HOME > REV.DR.JAEROCK LEE > PASTORAL PHILOSOPHY > STATEMENT OF FAITH
The Bible is the Word of the Living God and “The Apostles’ Creed,” the backbone of the truthfulness of the Bible, is our only Biblical confession of faith.
The original text of the Bible is the Word of God, recorded in the inspiration of the Bible, and is therefore absolutely free from error.
The Bible is a sacred Book that not only places all people onto the path to salvation, but also establishes a standard of faith and behavior as well as the political system within the church.
The Bible is the truth that provides people with spiritual revival and blessings and is also the only true guidebook in life.
The Bible is the only revelation of God and we do not acknowledge or approve of any theories or empiricism that are not based on the Bible. Moreover, the revelation in the Bible is not in any way to be denied, modified, explained with criticism, or arbitrarily interpreted.
The Triune God exists on His own from everlasting to everlasting and is the unique spirit; He is, therefore, truly holy, righteous, and faithful. Knowledge and wisdom of God, who is also love itself and everlasting, is limitless and He is thus omnipotent; omnipresent; creates, reigns, and protects everything visible and unseen; enlightens man on His Providence; and is a merciful Father who sent His only begotten Son for the condemned mankind.
Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God the Father, the Word, and the origin of life and the light. He is also everlasting, true, omnipotent, and is one with God the Father who is the foundation of the creation of everything in the universe. He mediates on behalf of mankind and, as He was born from the womb of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit in order to save mankind and thus “in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,” the true God became a true man. His death on the cross redeemed man from his sins and His resurrection justified believers. Since His ascension, Jesus Christ has been interceding for us so that we might be wholly saved. Moreover, before long, He will return “in just the same way” as He went up into heaven to receive all those who have received salvation and to judge the quick and the dead. Our Lord is the Alpha and the Omega “who is and who was and who is to come, [and] the Almighty.”
The Holy Spirit is spirit ? thus one with God the Father ? whose exact representation and the majesty and glory of His strength are identical with those of the Father and the Son, and is the lasting God. In charge of carrying out the will of God the Trinity, He has come into this world to “convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment.” As the Helper, He teaches, leads, helps the believers, strengthening their spirit with His power, and sanctifies the church.
When God created man in the beginning, He formed him in His image and according to His likeness. God’s “image” refers to incorporeal aspects, such as His attributes. This is man’s spirit. As God formed man’s body “of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,” man came to have senses and move about on his own. As a living being consisted of spirit, soul, and flesh, man could now communicate with God, who honored man when creating and establishing him as the lord of all things in the universe ? slightly lower in the chain of command than God Himself ? and gave him the authority to rule over them so that He would be magnified.
God honored man when creating him in the beginning by forming man in His image ? that is, according to His attributes ? and gave him freedom. Man, however, sinned and fell away from God because, instead of using free will according to His will, he abused it. Being rich in mercy, God nevertheless gave Jesus Christ to the fallen mankind for their salvation without charge; anyone who believes in the Lord is reborn and becomes a child of God. If he abuses freedom and does not submit himself to the Holy Spirit, he can yet again fall away. A believer, therefore, must always be obedient to the Holy Spirit. The acknowledgement of free will results in the differences in two contrasting schools of thought: “predestination of man” and “God’s omniscience.” We adhere to “God’s omniscience,” which is consistent with the teachings of the Bible.
When God created man, He gave him a good, righteous, and truthful nature ? in “His own image” ? but as the first man created Adam disobeyed God’s Word and pursued the temptation of greed by abusing his free will, he became corrupt. This, the hereditary “original sin” with which each individual is born, was personified, resulted in “the old self” ? the flesh ? and was passed down from generation to generation. Due to this sin, every individual commits sins and dies. Each person has “the original sin” and “the self-committed sins.” On the one hand, the liability of any self-committed sins falls squarely on each individual. On the other hand, since the original sin is hereditary, the state of sin is the same for everyone and people are not held liable. However, there is no avoiding of the penalty if people commit sins because of the original sin or if they refuse to believe in the Way ? even after it was shown to them ? that can cleanse their sins. In order to rid himself of all sins, therefore, each person must be cleansed from his self-committed sins and the original sin by believing in the shedding of the blood by Jesus the Son of God.
By Jesus Christ’s redemptive death and resurrection, we are/have been born again.
An individual is “righteous” when “He is justified,” when “He is acknowledged to be just,” and “He is reckoned as just.” In other words, when a sinner repents by the mercy of God, believes in the Redemption of Jesus Christ, and thus receives the forgiveness of all sins he had committed, he is deemed a righteous man before God. A righteous man is redeemed from his sins ? that is, he is exempt from the punishment of all the sins he has committed in the past ? and receives a privilege to which he is entitled as a “righteous man.” The state of his righteousness will be sustained as long as the individual remains faithful and obedient to God.
“Rebirth” is defined as “being born again” or “born on high,” and refers to a sudden transformation in an individual’s moral character by the Holy Spirit when he is justified. His heart, which had been dead in his trespasses and sins, is thus resurrected to a new life in Jesus Christ and he begins living a life of obedience and triumph. Therefore, the person is set free from the judgment of all his sins of the past and “rebirth” takes place when the life of Jesus Christ is conceived in the individual’s heart. He is free from the yoke of his sins and believes that for him will be prepared a foundation on which he learns/lives about spiritual things and overcomes sins, and that he will receive privileges as God’s adoptive child.
While it is an act of God’s claiming His sovereignty when “the righteous” become justified by believing in Jesus Christ’s redemptive death, “rebirth” is an actual spiritual transformation in his moral character taking place in his heart. For “the righteous,” there is a shift in the manner in which God deals with those who had previously been sinners while “rebirth” is the work of transformation taking place in his life. In other words, becoming “righteous” alters our position on God and “rebirth” alters our character. While these two works are different in theory and becoming “righteous” logically precedes “rebirth,” they take place simultaneously and bear fruit by the deeds of the same faith.
Although an individual born again, in principle, is not to sin, if he should falter and sin, he can again receive the forgiveness of his sins when he humbly repents by acknowledging his sins and in his faith in the Advocate with God, Jesus Christ Our Lord.
The church shall be preserved to the end of the age as a place of worshipping God, fellowship among and training for the believers, and for transforming the world. The church is an organization that has been called by God, set apart from the sinful and evil world, and consists of believers who have been redeemed by believing Jesus Christ to be their Savior. It is the body of Jesus Christ and a sanctuary in which believers gather to worship God and baptism and Communion take place. The church is also the foundation and pillars of truth at which the Word of God is preached, from which the Good News is spread, and through which all souls receive salvation. Finally, the church is a sacred hall in which all believers, after they have equipped and prepared themselves as the brides of Jesus Christ, anticipate the Second Advent of the Lord.
On the last day, which Our Lord described as “of that day or hour no one knows” ? the time of God’s choosing ? Jesus Christ will come in the air, into which the believers will be lifted up. After conducting a wedding banquet for seven years in the air with the believers, Jesus Christ will return to the earth and establish the Millennium. Following the Seven-year Wedding Banquet in the air, Jesus Christ will return to the earth that has undergone seven years of tribulation, will throw Satan into the abyss, and build the Messianic Kingdom. This is the era of rest, the Jubilee, and the time of the restoration of Eden as well as the fulfillment of prophecies and “The Lords’ Prayer.” During this time, Jesus Christ will reign over the world as the King of kings and the believers will also reign alongside Him. The world during this most ideal period of bliss will be inhabited by people with flesh and people with spiritual bodies. Following the Millennium is the Judgment from which the saved children of God will enter heaven and those who have not received salvation will enter hell.