"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine."
2 Timothy 4:2
2 Timothy 4:2
Our Mission
Iglesia de la Gracia exists to glorify God through evangelizing the lost (Mathew 28:19-20) and edifying and perfecting the saints toward the goal of the personal transformation of each individual into the likeness of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:12-16).
This is accomplished by seeking the salvation of lost souls through the public proclamation of the Word of God to all men and by edifying the saints for the work of the ministry through teaching, preaching, and instructing in righteousness utilizing the whole counsel of God - the 66 canonical books of the Bible.
This is accomplished by seeking the salvation of lost souls through the public proclamation of the Word of God to all men and by edifying the saints for the work of the ministry through teaching, preaching, and instructing in righteousness utilizing the whole counsel of God - the 66 canonical books of the Bible.
Our Declaration of Faith
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1. We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are inspired by God and are complete and without error in their original manuscripts. Furthermore, we believe that these Scriptures are the final supreme authority over each individual (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21). We believe that the Scriptures should be interpreted literally within their grammatical and historical contexts with consideration to their literary genre.
2. We believe in the One true, eternal, omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (all-present) God that exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Exodus 20:2-3; Isaiah 45:5-6; Matthew 28:19). 3. We believe that God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them through His spoken word and that nothing apart from Him existed before His work of creation. Furthermore, we believe that God created everything in six literal 24-hour days and that on the seventh day He rested as narrated in Genesis 1:1-2:3. We completely refute both man's proposed theory of evolucation as well as the false teaching of theistic evolution that purports that God initiated everything and then left it to chance to evolve. 4. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God the Father, and that he was born of the virgen, Mary. Furthermore, we believe that Jesus Christ is fully man and fully God, and that there never was, is not now, nor will ever be another man like Him (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35; Galatians 4:4). 5. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only man without sin (Hebrews 4:15), and that He died for our sins on the cross according to the Scriptures. The propitiatory death of Jesus Christ is the substitute for our death. Christ died in our place and all that believe in Him by faith will be justified (Romans 3:24-25; 4:5; 5:1, 8-9; 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Isaiah 53:4-11). 6. We believe in the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the tomb on the third day and in His physical ascention into Heaven. Furthermore, we believe that He lives today and forevermore, and that at this moment He is at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf as our High Priest, Advocate, and only Mediator that exists between God and man (Matthew 28:1-9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-9; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 2:2; 1 Timothy 2:5). 7. We believe that the Holy Spirit baptizes and seals every believer and that He dwells permanently within each one from the moment of their salvation, empowering them to live in holiness. We also believe that the Holy Spirit grants spiritual gifts to every believer according to His will for God's glory and the edification of the body of Christ. Furthermore, we believe that the gifts of signs and wonders and new revelation registered in the New Testament such as tongues, the interpretation of tongues, prophecy, healings, and wonders only existed for a specific time frame designated by God with the purpose of affirming the authority of the messenger (the prophet or apostle) and the veracity of his message. At the close of the apostolic age and the completion of the Scriptures (with the last revelation of God to John on the island of Patmos), the need for these gifts of new revelation ceased to exist (Ephesians 1:13; 4:11-12,30; 5:18; Romans 8:9; 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Hebrews 2:3-4; 1 Corinthians 13:8-13). |
8. We believe that in the beginning man was created perfect, in the image of God; but then man sinned. Because of his sin - his disobedience to God - mankind would suffer not only physical death, but spiritural death as well, eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire. Furthermore, we believe that all men inherit Adam's sin nature and are, from birth, unclean sinners by nature (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-13, 23; 5:12, 19; Titus 1:15-16; Jeremiah 17:9).
9. We believe that all who receive Jesus Christ by faith are born again by the Holy Spirit, have passed from death unto life, and are made Sons of God (John 1:12-13; 3:13-16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9). 10. We believe in the eternal security of the believer and that it is impossible for one who is truly born into the family of God to lose their salvation (John 6:39; 10:28-29; Romans 8:35-39; Hebrews 7:25; Jude 1). 11. We believe in the rapture of the church, the personal return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in the clouds to gather together both the living and dead in Christ and carry them together with Him to Heaven. This will be premillenial, (before the millenial reign of Christ – Revelation 20:1-5); pretribulational (before the great tribulation of 7 years over those who dwell upon earth – Matthew 24:14-21); and imminent (it can occur at any moment – John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2). 12. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, both the just and the unjust, the just to eternal life in the presence of the Lord, the unjust to eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire separated from God (Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 16:19-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:12-15; 21:1-8). 13. We believe that the New Testament church (the body of Christ) still exists today in two forms: the universal church and the local church. The universal church is comprised of all true believers in Christ throughout the world and includes both the living and the dead from the Day of Pentecost in the New Testament until the return of Christ in the clouds for His own in the Rapture. The local church is made up of living believers that congregate in specific local areas. There is only one universal church with many local churches. We also believe that the local church should be independent, autonomous, and united in purpose among its membership. Furthermore, we believe that there are two leadership offices in the local church that are ordained by God: elders and deacons (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-48; 6:1-3; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:1-12; 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1:5-11; 1 Peter 5:1-4). 14. We believe that God, through Jesus Christ, instituted two ordinances that should be observed in the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism by inmersion should be administered to the believer after conversion as a public testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ as personal Savior. The Lord's Supper, to be observed only by believers, is a simbolic memorial that announces Christ's death and resurrection until His return (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-47; 8:26,39; 16:31-33; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28; Colossians 2:12). 15. We believe that the church exists to glorify God, edify the saints, and fulfill the Great Commission (1 Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 4:11-12; Matthew 28:18-20). |
