;
• Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16
• Leviticus 18:22
• 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

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